Vehicle interior lighting system and method
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsAdrian Nania, Stuart C. Salter, Satyanarayana Raju Vemulapati, Paul Kenneth Dellock, Spencer Monroe Dinkins, III
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A lighting system for a vehicle passenger includes, among other things, a light emitting conduit disposed about at least a portion of an opening through a vehicle roof. The light emitting conduit includes a push-through retainer that is insertable through an aperture in a vehicle structure to hold the light emitting conduit relative to the vehicle structure.
Claims18
A lighting system for a vehicle passenger compartment, comprising:
- a light emitting conduit disposed about at least a portion of an opening through a vehicle roof;
- and
- a push-through retainer of the light emitting conduit, the push-through retainer insertable through an aperture in a vehicle structure to hold the light emitting conduit relative to the vehicle structure, wherein the push-through retainer includes an enlarged head on a first side of a vehicle structure, the enlarged head directly connected to a light emitting region of the light emitting conduit by a neck portion that extends through the aperture in the vehicle structure.
A lighting system for a vehicle passenger compartment, comprising:
- a vehicle roof having an opening;
- a retention flange adjacent the opening, the retention flange having a retention aperture;
- a light emitting conduit disposed about at least a portion of the opening, the light emitting conduit including a push-through retainer on a first side of the retention flange, a neck extending through the retention aperture, and a light emitting region on an opposite, second side of the retention flange;
- and
- a plurality of light sources disposed adjacent a longitudinal end portion of the light emitting conduit, wherein some of the light sources are positioned directly adjacent the push-through retainer on a first side of the retention flange, and at least some of the light sources are positioned directly adjacent a light emitting region on an opposite second side of the retention flange.
A method of holding a lighting system for a vehicle passenger compartment comprising:
- holding a light emitting portion of a light emitting conduit against a first side of a retention flange of a vehicle using a push-through retainer that is disposed on an opposite, second side of the retention flange, the light emitting portion directly connected to the push-through retainer with a neck that extends through an aperture of the retention flange.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.