WO2005018970A1

WO2005018970A1 - Vehicle sun visor

Info

Publication number: WO2005018970A1
Application number: PCT/GB2004/003532
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gary Seale; Mark Beddows
Original assignee: Cobra Uk Automotive Products Division Ltd
Priority date: 2003-08-19
Filing date: 2004-08-17
Publication date: 2005-03-03
Also published as: GB0319407D0

Abstract

A vehicle sun visor comprising a body (1, 4) having a textured outer surface and a support (2) on which the body is pivotally mounted inside a vehicle. The body (1, 4) is moulded from a self supporting resilient material such as thermoplastic elastomer. The moulded material defines the textured exterior surface. The sun visor body (1, 4) does not require a rigid inner support structure and does not require a separate manufacturing process to product an aesthetically pleasing exterior surface.

Description

VEHICLE SUN VISOR

The present invention relates to a vehicle sun visor.

Conventional sun visors consist of an inner core of plastics material, wood or some other similar substantially rigid substrate that is then covered with for example a resilient layer which in turn is covered with a fabric or pvc layer that defines the external surface of the sun visor. That external surface is provided with a surface texture for aesthetic reasons. Additional components may be mounted on the sun visor, for example a storage band for securing a map, credit card or the like in place.

Sun visors must be moveable so as to enable a vehicle driver to position the sun visor in an appropriate location relative to the sun. In addition it is highly desirable to be able to fit further components and in particular a vanity unit in the sun visor. Often vanity units will incorporate a light in addition to a mirror, the light and mirror being covered by a hinged lid. The vanity unit light is powered via a connection to the vehicle harness which passes through a pivoting support bracket that is mounted on the vehicle frame.

It will be appreciated that sun visors must be robust to resist forces applied to them by users and support components such as vanity units and lights which are provided in more complex sun visor assemblies. It is for this reason that it has been considered essential to provide a substantially rigid core to vehicle sun visors. This does however introduce problems. Specifically, in the event of a vehicle collision occupants of the vehicle tend to be thrown against the sun visor. This means that injuries can arise given the substantially rigid nature of the sun visor cores. A further problem is one of cost, given that it is an inherently expensive process to cover a rigid core with a resilient and aesthetically pleasing cover of for example pvc or fabric.

With regard to the safety issue, when vehicle designs are assessed for safety purposes an 'HIC' number for the vehicle cockpit is calculated, that is a 'head impact criteria. The HIC number will take into account potential contributions from all cockpit components including the sun visor. If the HIC contribution of the sun visor can be reduced, the HIC value of other components in the cockpit can be increased without going outside acceptable overall limits. Thus anything that can be done to reduce the HIC number of a sun visor assembly is potentially of considerable value.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved vehicle sun visor which addresses the safety and cost issues discussed above.

According to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle sun visor comprising a body having a textured exterior surface and a support on wliich the body is pivotally mounted and which in use is secured inside a vehicle, wherein the body is moulded from a self-supporting resilient material, the moulded resilient material defining a textured exterior surface.

The term "self-supporting' is used herein to indicate that the moulded body does not rely upon a further component such as a rigid core to maintain the desired shape of the product.

The body may be fabricated in two parts either as two separate components or two components united by a hinge. The two components can then be brought together to form the overall sun visor body. The components could be secured together by any convenient manner, for example infrared welding, ultra sound welding, adhesives or the like. Thus the sun visor body can be constructed from a material that requires no further finishing and yet which can provide surface formations of appropriate detail to retain for example a pen or the like. The components may be manufactured from thermoplastic elastomer (TPE).

As an alternative to a two component body, the body could be produced as a single moulding.

A vanity unit or similar assembly could be incorporated in the body, either being mounted in an aperture in the body or moulded into the body assembly. The sun visor could incorporate for example a low power LED array which could be powered by a battery recharged by a solar array also incorporated in the body.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one component of a two part sun visor body embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a second component which in use is fitted together with the component shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a further view of the component shown in Figure 1 but from the opposite side;

Figure 4 shows the components of Figures 1 and 2 after being united together;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a vanity mirror assembly which may be secured in the assembly shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 shows an alternative arrangement in which two components of a sun visor body are hinged together; and

Figure 7 shows an alternative sun visor body embodying the present invention which is moulded as a single component.

Referring to Figure 1, a moulded first body component 1 is shown. This component is moulded from a thermoplastic elastomer and is pivotally supported on a metal pin 2 which extends from a metal bracket 3. hi use, the bracket 3 is secured inside a vehicle above the vehicle windscreen. The pin 2 is pivotal relative to the bracket 3 enabling the displacement of the body component 1 as necessary to protect the eyes of an occupant of the vehicle from direct sunlight. The side of the component which is visible in Figure 1 is intended to have secured over it a moulded second body component 4 which is shown in Figure 2. The two components shown in Figure 1 and 2 have complementary peripheral shapes, including a recessed edge 5 to define a gripping point. The side of the first component shown in Figure 1 has moulded in ribs in a square array so as to provide improved stiffness. The second component shown in Figure 2 defines an opening 6 into which a vanity mirror assembly described below may be fitted.

