Abstract:
An internally illuminated roll bar has a W-shaped frame with “U” shaped cross-section with opposed side walls, a bottom wall and an open top, first and second outer legs, first and second inner legs, a lateral connecting member connecting the inner legs at the lower ends, one or more lenses for covering one or more portions of the rear side of the frame and discrete light sources mounted between the frame and the lenses wherein the some of the discrete light sources may be powered independently of others of the discrete light sources.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application for patent Ser. No. 61/034,731, filed Mar. 7, 2008, and entitled ROLL BAR WITH INTEGRATED LIGHTING, the specification of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The following disclosure relates to a roll bar for automotive applications and, in particular, an internally illuminated roll bar. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Many modern vehicles such as automobiles, trucks and off-the road vehicles are provided with frame built in or around the passenger compartment of the vehicle to protect occupants from being injured in an accident, particularly in an accident where the vehicle rolls over. Typically, a roll bar is a single bar behind and above the driver&#39;s seat that provides roll-over protection. A roll bar may be a particularly desirable feature in high performance automobiles, trucks and off road vehicles. A roll bar may also be a desirable feature in a convertible-type automobile due to the lack of a rigid roof structure in such vehicles. 
     Most, if not all, modern vehicles have a lighting system that include signaling and lighting devices mounted to the front, sides and rear of the vehicle. The purpose of these systems is to provide illumination for the driver to operate the vehicle safely after dark, to increase the conspicuity of the vehicle, and to display information about the vehicle&#39;s presence, position, size, direction of travel, and driver&#39;s intentions regarding direction and speed of travel. Lighting systems mandated by government regulations typically include head lights, tail lights, vehicle turn signals, brake lights and backup lights. Turn signals are lights mounted near the left and right front and rear corners of a vehicle, are actuated by a vehicle operator to indicate a turn or a lane change. Tail lights, located at the rear of a vehicle, serve to make other drivers aware of the presence of a vehicle in front of them after dark. Brake lights, actuated when an operator applies the vehicle&#39;s brakes, indicate that the vehicle is slowing down or stopping. 
     However, there still exists a need for improved vehicle lighting systems that are more visible and conspicuous. This is especially true in the case of smaller, high performance vehicles that have a low profile. Consequently, in view of the desirability of roll bars in such vehicles plus the need for better and more conspicuous lighting systems, there exists a need for a vehicle roll bar that incorporates components of the vehicle lighting system. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one aspect thereof, an internally illuminated roll bar is disclosed. The frame of the roll bar has a “U” shaped cross-section with opposed side walls, a bottom wall and an open top. The bottom wall comprises a plurality of “X” shaped first cross members and a plurality of straight cross members positioned between the “X” shaped cross members. The frame has first and second outer legs, first and second inner legs, with arcuate head portions connecting the inner and outer legs at the upper ends. A lateral connecting member connects the inner legs at the lower ends thereof. The inner legs are shorter than the outer legs. One or more covers enclose a front side of the frame and match the longitudinal profile of the frame. The roll bar includes one or more lenses for covering one or more portions of the rear side of the frame, the lenses being formed from a transparent or translucent light conducting material and configured to match at least a portion of the profile of the frame. Discrete light sources mounted between the frame and the lenses of the light sources may be powered independently of others of the discrete light sources. 
     In another aspect, a vehicle lighting system includes an internally illuminated roll bar having a W-shaped end-to-end profile. In one embodiment, the roll bar has a frame with a generally “U” shaped cross-section including opposed side walls, a bottom wall and an open side. The bottom wall may include, at least in part, a plurality of “X” shaped first cross members and a plurality of straight cross members positioned between the “X” shaped cross members. 
     The frame may have first and second outer legs, first and second inner legs, and arcuate head portions connecting the inner and outer legs at upper ends of the legs. A lateral connecting member connects the inner legs at lower ends thereof with the inner legs being shorter than the outer legs. One or more covers matching the longitudinal profile of the frame cover the front side of the frame. The illuminated roll bar, in one variation, includes lenses formed from a transparent or translucent light conducting material that cover rearward portions of the frame with a plurality of discrete light sources mounted between the frame and the lenses. In one embodiment, at least some of the light sources may be powered independently of others of the discrete light sources. The discrete light sources may be mounted on a substrate such as a circuit board and controlled with one or more manual switches and/or a microprocessor. In one embodiment, the discrete light sources are colored, e.g. red, green, blue and white light emitting diodes that may be independently powered to illuminate portions of the roll bar with different colors. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a more complete understanding, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a partial perspective view of a roll bar according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of the internally illuminated roll bar of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the internally illuminated roll bar of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a rear view of the internally illuminated roll bar of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a top view of the illuminated roll bar of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a partial cross-sectional view of the roll bar of  FIG. 1  taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a frame for the internally illuminated roll bar of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of the frame of the roll bar of  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers are used herein to designate like elements throughout, the various views and embodiments of a roll bar with integrated lighting. The figures are not necessarily drawn to scale, and in some instances the drawings have been exaggerated and/or simplified in places for illustrative purposes only. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate the many possible applications and variations based on the following examples of possible embodiments. 
       FIG. 1  is a partial perspective view of an internally illuminated roll bar  10  according to the disclosure mounted on a two-seat, roadster style automobile. As illustrated, roll bar  10  is mounted behind the seats  102  of the automobile and has a longitudinal profile including portions that conform to the profile of the upper portions of the seats. Roll bar  10  presents an aesthetically pleasing design while providing the functionality of roll over protection for the occupants of the vehicle. 
