GB2515385A - Sun visor for a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A sun visor 10 for a vehicle 50 has a supporting element 20 which is pivotably connected to a headlining 40 of the vehicle 50 and can be extended by an auxiliary sun visor element (30, fig 2), which slides telescopically from the sun visor. The auxiliary visor (30) includes a vanity mirror 32, which is covered in a non use position and exposed in a use position. Movement of the sliding element (30) is guided by a sliding key 12 which is controlled by the user with a sliding handle 16. A protruding element 34 limits the movement of the sliding element (30).

Description

Sun Visor for a Vehicle The invention relates to a sun visor for a vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such a sun visor can, for example, already be taken as known from US 5711570 A. The sun visor there is designed as a telescopic glare shade, which is made of a hollow outer shelter and a telescopic inner shade board. The inner shade board is guided in the hollow outer shelter and the inner shade board can be pulled down to a bottom end of the outer shelter wherein the inner shade board can be retained constantly in position due to friction when the shade board is telescopically moved for adjustment of the length of the shade in use.

The telescopic glare shade there can be enlarged in an especially efficient manner whereby a sun protection area of the glare shade can be easily adjusted in dependency on the demand of a passenger of the vehicle.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a sun visor of the initially mentioned kind, which is improved in such a manner, that the sun visor can be operated especially ergonomically.

According to the invention, this object is solved by a sun visor having the features of claim 1. Advantageous configurations with convenient developments of the invention are specified in the remaining claims.

In order to provide a sun visor of the initially mentioned kind, which is improved according to ergonomic aspects and thus can be operated ergonomically, it is provided according to the invention that the sun visor comprises at least one mirror element, which is attached to the sliding element, and which is covered by means of the supporting element, when the sliding element is in the non-use position. The supporting element of the sun visor can be pivotably connected to the headlining of the vehicle by means of a pivoting element such as e.g. a bar or a rod. By means of this pivoting element the supporting element is held at the headlining. The at least one mirror element may extend over the whole width of the sliding element, and thus, the mirror element is especially broad. Due to the fact that the mirror element may extent over the whole width of the sliding element, a passenger of the vehicle does not have to move his head in order to see his entire face which makes the sliding element and thus the sun visor especially ergonomic. The mirror element may also extent over a smaller area of the sliding element, in order to e.g. provide the remaining area of the sliding element for e.g. a storage compartment, which may be attached to the sliding element, a cardholder or even a display or a monitor for entertainment systems. Such a monitor may be coupled with a camera system, which allows e.g. a roar view, when the vehicle is moved backwards. In order to improve the ergonomic operation, the sun visor on the driver's side can be arranged next to a rear mirror, which can also be mounted to the headlining or the windshield, alternatively, so that the driver does not have to move his head but has an especially pronounced overview (rear mirror and monitor in the sun visor next to each other) only by moving his eyes. Due to the fact that the sliding element is covered by the supporting element, when the sliding element is in its non-use position, the sliding element is protected from dirt or dust, when it is in its non-use position. The sun visor can also be operated in an especially ergonomic manner, since the mirror element, or other components such as the monitor, which may be attached to sliding element, can be protected from dirt or dust in the non-use position of the sliding element, and thus the effort for cleaning the sliding element, the mirror element or other components, which are attached to the sliding element, is especially low.

Further advantages, features and details of the invention are apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment as well as based on the drawings.

They show in: Fig. la a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a sun visor according to the invention, wherein the sun visor is attached to a headlining of a vehicle; Fig. lb another perspective view of the sun visor, which is pivoted into a position in which it may protect passengers of the vehicle from sunlight; Fig. ic another perspective view of the sun visor, which is in a use position in which a sliding element of the sun visor protrudes from a supporting element of the sun visor and thus a sun protection area of the sun visor is enlarged; Fig. 2a a perspective side view of the sun visor, which is in the position shown in Fig. la; Fig. 2b another perspective side view of the sun visor, which is in the position shown in Fig. ib; Fig. 2c another perspective side view of the sun visor which is in the position shown in Fig. ic; Fig. 3a a perspective front view of the sun visor, in which the sliding element is in a non-use position and thus a sun protection area of the sun visor is small; Fig. 3b a sectional view of the sun visor according to a section line A-A in Fig. 3a; Fig. 4a another perspective front view of the sun visor in which the sliding element is in the use position and thus the sun protection area is enlarged in comparison to the non-use position; Fig. 4b another sectional view of the sun visor according to a section line B-B in Fig. 4a; Fig. 5a another perspective view of the sun visor showing a rear side of the sun visor; Fig. 5b another perspective view of the sun visor showing the front side of the sun visor; Fig. 5c a perspective view of the sliding element, which is removed from the supporting element at present; Fig. Sd a perspective view of a first shell element of the supporting element; Fig. 5e another perspective view of the first shell element showing an inner side of the first shell element; Fig. Sf a perspective view of the second shell element which comprises guiding slots; Fig. 5g a perspective view of a sliding key of the sun visor; and in Fig. 5h a perspective view of a pivoting element, which is used to attach the sun visor to the headlining of the vehicle.

