Lamp assembly and molding method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10627075-B2
Application number	US-201715466931-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2017
Priority date	Apr 29, 2016
Publication date	Apr 21, 2020
Grant date	Apr 21, 2020

Abstract

An exemplary lamp assembly includes a lens, a base, and a textured surface between an outwardly facing surface of the lens and an outwardly facing surface of the base. An exemplary lamp molding method includes injecting a first material into a mold cavity to form a lens, and injecting a second material against a textured surface of the lens within the mold cavity to form a base.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A lamp assembly for a vehicle overhead console, comprising: a light source; a lens having an outwardly facing surface that faces away from the light source; a base having an outwardly facing surface that faces toward the light source, the outwardly facing surface of the base being smooth; a textured surface on an inwardly facing surface of the lens that directly meshes with a textured surface on an inwardly facing surface of the base; and a capacitive sensor component provided between the light source and the outwardly facing surface of the base; wherein, the capacitive sensor component includes an aperture to permit a light beam from the light source to pass, the base is opaque and includes an aperture to permit the light beam from the light source to pass, and the lens extends over the aperture of the base.

2. The lamp assembly of claim 1 , wherein the textured surface comprises a plurality of protrusions.

3. The lamp assembly of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of protrusions each have a triangular cross-sectional profile.

4. The lamp assembly of claim 1 , wherein the base has an opening to accommodate the lens.

5. The lamp assembly of claim 4 , where the textured surface of the base contacts the textured surface of the lens only in outer peripheral regions of the opening.

6. The lamp assembly of claim 1 , wherein the textured surface of the lens has a profile that is the same as a profile of the textured surface of the base.

7. The lamp assembly of claim 1 , wherein the lens is transparent.

8. The lamp assembly of claim 1 , wherein the textured surface comprises a plurality of separate and distinct surfaces that are angled relative to each other.

9. The lamp assembly of claim 1 , wherein the textured surface comprises ring-shaped protrusions arranged in a Fresnel pattern.

10. The lamp assembly of claim 1 , wherein the outwardly facing surface of the lens is smooth relative to the textured surface.

11. The lamp assembly of claim 1 , wherein the inwardly facing surface of the lens includes the textured surface of the lens, and the inwardly facing surface of the base includes the textured surface of the base.

12. The lamp assembly of claim 1 , wherein the inwardly facing surface of the lens is opposite the outwardly facing surface of the lens, and the inwardly facing surface of the base is opposite the outwardly facing surface of the base.

13. The lamp assembly of claim 1 , where the light source comprises at least one light emitting diode.

14. A lamp assembly for a vehicle overhead console, comprising: a light source; a lens having cm outwardly facing surface that faces away from the light source and a lens textured surface on an inwardly facing surface of the lens; a base having a smooth outwardly facing surface that faces toward the light source and a base textured surface on an inwardly facing surface of the base that directly meshes with the lens textured surface, the base being opaque and having an aperture configured to permit passage of a light beam from the light source to the lens, a capacitive sensor component provided between the light source and the smooth outwardly facing surface of the base, the capacitive sensor component including an aperture to permit the light beam from the light source to pass, and the lens extends over the aperture of the base.

15. The lamp assembly of claim 14 , wherein the lens is transparent.

Assignees

• Ford Motor Co

Inventors

• Woods Derren
• Konet Todd Jared
• Lince Alex
• Weckstein Daniel

Classifications

• B60Q3/74

  for overall compartment lighting; for overall compartment lighting in combination with specific lighting, e.g. room lamps with reading lamps (general lighting mounted on specific fittings B60Q3/20; general lighting for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/43) · CPC title

• B60Q3/82

  Switches specially adapted for vehicle interior lighting, e.g. switching by tilting the lens · CPC title

• B29C45/372

  provided with means for marking or patterning, e.g. numbering articles · CPC title

• F21V23/0485

  the sensor sensing the physical interaction between a user and certain areas located on the lighting device, e.g. a touch sensor · CPC title

• B60Q3/60

  characterised by optical aspects · CPC title