GB2064452A

GB2064452A - Motor Vehicle With Sun Visors

Info

Publication number: GB2064452A
Application number: GB8035632A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Audi NSU Auto Union AG; Audi AG
Current assignee: Audi AG
Priority date: 1979-11-14
Filing date: 1980-11-06
Publication date: 1981-06-17
Also published as: IT1134032B; FR2469308A1; DE2945931A1; IT8025570A0

Abstract

A sun visor (10) is mounted adjacent the mid centre line of a vehicle windscreen (2) on the roof support (5) in addition to one (or two) corner mounted sun visors (6, 7). The additional sun visor (10) allows effective shading of the driver's field of vision over large angles of view, whilst reducing the need for frequent visor adjustment to meet changes in the relative position of the sun. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Motor Vehicle with Sun Visors The invention relates to a motor vehicle having a sun visor.

It is known for motor vehicles to have a sun visor mounted between the windscreen and the driver's side window which can be folded up and down horizontally and which can be swivelled laterally. In such motor vehicles the area of the windscreen or the side window which has to be shaded by the sun visors is not always sufficiently large to protect the driver of the vehicle, in particular, from being dazzled by incoming sunlight. The driver, for example on a journey during which the direction of travel in relation to the position of the sun alters very frequently, can be dazzled not only by the sun shining through the windscreen but also by sun shining through the side windows at the same time.The consequence of this is that sun visors in known motor vehicles have to be swivelled constantly between the windscreen and the side windows, and even then they do not always afford suitable protection against dazzle. Repeated dazzling is not only exceptionally annoying, but the manipulation of the sun visor diverts the driver's attention from the road for short periods of time and consequently increases the risk of accidents.

The object of the invention is to improve the degree of protection against a driver being dazzled by sunlight and/or to reduce the need for sun visor adjustment.

The invention consists in a motor vehicle having a windscreen, side windows, a first sun visor is mounted at one end on the vehicle adjacent the windscreen and that side window which is adjacent a driver position in the vehicle such that it can be folded up or down horizontally and can be swivelled laterally and a second sun visor mounted at one end adjacent the vertical mid-line of the windscreen such that it can be folded up and down horizontally and can be swivelled laterally.

This arrangement enables the windscreen and one of the nearby side windows or the range of vision of the driver to the nearby side window to be shaded simultaneously, and thus the driver can be substantially protected against dazzle even when the direction of travel is changing.

Moreover, the arrangement can considerably reduce the frequency with which the sun visors positions have to be adjusted.

In one preferred specific embodiment a further sun visor may be mounted adjacent the windscreen and the side window spaced from the driver position the windscreen and the side windows. In this arrangement, a considerably larger area of the vehicle windows can be shaded by a suitable setting of the three sun visors than is the case in known designs. The driver, and also the co-driver or front passenger, can thereby be considerably better protected from the sun shining through the windscreen and at least one of the side windows at one and the same time.

The invention may be performed in a number of ways, specific embodiments of which will now be described, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective partial view of the inside of a vehicle viewed in the direction of travel, showing the windscreen and the adjacent side windows and with one arrangement of sun visors in accordance with the invention, Figures 2 to 3 shows diagrammatic views from above of the front of the passenger compartment of the vehicle of Figure 1 with the sun visors in different settings, and Figures 4 to 5 show diagrammatic views from above of the front of the passenger compartment of a vehicle showing different settings of sun visors for a modified specific embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 shows the part of the passenger compartment of a vehicle 1 viewed from the interior and looking in the direction of travel. The vehicle has a windscreen 2 and side windows 3 and 4 on respective sides of the windscreen 2. A roof support 5 runs between the side windows 3 and 4, to which are fixed sun visors 6 and 7 by their respective mounts 8, one of the mounts being disposed in the corner nearest the driver and the other being disposed in the opposite corner. The sun visors 6 and 7 are fixed to the mounts 8 in a well known manner by means of shaft 9 which enable the sun visors not only to be foldable up and down horizontally, as shown by the arrow K in relation to sun visor 6, but also swivellable laterally as indicated by the arrow S.

