Granted Patent B2

US 12,311,836 · App. 18/419,221 · Granted May 27, 2025

Inventors: Kurt A. Meyer (Martinez, GA); Joon Wei Cao (Xinyi, CN)

Assignee: COLUMBIA VEHICLE GROUP, INC.

B60Q1/543B60Q1/2619B60Q1/32F21S43/237B60Q2400/20

Abstract

Claims (27)

1. A lighting system for a golf cart, the lighting system comprising:

a rocker panel secured to a side panel of the golf cart and including a pipe aperture disposed therein, the pipe aperture extending along a lateral axis that extends between a first end of the rocker panel and a second end of the rocker panel that is opposite the first end;

a light pipe secured within the pipe aperture of the rocker panel;

a light source housed within the light pipe; and

a processor connected to the lighting system and configured to provide lighting instructions thereto,

wherein the light pipe directs light emitted from the light source outward from the side panel of the golf cart, and

wherein the lighting instructions are configured for at least one of:

providing a first lighting sequence by the light source when an ignition of the golf cart is activated; and

switching to and maintaining a second lighting sequence by the light source when a drivetrain of the golf cart is turned on.

2. The lighting system of claim 1 , wherein the pipe aperture includes a first segment that is separated from a second segment by a notch.

3. The lighting system of claim 2 , wherein the light pipe includes a first pipe segment that is separated from a second pipe segment by a gap.

4. The lighting system of claim 3 , wherein securing the light pipe within the pipe aperture includes aligning the notch of the pipe aperture with the gap of the light pipe.

5. The lighting system of claim 1 , wherein the first lighting sequence is a multi-color startup sequence.

6. The lighting system of claim 1 , wherein the second lighting sequence is a solid white illumination along the light pipe.

7. The lighting system of claim 1 , wherein the lighting system further includes a lighting base, and wherein the processor is electrically connected to the lighting base at a first connection end or a second connection end thereof.

8. The lighting system of claim 1 , wherein the rocker panel further includes a panel aperture that extends therethrough and receives a rectangular panel therein.

9. The lighting system of claim 1 , wherein the light source is a single incandescent bulb, a system of light emitting diodes (LEDs), a system of halogen bulbs, or a fluorescent tube.

10. A method of illuminating an exterior region of a golf cart, the method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, an ignition signal that an ignition of the golf cart has been activated, the ignition of the golf cart activating a drivetrain of the golf cart;

instructing, by the processor, a light assembly to display a first lighting sequence;

switching from the first lighting sequence to a second lighting sequence;

receiving, by the processor, a termination signal that the drivetrain of the golf cart has been deactivated; and

deactivating, by the processor, the light assembly,

wherein the light assembly includes a light pipe disposed within a pipe aperture defined by a rocker panel that is coupled to a side panel of the golf cart, the pipe aperture extending along a lateral axis that extends between a first end of the rocker panel and a second end of the rocker panel that is opposite the first end.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first lighting sequence is a multi-color startup sequence.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the second lighting sequence is a solid white illumination.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the lighting assembly further includes a light source housed within the light pipe.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (33)