Floor coverings for vehicles having integrated air and lighting distribution

• US 6,736,442 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2002
• Issued: 05/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Automotive Components Group North America (Lear Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Collins & Aikman Holdings SA de CV
• Inventors: Khambete, Surendra, Gebreselassie, Girma
• Primary Examiner(s): Dayoan, D. Glenn
• Assistant Examiner(s): ENGLE, PATRICIA LYNN
• Application Number:
  US10/118,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20030102690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• Field of Search: 296/187.08, 296/193.07, 296/208, 296/97.23, 165/41, 165/42, 362/480, 362/471, 362/483, 362/488
• US Class Current: 296/97.23
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00295 for trim components, e.g. panels, dashboards, liners
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/0055 the housing or parts thereof being integrated in other devices, e.g. dashboard
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00564 of air ducts
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/246 located in the interior of the vehicle or in or below the floor
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2500/20 associated with air conditioning arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/66 for distributing light among several lighting devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/745 using lighting panels or mats, e.g. electro-luminescent panels, LED mats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/083 for fire walls or floors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2013/0287 integrating other functions or accessories

Abstract

Vehicle floor coverings are provided with tubular air ducts therewithin that are configured to deliver air from air sources upwardly through a porous structure of the floor covering and into a vehicle compartment. Vehicle floor coverings are provided with electrical wiring harnesses therewithin that can facilitate the interconnection of various vehicle electronic components. Vehicle floor coverings are provided with optical fibers therewithin that are configured to deliver light from a light source to one or more locations within a vehicle and/or to provide special effects and customization of vehicle interiors.

Claims

1. A floor covering for use within a vehicle, comprising:

a surface layer having a plurality of apertures formed therethrough;

a base layer secured to the surface layer in face-to-face contacting relationship; and

a tubular air duct sandwiched between the surface layer and base layer, wherein the tubular air duct comprises a plurality of air outlets that are in fluid communication with the apertures in the surface layer such that air flowing through the air duct from an air source is distributed through apertures in the surface layer and into a vehicle.

2. The floor covering of claim 1, further comprising a layer of acoustic material sandwiched between the tubular air duct and the surface layer, wherein the layer of acoustic material comprises a porous structure that facilitates fluid communication between apertures in the surface layer and the air duct outlets.

3. The floor covering of claim 1, further comprising a layer of acoustic material sandwiched between the tubular air duct and the base layer.

4. The floor covering of claim 1, further comprising an electrical wiring harness sandwiched between the surface layer and the base layer, wherein the electrical wiring harness is configured to electrically interconnect vehicle electronic components.

5. The floor covering of claim 1, further comprising one or more optical fibers sandwiched between the surface layer and the base layer, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver light from a light source to one or more vehicle locations.

6. The floor covering of claim 5, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver light from a light source to one or more vehicle locations via the apertures in the surface layer.

7. The floor covering of claim 5, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to illuminate the surface layer via the apertures in the surface layer.

8. The floor covering of claim 1, further comprising one or more optical fibers extending though the tubular air duct, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver light from a light source to one or more vehicle locations.

9. A The floor covering of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of tubular air ducts sandwiched between the surface layer and the base layer, wherein each of the tubular air ducts comprises a respective plurality of air outlets that are in fluid communication with apertures in the surface layer such that air flowing through each air duct from an air source is distributed through apertures in the surface layer and into a vehicle.

10. The floor covering of claim 1, wherein the surface layer comprises carpeting having at least one of a tufted, woven, knitted, or non-woven construction.

11. A vehicle, comprising:

an air source;

a vehicle compartment including a floor; and

a floor covering configured to be attached to the compartment floor, the floor covering comprising;

a surface layer having a plurality of apertures formed therethrough;

a base layer secured to the surface layer in face-to-face contacting relationship; and

a tubular air duct sandwiched between the surface layer and base layer, wherein the air duct is in fluid communication with the air source, and wherein the air duct comprises a plurality of air outlets that are in fluid communication with apertures in the surface layer such that air flowing through the air duct from the air source is distributed through apertures in the surface layer and into the vehicle.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, further comprising a layer of acoustic material layer sandwiched between the tubular air duct and the surface layer, wherein the layer of acoustic material comprises a porous structure that facilitates fluid communication between apertures in the surface layer and the air duct outlets.

