Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Megan Lovejoy

Cornel Lewis Gardner

Steven J Antilla

Inshirah Hillawi

Stuart C Salter

Mahendra Somasara Dassanayake

Scott Holmes Dunham

Donald Paul Bilger

Jason Robert Emrich

Patrick Berryman

Jeffrey Singer

Ali Ammar

Denis Patrick Igoe

Shannon Carloni

Latasha Nicole Smith

Frederick Andrew Drapala

Fayez Alamat

Irene Shu

A retractable cover assembly is provided for a vehicle to cover a latching component such as the striker of a trunk door. The assembly includes a retractable cover and a support structure for supporting the cover at a position to cover the striker. The assembly further includes an arrangement for actuating the cover between an open position exposing the striker and a closed position covering the striker. A first light source may illuminate the cover and a second light source may illuminate an interior of the vehicle when the cover is in the closed position.

Retractable striker cover assembly for vehicle

A light system for a vehicle is provided herein. The light system includes a trim member defining an aperture. A light guide is disposed within the aperture. The light guide has a proximal portion operably coupled with a light source. A lens is integrally formed with the light guide and is disposed at a distal portion of the light guide. A deformable attachment mechanism is integrally formed on the light guide between the proximal and the distal portions of the light guide. The light guide is compressively retained within the aperture by a forward portion of the attachment mechanism and a rearward portion of the lens.

Vehicle light system

In a dimmable trim component for a vehicle interior, a trim article includes a reflective member having a photoreactive or an electro-optic coating disposed over the reflective member. The reflective member is configured to reflect ambient light. The coating is a bistable coating and is operable between a first light transmissive state and a second light transmissive state. When in the first light transmissive state, ambient light is transmitted to the reflective member for reflection by the reflective member through the coating. When in the second light transmissive state, a portion of the ambient light is absorbed by the coating and therefore, not reflected by the reflective member, such that the coating provides a dimming effect to the trim article in high ambient conditions.

Trim article with reflectance reducing features

Method for reducing reflectance of bright decorative trim under high ambient light conditions

A light guide system includes a light guide and a carrier substrate having a barrier layer disposed therebetween. The barrier layer is introduced during a dual injection process to provide a permeable barrier between a first resin, used to form the light guide, and a second resin used to form the carrier substrate. The barrier layer allows for the first and second resins to bond, while acting as a wet-out inhibitor between the resins. The molded dual injection light guide system of the present invention provides for a unitary light guide and carrier substrate that has been molded with a barrier layer such that wetting out of a surface of the light guide is prevented along with the deleterious effects wetted out surfaces have on light transmission.

Wet-out prevent method using laminate for injection molding process

A vehicle compartment has a housing defining a space and an access door pivotally coupled to the housing for pivoting between an open position and a closed position. Included is a light source for illuminating the space and a tilt switch provided on a circuit board coupled to the access door. The tilt switch is configured to have a first switch position when the access door is in the closed position and a second switch position when the access door is in the open position. The light source is activated when tilt switch is in the second switch position. The compartment may include a storage compartment, such as a glove box. The compartment may include an engine compartment.

Tilt switch and lighting assembly for a vehicle compartment

An illuminable beverage holder assembly is provided and includes at least one side wall coupled an illuminable base member to form a receptacle for receiving a beverage container. The illuminable base member includes a distal engagement member with an optical surface. A light source is operably coupled to the engagement member and configured to emit light through the optical surface to illuminate the illuminable portion.

Illuminable vehicle beverage holder assembly

A vehicle dome and reading light assembly for a vehicle includes a lighting device assembled to the interior of the vehicle and capable of generating plural light colors. A first switch is actuatable to cause the lighting device to generate a first color light and a first light intensity to serve as a dome lamp. A second switch is actuatable to cause the lighting device to generate a second color light at a second light intensity to serve as a map or reading lamp.

Vehicle dome and reading light

A vehicle storage compartment is provided having a housing defining a storage space and a shelf disposed within the housing such that the compartment is divided. The shelf includes translucent material coated with flock and has non-flock areas. A light source is operatively coupled to the shelf to provide light illumination through the translucent material such that light illumination is illuminated into the compartment through the non-flock areas.

Growing community of inventors

Dearborn, MI, United States of America

Megan Lovejoy