Door mounted courtesy light fixture and assembly

Details Door mounted courtesy light fixture and assembly Door mounted courtesy light fixture and assembly

1999-05-18

2001-02-13

Tso, Laura K. (Department: 2875)

Illumination

Supported by vehicle structure

Specific lamp mounting or retaining

C362S501000, C362S457000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06186653

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to courtesy light fixtures for automotive vehicles and, more particularly, to a door mounted courtesy light fixture and door assembly with novel features.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known in the art relating to automotive vehicles to provide courtesy lights for lighting the interior, and sometimes the exterior entryway adjacent the vehicle doors, to aid in entering and leaving the vehicle under nighttime conditions or where exterior illumination is not available. Such courtesy lights are sometimes mounted on the interior of the vehicle door for lighting either the front or rear seat entryways or both.
Typically, the light fixture is mounted in a housing attached to the backside of an interior trim panel and connected with wiring provided on the associated door module and installed at the time of assembly of the trim panel to the door, for example, during vehicle assembly. Because of the positioning of the fixture behind a panel opening, it is sometimes necessary to remove the trim panel in order to replace a burned out electric lightbulb. Also, in some cases, variations in the distance between the lightbulb and the interior lens, due to tolerances between the door and trim panel, cause the amount of illumination be reduced from that desired and available when the lamp is properly located relative to the lens.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides novel courtesy light fixture and door assemblies which together overcome many of the problems of prior art courtesy light fixture arrangements.
A feature of the invention is provision of a housing including a base that is snap attached to a support member of an associated door module or panel. The housing further includes a tubular connecting portion extending laterally from the base to a header wall formed on an inner end of the tubular connecting portion. A lamp receptacle including a lamp socket and associated conductors is centrally mounted on the header wall for receiving an electric lamp or lightbulb of any suitable type. A rubber seal is mounted around the lamp receptacle to enclose and protect the lamp and socket against entry of contaminants and water. Electrical conductors lead to a connector for connecting the lamp receptacle with electrical wiring provided on the associated door module at the time of installation of the light fixture housing onto the door module. Thus, all electrical portions of the assembly are completed upon buildup of the door module prior to installation of a trim panel on the door.
An associated interior trim panel for mounting on the inner side of the door may be provided with a lens housing mounted on or integrally formed in the trim panel and having a recessed portion with an outer wall that engages the rubber seal of the light fixture housing upon installation of the trim panel to the vehicle door. A lens assembly is removably secured to the lens housing in the trim panel by any suitable means, for example, by a tab at one end of an extended decorative body engaging a slot for retaining one end of the lens assembly which is then pivoted into position and retained by a snap fastener captured by the lens body to avoid loss. The lens assembly includes a central light transmitting lens portion with a light guide extending from the central portion to an inner flange which also engages the seal of the light fixture housing upon installation of the trim panel to the door.
The light fixture housing and trim panel mounting are such as to provide an interference fit of the assembly which assures contact of the lens flange and housing surfaces with the rubber seal of the housing and urges the housing toward the support member on which it is mounted. Resilient fingers are provided in the side mounting base of the light fixture housing which provide a resilient connection allowing the housing position to be adjusted by contact with the trim panel so that the rubber seal is continuously urged inward against the light guide flange and the outer wall of the lens housing in spite of variations in the tolerances of the components making up the door module and trim panel assembly or variations in trim panel location occasioned by various conditions during the service life of the vehicle.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description of certain specific embodiments of the invention taken together with the accompanying drawings.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3814928 (1974-06-01), Grosseau
patent: 5566057 (1996-10-01), Iwami
patent: 5651604 (1997-07-01), Dobler et al.

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