Patents Assigned to Valeo North America, Inc.
  • Publication number: 20210180762
    Abstract: The present invention pertains to a lens arrangement system used in automobile optical modules and more particularly pertains to an image tilt correction system of automotive optical module beam patterns. A system arrangement that includes a generated light beam for illumination and a reflector for directing the light beam from a light source directed towards the outside of the optical module. Additionally provided is a lens that distributes the light beam from the reflector and where lens features include a light input side and a light output side where lens sides include a plurality of light distribution facets or lens optic patterns that are arranged to effectively produce a corrective light beam that is symmetrical and centered.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2019
    Publication date: June 17, 2021
    Applicant: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Lionel Floch
  • Publication number: 20210180759
    Abstract: The subject inventive arrangement produces a light guide that may be of any curved shape that produces and obtains a lighting appearance of a uniform or homogenous lit appearance at the light exit face by using a single light source and a single light-reflective coupler. The present invention is premised on a light guide system that includes a light guide; a light source; and a coupler positioned at the light source that is configured to receive generated light. The coupler is adapted to produce a collimated light beam from the light source. A stepped reflective surface is formed along a light reflecting face of the light guide by a plurality of light reflective facets and a plurality of lateral surfaces, which are configured to receive and direct collimated light towards a light-emitting exit face.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2019
    Publication date: June 17, 2021
    Applicant: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Lionel Floc'h, Michael Kratoska, Ignacio Everardo Orozco, Brant Potter
  • Publication number: 20210178991
    Abstract: The present invention relates to wire harness and automotive component retention devices, and particularly to a mold-in retention feature in the automotive field for securing a wire harness to a light-signal housing comprising: first and second longitudinal flexible arms with engagement portions protruding from a flexible indentation or membrane on the housing where the first arm is juxtaposed opposite the second arm and where the associated arms are spaced away from each other in an open position and mate together in a closed position. The arms are configured to move from closed to open when a force is applied on the housing's backside so that depression of a flexible indentation or membrane causes associated arms to spread open and receive harness components. Furthermore, arms may move from open to closed position when an applied force is released on a flexible membrane so that a received harness component becomes secured between arms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Publication date: June 17, 2021
    Applicant: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert KING
  • Publication number: 20210170941
    Abstract: A vehicle light module, a headlight assembly, and a method for communicating information at a panel having transparent and opaque states; a projector device projects visual representations toward the panel where visual representations are displayed on the panel when in an opaque state and through the panel when in a transparent state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2020
    Publication date: June 10, 2021
    Applicant: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Shivi SINGH, John ORISICH
  • Publication number: 20210170830
    Abstract: A heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) assembly for managing air mixing door kinematics of a motor vehicle is disclosed. The assembly includes a first door configured for allowing passage of a first air flow, a second door configured for allowing passage of a second air flow, obtaining means configured to obtain a temperature command indicating a target temperature for a passenger cabin, identifying means configured to identify a pattern of non-linear door kinematics for mixing the first air flow and the second air flow based on the temperature command, coordinating means configured to coordinate the non-linear door kinematics between the first door and the second door, and mixing means configured to mix the first air flow and the second air flow.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2019
    Publication date: June 10, 2021
    Applicant: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Sikorski, Darshan Parikh, Sally Dagher, Steven Marshall
  • Patent number: 11027642
    Abstract: Bezel apparatus for use with vehicle lamps are disclosed. A disclosed bezel for a vehicle lamp includes a skeleton defining a portion of the bezel. The skeleton is configured to provide structural integrity to the bezel. The bezel also includes a film configured to cover the skeleton. The film comprises a first side configured to contact the skeleton and a second side opposite to the first side and including a visual design. The bezel also includes a coupling mechanism configured to couple the film to the skeleton to provide a completed bezel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventors: John Orisich, Mark Pattison, Ambroise Servantie
  • Patent number: 11028993
    Abstract: A headlamp of a motor vehicle that uses individual light emitting diodes or LEDs to generate individual light beams, which collectively form a composite beam where some of the individual beams overlap neighboring beams because of manufacturing irregularities and form bright spots within the composite beam, which are not desirable. It is possible to de-focus the irregularities from individual beams to thereby spread out the bright spots, and reduce their intensities with another inventive goal to selectively defocus individual beams and soften the edges that apply glare to surrounding vehicles when individual beams are not adjacent individual beams or individual beams that are active and flank surrounding vehicles to be shut off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventors: John Steven Orisich, Brant James Potter
