DC power line control for light bars and sirens

A warning system for a vehicle having a battery and having electrical wires connected to the battery, said system comprising:

• An inductive isolator having an input side adapted to be connected to the electrical wires for receiving power and having an output side for supplying power;
• A light bar having a power input adapted to be connected to the output side of the inductive isolator for receiving power, having light heads connected to the power input for receiving power for energizing the light heads and having a light bar controller for receiving inter-integrated circuit (I2C) control signals for selectively operating the light heads to generate visual warning signals in response to received I2C control signals, wherein the inductive isolator is configured to be connected between the power input and the electrical wires to inductively isolate the electrical wires from the light bar thereby isolating the electrical wires from electrical noise generated by the light bar;
• A PLT/I2C power line communication module adapted to be connected between the light bar controller and the electrical wires on the input side of the inductive isolator for receiving power line transceiver (PLT) control signals carried by the electrical wires and for converting the received PLT control signals into corresponding I2C control signals provided to the controller;
• A control head responsive to operator input for providing I2C control signals;
• and
• An I2C/PLT power line communication module adapted to be connected between the control head and the electrical wires for receiving the I2C control signals provided by the control head and for converting the received I2C control signals into corresponding PLT control signals provided to the electrical wires wherein the inductive isolator inductively isolates the PLT control signals from electrical noise generated by the light bar;
• wherein I2C control signals generated by the control head in response to operator input are provided to the I2C/PLT power line communication module which provides corresponding PLT control signals via the electrical wires to the PLT/I2C power line communication module which provides corresponding I2C control signals to the controller to selectively energize the light heads by power provided to the light heads via the inductive isolator to generate the visual warning signals.

A warning system for a vehicle having a battery and having electrical wires connected to the battery, said system for use with a light bar having a power input for receiving power, having light heads connected to the power input for receiving power for energizing the light heads and having a light bar controller for receiving inter-integrated circuit (I2C) control signals for selectively operating the light heads to generate visual warning signals in response to received I2C control signals, said system for use with a control head responsive to operator input for providing I2C control signals, said system comprising:

• An inductive isolator having an input side adapted to be connected to the electrical wires for receiving power and having an output side adapted to be connected to the power input of the light bar for supplying power to the light bar, wherein the inductive isolator is configured to be connected between the power input and the electrical wires to inductively isolate the electrical wires from the light bar thereby isolating the electrical wires from electrical noise generated by the light bar;
• A PLT/I2C power line communication module adapted to be connected between the light bar controller and the electrical wires on the input side of the inductive isolator for receiving power line transceiver (PLT) control signals carried by the electrical wires and for converting the received PLT control signals into corresponding I2C control signals provided to the controller;
• and
• An I2C/PLT power line communication module adapted to be connected between the control head and the electrical wires for receiving the I2C control signals provided by the control head and for converting the received I2C control signals into corresponding PLT control signals provided to the electrical wires wherein the inductive isolator inductively isolates the PLT control signals from electrical noise generated by the light bar;
• wherein I2C control signals generated by the control head in response to operator input are provided to the I2C/PLT power line communication module which provides corresponding PLT control signals via the electrical wires to the PLT/I2C power line communication module which provides corresponding I2C control signals to the controller to selectively energize the light heads by power provided via the inductive isolator to generate the visual warning signals.

A warning system for a vehicle having a battery and having electrical wires connected to the battery, said system comprising:

• An inductively isolating interface having an input side adapted to be connected to the electrical wires for receiving power and having an output side for supplying power;
• A light bar having a power input adapted to be connected to the output side of the inductively isolating interface for receiving power, having light heads connected to the power input for receiving power for energizing the light heads and having a light bar controller for receiving control signals for selectively operating the light heads to generate visual warning signals in response to received control signals, wherein the inductively isolating interface is configured to be connected between the power input and the electrical wires to inductively isolate the electrical wires from the light bar thereby isolating the electrical wires from electrical noise generated by the light bar;
• A light bar PLT/PI communication module adapted to be connected between a processor of the light bar controller and the electrical wires on the input side of the inductively isolating interface for receiving processor input (PI) control signals carried by the electrical wires and for converting the received PLT control signals into corresponding processor input control signals provided to the processor of the light bar controller;
• A control head responsive to operator input for providing control signals;
• and
• A control head PI/PLT communication module adapted to be connected between a processor of the control head and the electrical wires for receiving processor input (PI) control signals provided by the processor of the control head and for converting the received PI control signals into corresponding PLT control signals provided to the electrical wires wherein the inductively isolating interface inductively isolates the provided PLT control signals from electrical noise generated by the light bar;
• wherein PI control signals generated by the processor of the control head in response to operator input are provided to the control head PI/PLT communication module which provides corresponding PLT control signals via the electrical wires to the light bar communication module which provides corresponding PI control signals to the processor of the light bar controller to selectively energize the light heads by power provided to the light heads via the inductively isolating interface to generate the visual warning signals.