EP0621832A1 - Motor vehicle sun visor - Google Patents

Motor vehicle sun visor

Info

Publication number
EP0621832A1
EP0621832A1 EP93901445A EP93901445A EP0621832A1 EP 0621832 A1 EP0621832 A1 EP 0621832A1 EP 93901445 A EP93901445 A EP 93901445A EP 93901445 A EP93901445 A EP 93901445A EP 0621832 A1 EP0621832 A1 EP 0621832A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
sun visor
plate
motor vehicle
vehicle sun
halves
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP93901445A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Inventor
Niklas Bennstedt
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Happich France
Original Assignee
HAPPICH Sarl
Happich France
HAPPICH SARL
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by HAPPICH Sarl, Happich France, HAPPICH SARL filed Critical HAPPICH Sarl
Publication of EP0621832A1 publication Critical patent/EP0621832A1/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60J—WINDOWS, WINDSCREENS, NON-FIXED ROOFS, DOORS, OR SIMILAR DEVICES FOR VEHICLES; REMOVABLE EXTERNAL PROTECTIVE COVERINGS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES
    • B60J3/00—Antiglare equipment associated with windows or windscreens; Sun visors for vehicles
    • B60J3/02—Antiglare equipment associated with windows or windscreens; Sun visors for vehicles adjustable in position
    • B60J3/0204—Sun visors
    • B60J3/0213—Sun visors characterised by the mounting means
    • B60J3/0265—Attachments of sun visors to mounting means including details of sun visor bearing member regulating the rotational friction on the support arm

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a motor vehicle sun visor comprising an oblong plate of plastic material.
  • sun visors for modern cars comprise either a plate of a relatively soft material, such as foamed plastic, or a hollow plate of a non-foamed plastic. This imparts compressibility to the visors so that they are able to absorb a blow from a vehicle occupant in the event of a collision or under heavy braking.
  • the plate is usually covered with a plastic film which serves to give the sun visor an aesthetically pleasing appearance adapted to the interior of the car.
  • a generally employed method for applying the film to the plate comprises applying a film sheet to either side of the plate, welding the film sheets together around the edges of the plate and trimming away the film material outside of the weld line to remove surplus film.
  • Sun visors are manufactured in very large numbers and it is therefore important to automate the manufacturing process to as great a degree as possible in order to keep down the costs.
  • the application of the film is however difficult to carry out entirely without manual assistance.
  • a sun visor comprising an oblong plate of plastic material which is constructed in such a manner that it can be manufactured without a separate surface layer needing to be applied after the production of the plate.
  • This is achieved in accordance with the invention by means of the plate consisting of a thermoplastic elastomer whose surface provides the final shape and surface structure of the plate.
  • the invention is based upon the idea of abandoning the conventional approach to sun visors, virtually all of which consist of a rigid backing of one material with a softer surface layer of another material applied thereto, and instead manufacturing sun visors from a single material which, as far as possible, combines the properties of materials previously used for the backing and surface layer. It has hereby been shown to be possible to achieve desired properties by using thermoplastic elastomers. These materials combine the flexibility of rubber with the strength of structural plastics and can be used for the production of the sun visor plate through, for example, conventional blow moulding or injection moulding techniques, whereby the entire sun visor plate with its final surface structure can be produced in a single step.
  • Fig. 1 shows an exploded view of a sun visor plate consisting of two halves
  • Fig. 2 shows a cross-section through the plate in Fig. 1 with an enlargement of the circled region.
  • the sun visor plate shown in Fig. 1 consists of first and second plate-halves 1, 2 resp. whose opposing facing sides are mirror images. On their respective inner sides, the plate- halves 1 and 2 are provided with longitudinally and transversely extending stiffening ribs 3 and 4 resp. which form a stiffened frame around an unstiffened cavity 5.
  • the plate- halves 1, 2 are formed with a first cut-away 6 for a main pivot pin (not shown) and a second cut-away 7 for a second pivot pin (not shown) .
  • Transversely extending ribs 4a which present semicircular-shaped notches 8 for the main pivot pin, together with a longitudinally extending rib 3a delimit a box or pocket 9 for a main bearing with spring snap-in (not shown) .
  • Opposing wall sections 10 at the cut-away 7 present corresponding semicircular-shaped notches 11 for the second pivot pin.
  • a complete sun visor plate is shown in cross-section after joining the parts 1 and 2, for example by gluing or welding.
  • the plate consists of a single material layer 20.
  • the material is a thermoplastic elastomer, for instance a material which is sold under the name HYTREL*.
  • the material layer 20 forms a backing unit and its surface 21 forms the sun visor's surface.
  • the plate-halves can be injection moulded from a material which contains colour pigment which can thereby impart a surface structure adapted to the interior of the car.
  • the surface can be structured to resemble e.g. a textile surface or a leather surface.
  • Such a sun visor can be formed so that it looks and feels very much like a conventional sun visor made from a foamed body covered by a PVC film.
  • the cavity 5 between the halves 1 and 2 provides the sun visor with necessary compressibility.
  • the resilience of the material and thereby the compressibility of the sun visor plate is determined by the thickness of the layer 20 in the plate.
  • the thickness of the plate layer can be up to 3 mm.
  • blow-moulding or gas injection can be used, whereby the sun visor plate can thus be produced in one piece.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Blow-Moulding Or Thermoforming Of Plastics Or The Like (AREA)
  • Window Of Vehicle (AREA)
  • Motor Or Generator Frames (AREA)
  • Laminated Bodies (AREA)
  • Injection Moulding Of Plastics Or The Like (AREA)
  • Arrangement Or Mounting Of Propulsion Units For Vehicles (AREA)
  • Pivots And Pivotal Connections (AREA)

