GB2034263A - Vehicle Sun Visors - Google Patents

Abstract

An anti dazzle device for mounting above a vehicle windscreen comprises a pair of flap members (1 or 4 and 5) medially hinged together (6) of which one (1 or 4) is adapted for mounting (e.g. at 3) to the vehicle body while the other (5) is free for movement about the hinge (6) and is formed from a partly transparent material such as will reduce glare without obstructing vision. The transparent material may be tinted and/or incorporate polarizing or interference filters and it is preferably semi-rigid. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Anti Dazzle Devices for Vehicles The present invention relates to anti dazzle devices for vehicles. I have in mind particularly motor cars, but the device may also be used in other vehicles such as lorries, coaches, buses, trains and aircraft.

The problem of sun dazzle is very well known and it is for this reason that opaque sun visors are provided. These are generally mounted on a hinge above the vehicle windscreen and can be folded down as desired. They do not however completely solve the problem in that the elevation of the sum in early morning or late afternoon is such that in order to shade the driver's eyes, the sun visor would have to be lowered to such a degree that it would dangerously obstruct the view of the driver.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome this disadvantage.

According to the present invention there is provided an anti dazzle device for mounting above a vehicle windscreen which comprises a pair of flap members medially hinged together of which one is adapted for mounting directly or indirectly to the vehicle body, while the other is free for movement about said hinge and is formed of a partly transparent material such as will reduce glare without obstructing vision.

In some preferred embodiments the invention is constituted as a conventional known sun visor having at its lower edge a hinged glare-reducing flap.

In other preferred embodiments of the invention one of said flaps is adapted for attachment, e.g. by gluing, to a conventional sun visor previously fitted to the vehicle.

Said hinge is preferably made of plastics material.

Said partly transparent flap is also preferably of a plastics material, and preferably a flexible plastics material for safety reasons. Such material may be tinted, e.g. "smoked", and/or it may incorporate a polarizing layer or coating or an interference filter, in order to reduce transmitted glare.

It is envisaged that the device would be used in the same way as a conventional sun visor, but that when required the partly transparent flap can be lowered to reduce glare in the early morning or late afternoon without obstructing the driver's vision.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an elevation view of the device in operational position, Figure 2 is a cross section along the line Il-Il of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a cross-section showing a modified device in position for midday driving, and Figure 4 is a cross-section showing the modified device stored away out of use.

In the drawings, a conventional sun visor 1 is provided with a hinge pin 2 attached at 3 (Figure 1) to a vehicle roof (not shown) above the windscreen. The anti dazzle device according to the invention is constituted by a fixing flap 4 adapted to be fixed to the sun visor 1, for example by gluing, which carries a partly transparent glarereducing flap 5 hinged at 6 to its lower edge.

When in the operational position shown in Figures 1 and 2, the device enables the effects of sun dazzle in early morning or late afternoon to be greatly reduced without obstructing the driver's field of view to a dangerous extent. For driving at midday, when the elevation of the sun is such that the glare reducing properties of a device according to the present invention are not required, the partly transparent flap 5 can simply be folded up against the sun visor 1 to the position shown in Figure 3. When no protection against dazzle is required, the whole device may be folded up against the roof of the vehicle, as shown in Figure 4.

It will be noted that in Figures 3 and 4 the axes of the hinge 6 is at the edge of the sun visor 1.

This allows the partly transparent flap 5 to be folded down at a reflex angle to the sun visor 1 so that the latter need not be fully lowered for the flap 5 to hang down vertically.

In a variant, the fixing flap 4 is attached to the other side of the visor 1. In a second variant, the fixing flap 4 is dispensed with, and the hinge 6 is directly attached to the sun visor 1.

The glare-reducing flap 5 is preferably made from P.V.C. which is tinted or provided with a polarizing layer, and is preferably semi-rigid in construction, that is to say it has sufficient strength to maintain itself in any position in which it is put while having sufficient yield that it is unlikely to be of any danger to the driver in the event of an accident.

Claims

1. An anti dazzle device for mounting above a vehicle windscreen which comprises a pair of flap members medially hinged together of which one is adapted for mounting directly or indirectly to the vehicle body, while the other is free for movement about said hinge and is formed of a partly transparent material such as will reduce glare without obstructing vision.

2. An anti dazzle device according to claim 1, wherein such flap for mounting to the vehicle body is a sun visor of known form.

3. An anti dazzle device according to claim 1, wherein such flap for mounting to the vehicle body is a fixing flap adapted to be glued to a sun visor.

4. An anti dazzle device according to any preceding claim wherein said hinge is of plastics material.

5. An anti dazzle device according to any preceding claim wherein said partly transparent material is a plastics material e.g. P.V.C.

