Illuminator assembly for a safety belt buckle
First Claim
1. An illuminator assembly for a conventional safety belt buckle having a buckle housing, a mechanism for latching and unlatching a tongue of a belt, and an opening slot for passage of a belt tongue, the illuminator comprising:
- a base mountable internally of the buckle housing;
a light source mounted on the base, capable of emitting light rays; and
a waveguide lens mounted on the base, the lens having a light-transmissive input surface aligned to receive rays emitted from the light source, a light-transmissive output surface configured to be placed proximate the opening slot, and oriented substantially orthogonally to the input surface, the waveguide lens comprising an integral injection molded body of transparent optical-grade plastic, the body coated with optically opaque material on its exterior surface exclusive of the input surface and the output surface, to cause redirection of light rays received at the input surface by internal reflection to the output surface.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An illuminator assembly for use in a conventional safety seat belt buckle is provided. In a preferred embodiment, the illuminator assembly comprises a base including a substrate mountable internally of the buckle housing. A light source is mounted on the substrate. The light source has a light emitting surface for emitting incoherent, visible optical radiation or light rays when the light source is energized. A lens has a light-transmissive input surface aligned to receive light rays emitted from the light emitting surface of the light source. A light-transmissive output surface is configured to be placed proximate an opening slot in the buckle housing. A waveguide is intermediate the input surface and the output surface. The waveguide may be configured to guide or direct light rays to the output surface in a direction generally orthogonal to the direction of the light rays emitted by the light source.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. An illuminator assembly for a conventional safety belt buckle having a buckle housing, a mechanism for latching and unlatching a tongue of a belt, and an opening slot for passage of a belt tongue, the illuminator comprising:
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a base mountable internally of the buckle housing; a light source mounted on the base, capable of emitting light rays; and a waveguide lens mounted on the base, the lens having a light-transmissive input surface aligned to receive rays emitted from the light source, a light-transmissive output surface configured to be placed proximate the opening slot, and oriented substantially orthogonally to the input surface, the waveguide lens comprising an integral injection molded body of transparent optical-grade plastic, the body coated with optically opaque material on its exterior surface exclusive of the input surface and the output surface, to cause redirection of light rays received at the input surface by internal reflection to the output surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An illuminator assembly for a conventional safety belt buckle having a buckle housing, a mechanism for latching and unlatching a tongue of a belt, and an opening slot for passage of the tongue, the assembly comprising:
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a substrate mountable internally of the housing; a light source supported on the substrate, the light source emitting incoherent optical radiation or light rays when energized; and a waveguide lens including a first layer injection molded from an optical grade plastic and having a light-transmissive input surface aligned to receive light rays or optical radiation emitted by the light source, a light-transmissive output surface configured to be placed proximate the opening slot, and a waveguide lens intermediate the input surface and the output surface, the waveguide lens configured to guide or direct light rays to the output surface by internal reflection, the waveguide lens also including an infection molded opaque layer bonded to the first layer. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification