Deformable carrier for an elongate light guide in a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11124111-B2
Application number	US-201916546673-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 21, 2019
Priority date	Aug 21, 2019
Publication date	Sep 21, 2021
Grant date	Sep 21, 2021

Abstract

A deformable carrier assembly adapted to hold an elongate light guide in a vehicle, the deformable carrier assembly including: a first component adapted to receive and retain a first portion of the elongate light guide and including a break-away pin at an end thereof; and a second component adapted to receive and retain a second portion of the elongate light guide and including a loop structure at an end thereof; wherein the loop structure is adapted to engage the break-away pin and couple the first component to the second component; and wherein the break-away pin is adapted to be sheared off of the end of the first component and decouple the first component from the second component when a lateral force is applied to one or more of the first component and the second component.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A deformable carrier assembly adapted to hold an elongate light guide in a vehicle, the deformable carrier assembly comprising:
a first component adapted to receive and retain a first portion of the elongate light guide; and
a second component adapted to receive and retain a second portion of the elongate light guide;
wherein the first portion of the elongate light guide and the second portion of the elongate light guide are integrally formed;
wherein the first component is adapted to be coupled to the second component by a pin disposed at an end of the first component and a corresponding loop structure disposed at an end of the second component; and
wherein the first component is adapted to be decoupled from the second component when a lateral force is applied to one or more of the first portion of the elongate light guide and the first component and the second portion of the elongate light guide and the second component with each of the first component and the second component remaining coupled to the elongate light guide.

2. The deformable carrier assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first component and the second component are each manufactured from a rigid plastic material.

3. The deformable carrier assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first portion and the second portion of the elongate light guide are each manufactured from a flexible plastic material.

4. The deformable carrier assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first component and the second component each comprise a concave section that is adapted to receive and retain the first portion and the second portion of the elongate light guide, respectively.

5. The deformable carrier assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the pin comprises a break-away pin that is adapted to be sheared off of the end of the first component by the loop structure disposed at the end of the second component to decouple the first component from the second component when the lateral force is applied to the one or more of the first portion of the elongate light guide and the first component and the second portion of the elongate light guide and the second component.

6. The deformable carrier assembly of claim 5 , wherein the lateral force applied to the one or more of the first portion of the elongate light guide and the first component and the second portion of the elongate light guide and the second component serves to pivot the end of the first component with respect to the end of the second component and cause the loop structure disposed at the end of the second component to shear the break-away pin off of the end of the first component to decouple the first component from the second component.

7. The deformable carrier assembly of claim 1 , where the lateral force is applied by one or more of a collapsing steering wheel of the vehicle and a deploying airbag of the vehicle.

8. A deformable light guide assembly adapted to be used in a vehicle, the deformable light guide assembly comprising:
an elongate light guide adapted to be coupled to one or more light sources;
a first component adapted to receive and retain a first portion of the elongate light guide; and
a second component adapted to receive and retain a second portion of the elongate light guide;
wherein the first portion of the elongate light guide and the second portion of the elongate light guide are integrally formed;
wherein the first component is adapted to be coupled to the second component by a pin disposed at an end of the first component and a corresponding loop structure disposed at an end of the second component; and
wherein the first component is adapted to be decoupled from the second component when a lateral force is applied to one or more of the first portion of the elongate light guide and the first component and the second portion of the elongate light guide and the second component with each of the first component and the second component remaining coupled to the elongate light guide.

9. The deformable light guide assembly of claim 8 , wherein the first component and the second component are each manufactured from a rigid plastic material.

10. The deformable light guide assembly of claim 8 , wherein the first portion and the second portion of the elongate light guide are each manufactured from a flexible plastic material.

11. The deformable light guide assembly of claim 8 , wherein the first component and the second component each comprise a concave section that is adapted to receive and retain the first portion and the second portion of the elongate light guide, respectively.

12. The deformable light guide assembly of claim 8 , wherein:
the pin comprises a break-away pin that is adapted to be sheared off of the end of the first component by the loop structure disposed at the end of the second component to decouple the first component from the second component when the lateral force is applied to the one or more of the first portion of the elongate light guide and the first component and the second portion of the elongate light guide and the second component.

13. The deformable light guide assembly of claim 12 , wherein the lateral force applied to the one or more of the first portion of the elongate light guide and the first component and the second portion of the elongate light guide and the second component serves to pivot the end of the first component with respect to the end of the second component and cause the loop structure disposed at the end of the second component to shear the break-away pin off of the end of the first component to decouple the first component from the second component.

14. The deformable light guide assembly of claim 8 , where the lateral force is applied by one or more of a collapsing steering wheel of the vehicle and a deploying airbag of the vehicle.

15. A deformable light assembly adapted to be used in a vehicle, the deformable light assembly comprising:
one or more light sources;
an elongate light guide adapted to be coupled to the one or more light sources;
a first component adapted to receive and retain a first portion of the elongate light guide; and
a second component adapted to receive and retain a second portion of the elongate light guide;
wherein the first portion of the elongate light guide and the second portion of the elongate light guide are integrally formed;
wherein the first component is adapted to be coupled to the second component by a pin disposed at an end of the first component and a corresponding loop structure disposed at an end of the second component; and
wherein the first component is adapted to be decoupled from the second component when a lateral force is applied to one or more of the first portion of the elongate light guide and the first component and the second portion of the elongate light guide and the second component with each of the first component and the second component remaining coupled to the elongate light guide.

16. The deformable light assembly of claim 15 , wherein the first component and the second component are each manufactured from a rigid plastic material.

17. The deformable light assembly of claim 15 , wherein the first portion and the second portion of the elongate light guide are each manufactured from a flexible plastic material.

18. The deformable light assembly of claim 15 , wherein the first component and the second component each comprise a concave section that is adapted to receive and retain the first portion and the second portion of the elongate light guide, respectively.

19. The deformable light assembly of clai

Assignees

• Volvo Car Corp

Inventors

• Lennartsson Anders
• Langner Stefan
• Andersson Markus

Classifications

• B60Q3/54 Primary

  Lighting devices embedded in interior trim, e.g. in roof liners · CPC title

• B60R21/02 Primary

  Occupant safety arrangements or fittings {, e.g. crash pads (seat belts with crash pads B60R22/14; removable children's seats having a front guard or barrier B60N2/2839)} · CPC title

• G02B6/001

  the light being emitted along at least a portion of the lateral surface of the fibre · CPC title

• G02B6/4439

  Auxiliary devices · CPC title

• G02B6/0006

  Coupling light into the fibre (in general G02B6/4298) · CPC title