Abstract

Pare-soleil pour véhicule à moteur constitué d'un plateau (1) creux formé de couches réalisées avec un élastomère thermoplastique, dont la couche de surface constitue la surface finale du pare-soleil.Sun visor for a motor vehicle consisting of a hollow plate (1) formed of layers produced with a thermoplastic elastomer, the surface layer of which constitutes the final surface of the sun visor.

Description

Motor Vehicle Sun Visor
The present invention relates to a motor vehicle sun visor comprising an oblong plate of plastic material.
For safety reasons, sun visors for modern cars comprise either a plate of a relatively soft material, such as foamed plastic, or a hollow plate of a non-foamed plastic. This imparts compressibility to the visors so that they are able to absorb a blow from a vehicle occupant in the event of a collision or under heavy braking.
In both cases, the plate is usually covered with a plastic film which serves to give the sun visor an aesthetically pleasing appearance adapted to the interior of the car. A generally employed method for applying the film to the plate comprises applying a film sheet to either side of the plate, welding the film sheets together around the edges of the plate and trimming away the film material outside of the weld line to remove surplus film.
Sun visors are manufactured in very large numbers and it is therefore important to automate the manufacturing process to as great a degree as possible in order to keep down the costs. The application of the film is however difficult to carry out entirely without manual assistance.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a sun visor comprising an oblong plate of plastic material which is constructed in such a manner that it can be manufactured without a separate surface layer needing to be applied after the production of the plate. This is achieved in accordance with the invention by means of the plate consisting of a thermoplastic elastomer whose surface provides the final shape and surface structure of the plate.
The invention is based upon the idea of abandoning the conventional approach to sun visors, virtually all of which consist of a rigid backing of one material with a softer surface layer of another material applied thereto, and instead manufacturing sun visors from a single material which, as far as possible, combines the properties of materials previously used for the backing and surface layer. It has hereby been shown to be possible to achieve desired properties by using thermoplastic elastomers. These materials combine the flexibility of rubber with the strength of structural plastics and can be used for the production of the sun visor plate through, for example, conventional blow moulding or injection moulding techniques, whereby the entire sun visor plate with its final surface structure can be produced in a single step.
The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to embodiments illustrated in the attached drawings in which
Fig. 1 shows an exploded view of a sun visor plate consisting of two halves, and
Fig. 2 shows a cross-section through the plate in Fig. 1 with an enlargement of the circled region.
The sun visor plate shown in Fig. 1 consists of first and second plate-halves 1, 2 resp. whose opposing facing sides are mirror images. On their respective inner sides, the plate- halves 1 and 2 are provided with longitudinally and transversely extending stiffening ribs 3 and 4 resp. which form a stiffened frame around an unstiffened cavity 5. The plate- halves 1, 2 are formed with a first cut-away 6 for a main pivot pin (not shown) and a second cut-away 7 for a second pivot pin (not shown) . Transversely extending ribs 4a, which present semicircular-shaped notches 8 for the main pivot pin, together with a longitudinally extending rib 3a delimit a box or pocket 9 for a main bearing with spring snap-in (not shown) . Opposing wall sections 10 at the cut-away 7 present corresponding semicircular-shaped notches 11 for the second pivot pin.
In Fig. 2 a complete sun visor plate is shown in cross-section after joining the parts 1 and 2, for example by gluing or welding. As is apparent from the drawing, the plate consists of a single material layer 20. The material is a thermoplastic elastomer, for instance a material which is sold under the name HYTREL*. The material layer 20 forms a backing unit and its surface 21 forms the sun visor's surface. The plate-halves can be injection moulded from a material which contains colour pigment which can thereby impart a surface structure adapted to the interior of the car. The surface can be structured to resemble e.g. a textile surface or a leather surface. Such a sun visor can be formed so that it looks and feels very much like a conventional sun visor made from a foamed body covered by a PVC film. The cavity 5 between the halves 1 and 2 provides the sun visor with necessary compressibility. The resilience of the material and thereby the compressibility of the sun visor plate is determined by the thickness of the layer 20 in the plate. The thickness of the plate layer can be up to 3 mm.
As an alternative to the described injection moulding of two plate-halves and their subsequent joining by e.g. gluing or welding, blow-moulding or gas injection can be used, whereby the sun visor plate can thus be produced in one piece.

