Patent Application
20140111000
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a power kit for receiving electrical power and for distributing electrical power throughout a vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many vehicles including pontoon boats, recreational vehicles (RVs), pop-up campers, etc. have passenger compartments but are not wired to provide passengers in those compartments with electricity for powering various electronic devices (e.g. stereos, laptop computers, televisions, etc.). Consequentially, electrical power is typically not available when such vehicles are in motion. When such vehicles are stationary, such as when a pontoon boat is at a dock or an RV is at a campsite, a passenger will run an extension cord into the passenger compartment of the vehicle for powering their various devices. However, depending on the type of vehicle, this approach may present a number of drawbacks. For example, in a boat, the power source to which the extension cord is attached may not provide adequate grounding in the event that the end of the extension cord or the device being powered are exposed to water and short-circuit. In an RV or a camper, a door or a window might have to be left open for the extension cord to reach the passenger compartment, which could be undesirable for security, climate control and insect control purposes. Additionally, the extension cord approach is very utilitarian and may be unsightly while also forcing the passengers to keep their electronic devices within their cords' lengths of the end of the extension cord.
Adding an electrical system including one or more outlets to the passenger compartments of such vehicles is typically a complicated and time consuming process and often must be carried out by a professional electrician to ensure that the electrical system satisfies certain safety standards, such as American Boat and Yacht Club (ABYC) safety standards for electrical systems on boats. As such, this process is often very expensive and there still is a risk that even the professional did not install the electrical system correctly.
One aspect of the present invention is to provide a power kit that can easily be installed in various types of vehicles even by a person with limited knowledge of electrical systems without any special tools or other expensive equipment while also satisfying safety standards, e.g. American Boat and Yacht Club (ABYC) safety standards for electrical systems on boats. According to this particular aspect of the present invention, the power kit includes a control box with an alternating current (AC) input jack for receiving electrical power from an AC power source, a direct current (DC) input jack for receiving electrical power from a DC power source (such as the vehicle's battery) and at least one outlet jack for distributing electrical power to an outlet. The power kit additionally includes an AC cord with an AC plug; a DC cord with a DC plug; and at least one outlet with an outlet cord and an outlet plug for supplying power to or carrying power away from the control box. The control box also includes a DC to AC inverter for converting DC electrical power to AC electrical power to be supplied to the at least one outlet when the control box is only receiving electrical power from the DC power source. The plug and jack combinations are configured differently from one another so that the AC, DC and outlet plugs can only be connected to their respective jacks on the control box. As such, the AC and DC power sources and the outlets may only be connected to the control box properly, which minimizes the risk of an electrical short-circuit or other problems that could result from an incorrectly installed electrical system. This feature allows the power kit to be packaged and sold as an aftermarket product for installation by a person without the risks usually associated with non-professionals working with electrical components, and the resulting electrical system conforms to ABYC standards.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a power kit for receiving and distributing electricity in a vehicle is provided. The power kit includes a control box with at least two input jacks for receiving electrical power from at least two power sources and at least one outlet jack for distributing electrical power to at least one outlet in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The power kit additionally includes at least two outlets, each of which is electrically connected to an outlet cord having an outlet plug that is configured for attachment to the outlet jack(s) on said control box. Each of the outlets further includes an outlet box with an outlet jack shaped similarly to the at least one outlet jack on the control box for receiving the outlet plug of the other outlet. As such, each of the outlets is connectable to either the control box directly or to the control box via the other of the outlets. This feature is advantageous because it allows a user to more easily connect additional outlets to the control box. So long as at least one of the outlets is directly connected to the control box, the others can either be connected to the control box itself or to the other outlets in a “daisy chain” style connection. Any desirable number of outlets can receive power from the control box in this fashion.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a power kit for receiving and distributing electricity in a vehicle is provided. The power kit includes a control box with a plurality of input jacks for receiving electrical power from a plurality of electrical sources (such as an external AC outlet and a battery) and at least one outlet jack for distributing electrical power to one or more outlet in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The power kit additionally includes a plurality of electrical input cords and at least one electrical output cord for attachment to the input and output jacks respectively of the control box. The control box has an L-shape with a long leg and a short leg extending orthogonally to one another, and the input and outlet jacks are disposed on the surface of the short leg that faces in the direction that the long leg extends. This feature is advantageous because the control box has an ergonomic shape which can fit into smaller, generally rectangular constraints than it otherwise could if the input and outlet jacks were disposed on any of the other surfaces of the control box. Additionally, the connection between the input and outlet cords and the control box is generally protected on two sides by the short and long legs of the control box to guard against an accidental disconnection of any of these cords. Even further, where the control box is mounted in a generally rectangular opening of the vehicle, access to attach and detach the input and output cords to/from the control box is provided.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, a method of installing a power kit in a vehicle having a battery and a passenger compartment is provided. The method includes the step of mounting one end of an AC cord on an exterior surface of the vehicle and wherein the other end of the AC cord has an AC plug. The method continues with connecting one end of a DC cord to the battery of the vehicle and wherein the other end of the DC cord has a DC plug. The method proceeds with mounting at least one outlet having an outlet cord with an outlet plug into a position within the passenger compartment. The method continues with the step of securing a control box to the vehicle wherein the control box has an AC input jack configured to receive only the AC plug of the AC cord and a DC input jack configured to only receive the DC plug of the DC cord and an outlet jack configured to receive only the outlet plug of the outlet cord. The method further includes the step of attaching the AC, DC and outlet plugs to their respective jacks on the control box. This aspect of the present invention is advantageous because each of the above steps may be performed by a person with limited electrical knowledge, thereby allowing that person to install an electrical system that conforms to ABYC standards including one or more electrical outlets into his or her vehicle very quickly and easily without any special tools or other expensive equipment.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:
Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, an exemplary power kit 20 for receiving and distributing electrical power is generally shown in
Referring now to
Referring still to
The exemplary power kit 20 also includes a DC cord 50 with a DC plug 42b on one end that is electrically connected to the control box 24 and positive and negative wires on the other end which are attached to the positive and negative terminals respectively of the vehicle's battery 36. When the vehicle 22 is away from an AC external power source 39 (such as when the vehicle 22 is in operation), a user may activate the control box 24 to draw DC power from the battery 36 and to convert it to AC power with the DC to AC inverter 37. If the battery 36 is also attached to an alternator (not shown) of an internal combustion engine (e.g. an outboard motor) as is common in many vehicles, this may not drain any power from the battery 36 while the engine is operating.