13. The vehicle of claim 11, further comprising a layer of acoustic material layer sandwiched between the tubular air duct and the base layer.

14. The vehicle of claim 11, further comprising an electrical wiring harness sandwiched between the surface layer and the base layer, wherein the electrical wiring harness is configured to electrically interconnect electronic components of the vehicle.

15. The vehicle of claim 11, further comprising:

a light source; and

one or more optical fibers sandwiched between the surface layer and the base layer, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver light from the light source to one or more vehicle locations.

16. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the one or more optical fibers extend though the tubular air duct.

17. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver light from the light source to vehicle locations via the apertures in the surface layer.

18. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to illuminate the surface layer via the apertures in the surface layer.

19. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the light source is configured to generate a warning light signal, and wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver the warning light signal to one or more vehicle locations.

20. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the light source is configured to generate light having one or more colors, and wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver the light having one or more colors to one or more vehicle locations.

21. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the light source is configured to generate light having one or more special effects, and wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver the light having one or more special effects to one or more vehicle locations.

22. The vehicle of claim 11, further comprising a plurality of tubular air ducts sandwiched between the surface layer and the base layer, wherein each of the tubular air ducts comprises a respective plurality of air outlets that are in fluid communication with apertures in the surface layer such that air flowing through each air duct from an air source is distributed through apertures in the surface layer and into the vehicle.

23. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the surface layer comprises carpeting having at least one of a tufted, woven, knitted, or non-woven construction.

24. A floor covering for use within a vehicle, comprising:

a layer of material having a plurality of apertures formed therethrough; and

a tubular air duct disposed within the layer of material, wherein the tubular air duct comprises a plurality of air outlets that are in fluid communication with apertures in the layer of material such that air flowing through the air duct from an air source is distributed through apertures in the layer of material and into a vehicle.

25. The floor covering of claim 24, further comprising an electrical wiring harness disposed within the layer of material, wherein the electrical wiring harness is configured to electrically interconnect electronic components of a vehicle.

26. The floor covering of claim 24, further comprising one or more optical fibers disposed within the layer of material, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver light from a light source to one or more vehicle locations.

27. The floor covering of claim 26, wherein the one or more optical fibers extend though the tubular air duct.

28. The floor covering of claim 26, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver light from a light source to one or more vehicle locations via the apertures in the layer of material.

29. The floor covering of claim 26, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to illuminate the layer of material via the apertures in the layer of material.

30. The floor covering of claim 24, further comprising a plurality of tubular air ducts disposed within the layer of material, wherein each of the tubular air ducts comprises a respective plurality of air outlets that are in fluid communication with the apertures in the layer of material such that air flowing through the air ducts from an air source is distributed through apertures in the layer of material and into a vehicle.

31. A vehicle, comprising:

an air source;

a vehicle compartment including a floor; and

a floor covering configured to be attached to the compartment floor, comprising;

a layer of material having a plurality of apertures formed therethrough; and

a tubular air duct disposed within the layer of material, wherein the tubular air duct comprises a plurality of air outlets that are in fluid communication with the apertures in the surface layer such that air flowing through the air duct from an air source is distributed through apertures in the layer of material and into the vehicle.

32. The vehicle of claim 31, further comprising an electrical wiring harness disposed within the layer of material, wherein the electrical wiring harness is configured to electrically interconnect electronic components of the vehicle.

33. The vehicle of claim 31, further comprising:

a light source; and

one or more optical fibers disposed within the layer of material, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver light from the light source to one or more vehicle locations.

34. The vehicle of claim 33, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver light from a light source to one or more vehicle locations via the apertures in the layer of material.

35. The vehicle of claim 33, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to illuminate the layer of material via the apertures in the layer of material.

36. The vehicle of claim 33, wherein the light source is configured to generate a warning light signal, and wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver the warning light signal to one or more vehicle locations.

37. The vehicle of claim 33, wherein the light source is configured to generate light having one or more colors, and wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver the light having one or more colors to one or more vehicle locations.

38. The vehicle of claim 33, wherein the light source is configured to generate light having one or more special effects, and wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver the light having one or more special effects to one or more vehicle locations.