Fig. la shows a perspective view on a sun visor 10, which is attached to a headlining 40 by means of a pivoting element 36 in the interior of a vehicle 50. In the position shown in Fig. 1 a, the sun visor 10 is laid alongside the headlining 40, whereby the sun visor 10 at least partially protects a passenger of the vehicle 50 from sunlight.

The sun visor 10 comprises a sliding element 30, which is held by a supporting element and which is translationally movable relative to the supporting element 20 from a non-use position 60, in which the sliding element 30 is at least substantially covered by the supporting element 20 and in which a sun protection area A (not shown here) of the sun visor 10 is decreased, into at least one use position 70, in which the sun protection area A is enlarged in comparison to the non-use position 60. Viewing Fig. lb in conjunction with Fig. lc one can see the difference between the non-use position 60 of the sliding element and the use position 70 of the sliding element 30. In the use position 70 (Fig. lc) the sliding element 30 protrudes from the supporting element 20 and thus a mirror element 32, which is attached to the sliding element 30 also protrudes from the supporting element 20. In contrast to the use position 70, in the non-use position 60 the mirror element 32 as well as the sliding element 30 is covered by means of the supporting element 20 and thus the mirror element 32 is protected from dirt or dust.

The supporting element 20 comprises a first shell element 26 and a second shell element 28, between which the sliding element 30 is held. The sun visor 10 comprises a sliding key 12, which is connected to the sliding element 30 and by means of which the sliding element 30 is guided during its movement between the non-use position 60 and the at least one use position 70. The sliding key 12 comprises a sliding handle 16 and a connecting element 14. The sliding handle 16 can be used to manually move the sliding element 30 relative to the supporting element 20 and to move the sliding element 30 from the non-use position 60 to the use position 70, accordingly. The connecting element 14 connects the sliding handle 16 with the sliding element 30, wherein the connecting element 14 is obscured by the sliding handle 16 in Fig. la to Fig. lc. The connecting element 14 is shown in Fig. 5g.

The sliding element 30 is guided by means of at least one guiding slot 22 of the supporting element 20, along which the connecting element 14, which connects the sliding handle 16 of the sliding key 12 with the sliding element 30, is movably guided.

Fig. 2a shows a side view on the sun visor 10 according to its position shown in Fig. la.

Fig. 2b shows a side view on the sun visor 10 according to its position shown in Fig. lb. Both in Fig. 2a and in Fig. 2b (as well as in Fig. 1 a and in Fig. 1 b) the sliding element 30 is in its non-use position 60, although one can see, that the sun visor lOis shown in a pivoted position in Fig. 2b compared to Fig. 2a, where the sun visor lOis laid alongside to the headlining 40. Both in Fig. 2a and Fig. 2b one can see, that the sliding element 30 only slightly protrudes from the supporting element 20 when the sliding element 30 is in the non-use position 60.

In contrast to Fig. 2a and Fig. 2b the sliding element 30 of the sun visor 10 in Fig. 2c is in its use position 70. Fig. 2c illustrates, that the sliding element 30 is translationally movable from the non-use position 60 to the use position 70 according to a moving direction 18, which is marked with a double arrow.

Fig. 3a shows a front view on the sun visor 10, wherein the sliding element 30 is in the non-use position 60. The sun visor 10 has a constant width B. In the non-use position 60 the sun visor 10 has a non-use length L. In other words in the non-use position 60 the sun protection area A (which is defined by the product of L and B) is small in comparison to the sun protection area A. which is shown in Fig. 4a, where the sliding element 30 is in the use position 70. In the use position 70 (Fig. 4a) the sliding element 30 protrudes from the supporting element 20 by a use length X and thus the sun protection area A (in Fig. 4a) is enlarged in comparison to Fig. 3a. In other words the sun protection area A of the sun visor 10 in Fig. 4a is defined by the product A=(L+X)* B". Fig. 3b shows a sectional view of the sun visor 10 according to a section line A-A shown in Fig. 3a. In Fig. 3b one can see that the sliding element 30 only slightly protrudes from the supporting element 20, when the sliding element 30 is in its non-use position 60. Fig. 4b shows a sectional view according to a sectional line B-B shown in Fig. 4a. Fig. 4b shows, that the sliding element 30 comprises a protruding element 34, by means of which the movement between the non-use position 60 and the at least on use position 70 is delimited. In other words by means of the protruding element 34 a maximum of the use length X and thus a maximum of the use position is delimited. In this maximum position the protruding element 34 is in contact with a limitation element 24 of the first shell element 26 and thus the limitation element 24 is used to stop the protruding element 34 in the use position 70, in which the use length X reaches a maximum value. In other words by means of the limitation element 24 and the protruding element 34 the sliding element 30 is prevented from dropping off the supporting element 20.

