VEHICLE HEADLINER MODULE

• US 20100177530A1
• Filed: 01/13/2009
• Published: 07/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Huelke, David
• Application Number:
  US12/352,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20100177530A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/545
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/74 for overall compartment lighting; for overall compartment lighting in combination with specific lighting, e.g. room lamps with reading lamps general lighting mounted on specific fittings B60Q3/20; general lighting for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/43
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0217 for loud-speakers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/0212 Roof or head liners movable head-liners B60J7/0007

Abstract

A module adapted to be mounted in a vehicle interior is disclosed which has a housing with two switch-controllable map lamps mounted symmetrically in the housing and a centrally-located aperture in the housing adapted to accept one of a speaker assembly and a dome lamp. When the vehicle is equipped with the speaker, the map lamps are switched on when a door switch indicating that a door is open, thereby fulfilling the function of the dome lamp. The map lamps are additionally activated by a switch coupled to the lamp or mounted in the module. When the vehicle is not equipped with the speaker, a dome lamp is mounted in the aperture.

Claims

1. A module mounted in an interior aperture in an automotive vehicle, the module comprising:

a housing adapted to be mounted in the vehicle interior aperture;

first and second switch-controllable lamps mounted in the housing; and

an accessory mounted in a centrally-located accessory aperture wherein the vehicle has a controller electrically coupled to the lamps and a door switch.

2. The module of claim 1 wherein the accessory comprises a dome lamp having an incandescent lamp and the dome lamp is electrically coupled to the controller.

3. The module of claim 1 wherein the accessory comprises a dome lamp mounted having at least one light emitting diode (LED) and the dome lamp is electrically coupled to the controller.

4. The module of claim 3 wherein the LED is one of a green, an orange, a red, a blue, and a yellow LED.

5. The module of claim 1 wherein the controller coupled to door power to be provided to the first and second lamps when the disposition of the door switch indicates to the controller that a vehicle door is open.

6. The module of claim 1 wherein the first and second lamps are activated by a vehicle occupant by depressing a cover of the first and second lamps.

7. The module of claim 1 wherein the accessory comprises a speaker.

8. The module of claim 7 wherein the speaker has a light bar.

9. The module of claim 8 wherein the light bar is mounted at the periphery of the speaker and the light bar has LEDs.

10. The module of claim 7 wherein a center of the speaker is generally coincident with a center of the face of the housing.

11. (canceled)

12. A module adapted to be mounted in a headliner of an automotive vehicle, the module comprising:

a housing;

a first lamp mounted into the housing;

a door switch;

a speaker mounted into the housing; and

a controller electrically coupled to the lamps and the door switch wherein the controller controls the lamps based on a position of the door switch.

13. The module of claim 12 wherein the door switch is coupled to the vehicle proximate a vehicle door, power is applied to the first and second lamps when the door switch indicates that the vehicle door is open, and power is cut off to the first and second lamps when the door switch indicates that the vehicle door is closed.

14. The module of claim 12 further comprising:

a light bar coupled to the speaker and electrically coupled to the controller wherein the controller controls the light bar based on the position of the door switch.

15. The module of claim 12 wherein the center of the speaker is generally aligned with the center of the housing and the first and second lamps are displaced symmetrically from the speaker.

21. The module of claim 14 wherein the controller allows power to be applied to the lamp bar when the door switch indicates that the vehicle door is open and the controller cuts off power to the lamp bar when the door switch indicates that the vehicle door is closed.

16. An automotive vehicle, comprising:

a controller;

a light module comprising;

a housing;

a first lamp mounted into the housing and electrically coupled to the controller;

a dome lamp mounted in the housing and electrically coupled to the controller; and

an instrument panel switch electrically coupled to the controller.

17. The vehicle of claim 16 wherein the controller allows power to be provided to the first lamp based on the instrument panel switch.

18. The vehicle of claim 16, further comprising:

a door switch electrically coupled to the controller wherein the light module further comprises;

a second lamp electrically coupled to the controller and the controller allows power to be provided to the first and second lamps when the door switch indicates that the vehicle door is at least partially open.

19. The light module of claim 18 wherein bulbs in the first and second lamps and the dome lamp are one of an incandescent bulb and a light emitting diode (LED).

20. The light module of claim 18 wherein the first and second lamps are displaced from a center of the housing symmetrically and a center of the dome lamp is generally aligned with a center of the housing.