US 12,403,852 B2
Light strip communication system
Adam Slade, Madison, IN (US); Sankalp Pampattiwar, Madison, IN (US); and Cesar Perez-Bolivar, Madison, IN (US)
Assigned to Grote Industries, Inc., Madison, IN (US)
Filed by Grote Industries, Inc., Madison, IN (US)
Filed on Sep. 7, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/939,279.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/248,568, filed on Sep. 27, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0102039 A1, Mar. 30, 2023
Int. Cl. B60Q 1/00 (2006.01); B60R 16/023 (2006.01); G01R 15/14 (2006.01); G01R 17/02 (2006.01)
CPC B60R 16/0232 (2013.01) [B60Q 1/0088 (2013.01); G01R 15/146 (2013.01); G01R 17/02 (2013.01)] 41 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A communication system for a trailer, comprising:
a light strip having one or more lamps arranged in an elongated string sharing common packaging, wherein the common packaging is independent of the trailer, and wherein the light strip includes a separate light strip power circuit and ground circuit in the packaging that is configured to provide power and ground to the one or more lamps of the light strip;
a sensor node electrically connected to a trailer component, wherein the sensor node is electrically connected to the light strip via the light strip power and ground circuits, wherein the sensor node is configured to receive status information about the trailer component, and wherein the sensor node is configured to use the light strip power circuit or ground circuit as a shared data bus to carry trailer component data that corresponds to the status of the trailer component; and
a data hub electrically connected to the light strip power and ground circuits, wherein the data hub is configured to capture the trailer component data from the sensor node via the light strip power or ground circuits and to provide corresponding data hub output;
wherein the light strip power circuit is operable as a power circuit and a data bus to supply power to the one or more lamps of the light strip and to provide the data bus for carrying the trailer component data between the sensor node and the data hub.