LIGHT ASSEMBLY FOR ILLUMINATING AN EMBLEM

• US 20160231493A1
• Filed: 01/22/2016
• Published: 08/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyco Electronics Canada ULC (TE Connectivity Limited), Tyco Electronics Corporation (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Electronics Canada ULC (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Yu, Nelson, Iordache, Lucian
• Granted Patent: US 9,903,999 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/005 Manufacturers' emblems, name plates, bonnet ornaments, mascots or the like; Mounting means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0021 for housing at least a part of the light source, e.g. by forming holes or recesses
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0043 provided on the surface of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0055 Reflecting element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/006 to produce indicia, symbols, texts or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/009 of the light source in the package G02B6/0021 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/18 Edge-illuminated signs
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2013/222 with LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 21/04 by land vehicles

Abstract

A light assembly for illuminating an emblem includes a housing, an emblem, and an optical light guide. The housing holds a light source. The emblem has a structural body defined by emblem edges. The optical light guide is coupled to the housing and has a shape associated with the emblem. A surface of the optical light guide faces and is at least partially covered by the structural body of the emblem. The optical light guide defines exposed edges that project laterally beyond the emblem edges of the emblem. The optical light guide is configured to receive light generated by the light source and to emit at least some of the light along the exposed edges thereof.

Claims

1. A light assembly for illuminating an emblem, the light assembly comprising:

a housing that holds at least one light source configured to generate light;

an emblem having a structural body defined by emblem edges; and

an optical light guide coupled to the housing, the optical light guide having a shape associated with the emblem and a surface facing and at least partially covered by the structural body of the emblem, the optical light guide defining exposed edges that project laterally beyond the emblem edges of the emblem, the optical light guide being configured to receive light generated by the at least one light source and to emit at least some of the light along the exposed edges thereof.

2. The light assembly of claim 1, wherein the light emitted from the optical light guide proximate to the exposed edges illuminates the emblem edges.

3. The light assembly of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a frame extending from a base of the housing, the frame defining a perimeter of a cavity, the at least one light source being mounted to the frame and facing the cavity, the optical light guide being received in the cavity and being configured to receive light generated by the at least one light source through an exterior edge of the optical light guide along a perimeter of the optical light guide.

4. The light assembly of claim 1, wherein the optical light guide receives the light from the at least one light source through an exterior edge of the optical light guide along a perimeter of the optical light guide, the optical light guide including at least one light spreading feature defined along the exterior edge, each light spreading feature aligned with and optically coupled to a corresponding light source such that light from the light source refracts through the light spreading feature to be received in the optical light guide.

5. The light assembly of claim 1, wherein the optical light guide includes at least one branching location where a single segment of the optical light guide splits into at least two segments, the optical light guide defining a reflection feature proximate to a corresponding branching location, the reflection feature configured to reflect light transmitted through the single segment into the at least two segments that extend therefrom at the branching location.

6. The light assembly of claim 1, wherein the optical light guide is at least partially composed of an acrylic material.

7. The light assembly of claim 1, wherein the structural body of the emblem is opaque.

8. The light assembly of claim 1, wherein the structural body of the emblem covers a covered region of the optical light guide that is interior of the exposed edges of the optical light guide, the optical light guide having a reflective layer disposed on the surface facing the structural body of the emblem along the covered region, the reflective layer configured to reflect light that impinges thereon back into the optical light guide to prohibit the light from being emitted from the optical light guide along the covered region.

9. The light assembly of claim 1, wherein an exposed region of the optical light guide is defined between the exposed edges and the emblem edges of the emblem, the exposed region comprising a minority of a surface area of the optical light guide.

10. The light assembly of claim 1, wherein the structural body of the emblem covers a covered region of the optical light guide and an exposed region of the optical light guide extends from the covered region to the exposed edges of the optical light guide, the optical light guide having a greater thickness along the exposed region than along the covered region of the optical light guide, the exposed region projecting beyond the covered region along the surface facing the emblem to at least partially define a groove that receives the structural body of the emblem therein.

11. The light assembly of claim 1, wherein the structural body of the emblem includes an inner emblem feature and an outer emblem feature that at least partially surrounds the inner emblem feature, the exposed edges of the optical light guide extending along both the emblem edges of the inner emblem feature and an interior emblem edge of the outer emblem feature such that the light emitted along the exposed edges of the optical light guide illuminates both the emblem edges of the inner emblem feature and the interior emblem edge of the outer emblem feature.

12. The light assembly of claim 1, wherein the structural body of the emblem includes an inner emblem feature and an outer emblem feature that at least partially surrounds the inner emblem feature, the emblem defining one or more spaces between the inner emblem feature and the outer emblem feature.

13. The light assembly of claim 1, wherein the optical light guide includes light scattering elements proximate to the exposed edges of the optical light guide, the light scattering elements configured to reflect and scatter at least some of the light in the optical light guide.

14. The light assembly of claim 13, wherein the surface of the optical light guide that faces the structural body of the emblem is a front surface, and the optical light guide further has a rear surface opposite the front surface, the light scattering elements being located along the rear surface of the optical light guide and being configured to reflect light towards the front surface for emission of the light through the front surface.

15. The light assembly of claim 14, wherein the light scattering elements are at least one of etched areas of the optical light guide, a paint applied to the rear surface of the optical light guide, or a serrated object applied to the rear surface of the optical light guide.

16. The light assembly of claim 13, wherein an exposed region of the optical light guide is defined between the exposed edges and the emblem edges of the emblem, the light scattering elements being aligned with the exposed region.

17. A light assembly for illuminating an emblem, the light assembly comprising:

an emblem having a structural body defined by emblem edges; and

an optical light guide coupled to the emblem, the optical light guide being configured to receive light generated by at least one light source and to transmit the light through the optical light guide, the optical light guide having a shape associated with the emblem, the optical light guide having a front surface facing and at least partially covered by the structural body of the emblem, the optical light guide defining exposed edges that project laterally beyond the emblem edges of the emblem,

wherein an exposed region of the optical light guide is defined between the exposed edges and the emblem edges of the emblem, the optical light guide having light scattering elements located along the exposed region, the light scattering elements being configured to reflect at least some of the light being transmitted through the optical light guide to emit light from the optical light guide along the exposed region and illuminate the emblem edges of the emblem.

18. The light assembly of claim 17, wherein the light scattering elements are etched areas of the optical light guide.

19. The light assembly of claim 17, wherein the optical light guide receives the light from the at least one light source through an exterior edge of the optical light guide along a perimeter of the optical light guide, the optical light guide including at least one light spreading feature defined along the exterior edge, each light spreading feature aligned with and optically coupled to a corresponding light source such that light from the light source refracts through the light spreading feature to enter the optical light guide.

20. The light assembly of claim 17, wherein the structural body of the emblem covers a covered region of the optical light guide that is adjacent to the exposed region of the optical light guide, the optical light guide having a reflective layer disposed on the front surface along the covered region, the reflective layer configured to reflect light that impinges thereon back into optical light guide to prohibit the light from being emitted from the front surface along the covered region.