GB2188298A - Vehicle sun visor - Google Patents

Abstract

A sunshade for an automotive vehicle comprises an integral body of a foamed plastics material having two sides and provided with a cavity in one of its sides, a one-piece reinforcement core 2 arranged in the cavity of the body and composed of a plastics material, the reinforcement core having two upper and two lower ends and being provided on one of its upper ends with an attachment bridge 5 and on the other of its upper ends with a housing 6, a supporting shaft 8 embedded in the housing of the reinforcement core, and a plastics sheath 4 surrounding the body with the reinforcement core. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Sunshadefor automotive vehicles This invention relates to a sunshade of the type normally used to equip automotive vehicles to protect the driver from the annoying and hazardous glare caused primarily by the rays of the sun that, directly or indirectly, strike his vision and is particularly concerned with an improved sunshade structure which provides, with respect to other known embodiments, some important advantages of construction and function.

In contrast to the widely known sunshades constructed from a rigid frame formed by a wire or thin metal rod, duly shaped, and moreover comprising, among other members, one or more thin, light reinforcement plates with moderate strength, constituting the body of the sunshade, it is an object of the present invention to make use of advances of chemical technology in the field of synthetic materials and manufacturing processes, to form the sunshade body of very light plastics materials with high strength capacity, so thatthe aforementioned metal frame may be omitted. It is thereby provided that the whole expanse ofthe sunshade has a moderately soft consistency, which drastically reduces the risk of injuryforthe user in the case of collision or accidental crash.

According to the invention, an automotive vehicle sunshade comprises an integral body of plastics foam material, preferably moulded polyurethane, relatively rigid, one of whose sides includes a cavity in which a one-piece reinforcement core is housed that, being preferably of rigid plastic, endows the sunshadewiththe necessary internal strength, and which incorporates at one of its upper ends an attachment bridge, and on the other said upper end a housing to receive a support-shaft in the form of a metal part shaped for such purpose, which is embedded in said housing, the body-core assembly being covered by a plastics sheath composed of two substantially identical laminar parts welded to each other on their respective contact edges following the outer edge of the sunshade, and optionally bearing, superimposed on either side, another laminar piece, of the same nature, forming a pocket.

Optionally, sunshades according to the invention can be equipped, in a supplementary way, on either one of its sides, with a suitably assembled or secured mirror.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, ofwhich Figure 1 is a frontview of the sunshade; Figure2 is a front view of one ofthe primary members ofthe sunshade on its internal side; Figure 3 is a section through line Ill-Ill of Figure 1; Figure4is a section through line IV-IV of Figure 1; Figure 5is a section that is merely illustrative of an assembly method, in the case that the sunshade is equipped with an optional supplementary mirror.

In a general way, the automotive vehicle sunshade of improved structure, according to this invention, is identified with the alphabetical reference P.

As shown in the drawings, the sunshade is composed ofan integral body 1, of polyurethane foam of relatively rigid consistency, which, in one of its sides, has a cavity in which a one-piece reinforcement core 2, of rigid plastics material, is housed, so that, since it is covered by a plastics sheath formed by the two laminar pieces 3-3', which are welded to each other along the contact line 4 of the edges coinciding with the outer edge of the sunshade, it provides the necessary internal strength.

A one-piece reinforcement core 2, has an attachment bridge 5 built into one upper end, and on the opposite likewise upper end is formed housing 6 in which is arranged, in suitably embedded form, a spring clip 7 which is adapted in an appropriate way to receive a respective support-shaft 8. Figure 2 shows in an especially clearwaythe particular ribbed structure given to this reinforcement core 2, according to the particular embodiment considered, which permits itto offer the high strength/weight ratio that these accessories require.

Figure 4 corresponds to an intermediate cross section ofthe sunshade, along the sectional line IV-IV, and in addition to the structurally lightened aspect ofthe reinforcement core 2, an additional laminar piece 9, of the same plastics material as the lamina 3-3', is also shown,which may optionally be usedto equipthesunshadetoform an auxiliary pocket 10 into which the driver of the vehicle orthe accompanying person may introduce or store flat, light objects that should usually best be kept on hand.

Figure 5 represents a section of the sunshade, optionally equipped with a supplementary mirror 11, in which the details may be seen of the joining of both by means of the frame 12 which it is equipped.

In such a case, the reinforcement core 2 forms a suitable housing 13, intended to receive the aforementioned frame 12 designed to hold the mirror 1 1.

1. An automotive vehicle sunshade comprising an integral body of relatively rigid plastics foam material, one ofwhose sides includes a cavity in which a one-piece reinforcement core is housed and which incorporates, on one of its upper ends, an attachment bridge, and on the other said upper end, a housing to receive a support-shaft, the body-core assembly being covered by a plastics sheath composed oftwo laminar pieces welded to each other along their respective contactedgesfollowing the outer edge of the sunshade.