6. An anti dazzle device according to claim 5, wherein said partly transparent flap is of semirigid material.

7. An anti dazzle device according to any

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (8)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Anti Dazzle Devices for Vehicles The present invention relates to anti dazzle devices for vehicles. I have in mind particularly motor cars, but the device may also be used in other vehicles such as lorries, coaches, buses, trains and aircraft. The problem of sun dazzle is very well known and it is for this reason that opaque sun visors are provided. These are generally mounted on a hinge above the vehicle windscreen and can be folded down as desired. They do not however completely solve the problem in that the elevation of the sum in early morning or late afternoon is such that in order to shade the driver's eyes, the sun visor would have to be lowered to such a degree that it would dangerously obstruct the view of the driver. It is an object of the present invention to overcome this disadvantage. According to the present invention there is provided an anti dazzle device for mounting above a vehicle windscreen which comprises a pair of flap members medially hinged together of which one is adapted for mounting directly or indirectly to the vehicle body, while the other is free for movement about said hinge and is formed of a partly transparent material such as will reduce glare without obstructing vision. In some preferred embodiments the invention is constituted as a conventional known sun visor having at its lower edge a hinged glare-reducing flap. In other preferred embodiments of the invention one of said flaps is adapted for attachment, e.g. by gluing, to a conventional sun visor previously fitted to the vehicle. Said hinge is preferably made of plastics material. Said partly transparent flap is also preferably of a plastics material, and preferably a flexible plastics material for safety reasons. Such material may be tinted, e.g. "smoked", and/or it may incorporate a polarizing layer or coating or an interference filter, in order to reduce transmitted glare. It is envisaged that the device would be used in the same way as a conventional sun visor, but that when required the partly transparent flap can be lowered to reduce glare in the early morning or late afternoon without obstructing the driver's vision. A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an elevation view of the device in operational position, Figure 2 is a cross section along the line Il-Il of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a cross-section showing a modified device in position for midday driving, and Figure 4 is a cross-section showing the modified device stored away out of use. In the drawings, a conventional sun visor 1 is provided with a hinge pin 2 attached at 3 (Figure 1) to a vehicle roof (not shown) above the windscreen. The anti dazzle device according to the invention is constituted by a fixing flap 4 adapted to be fixed to the sun visor 1, for example by gluing, which carries a partly transparent glarereducing flap 5 hinged at 6 to its lower edge. When in the operational position shown in Figures 1 and 2, the device enables the effects of sun dazzle in early morning or late afternoon to be greatly reduced without obstructing the driver's field of view to a dangerous extent. For driving at midday, when the elevation of the sun is such that the glare reducing properties of a device according to the present invention are not required, the partly transparent flap 5 can simply be folded up against the sun visor 1 to the position shown in Figure 3. When no protection against dazzle is required, the whole device may be folded up against the roof of the vehicle, as shown in Figure 4. It will be noted that in Figures 3 and 4 the axes of the hinge 6 is at the edge of the sun visor 1. This allows the partly transparent flap 5 to be folded down at a reflex angle to the sun visor 1 so that the latter need not be fully lowered for the flap 5 to hang down vertically. In a variant, the fixing flap 4 is attached to the other side of the visor 1. In a second variant, the fixing flap 4 is dispensed with, and the hinge 6 is directly attached to the sun visor 1. The glare-reducing flap 5 is preferably made from P.V.C. which is tinted or provided with a polarizing layer, and is preferably semi-rigid in construction, that is to say it has sufficient strength to maintain itself in any position in which it is put while having sufficient yield that it is unlikely to be of any danger to the driver in the event of an accident. Claims

1. An anti dazzle device for mounting above a vehicle windscreen which comprises a pair of flap members medially hinged together of which one is adapted for mounting directly or indirectly to the vehicle body, while the other is free for movement about said hinge and is formed of a partly transparent material such as will reduce glare without obstructing vision.

2. An anti dazzle device according to claim 1, wherein such flap for mounting to the vehicle body is a sun visor of known form.

3. An anti dazzle device according to claim 1, wherein such flap for mounting to the vehicle body is a fixing flap adapted to be glued to a sun visor.

4. An anti dazzle device according to any preceding claim wherein said hinge is of plastics material.

5. An anti dazzle device according to any preceding claim wherein said partly transparent material is a plastics material e.g. P.V.C.

6. An anti dazzle device according to claim 5, wherein said partly transparent flap is of semirigid material.

7. An anti dazzle device according to any preceding claim wherein said partly transparent flap comprises a layer or coating arranged as a polarizer or an interference filter.

8. An anti dazzle device substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.