  • Patent number: 11021317
    Abstract: A packaging device for a windscreen wiper blade has a housing configured to receive the blade, having a first support surface configured to contact a portion of an upper part of the blade, a second support surface configured to contact a first portion of a lower part of the blade, a third support surface configured to contact a second portion of the lower part of the blade, a centering means, and a hooking means for hanging the packaging device vertically. The centering means blocks the blade at the center of the housing when the packaging device is hung. The first support surface extends opposite an area situated between the second support surface and the third support surface, and the first, second, and third support surfaces together immobilize the blade inside the housing in a position that is at least partially straightened out relative to a resting position of the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: VALEO NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Catherine Clamagirand, Stéphane Houssat
  • Publication number: 20210156535
    Abstract: A headlamp assembly includes a low beam assembly configured to generate a low beam distribution that includes a first low beam module having a first laser solid state light source that is optically configured to emit a first luminous intensity distribution and a second laser solid state light source that is optically configured to emit a second luminous intensity distribution, and a second low beam module having a solid state light source that is optically configured to emit a third luminous intensity distribution, which at least partially overlaps at least one of the first and second luminous intensity distributions; the headlamp assembly also having a high beam assembly configured to generate a high beam distribution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2020
    Publication date: May 27, 2021
    Applicant: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Brant POTTER, John ORISICH
  • Publication number: 20210146406
    Abstract: A sensor apparatus includes a cylindrical sensor window defining an axis, and a plurality of at least three tubular segments fixed relative to the sensor window. Each tubular segment is elongated circumferentially relative to the axis. The tubular segments collectively form a ring substantially centered around the axis. Each tubular segment includes at least one first nozzle and at least one second nozzle. The first nozzles and second nozzles are arranged in an alternating pattern around the ring. The first nozzles each have a direction of discharge in a radially inward and axial direction forming a first angle with the axis, and the second nozzles each have a direction of discharge in a radially inward and axial direction forming a second angle with the axis, the second angle being different than the first angle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2019
    Publication date: May 20, 2021
    Applicants: Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Andre Sykula, Rashaun Phinisee, Venkatesh Krishnan, Kunal Singh, Raghuraman Surineedi, Michael Whitney, David Franco, Robin Moulart, William Terrasse
  • Publication number: 20210131639
    Abstract: A lighting assembly includes a heat sink including a pad surface, and an LED mounted on the pad surface. An optical device is optically coupled to the LED, and a support structure is provided for connecting the optical device to the heat sink. The support structure includes fixation spacers to connect the supporting structure to the heat sink, and both the LED and the fixation spacers contact the pad surface on a common plane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2021
    Publication date: May 6, 2021
    Applicant: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Julien HEMON, Fred ROTH
  • Publication number: 20210131631
    Abstract: A lamp assembly for a vehicle comprising a housing, a reflector mounted in the housing, a light source, a printed circuit board or PCB mounted on a heatsink of the lamp assembly and coupled to the light source to control operation of the light source. The PCB has a first connector for coupling to a second connector comprising a body having a plurality of resilient or elastic arms that each have a detent for locking the connector to the component and retain electrical contact with the PCB. The wall of the heatsink defines an aperture for receiving the second connector and provides a locking surface that deflects the arms towards the body while engaging and cooperating with the detents to lock the connector to the PCB. The free end of the arms extend beyond the mounting wall and are actuated to unlock the connector from the PCB.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2021
    Publication date: May 6, 2021
    Applicant: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Jeffrey HUNT, Jonathan BLANDIN
  • Publication number: 20210122214
    Abstract: A method for smart heating and Recirculation Air Management (RAM) using an HVAC assembly for a vehicle is disclosed. The method involves obtaining a first air pressure at a first fresh air inlet configured for allowing passage of fresh air in proportion to a first degree of aperture of the first fresh air inlet and the first air pressure, obtaining a second air pressure at a first recycled air inlet configured for allowing passage of recycled air in proportion to a second degree of aperture of the first recycled air inlet and the second air pressure, identifying a required mixed air pressure based on a combination of the first air pressure and the second air pressure, and dynamically modifying the first and second degrees of aperture to obtain the required mixed air pressure which remains constant regardless of parameters associated with the inside passenger cabin of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Publication date: April 29, 2021
    Applicant: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Earl Buckman, Darshan Parikh, Sally Dagher, Steve Hrouska, Nestor Isamael Varela Santoyo, Philippe Pierres
  • Patent number: 10989387