The exemplary power kit 20 also includes a battery charger 52 which is in electrical communication with the battery charger jack 30 on the control box 24 and also with the vehicle's battery 36. When the control box 24 is connected to an external AC power source 39, a user may activate the battery charger 52 to charge the battery 36 with power supplied by the external AC power source 39.
The exemplary power kit 20 additionally includes a pair of electrical outlets 38 which are electrically connected to the control box 24 via outlet cords 54 for providing 120 Volt AC power to the passenger compartment of the vehicle 22. For example, in the exemplary embodiment, the outlets 38 are mounted underneath seats in the pontoon boat 22. The outlets 38 are preferably ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFIC) outlets 38 for safety purposes, particularly if the power kit 20 is to be installed in any type of boat. It should be appreciated that these outlets 38 could be mounted in any desirable locations of the vehicle 22.
Referring now to
The control box 24, AC cord 40, DC cord 50, outlet cords 54 and battery charger 52 are all designed to be easily hidden from view of the passengers in the vehicle's passenger compartment. For example, in the exemplary pontoon boat 22, the control box 24 is disposed underneath a seat with a removable top so that it is both hidden from the normal view of the passengers but also easily accessible, and the AC, DC and outlet cords 40, 50, 54 are run underneath and between the seats and underneath the floor of the pontoon boat 22. However, it should be appreciated that the power kit 20 can be installed in the vehicle 22 in any desirable manner.
Referring now to
Additionally, the exemplary power kit 20 is configured so that the AC cord 40 cannot accidentally be connected to the DC input jack 28 and vice versa. As such, the power kit 20 can be even more easily installed in a vehicle and is also resistant to problems that could arise if the AC and DC cords 40, 50 were improperly connected to the control box 24. In the exemplary embodiment, this feature is accomplished because the terminals 74 in the AC plug 42a are arranged similarly to the AC input jack 26 but differently than the terminals 74 of the DC plug 42b and the DC input jack 28. Specifically, the positive, negative and ground terminals 74 of the AC plug 42a and the AC input jack 26 are arranged in a different pattern than the terminals 74 of the DC plug 42b and the DC input jack 28. Additionally, each of these plugs 42a, 42b and input jacks 26, 28 includes a spacer 76, and the spacer 76 is located in a different location for the AC plug 42a and AC input jack 26 than it is for the DC plug 42b and DC input jack 28. This particular configuration is also advantageous as it allows for the above-discussed convenience and safety advantages while also allowing for similar terminals 74 to be used for the various plugs 42a, 42b, 42c of the AC, DC and outlet cords 40, 50, 54 and also for the input and outlet jacks 26, 28, 32 on the control box 24. Even further, this feature ensures that the AC and DC plugs 42 can only be connected to their respective input jacks 26, 28 in the proper orientation, i.e. with the positive terminals 74 connected to one another, the negative terminals 74 connected to one another and the ground terminals 74 connected to one another. The use of similar terminals 74 for these components leads to cost savings advantages through economies of scale. However, it should be appreciated that the plugs 42a, 42b, 42c and input and outlet jacks 26, 28, 32 could have other configurations to accomplish the same objective. The exemplary plugs 42a, 42b, 42c have deflectable fingers 78 for engaging their respective jacks 26, 28, 32 to more securely lock the plugs 42a, 42b, 42c to the control box 24. The fingers 78 also snap into engagement with a lip on their respective jacks 26, 28, 32 to provide an audible indication of a proper connection.
In order to facilitate its placement in an out-of-sight location within the vehicle while also allowing a user to easily access the various switches 56, 58, 60, 62 and indicator lights 68, 70, 72 on the control box 24 and to the input, battery charger and outlet jacks 26, 28, 30, 32, the exemplary control box 24 has a space-conserving shape. Specifically, the control box 24 is generally L-shaped, and the electrical input, battery charger and outlet jacks 26, 28, 30, 32 are all disposed on the short leg 80 of the L-shape and on the surface facing the direction in which the long leg 82 extends. As such, the control box 24 has an ergonomic shape which can fit within very small constraints in the vehicle. For example, in
Referring now to
As shown in
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Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings and may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described while within the scope of the appended claims.
