Universal brackets shed a light

Tom Shelley reports on an innovative vehicle lighting system that comes with an ingenious set of parts to install it in multiple applications A safety lighting system that illuminates the underside of a vehicle in an emergency incorporates a universal bracket system that could be clamped to almost anything, provided it includes a sheet metal edge. The system also features an electronic control system that means it can be implemented in a wide variety of different ways without risk of cross connections or blown fuses. Former Metropolitan police officer Richelt Williams, who came up with the idea, says: “We needed to patrol areas where there was very little light. There were lighting systems mounted on the tops of the vehicles but we needed something to illuminate close by, hands free, especially in emergency situations.” He approached Roy Hopwood, the proprietor of Lenton Engineering in Watford, to help turn it into a marketable product in 2002. The system has been given the name ‘Vagole’ and is protected by patent applications and copyright registrations, which also cover the designs of the brackets. Units have been sold through third parties at £200-400. Although the basic idea is simple enough – four halogen lamps mounted underneath the vehicle and slanted slightly downwards flood the surrounding ground area with light – the two big problems to be overcome were: finding a way of attaching the lights to almost any design of vehicle without drilling holes; and interfacing to the various possible types of electrical system. “I also wanted to give the user many different ways of mounting the lights,” says Williams. “I started off with cardboard cut-outs and after many prototypes came up with the present design, in which each bracket consists of three parts.” Some vehicles have vertical sills underneath the doors, while others have flat undersides where the body shell curves inwards. To accommodate both situations, Williams has designed an ‘E’ bracket, with the prongs of the ‘E’ upwards (to accommodate vertical sills) or downwards (to accommodate horizontal body shell edges). The E bracket is then secured to the sheet metal edge with another strip of metal, which is attached by screws – clamping the two elements together with the sheet metal edge sandwiched between them. The bracket supporting two of the lamps is then bolted to the side of the E-bracket. This includes a complicated array of holes and slots to allow users to mount their lights in a variety of ways. “One customer with a BMW has one of his lights pointing backwards, so he can light up the ground behind him when he is using his reversing camera,” says Williams. “Another, who drives through narrow lanes, likes to light up the ground to help both himself and other drivers squeeze past each other.” The other area of development has been to find ways of interfacing to different vehicle electrics, especially owners of upmarket cars with a fondness for gadgets. This necessitated the development of an electronic controller, which allows the user to turn on the lights for 15 seconds, and then turn them off again, in order to conform with vehicle safety requirements if the vehicle is moving. It also reduces the risk of flattening the battery if the lights are turned on and left on inadvertently during daylight. The controller also allows the lights to be interfaced to different circuits without causing cross connection problems. The business problems in developing the product and bringing it to market have been immense. It is now available by mail order. Some major automotive companies have expressed an interest in incorporating the idea it into future ranges of products – but have intimated these will be generations of cars going on sale nearly 20 years from now. It’s a start, but as Williams says: “That’s no use to me!” Vagole Inventorlink Products Email Richelt Williams Pointers * Lighting system illuminates ground around vehicle using lamps placed underneath * Universal bracket assembly allows attachment to sills or folded under car bodies or any construction with a sheet edge * An electronic interface allows attachment to multiple electrical systems of different types and compliance with vehicle regulations