    Abstract: A light device for a vehicle includes an enclosure having a transmissive portion configured to transmit light generated within the enclosure. A matrix material is contained within the enclosure and includes quantum dots dispersed throughout the matrix material. An energy source is configured to couple energy to the quantum dots such that the quantum dots emit light that is transmitted through the transmissive portion of the enclosure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Valere Calais
  • Publication number: 20210108774
    Abstract: A configurable vehicle lighting module system includes a shared lens that provides a first light pattern for a first vehicle lighting function and a second light pattern for a second vehicle lighting function. The shared lens includes a mounting axis as a reference for mounting on a vehicle. First internal optics direct light toward the shared lens to provide the first light pattern; second internal optics direct light toward the shared lens to provide the second light pattern. A coupling system joins the shared lens with either the first internal optics to form a first module configuration for the first vehicle lighting function or with the second internal optics to form a second module configuration for the second vehicle lighting function. The shared lens conceals physical differences between internal optics configurations such that the first and second light module configurations appear the same when viewed along the shared lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2020
    Publication date: April 15, 2021
    Applicant: VALEO NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Chadwick FRITZ, Don HODNETT, Greg SIMONS
  • Publication number: 20210102682
    Abstract: A light guide has an elongated body that includes an entrance face at which light is admitted into the light guide and an exit face at which the light emanates from the light guide. The light guide has an inboard side wall and an outboard side wall extending between the entrance face and the exit face. The entrance face, the exit face, the inboard side wall and the outboard side wall enclose a medium containing a colorant by which the medium meets a color criterion while minimizing light absorption at a wavelength of the light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2019
    Publication date: April 8, 2021
    Applicant: VALEO NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Robert Leon FRAIZER, Rebecca STANLEY, Shivi SINGH, Colby J. DARLAGE, Jose Alberto GOMEZ RAMIREZ
  • Publication number: 20210102680
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an optical device that includes a light guide; at least a first and a second light source; at least a first and a second optical coupler; and at least one collimator to generate a first collimated light beam and a second collimated light beam. The at least one first optical coupler is configured to receive the first collimated light beam that is directed along a first optical axis towards a first region of the light exit face producing a first photometric function. The at least one second optical coupler is configured to receive the second collimated light beam that is directed along a second optical axis towards a second region of the light exit face producing a second photometric function.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2020
    Publication date: April 8, 2021
    Applicant: VALEO NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Charles CRESPIN, Lionel FLOC'H
  • Patent number: 10962211
    Abstract: A lighting device for an automobile comprises a housing, light source for producing a light beam electrically connected to an electrical source by means of electrical wirings, an optical axis adjustment system for adjusting the optical axis of the lighting device having horizontal optical axis adjuster and vertical optical axis adjuster and a pivot point. The lighting device is also provided with an electrical wiring guiding member for guiding the electrical wiring of the lighting device, the electrical wiring guiding member is removably disposed between and attached to the horizontal optical axis adjuster and pivot point. The electrical wiring guiding member comprises attachment portions disposed on opposing ends and a wiring guiding portion disposed there between.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert King
  • Patent number: 10962194
    Abstract: The subject inventive arrangement extends the width of a light-reflective coupler to be offset behind a successive coupler that creates an additional angled reflective surface that apportions light towards an outboard side rather than towards the primary optical axis direction and controls to redirect light at specific angles or enhances light distribution spread so as to improve lighting effects and enhance vehicle appearance. The present invention relates to automotive lighting modules that include multiple light sources a light guide, light-reflective couplers, optical facets, a light-exit face and a light-guiding portion. Coupler profiles are formed by a curved facet and a joined angled facet where associated couplers are juxtaposed and offset from adjoining couplers. Angled surfaces include multiple light reflecting facets adapted to receive collimated light, which are directed towards a vehicle's outboard side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Julien Hemon, Alan Gonzalo Silva
  • Publication number: 20210062992
    Abstract: A lighting apparatus includes a plurality of fiber optic panels coupled to respective light sources. The fiber optic panels include a set of optical fibers configured to emit light transversely to the optical axis thereof to form respective illumination regions in the fiber optic panels. A housing is included in the lighting apparatus to have an internal chamber and at least one window formed therein by which the internal chamber is in optical communication with the exterior of the housing. Additionally, an optical system such as a reflector or lens can subtend the light from the distal ends of the fibers within the chamber. The fiber optic panels are coupled to the housing to convey light into the internal chamber while the illumination regions extend from the housing to perform a lighting function of an automotive vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2019
    Publication date: March 4, 2021
    Applicant: VALEO NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Jon BEAUCHAMP, John Orisich