Patent ID: 9718396
Date: 2017-08-01
CPC Classifications: B60Q,G02B

Claim:
1. An illuminated running board for a vehicle, comprising: a transparent light guide plate including a top surface, a bottom surface, and two lateral ends spaced in a longitudinal direction of the light guide plate, with a plurality of convex portions provided on the top surface of the light guide plate, with the plurality of convex portions including first and second convex portions, with a groove formed in the bottom surface of the light guide plate and extending in the longitudinal direction, with each of the first and second convex portions having a portion length in the longitudinal direction and a portion width in a lateral direction, with the longitudinal direction being perpendicular to the lateral direction, with the portion length being elongated relative to the portion width, with the groove having a groove length in the longitudinal direction and a groove width in the lateral direction, with the groove length being elongated relative to the groove width, with the groove being not opposite to the plurality of convex portions in a thickness direction of the light guide plate, with the thickness direction being perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and to the lateral direction, with the groove being parallel to and spaced intermediate the first and second convex portions; a panel mounted on the top surface of the light guide plate and provided with a plurality of through-holes, with each of the plurality of convex portions of the light guide plate extending through one of the plurality of through-holes; and a luminous module mounted in the groove of the light guide plate and including a plurality of luminous elements which are not opposite to the plurality of convex portions in the thickness direction of the light guide plate, with each of the plurality of luminous elements inside the light guide plate controlled to project light rays which are radiated upward from the plurality of convex portions of the light guide plate, wherein the plurality of convex portions further includes third, fourth, fifth and sixth convex portions, with the first and second convex portions formed on a center of the top surface intermediate the two lateral ends, with the third, fourth, fifth and sixth convex portions formed on the top surface adjacent to the lateral ends of the light guide plate, with the third and fourth convex portions located on opposite sides of the groove than the fifth and sixth convex portions, with the third and fifth convex portions located on opposite sides of the first convex portion, with the fourth and sixth convex portions located on opposite sides of the second convex portion, with the illuminated running board further including a plurality of spaced optic pattern portions opposite to the plurality of convex portions in the thickness direction of the light guide plate, and with at least one of the plurality of luminous elements installed between each two spaced opposed optic pattern portions in the lateral direction.