Abstract:
A textile material automotive vehicle headliner includes a number of electrical accessories such as overhead lights, loudspeakers and brake light repeaters. It is formed of a plurality of thicknesses between which are inserted a main ribbon conductor having a series of tracks and secondary conductors having tracks. Openings are formed in the thicknesses of material corresponding to the locations of the accessories. The ribbon conductors extend into the openings. The accessories are electrically connected to corresponding ribbon conductors and fixed into a corresponding opening. One of the accessories connects the main ribbon conductor to a power supply of the vehicle.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a vehicle headliner. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Vehicle headliners are generally made from a textile material which is fixed to the roof and on which various electrical accessories are mounted, such as overhead lights, a brake light repeater, loudspeakers, etc. 
     Generally, such accessories are connected to wiring provided to power them and are then fixed into place, which represents considerable labor. 
     One object of the invention is to remedy this drawback. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention provides a textile material automotive vehicle headliner including a number of electrical accessories such as overhead lights, loudspeakers and brake light repeaters and formed of a plurality of thicknesses between which are inserted a main ribbon conductor having a series of tracks and secondary conductors having tracks, wherein openings are formed in the thicknesses corresponding to the location of the accessories, the ribbon conductors extend into the openings, the accessories are adapted to be electrically connected to corresponding ribbon conductors and to be fixed into a corresponding opening, and one of the accessories includes means for connecting the main ribbon conductor to a power supply of the vehicle. 
     A complete headliner can therefore be manufactured ready to be fitted, at which time all the pre-wired accessories are automatically connected to the power supply circuit of the vehicle. 
     The headliner preferably includes a support for the electrical accessories having a rim adapted to cooperate with the surface of the headliner adjacent the opening, a flexible printed circuit for powering the electrical accessories, a plate which has compartments to receive contacts of the electrical accessories and means or assembling the support to the plate with the surface adjacent the opening in the headliner clamped between the plate and the rim. The accessories can therefore be connected quickly to the ribbon conductors and fixed to the headliner. 
     According to one feature of the invention the plate includes means for electrically connecting the ribbon conductor to the flexible printed circuit for powering the electrical accessories. 
     According to another feature of the invention the plate includes a hinged flap, means for locking the flap and an extension of the flexible printed circuit for powering the electrical accessories, the ribbon conductor can be clamped between the flap and a bearing surface and the extension includes power supply tracks intended to coincide with the tracks of the ribbon conductor. 
     The bearing surface preferably includes a trough and the flap preferably includes a corresponding protuberance. 
     According to a final feature of the invention one of the electrical accessories includes a connector element, a complementary connector element is fixed to the roof of the vehicle and connected by conductors to an electrical power supply circuit of the vehicle and the elements include contacts adapted to be pressed together after insertion of the main ribbon conductor in order to supply power thereto. Thus the ribbon conductor is inserted between the terminals of the two connector elements when fitting the headliner and all the accessories are therefore connected automatically. 
     The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only and with reference to one particular embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle headliner during its manufacture. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective bottom view of the headliner shown in FIG. 1 before the various electrical accessories are fitted. 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing electrical connections between the various ribbon cables of the headliner. 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a ribbon cable connecting device. 
     FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an overhead light. 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the electrical connections to the overhead light shown in FIG.  5 . 
     FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the overhead light. 
     FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a variant of the overhead light shown in FIG.  5 . 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing how the headliner is assembled to the roof. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 shows a headliner  1  which is made up of several thicknesses of textile material  2 ,  3  between which are inserted a set of main ribbon conductors  4  with several conductive tracks and secondary ribbon conductors  5  and  6 . 
     The headliner incorporates openings  7 ,  8 ,  9 ,  10 ,  11  and  12 ; all of the ribbon conductors  4  extend into the openings  7  and  12 , the ends of the conductor  5  extend into the openings  8  and  9  and the ends of the conductor  6  extend into the openings  10  and  11 . 
     As shown in FIG. 2, the openings  8  and  9  are intended to receive overhead lights  15  which incorporate a switch  16  and the openings  10  and  11  are intended to receive loudspeakers  17  of a radio in the vehicle. 
     The opening  7  is intended to receive an assembly comprising an overhead light  18  with a switch  19  and a card reader  20  with a switch  21 . 
     The opening  12  is intended to receive an overhead light  22  with a switch  23  and a vehicle brake light repeater  24 . 
     As shown in FIG. 3, the main ribbon conductor  4  must be electrically connected to the secondary ribbon conductors  5  and  6 . 
     The latter can be connected with simple U-shaped clips  25  having a web  26  with flanges  27  extended by rims  28 . The flanges pass through holes  30  in the insulation and the corresponding track and the flanges  27  pass through holes  31  on respective opposite sides of the track of the conductor  6 , the rims  28  pressing the corresponding tracks together (see FIG.  4 ). 
     The conductor  4  can also be connected to the conductor  5  by a member  32  having a shaft  36  attached at one end to a button  38  and housed in a sleeve  37  with a slot  33  in it; the conductors are inserted into the slot and the sleeve is turned on the shaft so that the tracks of the conductors are pressed together. 
     FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the overhead light  15 , which includes a plate  40  with compartments  41  to receive contacts  43  of the switch  16  and compartments  42  to receive contacts  44  of a lamp. 
     A flexible circuit  46  including tracks  47  for supplying power to the lamp via the switch is disposed against the bottom face of the plate  40  and has an extension  48  designed to be passed through an opening  49  in the plate  40 . 
     The ends of the tracks  47  intended to cooperate with the contacts  43  and  44  are inserted therewith into the corresponding compartments  41  and  42  to make the electrical connections. 
     The plate  40  is pressed directly onto the headliner  1  in the vicinity of the opening  8  or  9 . 
     A support  52  includes members  53  to receive the switch  16  and members  54  to receive the contacts  44  of the lamp, said support having a projecting part  55  and centering members  59  extending from a rim  64 . 
     The projecting part  55  includes hooks  56  which are intended to pass through holes  57  in the circuit  46  and holes  58  in the plate  40 . The members  59  cooperate with the edge of the openings  8 ,  9  to fix the support to the plate. 
     Finally, the support  52  receives a diffuser  60  having an opening  61  through which the switch  16  passes and two hooks  62  cooperating with openings  63  in the part  55  of the support  52 . 
     The overhead lamp  15  is mounted in the opening  8  or  9 , the members  59  engage therein and the circuit  46  and the plate  40  are disposed on the face of the headliner  1  intended to espouse the roof of the vehicle and the headliner  1  is therefore gripped between the rim  64  and the plate  40 . 
     The overhead light  15  is connected to the ribbon conductor  5  whose ends extend into said openings before fixing it into the opening  8  or  9 . FIG. 6 shows how the electrical connections are made. 
     The plate  40  has a trough-shaped bearing surface  66  near the opening  49  and the ends of two elastic lugs  68  at the ends of this housing carry hooks  67  facing toward each other. 
     A flap  70  with a protuberance  71  corresponding to the shape of the trough  66  is articulated to an edge adjacent the opening  49 . 
     To make the electrical connections, the end  48  is folded between the lugs  68 , the ribbon conductor  5  is then pressed onto it so that its tracks coincide with the tracks  47  and the flap  70  is then bent over and locked between the hooks  67 . The conductors are therefore clamped between the bottom of the trough  66  and the Protuberance  71 . 
     FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the overhead light  22  with the brake lamp repeater  24 . The overhead light includes a support  70  with a projecting part  71  carrying respective members  72  and  73  for receiving a lamp and the switch  23  and whose contacts  74  and  82  project from the surface of the projecting part  71 . The support  70  is extended by a receptacle  75  closed by a diffuser  76  which has hooks  77  engaging in holes  78 . The receptacle  75  is intended to contain three lamps and receives a portion  79  of a printed circuit  81  whose tracks  80  power said lamps. 
     The printed circuit  81  is intended to power the lamp of the overhead light via the switch  23  and has an extension  84 . 
     The support  70  has guides  87  upstanding from a rim  88  of the support  70  and the portion  79  of the printed circuit passes through said opening  12  and is housed in the receptacle  75 . 
     A diffuser  91  with hooks  89  inserted in holes  90  in the projecting portion  71  is mounted on the support  70 . 
     The assembly is completed by a plate  92  with respective compartments  94  and  93  intended to receive contacts  74  and  82  of the switch and the lamp, which contacts cooperate with the corresponding tracks of the circuit  81 . 
     As for the circuit  81 , the extension  84  passes through an opening in the plate  92  and, together with the ribbon conductor  4 , is inserted between elastic lugs  96  terminating in hooks  97  for immobilizing by a flap  98  with a protuberance  99  which engages in a trough-shaped bearing surface  100 . 
     Thus the electrical connections are made in the same way as for the overhead light  15 . 
     The guide members  87  are inserted in the opening  12  whose edge cooperates with the rim  88 , the plate  92  rests on the side of the headliner  1  intended to face toward the roof and the assembly is locked by hooks  101  passing through holes  102  in the plate  92 . 
     The overhead light  18  is mounted in the opening  7  in the headliner  1  in the same way as the overhead lights  15  and  22  (see FIG.  9 ); however, this overhead light is fastened to a connector element  106  and a complementary electrical connector element  105  is fixed to the roof of the vehicle and connected to the battery of said vehicle by a cable with a series of conductors  107 . 
     The element  105  has means for fixing the conductors  107  and which are connected to contacts intended to cooperate with contacts  108  of the element  106 , the ribbon conductor  4  being inserted between these contacts to power the various accessories supported by the headliner  1 . The two elements  105  and  106  are screwed together, for example. 
     The headliner  1  is shipped with all the overhead lights, loudspeakers, etc. mounted in the corresponding openings and connected to the ribbon conductors  4 ,  5  and  6 , the headliner is placed against the roof by a robot  110  and all the electrical connections are made by inserting the ribbon conductor  4  between the contacts of the connector elements  105  and  106 . 
     The loudspeakers  17  can be made in the same manner as the other accessories  15 ,  22  so that they can be connected and fitted very quickly and very easily. 
     Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiment shown and just described. Many modifications could be made to details thereof without departing from the scope of the invention.