       FIG. 2  is a front view of internally illuminated roll bar  10 . As shown, roll bar  10  includes one or more front covers  14  formed from a suitable material such as a molded rigid plastic or formed metal sheet. Covers  14  may be formed as a single molded piece or alternatively may be formed from a plurality of molded or formed panels  18 . A pair of mounting brackets  12  are provided for mounting roll bar  10  at attachment points between the seats of the vehicle. Roll bar  10  includes a mounting fixture or trim fixture  16  at each end of the roll bar for aesthetic appearance purposes. 
       FIG. 3  is a bottom view of internally illuminated roll bar  10 . In one embodiment, roll bar  10  includes one or more rearwardly facing lenses  20 . Lenses  20  conform to the profile of roll bar  10 , and are configured to enclose portions of the roll bar frame  44  ( FIG. 7 ) not covered by covers  16 . Lenses  20  are formed from an appropriate transparent or translucent light transmitting material such as a transparent or translucent plastic. Some or all of an interior surface of the transparent or translucent material may be formed so as to be reflective to external light, i.e., light coming from outside the roll bar assembly. As illustrated, one or more internal conduits  22  may be provided for housing electrical wires or electrical leads to power discrete light sources within lenses  20 . In other embodiments, roll bar  10  may incorporate one or more forward facing lenses  20 . 
       FIG. 4  is a rear view of internally illuminated roll bar  10 . As illustrated, roll bar  10  may have a longitudinal, i.e., end-to-end profile resembling an inverted W with an elongated center section  24  connecting two outer inverted U-shaped sections  26 . In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 4 , lenses  20  cover the U-shaped outer sections  26  of roll bar  10 . In one embodiment, lenses  20  may be a single molded or formed piece or alternatively may include a plurality of lens panels  28 . In other embodiments, lenses  20  may cover more or less of roll bar  10  or may cover different portions of the roll bar. It is, however, anticipated that at least the outermost portions of U-shaped sections  26  will be covered by lenses  20 . 
       FIG. 5  is a top view of illuminated roll bar  10 . As shown, the width of the roll bar changes along its length with the center section  24  having a wider profile than outer sections  26 . 
       FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the roll bar  10  taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 4 . In one embodiment, internally illuminated roll bar  10  includes a plurality of discrete light sources  34  mounted on a circuit board  32  within the roll bar  10 . Alternatively, discrete light sources  34  may be mounted on a flexible substrate (i.e., tape) containing conductors or directly on frame  44  of roll bar  10 . Discrete light sources  34  may comprise light emitting diodes (LED) or alternatively a plurality of conventional incandescent lights. Power for discrete light sources  34  is provided by means of electrical leads  36  that may pass through conduits  22  within roll bar  10 . In one embodiment, discrete light sources  34  may be a plurality of different colored LEDs, e.g., LEDs that emit red, blue, green and white colored light mounted in clusters or linear arrays on circuit board  32 . A reflective panel  40  may be provided to direct the light emitted by discrete light sources  34  toward lens  20 . The operation of discrete light sources  34  may be controlled by means of a manual switch  42  and/or a microprocessor or microcontroller  38  to provide the desired illumination of the discrete light sources. In another variation, the operation is controlled by the vehicle&#39;s on-board computer. 
     In one variation, discrete light sources  34  may be selectively illuminated on either side or end of roll bar  10  to serve as, or in conjunction with, vehicle turn signals to signal a turn. In another embodiment, discrete light sources  34  may be controlled to illuminate a selected light sources  34  to serve as, or in conjunction with tail lights. In yet another embodiment, a plurality of discrete light sources  34  may be illuminated to serve as backup lights for the vehicle. In the case where discrete light sources  34  are illuminated to serve as back up lights for a vehicle, the discrete light sources  34  are preferably white LEDs or a combination of colored LEDs that produce a white or close to white light. In yet another embodiment, discrete light sources  34  may be utilized to serve as emergency warning lights in which case some or all of discrete light sources  34  would be powered intermittently to achieve a flashing effect. 
     In one embodiment, lens  20  may be formed entirely from one or more panels of a completely transparent material. In other embodiments, portions of lens  20  may be formed from tinted transparent materials or tinted translucent materials. In yet other embodiments, different portions of lens  20  may be transparent, tinted transparent, translucent, or formed from a translucent white material. In embodiments where discrete light sources  34  comprise colored LEDs, different color configurations of lens  20  may be utilized with different color configurations of discrete light sources  34  to achieve a multitude of different effects including turn signals, running lights, emergency flashers and back up lights. 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a frame  44  for internally illuminated roll bar  10 . In one variation, frame  44  includes outer legs  46 , inner legs  48  and arcuate head portions  50 . A lateral connecting member  52  extends between inner legs  48 . Frame  44  may be fabricated from a suitable material such as aluminum, steel, a high strength plastic or a high strength fiberglass depending on the particular design. 
       FIG. 8  is a side view of frame  44  of roll bar  10 . Frame  44  has a generally U-shaped cross section with opposed sidewalls  54 , a bottom wall  56 , and an open side  58 . In the illustrated embodiment, bottom wall  56  of the outer legs  46 , inner legs  48  and head portion  50  comprises a plurality of X-shaped cross members  60  separated by lateral cross members  62 . In one embodiment, bottom wall  56  of lateral connecting member  52  is formed as a solid wall as shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure provides a roll bar with integrated lighting. It should be understood that the drawings and detailed description herein are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive manner, and are not intended to be limiting to the particular forms and examples disclosed. On the contrary, included are any further modifications, changes, rearrangements, substitutions, alternatives, design choices, and embodiments apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope hereof, as defined by the following claims. Thus, it is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such further modifications, changes, rearrangements, substitutions, alternatives, design choices, and embodiments.