Lear Donnelly Overhead Systems, L.l.c.

Donnelly Corporation

Toyota Motor Corporation

John Rickfelder

Rick Mousseau

Douglas A Fischer

Mark R Litke

Bradley D Miller

Michael J Sweers

Paul M Andary

An overhead console for a vehicle or the like includes a housing defining a transmitter storage compartment for a garage door opener and an opening for permitting access to the storage compartment. A door is pivotally mounted to the housing for movement between a closed position for covering the opening and an open position for exposing the interior of the compartment through the lower opening. A hinge assembly for pivotally mounting the door to the housing includes a pair of spaced cams integrally molded to the door and a pair of spaced spring arms integrally molded to the housing. The spring arms are engageable with the cams as the door moves toward the open position from the closed position to arrest the movement of the door at an intermediate position between the closed and open positions. The spring arms are engageable and deflectable by the cam to provide frictional resistance to movement of the door only from the intermediate position to the open position. The spring arm includes a first section for contacting the cam at the intermediate position and a second section connected to the first section for contacting cam at the open position for resisting movement of the door toward the closed position. A manually operable actuating member is mounted to the door for movement with respect thereto, and includes a plurality of sockets formed therein. A plurality of actuator pegs are provided, with each peg having a first end that is adapted for positioning in one of the sockets and a second end adapted for receiving the first end of another peg. With this arrangement, one of the actuator pegs can be inserted in one of the sockets that corresponds to a position of the transmitter switch within the compartment. The height of the actuator peg can be adjusted to contact the actuator switch by stacking further actuator pegs thereon until the combined height of the actuator pegs is equal to the distance between the actuating member and the transmitter switch, such that movement of the actuating member activates the transmitter.

Overhead console with drop-down door

An overhead console for a vehicle has a support structure (14) with walls (30, 80, 82, 84) and an access door (10) defining a compartment (78) for storing a remote transmitter (86). The transmitter (86) includes an actuator switch (92) that is normally manipulated by a user for operating the transmitter (86) to open a garage door, turn on lights, etc., from inside the vehicle. The console access door (10) is attached to the support structure (14) for movement between closed and open positions. A manually operable actuator (12) is engageable with the transmitter switch (92) for operating the transmitter (86) upon depression of the actuator (12). The actuator (12) is attached to the support structure (14) independent of the door (10) such that movement of the actuator (12) is at least substantially unaffected by movement of the door (10) between the closed and open positions. With this arrangement, the transmitter switch (92) and actuator (12) can be mutually aligned with the door (10) in the open position by positioning the transmitter (86) in the compartment (78) and adjusting the transmitter (86) with respect to the actuator (12).

Garage door opener bin

The invention relates to a light pipe which includes a more effective light collector which transmits a larger amount of illumination to a lens located adjacent the light pipe. A lamp assembly includes a housing having walls defining a chamber and an open front. A lamp is mounted in the housing as well as a lens which covers the open front of the housing. The lens has a portion which extends laterally of the housing chamber. A light pipe is mounted to the housing adjacent the lens for collecting and distributing the light from the lamp along the laterally-extending portion of the lens. For more effective transmission of the light in a light distribution portion of the light pipe, the light-distributing portion can be provided with grooves along a surface distal from the lens to direct light from the light-collecting portion toward the lens. A light-collecting portion of the light pipe can be provided with a parabolic collecting surface facing the lamp to increase the light collection capabilities of the light-collecting portion of the light pipe.

Lamp assembly with light pipe, light pipe and light pipe/lens assembly

Growing community of inventors

Grand Haven, MI, United States of America

John Rickfelder