Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Kurt L Jennings

Gregory David Miller

Robert E Steele

Timothy N Tackett

James R Cirillo

James M Cardinal

Neil Duane Wolfe

Joseph Howard Gladd

Dominic Anthony Messuri

Kenneth P Cope

Mark A Lynn

John L Jablonski

Ernest E Helms

John Fred Wassam

Disclosed is a fiber optic light positioned to illuminate the exterior door wall in the area of the door handle. The fiber optic line is preferably carried in the door handle and positioned to produce a flood of light reflecting off of the door wall and in particularly off of the bezel behind the door handle. The fiber optic line may also be positioned in the door wall or bezel to produce light reflecting off the door wall or bezel. The door wall or bezel may include a lip or eyebrow structure over hanging the end of the fiber optic line so that the end of the fiber optic line (and the direct light source) is not visible to a person standing next to the door in an upright position.

Fiber optic lighting system for vehicle door handle

The invention includes male and female fiber optic inline connectors constructed to be mated together. Each connector includes a cable passage extending through the connector for receiving one or more fiber optic cables. Flexible alignment fingers extend from a connector housing and are constructed and arranged to engage the sides of a fiber optic cable and properly align the cable with respect to the center of the cable passage to greatly reduce or eliminate the effects of tolerance stack up and associated loss of light. The flexible alignment fingers are generally spaced apart and radially positioned symmetrically with respect to the center of the cable passage.

Fiber optic lighting-inline connector

Generally, the invention includes a seat having a back for supporting a passenger. A flap is secured to the seat back along three sides and having an open top thus defining a pocket between the flap and the seat back. A woven fiber optic panel is secured inside the pocket to the inside surface of the flap or the seat back surface. The woven fiber optic panel is connected to a remote light source by a fiber optic cable. The woven fiber optic panel not only provides direct lighting to see down into the pocket but may also be constructed and arranged to reflect off of the seat back at the mouth of the pocket to provide low intensity indirect lighting for the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

Seat back pocket light

An automotive fiber optic cable splice for connecting first and second fiber optic cables in an abutting connection is provided. The splice includes a casing with first and second ends, the casing encircling the first and second fiber optic cables; first and second end caps generally at the first and second ends of the casing; first and second ferrules positioned within the casing for aligning the first and second fiber optic cables generally adjacent the abutting connection of the first and second fiber optic cables; first and second crimps radially gripping the first and second fiber optic cables, respectively, creating on each fiber optic cable a crimped region thereon; and first and second seals radially sealing the fiber optic cables and sealing the fiber optic cables within the casing adjacent the respective first and second end caps, the first and second seals biasing the first and second fiber optic cables toward one another.

Automotive fiber optic cable splice

An optical splitter arrangement is provided for accepting a light from at least one input and providing multiple light outputs of four or more, a light intensity of the outputs differing from one another no more than two dB, and a light intensity of the cumulative outputs differing no more than three dB from the light intensity of the input. The arrangement includes at least one input fiber having a diameter (I) and a numerical aperture (NA), the input fiber providing a light input and projecting the light input into a spot sized to a diameter (D); at least two intermediate ribbon mixing elements, the ribbon mixing elements having a generally constant thickness and height cross-sectional areas with each ribbon mixing element with a cross-sectional endface exposed to the projected spot of input optical fiber, each such ribbon mixing element being exposed to a generally equal area to the spot, and a total thickness of the ribbon mixing elements being approximately equal to D, the endface of the ribbon mixing elements being spaced approximately (D-I)/(2.times.tan theta) wherein theta equals sine.sup.-1 (NA); and a C number of output optical fibers abutting an end of each ribbon mixing element opposite the input optical fiber(s) wherein C is at least two.

Optical splitter

A fiber optic star and transmission assembly for transmitting optical signals from a plurality of input optic fibers to a plurality of output optic fibers. The assembly comprising a female connector body retaining and positioning a plurality of input and output optic fibers, a convergence connector body having a pair of central cavities with a semi-circular grooves, and wedge means having semi-circular recesses which is inserted in to the cavities to define passageways. The optic fibers are inserted through the passageways which guide the jacketed and stripped ends of the optic fibers into a linear slot at the forward end of the convergence connector. The female connector is slidably connected to the convergence connector. A ribbon retainer housing and a hollow cover means complete the star assembly.