2. A sunshade according to Claim 1, wherein the integral body comprises moulded polyurethane.

3. Asunshade according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the reinforcement core comprises a substantially rigid plastics material.

4. A sunshade according to any preceding claim including a further laminar piece on either side to form a pocket.

5. Asunshade according to any preceding claim including on either side thereof a mirror.

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

Claims (6)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Sunshadefor automotive vehicles This invention relates to a sunshade of the type normally used to equip automotive vehicles to protect the driver from the annoying and hazardous glare caused primarily by the rays of the sun that, directly or indirectly, strike his vision and is particularly concerned with an improved sunshade structure which provides, with respect to other known embodiments, some important advantages of construction and function. In contrast to the widely known sunshades constructed from a rigid frame formed by a wire or thin metal rod, duly shaped, and moreover comprising, among other members, one or more thin, light reinforcement plates with moderate strength, constituting the body of the sunshade, it is an object of the present invention to make use of advances of chemical technology in the field of synthetic materials and manufacturing processes, to form the sunshade body of very light plastics materials with high strength capacity, so thatthe aforementioned metal frame may be omitted. It is thereby provided that the whole expanse ofthe sunshade has a moderately soft consistency, which drastically reduces the risk of injuryforthe user in the case of collision or accidental crash. According to the invention, an automotive vehicle sunshade comprises an integral body of plastics foam material, preferably moulded polyurethane, relatively rigid, one of whose sides includes a cavity in which a one-piece reinforcement core is housed that, being preferably of rigid plastic, endows the sunshadewiththe necessary internal strength, and which incorporates at one of its upper ends an attachment bridge, and on the other said upper end a housing to receive a support-shaft in the form of a metal part shaped for such purpose, which is embedded in said housing, the body-core assembly being covered by a plastics sheath composed of two substantially identical laminar parts welded to each other on their respective contact edges following the outer edge of the sunshade, and optionally bearing, superimposed on either side, another laminar piece, of the same nature, forming a pocket. Optionally, sunshades according to the invention can be equipped, in a supplementary way, on either one of its sides, with a suitably assembled or secured mirror. Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, ofwhich Figure 1 is a frontview of the sunshade; Figure2 is a front view of one ofthe primary members ofthe sunshade on its internal side; Figure 3 is a section through line Ill-Ill of Figure 1; Figure4is a section through line IV-IV of Figure 1; Figure 5is a section that is merely illustrative of an assembly method, in the case that the sunshade is equipped with an optional supplementary mirror. In a general way, the automotive vehicle sunshade of improved structure, according to this invention, is identified with the alphabetical reference P. As shown in the drawings, the sunshade is composed ofan integral body 1, of polyurethane foam of relatively rigid consistency, which, in one of its sides, has a cavity in which a one-piece reinforcement core 2, of rigid plastics material, is housed, so that, since it is covered by a plastics sheath formed by the two laminar pieces 3-3', which are welded to each other along the contact line 4 of the edges coinciding with the outer edge of the sunshade, it provides the necessary internal strength. A one-piece reinforcement core 2, has an attachment bridge 5 built into one upper end, and on the opposite likewise upper end is formed housing 6 in which is arranged, in suitably embedded form, a spring clip 7 which is adapted in an appropriate way to receive a respective support-shaft 8. Figure 2 shows in an especially clearwaythe particular ribbed structure given to this reinforcement core 2, according to the particular embodiment considered, which permits itto offer the high strength/weight ratio that these accessories require. Figure 4 corresponds to an intermediate cross section ofthe sunshade, along the sectional line IV-IV, and in addition to the structurally lightened aspect ofthe reinforcement core 2, an additional laminar piece 9, of the same plastics material as the lamina 3-3', is also shown,which may optionally be usedto equipthesunshadetoform an auxiliary pocket 10 into which the driver of the vehicle orthe accompanying person may introduce or store flat, light objects that should usually best be kept on hand. Figure 5 represents a section of the sunshade, optionally equipped with a supplementary mirror 11, in which the details may be seen of the joining of both by means of the frame 12 which it is equipped. In such a case, the reinforcement core 2 forms a suitable housing 13, intended to receive the aforementioned frame 12 designed to hold the mirror 1 1. CLAIMS

1. An automotive vehicle sunshade comprising an integral body of relatively rigid plastics foam material, one ofwhose sides includes a cavity in which a one-piece reinforcement core is housed and which incorporates, on one of its upper ends, an attachment bridge, and on the other said upper end, a housing to receive a support-shaft, the body-core assembly being covered by a plastics sheath composed oftwo laminar pieces welded to each other along their respective contactedgesfollowing the outer edge of the sunshade.

2. A sunshade according to Claim 1, wherein the integral body comprises moulded polyurethane.

3. Asunshade according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the reinforcement core comprises a substantially rigid plastics material.

4. A sunshade according to any preceding claim including a further laminar piece on either side to form a pocket.

5. Asunshade according to any preceding claim including on either side thereof a mirror.

6. A sunshade substantially as hereinbefore defined with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.