Apparatus and method for data communication between heavy duty vehicle and remote data communication terminal

An apparatus for data communications associated with a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of electrical conductors associated with the vehicle;
• vehicle data communications protocol converting means connected to said plurality of electrical conductors for converting a first data communications protocol associated with data communications along the plurality of electrical conductors to a second local-area data communications protocol;
• and
• a transceiver connected to said vehicle data communications protocol converting means for transmitting the second local-area data communications protocol from the heavy duty vehicle and receiving the second local-area data communications protocol from a remote data communications terminal not connected to the vehicle.

An apparatus for data communications associated with a heavy duty vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

• at least one electronic subsystem associated with the heavy duty vehicle;
• a plurality of electrical conductors connected to the at least one electronic subsystem and associated with the heavy duty vehicle;
• vehicle data communications protocol converting means connected to said plurality of electrical conductors for converting a first local-area data communications protocol associated with data communications along the plurality of electrical conductors to a second local-area data communications protocol, the second local-area data communications protocol comprising an infrared data communications protocol;
• a connector connected to said plurality of electrical conductors;
• a transceiver housing connected to said connector, said transceiver housing including a translucent cover member for transmitting and receiving the infrared data communications protocol therethrough;
• and
• a transceiver positioned within said transceiver housing connected to said vehicle data communications protocol converting means for transmitting the infrared data communications protocol from the heavy duty vehicle and receiving the infrared data communications protocol from a remote data communications terminal not connected to the heavy duty vehicle so that the data communications between the heavy duty vehicle and the remote data communications terminal is immune from electro-magnetic interference.

An apparatus for data communications associated with a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

• a transceiver housing mounted to an outer surface of a vehicle, said transceiver housing including a vehicle light housing;
• vehicle data communications protocol converting means positioned in said vehicle light housing for converting a first local-area data communications protocol associated with data communications along the plurality of electrical conductors to a second local-area data communications protocol, the second data communications protocol comprising an infrared data communications protocol;
• and
• a transceiver positioned within said vehicle light housing of said transceiver housing and connected to said vehicle data communications protocol converting means for transmitting the infrared data communications protocol from the vehicle and receiving the infrared data communications protocol from a remote data communications terminal not connected to the vehicle so that the data communications between the vehicle and the remote data communications terminal is immune from electro-magnetic interference.

A method of data communications associated with a heavy duty vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a plurality of electrical conductors associated with a heavy duty vehicle;
• converting a first local-area vehicle data communications protocol associated with data communications along the plurality of electrical conductors to a second local-area data communications protocol;
• and
• transmitting the second local-area data communications protocol from the heavy duty vehicle to a remote data communications terminal not connected to the vehicle.