Fiber optic star and transmission assembly

A fiber optic inline connector includes mating connector bodies each of which has a concentric protrusion at a connector end and a concentric cable passage that extends through the connector body from the connector end to a cable end. The concentric protrusions include a pair of diametrically opposed prongs and a pair of diametrically opposed slots that are orthogonally related to the diametrically opposed prongs so that the slots of each protrusion receive the prongs of the other protrusion to align the cable passages when the connector bodies are mated. The mated connector bodies are locked together by a pair of diametrically opposed stiff lock tongues and a pair of diametrically opposed flexible lock fingers at the connector end of each connector body that are spaced radially outwardly of the respective protrusions. The flexible lock fingers are orthogonally related to the stiff lock tongues so that the flexible lock fingers of each connector body engage the stiff lock tongues of the other connector body to lock the connectors together. A one-way connector and several interconnectable multi-way connectors are disclosed. An alternate three-way connector has three equally circumferentially spaced prongs, slots, flexible lock fingers and lock tongues.

Fiber optic inline connector with hermaphroditic alignment and lock means

A fiber optic bundle connector includes a hollow cone having a neck ring and a larger inlet ring at opposite ends of a conical body, a divider disposed in the cone that divides the interior of the cone into several compartments and a terminal block having an end fitted into the inlet ring of the cone. The terminal block has a plurality of terminal cavities that extend through the terminal block to communicate with respective ones of the several compartments. A plurality of jacketed fiber optic cables each having a ferrule attached to its jacket, are inserted through the respective terminal cavities so that their jacket stripped core ends extend into the neck ring of the cone. The neck ring of the cone is deformed by a permanently deformed cinch ring to produce a tightly packed bundle of jacket stripped core ends at a connector end of the fiber optic bundle connector. The cables are terminated identically and the ferrules are then positioned in the respective terminal cavities so that each terminal cavity has substantially the same path length to the neck ring irrespective of its location in the terminal block.

Fiber optic bundle connector including a hollow cone and a terminal block

A fiber optic connector attaches a fiber optic harness having a plurality of jacketed optic fibers to an optical device that has a flat rectangular contact surface. The connector comprises an outer member that has a plural number of non-linearly arrayed, grooves that receive individual jacketed optic fibers of the harness. An inner member wedge in the rear end of the outer member guides and holds individual jacketed optic fibers in the respective grooves. Each groove converges toward and communicates with a slot at the front end of the connector. The slot receives stripped end portions of the optic fibers and holds them in an abutting linear array for engagement with the flat rectangular contact surface of the optical device. The connector may also include latches for retaining the optic fibers individually and springs for biasing each individual optic fiber into engagement with the flat contact surface of the optic device.

Fiber optic connector for connecting a fiber optic harness to an optical

A connector system for operatively connecting the ends of two fiber optic cables together. A wall-mountable plate includes an elongated receptacle containing spaced through bores. The bores have opposed frusto-conical entry sections which are joined by a cylindrical central section. A terminal connector is mounted on the end of each cable and has spaced frusto-conical projections which end in cylindrical nose portions containing the ends of the fibers. The terminal connector projections are insertable through opposite ends of the bore into abutment of the nose portions at an interface location along a central portion of the bore. Lock tabs and shoulders on the receptacle and on one of the terminal connectors latch the connector within the bore, with the terminal being held without bias and against reverse movement out of that end of the bore. A collar is slidably mounted on the other terminal connector, with a spring captured between the connector and the collar for biasing them apart. Lock tabs and shoulders on the receptacle and on the collar latch the collar to the receptacle such that the spring biases the connector terminal projection nose portions into engagement. Each of the projection nose portions is configured to mate with the bore central portion, with the combined length of the nose portions being sufficiently greater than the length of the bore central portion to assure mutual abutment of the terminal ends by the spring.

Fiber optic wall plate connector system

A fiber optic connector comprises a fiber having a planar end surface formed by hot plate melting. A terminal fitting surrounds the fiber and has a terminal face coplanar with the fiber end surface. A reservoir groove is formed in the terminal face surrounding the aperture and is isolated therefrom by a portion of the terminal face. The groove is preferably dimensioned to completely receive subsurface the excess reflowed fiber material resulting from the hot plate melting. In a preferred embodiment, the exit aperture is circular and the groove has a coaxial inner diameter only sufficiently larger than the aperture diameter to assure isolation of the groove from the aperture.

Growing community of inventors

Warren, OH, United States of America

Kurt L Jennings