Recreation vehicle and towing safety system
AssigneeBrandMotion, LLC
InventorsJohn F. Varick, Jimmy McWherter, Austin Rivera, Joseph Nieman, Roman Dalfonsi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An integrated towing safety system configured to avoid compatibility issues, enable a driver to personally select video camera placement, and/or provide an aesthetically pleasing camera installation. The integrated towing system may combine the functionality of a side marker light with a wireless camera so as to provide blind spot awareness without unduly compromising vehicle aesthetics and/or without requiring extensive modifications and/or expensive or complex installation.
Claims20
An integrated side marker light and wireless camera unit, comprising:
- a side marker light including a light source and a light lens, wherein the light source is configured for emitting light towards the light lens and the light lens is configured for dispersing the light to illuminate an ambient area;
- a camera including a camera lens and a wireless transmitter, wherein the camera lens is configured for generating video images and the wireless transmitter is configured for wirelessly transmitting the video images to a wireless receiver of a tow vehicle;
- and
- an integrated mount configured for retaining the side marker light and the camera to an exterior surface of a towed vehicle, wherein the integrated mount includes a side marker portion configured for retaining the side marker light and a camera portion configured for retaining the camera, wherein the side marker portion and the camera portion are configured to vertically orientate the camera relative to the side marker light such that a rearward camera end of the camera is flush with or forward of a rearward marker end of the side marker portion.
An integrated mount configured for attaching a side marker light and a wireless camera to an exterior surface of a towed vehicle with a plurality of fasteners, comprising:
- a camera portion configured for retaining the wireless camera, wherein the wireless camera includes a camera lens configured for generating video images and a wireless transmitter configured for wirelessly transmitting the video images to a wireless receiver of a tow vehicle;
- a side marker portion configured for retaining the side marker light, wherein the side marker light includes a light source configured for emitting light and a light lens configured for dispersing the light to illuminate an ambient area, wherein a light source frame is attached to the light source and includes a plurality of apertures configured for receiving a corresponding one of the fasteners;
- wherein the side marker portion includes a plurality of through-holes, wherein each through-hole is aligned with one of the apertures to permit the fastener received therein to pass through the side marker portion to the exterior surface;
- and
- wherein the side marker portion and the camera portion are configured to vertically orientate the wireless camera relative to the side marker light such that a rearward camera end of the wireless camera is flush with or forward of a rearward marker end of the side marker portion.
An integrated towing system, comprising:
- a side marker light including a light source and a light lens, wherein the light source is configured for emitting light towards the light lens and the light lens is configured for dispersing the light to illuminate an ambient area;
- a camera including a camera lens and a wireless transmitter, wherein the camera lens is configured for generating video images and the wireless transmitter is configured for wirelessly transmitting the video images;
- a wireless receiver configured for use in a tow vehicle to wirelessly receive and display the video images;
- an integrated mount configured for retaining the side marker light and the camera, wherein the integrated mount includes a side marker portion configured for retaining the side marker light and a camera portion configured for retaining the camera, wherein the side marker portion and the camera portion are configured to vertically orientate the camera relative to the side marker light such that a rearward camera end of the camera is flush with or forward of a rearward marker end of the side marker portion;
- and
- a plurality of fasteners configured for attaching the integrated mount to an exterior surface of a towed vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.