A third additional sun visor 10 is fastened in the centre of the roof support by its mount 11, the sun visor 10 being fixed to the mount 11 so that it can be moved in the same way as the sun visors 6 and 7. An inside mirror 12 is located within the driver's field of vision in the centre of the windscreen 2. To accommodate this mirror each of the sun visors 6, 7 and 10 are provided with a cavity A, whereby the view of the rear view mirror 12 is kept clear even when a surface on the windscreen 2 is completely shaded by the sun visors and the rear view mirror against incoming sunlight.

The setting of the sun visors 6, 7 and 10 which is shown in Figure 1 is illustrated in a simplified form and in top plan in Figure 2. In this setting, the range of vision of the driver F is shaded through approximately 800 at the side window 3 by the sun visor 6, through approximately 650 by the sun visor 10 and through approximately 280 at the windscreen 2 by the sun visor 7, and thus the shading is effective over a total angle of approximately 1760. This means that the direction of travel can be varied within the angle of 1 76-2 relative to the position of the sun, when the sun is behind one or more of the sun visors 6, 7 and 10, without the driver F being dazzled by sunlight.

In Figure 3, sun visor 7 has been swivelled against the side window 4, whilst the sun visor 10 has been moved from the left to the right half of the windscreen 2, and the sun visor 6 is positioned against the left half of the windscreen 2. In this arrangement the shading is effective over a total angle of approximately 126-2 in all.

The driver F consequently cannot be dazzled by sunlight if the direction of travel varies within the angle of 1260 in relation to the position of the sun which is behind the sun visors 6, 7 and 10.

In Figure 4, the same reference numbers as in Figure 1 to 3 have been used for identical and similar parts. In this arrangement only two visors are provided in contrast to the aforementioned exemplified embodiment. These are the sun visor 6 which is fastened by its mount 8 in the corner situated nearest the driver F between the windscreen 2 and the side window 3, and the sun visor 10 which is fastened by its mount 11 in the centre of the roof support 5 adjacent the vertical mid-line of the windscreen. In this position, the range of vision of the driver F is shaded by the sun visor 6 through approximately 650 and by the sun visor 10 through approximately 280 on the windscreen 2 and encompasses a total angle of approximately 960.The mounting of the sun visor 10 in the centre of the roof support 5, also makes it possible to position visor 10 indicated by dotdash lines. This setting cannot be achieved with conventional designs. Protection against dazzle extending through approximately 1400 is provided by this latter setting.

Figure 5 shows a further setting of the arrangement as in Figure 4, in which the sun visor 6 has been swivelled against the side window 3 and the sun visor 10 against the left half of the windscreen 2. The range of vision shaded against incoming sunlight by the sun visors 6 and 10 encompasses, in this setting, an angle of approximately 1480.

When not in use, the sun visors, depending upon how they have previously been set, are firstly swivelled and then folded up together in the usual cavities in the roof support padding.

The invention is not confined to the exemplified embodiments which have been illustrated. The arrangement shown in Figures 1 and 3 is also suitable for motor vehicles with right hand drive, for example. If the arrangement shown in Figure 4 and 5 is used for vehicles with right hand drive, the sun visor 7, instead of the sun visor 6, must be located in the corner which is the right hand one in the drawing, between the windscreen 2 and the side window 4.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle having a windscreen, side windows, a first sun visor is mounted at one end on the vehicle adjacent the windscreen and that side window which is adjacent a driver position in the vehicle such that it can be folded up or down horizontally and can be swivelled laterally and a second sun visor mounted at one end adjacent the vertical mid-line of the windscreen such that it can be folded up and down horizontally and can be swivelled laterally.

2. A motor vehicle as claimed in claim 1, including a further sun visor mounted adjacent the windscreen and the side window spaced from the driver position.

3. A motor vehicle as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein at least one of the sun visors is mounted on a roof support of the vehicle.

4. A motor vehicle as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one sun visor is shaped to partially surround a rear view mirror in one of the sun visor positions.

5. Amotor vehicle as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and/or the further sun visor is mounted between the windscreen and its respective side window.

6. A motor vehicle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings of Figures 1 to 3 as modified by Figures 4 and 5.