39. The vehicle of claim 33, wherein the one or more optical fibers extend though the tubular air duct.

40. The vehicle of claim 31, further comprising a plurality of tubular air ducts disposed within the layer of material, wherein each of the tubular air ducts comprises a respective plurality of air outlets that are in fluid communication with apertures in the layer of material such that air flowing through each air duct from the air source is distributed through apertures in the layer of material and into the vehicle.

41. A floor covering for use within a vehicle, comprising:

a surface layer having a plurality of apertures formed therethrough;

a base layer secured to the surface layer in face-to-face contacting relationship;

one or more optical fibers sandwiched between the surface layer and the base layer, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver light from a light source to one or more vehicle locations; and

an electrical wiring harness sandwiched between the surface layer and the base layer, wherein the electrical wiring harness is configured to electrically interconnect vehicle electronic components.

42. The floor covering of claim 41, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver light from a light source to one or more vehicle locations via the apertures in the surface layer.

43. The floor covering of claim 41, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to illuminate the surface layer via the apertures in the surface layer.

44. The floor covering of claim 41, wherein the surface layer comprises carpeting having at least one of a tufted, woven, knitted, or non-woven construction.

45. A vehicle, comprising:

a light source;

a vehicle compartment including a floor; and

a floor covering configured to be attached to the compartment floor, the floor covering comprising;

a surface layer having a plurality of apertures formed therethrough;

a base layer secured to the surface layer in face-to-face contacting relationship;

one or more optical fibers sandwiched between the surface layer and the base layer, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver light from the light source to one or more vehicle locations; and

an electrical wiring harness sandwiched between the surface layer and the base layer, wherein the electrical wiring harness is configured to electrically interconnect electronic components of the vehicle.

46. The vehicle of claim 45, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver light from the light source to vehicle locations via the apertures in the surface layer.

47. The vehicle of claim 45, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to illuminate the surface layer via the apertures in the surface layer.

48. The vehicle of claim 45, wherein the light source is configured to generate a warning light signal, and wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver the warning light signal to one or more vehicle locations.

49. The vehicle of claim 45, wherein the light source is configured to generate light having one or more colors, and wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver the light having one or more colors to one or more vehicle locations.

50. The vehicle of claim 45, wherein the light source is configured to generate light having one or more special effects, and wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver the light having one or more special effects to one or more vehicle locations.

51. The vehicle of claim 45, wherein the surface layer comprises carpeting having at least one of a tufted, woven, knitted, or non-woven construction.

52. A floor covering for use within a vehicle, comprising:

a layer of material having a plurality of apertures formed therethrough;

one or more optical fibers disposed within the layer of material, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver light from a light source to one or more vehicle locations; and

an electrical wiring harness disposed within the layer of material, wherein the electrical wiring harness is configured to electrically interconnect electronic components of a vehicle.

53. The floor covering of claim 52, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver light from a light source to one or more vehicle locations via the apertures in the layer of material.

54. The floor covering of claim 52, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to illuminate the layer of material via the apertures in the layer of material.

55. A vehicle, comprising:

a light source;

a vehicle compartment including a floor; and

a floor covering configured to be attached to the compartment floor, comprising;

a layer of material having a plurality of apertures formed therethrough;

one or more optical fibers disposed within the layer of material, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver light from the light source to one or more vehicle locations; and

an electrical wiring harness disposed within the layer of material, wherein the electrical wiring harness is configured to electrically interconnect electronic components of the vehicle.

56. The vehicle of claim 55, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver light from a light source to one or more vehicle locations via the apertures in the layer of material.

57. The vehicle of claim 55, wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to illuminate the layer of material via the apertures in the layer of material.

58. The vehicle of claim 55, wherein the light source is configured to generate a warning light signal, and wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver the warning light signal to one or more vehicle locations.

59. The vehicle of claim 55, wherein the light source is configured to generate light having one or more colors, and wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver the light having one or more colors to one or more vehicle locations.

60. The vehicle of claim 55, wherein the light source is configured to generate light having one or more special effects, and wherein the one or more optical fibers are configured to deliver the light having one or more special effects to one or more vehicle locations.