Interior light/carrier module for vehicles

A carrier module for interior vehicle use, said module comprising:

• a rigid body;
• support means on said body for supporting at least one of a light, switch, instrument or instrument control thereon;
• mounting means for mounting said module body on a support adapted for use in a vehicle interior, said mounting means including resilient projecting means for engaging a projection on the interior vehicle support to releasably retain said body on the interior vehicle support, and slot means in said body adjacent said resilient projecting means for inserting a tool to bend and release said projecting means to remove said body from the interior vehicle support;
• said module being one of a number of interchangeable modules having a predetermined exterior configuration, said module having an assembly supported on said support means, said assembly selected from the group including:
• (a) a light assembly having a lamp, a lamp holder, a reflector and a lens for directing light from said lamp;
• (b) a pair of light assemblies mounted adjacent one another on said module, each light assembly having a lamp, a lamp holder and a lens for separately directing light from each respective lamp;
• (c) a light assembly having a lamp, a lamp holder and a reflector and a lens for directing light from said lamp, and an electrical switch for controlling the operation of said lamp;
• and
• (d) a control unit for controlling the operation of an instrument such as a directional compass, sensing unit or the like, said control unit including a control element extending from said module.

A carrier module for interior vehicle use, said module comprising:

• a rigid body;
• support means on said body for supporting at least one of a light, switch, instrument or instrument control thereon;
• mounting means for mounting said module body on a support adapted for use in a vehicle interior, said mounting means including resilient projecting means for engaging a projection on the interior vehicle support to releasably retain said body on the interior vehicle support, and slot means in said body adjacent said resilient projecting means for inserting a tool to bend and release said projecting means to remove said body from the interior vehicle support;
• said rigid body including a control unit mounted on said support means for controlling the operation of an instrument such as a directional compass, sensing unit or the like, said control unit including a control element extending from said body.

A module comprising:

• a rigid body having a light opening therethrough and a support area adjacent said light opening, said support area adapted to mount at least one of a second light, a switch, a control unit and an instrument thereon;
• a light support on one side of said body in alignment with said light opening;
• a lens support adjacent said light support;
• a first mounting projection independent of said support area and said light support at a first position on said body;
• a second mounting projection independent of said support area and said light support at a second position on said body which is spaced from said first position, said second projection being resilient and adapted to bend during mounting on a support;
• and an opening in said body adjacent said second projection and adapted to allow insertion of a tool for releasing said second projection from engagement with a support.

An interior vehicle housing assembly comprising:

• a housing adapted to be supported on a vehicle, said housing including a wall portion and an interior space, said wall portion having an opening therein;
• carrier means for supporting a light assembly, a control, an instrument or the like within said interior space, said carrier means including a rigid support, first mounting means for mounting one of a light assembly, a control or an instrument on said rigid support, and second mounting means on said rigid support and independent of said first mounting means for mounting said support within said wall opening;
• and
• removal means accessible from the exterior of said housing and carrier means for allowing removal of said carrier means from said wall opening without disassembling other portions of said housing assembly.

An interior vehicle housing assembly comprising:

• a housing adapted to be supported on a vehicle, said housing including a wall portion and an interior space, said wall portion having an opening therein;
• carrier means for supporting a light, a control, an instrument or the like within said interior space, said carrier means including a rigid support and mounting means for mounting said support within said wall opening;
• and
• removal means accessible from the exterior of said housing and carrier means for allowing removal of said carrier means from said wall opening without disassembling other portions of said housing assembly;
• said carrier means including a light assembly on the inside surface of said rigid support, said light assembly projecting into said space and including a lamp socket, a reflector in said lamp socket for directing light through a lens, an electric lamp in said lamp socket projecting into the interior of said reflector, and a lens mounted below said lamp socket, reflector and lamp.

An interior vehicle housing assembly comprising:

• a housing adapted to be supported on a vehicle, said housing including a wall portion and an interior space, said wall portion having an opening therein;
• carrier means for supporting a light, a control, an instrument or the like within said interior space, said carrier means including a rigid support and mounting means for mounting said support within said wall opening;
• and
• removal means accessible from the exterior of said housing and carrier means for allowing removal of said carrier means from said wall opening without disassembling other portions of said housing assembly;
• said support including a control unit mounted thereon for controlling the operation of an instrument such as a directional compass, sensing unit or the like adapted to be mounted within said housing, said control unit controlling a control element extending from said support for access from the exterior of said housing assembly.

An interior vehicle housing assembly comprising:

• a housing adapted to be supported on a vehicle, said housing including a wall portion and an interior space, said wall portion having an opening therein;
• carrier means for supporting a light, a control, an instrument or the like within said interior space, said carrier means including a rigid support and mounting means for mounting said support within said wall opening;
• and
• removal means accessible from the exterior of said housing and carrier means for allowing removal of said carrier means from said wall opening without disassembling other portions of said housing assembly;
• said carrier means being one of a number of interchangeable modules configured to the contour of said opening and having support means for supporting one of a group of assemblies and units thereon, said assemblies and units selected from the group including:
• (a) a light assembly having a lamp, a lamp holder and a reflector and a lens for directing light from said lamp outwardly of said housing assembly;
• (b) a pair of light assemblies mounted adjacent one another on said module, each light assembly having a lamp, a lamp holder and a lens for separately directing light from each respective lamp outwardly of said housing assembly;
• (c) a light assembly having a lamp, a lamp holder, a reflector and a lens for directing light from said lamp outwardly of said housing assembly, and an electrical switch for controlling the operation of said lamp;
• and
• (d) a control unit for controlling the operation of an instrument such as a directional compass, sensing unit or the like, said control unit including a control element extending from said module and said housing assembly for access from the exterior of said assembly.