Figure 3 shows a view of the first component shown in Figure 1 but from the opposite side. Figure 4 shows the components 1 and 4 secured together to define the final form of the sun visor body. It will be seen from Figures 3 and 4 that the moulded body components 1 and 4 when mounted together define a rounded edge 7.

Figure 5 illustrates a vanity unit which may be clipped in the aperture 6 shown in Figure 2. The sun visor assembly has a base 8 on which a pivotal cover 9 is mounted, the cover 9 also incorporating an LED array 10. The base 8 can be secured to the body component 4 of Figure 2 with much of its bulk projecting inside the body through the aperture 6. As a result an overall compact assembly can be provided. The LED array 10 could be connected to a suitable switch automatically actuated on opening of the cover 9 or could be separately actuable for example by applying pressure to a panel (not shown) incorporated in the vanity unit and including a pair of conductive strips which are brought together when pressure is applied to the panels. Power could be supplied to the LED array through the bracket 3 and pin 2 or alternatively a battery powered arrangement could be provided. Of course a more conventional vanity unit including a conventional switch and conventional beryllium busbar and microswitch arrangement could be incorporated rather than an LED array.

Given that the components 1 and 4 shown in Figure 1 and 2 are moulded from thermoplastic elastomer they can be readily deformed and therefore, in the event of a collision, an occupant of a vehicle thrown against the sun visor would not be injured by the sun visor which would simply be deformed against the vehicle body. The vanity unit shown in Figure 5 could also be fabricated from deformable materials, although given its relatively small area and the fact that it is mounted in a thermoplastic elastomer body a relatively more rigid vanity unit assembly could be accepted without significantly increasing the risk of damage in the event of a collision.

The components 1 and 4 shown in Figures 1 and 2 define the exterior surface of the sun visor assembly. That exterior surface includes the side of the first component as represented in Figure 3 and the side of the second component as represented in Figure 2. Those exterior sides of the two components are formed in a mould wliich provides whatever surface texture is requires for aesthetic purposes. It is not therefore necessary to cover the body defined by components 1 and 4, significantly reducing manufacturing costs. The overall sun visor assembly is therefore relatively inexpensive and yet provides less risk of injury to vehicle occupants than conventional designs incorporating a relatively rigid inner support with an outer covering.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 5, the two components 1 and 4 are separately moulded. It would be possible to form the two components in a single moulding operation such that the two components are linked by a hinge in the manner illustrated in Figure 6. Figure 6 shows a first sun visor body component 11, a second sun visor body component 12, and an integral hinge 13 uniting the two components together. Such a structure would assist in the assembly process as all that would be required would be to fold the two components 11 and 12 together and secure them together in an appropriate manner.

Figure 7 shows a third embodiment of the present invention which is moulded in one piece. Visually the one piece structure is similar to that shown in Figure 1 to 4 although in the embodiment of Figure 7 an aperture 14 which is provided to receive a vanity unit extends through the entire structure. A vanity unit could then be secured to the structure by sandwiching the structure between two snap-together components of the vanity mirror assembly.

Given that the sun visor bodies of the described embodiments of the invention are manufactured from thermoplastic elastomer and that the elastomer is not covered by an outer jacket, it is a relatively easy matter to mould in formations to retain for example sun visor assemblies or other items, for example a pen or pencil. Moulded formations can also be used in the embodiments of Figure 1 to 4 and 6 to assist in assembly of the visor body. A vanity unit or the like could be directly moulded into a thermoplastic elastomer body, thus further reducing manual labour input. If a sun visor assembly incorporating an LED array is used, power consumption will be relatively limited and it may be possible to recharge a battery moulded into the body using a small solar array. This would remove the need for connecting the LED array and switch controls to the vehicle harness through the visor mounting bracket, again significantly reducing overall costs.

Claims

1. A vehicle sun visor comprising a body having a textured exterior surface and a support on which the body is pivotally mounted and which in use is secured inside a vehicle, wherein the body is moulded from a self-supporting resilient material, the moulded resilient material defining a textured exterior surface.

2. A vehicle sun visor according to claim 1, wherein the body is formed from two components which are assembled together to define the body.

3. A vehicle sun visor according to claim 2, wherein the two components are moulded together with an integral hinge interconnection, assembly of the body being completed by moving the components relative to each other about the hinge.

4. A vehicle sun visor according to claim 1, wherein the body is moulded as a single component.

5. A sun visor according to any preceding claim, wherein the body supports a vanity unit sub assembly.

6. A vehicle sun visor according to claim 5, wherein the vanity unit is received within an aperture defined in the sun visor body.

7. A vehicle sun visor according to any preceding claim, wherein the body is moulded from thermoplastic elastomer.

8. A vehicle sun visor substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 5, Figure 6 or Figure 7 of the accompanying drawings.