Fig. 5a and Fig. 5b show a perspective view on the rear side and the front side of the sun visor 10, respectively. In Fig. 5a and Fig. 5b one can see that the pivoting element 36, by means of which the sun visor 10 is attached to the headlining 40 of the vehicle 50, may be designed as a rod or a bar, around which the sun visor 10 may be pivoted relative to the headlining 40.

Fig. 5c shows a perspective view on the sliding element 30, which is removed from the sun visor 10 at present. In Fig. Sc one can see that the sliding element 30 comprises connection openings 38, by means of which the connecting elements 14 (Fig. 5g) of the sliding key 12 are connected with the sliding element 30.

Fig. 5d and Fig. 5e each show different views on the first shell element 26 of the supporting element 20. Fig. 5f shows a perspective view on the second shell element 28 which comprises the guiding slots 22. When the first shell element 26 and the second shell element 28 are connected with each other, they build a receiving opening, in which the sliding element 30 is held. In other words the sliding element 30 is held between the first shell element 26 and the second shell element 28. The connecting elements 14 protrude through the guiding slots 22 and are engaged with the connection openings 38 of the sliding element 30, when the sun visor 10 is assembled. By moans of the sliding key 12, the sliding element 30 can be moved from the non-use position 60 to the use position 70 and vice-versa without touching the sliding element 30. In other words the sliding element 30 and thus the mirror element 32 do not have to be touched by the passengers in order to move the sliding element 30 between the non-use position 60 and the use position 70. According to this, the sun visor 10 can be operated in an especially ergonomic manner, since a pollution of the sliding element 30 due to finger prints or dirty hands is prevented. Fig. 5h shows a perspective view on the pivoting element 36, which may be designed as a simple rod.

In contrast to conventional sun visors the sun visor 10, which is presented here requires less space in the roof area of the vehicle 50. The sliding element 30 is held inside the supporting element 20 and the whole assembly may be positioned at the headlining 40 (at the roof). In order to use the sun visor 10 as a sun protector, the sun visor 10 can be pivoted/inclined to a certain angle as required, wherein one side of the inclined sun visor lOis visible to the operator (passenger). The sliding element 30 may then be unlocked from the supporting element 20 (sun visor cover) and slid out from the supporting element 20, using the sliding key 12, as required. The simple locking system is used to operate the sun visor 10 in an especially easy manner avoiding complicate mechanisms, wherein also the mirror element 32 is attached to the sliding element 30. This design provides a high flexibility to be operated manually (by means of the sliding key 12) or by an electronic device (by means of e.g. an electric actuator such as an electric motor).

The sun visor 10 provides flexibility for every vehicle 50 to reduce the space at the roof inside the vehicle 50. It is clear, that by means of an electronic device, the sun visor 10 may be operated completely automatically.

List of reference signs sun visor 12 sliding key 14 connecting element 16 sliding handle 18 moving direction supporting element 22 guiding slot 24 limitation element 26 first shell element 28 second shell element sliding element 32 mirror element 34 protruding element 36 pivoting element 38 connection opening headlining vehicle non-use position use position L non-use length B width X use length A sun protection area

Claims (5)

1. Claims A sun visor (10) for a vehicle (50), the sun visor (10) comprising -a supporting element (20) which is pivotably connected to a headlining (40) of the vehicle (50), -a sliding element (30), which is held by the supporting element (20), and which is translationally movable relative to the supporting element (20) from a non-use position (60) in which the sliding element (30) is at least substantially covered by the supporting element (20) and in which a sun protection area (A) of the sun visor (10) is decreased, into at least one use position (70), in which the sun protection area (A) is enlarged in comparison to the non-use position (60), characterized by at least one mirror element (32), which is attached to the sliding element (30), and which is covered by means of the supporting element (20), when the sliding element (30) is in the non-use position (60).
2. 2. The sun visor (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that, the sun visor (10) comprises a sliding key (12), which is connected to the sliding element (30) and by means of which the sliding element (30) is guided during its movement between the non-use position (60) and the at least one use position (70).
3. 3. The sun visor (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that, the sliding element (30) is guided by means of at least one guiding slot (22) of the supporting element (20), along which at least one connecting element (14), which connects a sliding handle (16) of the sliding key (12) with the sliding element (30), is movably guided.
4. 4. The sun visor (10) according to anyone of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, the sliding element (30) comprises a protruding element (34), by means of which the movement between the non-use position (60) and the at least one use position (70)is delimited.
5. 5. The sun visor (10) according to anyone of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, the supporting element (20) comprises a first shell element (26) and a second shell element (28), between which the sliding element (30) is held.