Claims

Claims
1. Motor vehicle sun visor, comprising an oblong plate of plastic material, characterized in that the plate consists of a thermoplastic elastomer, the surface of which provides the plate with its final shape and surface structure.
2. Sun visor according to claim 1, characterized in that the surface is structured to resemble a textile surface.
3. Sun visor according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the surface is structured to resemble a leather surface.
4. Sun visor according to one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the plate is hollow.
EP93901445A 1992-11-26 1992-11-26 Motor vehicle sun visor Withdrawn EP0621832A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/SE1992/000817 WO1994012361A1 (en) 1992-11-26 1992-11-26 Motor vehicle sun visor

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0621832A1 true EP0621832A1 (en) 1994-11-02

Family

ID=20385646

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP93901445A Withdrawn EP0621832A1 (en) 1992-11-26 1992-11-26 Motor vehicle sun visor

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0621832A1 (en)
FR (1) FR2697781B1 (en)
SE (1) SE470207B (en)
WO (1) WO1994012361A1 (en)

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2754217B1 (en) * 1996-10-04 1998-12-24 Rockwell Lvs France TWO-PART ELBOWED SUPPORT ARM FOR SUN VISOR
US7234752B2 (en) * 2005-02-25 2007-06-26 Irvin Automotive Products, Inc. Molded visor with integral vanity frame
EP3581414B1 (en) * 2015-12-16 2021-07-14 Motus Integrated Technologies Sun visor assembly

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE2102917A1 (en) * 1971-01-22 1972-08-03 Lang, Heinrich, 8501 Stadeln Motorcar sun visor - made of polyurethane foam with integral rear view mirror
FR2458415A2 (en) * 1979-06-12 1981-01-02 Maglum Sa Locking of car sunshield position - uses coaxial elements locked together by u spring fitting on flats on rod and plastics bush
FR2470703A2 (en) * 1979-12-05 1981-06-12 Maglum Sa Vehicle sun shield locking pivot - has plastics projection on screen engaging in pivot depression in support rod
DE3601761C1 (en) * 1986-01-22 1987-04-30 Happich Gmbh Gebr Sun visor for vehicles
DE3603852A1 (en) * 1986-02-07 1987-08-13 Happich Gmbh Gebr SUN VISOR FOR VEHICLES

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See references of WO9412361A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
SE9101382L (en) 1992-11-08
FR2697781B1 (en) 1994-12-16
SE470207B (en) 1993-12-06
WO1994012361A1 (en) 1994-06-09
FR2697781A1 (en) 1994-05-13
SE9101382D0 (en) 1991-05-07

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Legal Events

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PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

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Designated state(s): DE ES FR GB IT

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Effective date: 19950921

RAP1 Party data changed (applicant data changed or rights of an application transferred)

Owner name: HAPPICH FRANCE

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Effective date: 19961231