GB2337736A

GB2337736A - Length adjustable sun visor

Info

Publication number: GB2337736A
Application number: GB9912754A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Roger Ferres Rose
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-05-29
Filing date: 1999-06-01
Publication date: 1999-12-01
Also published as: GB9912754D0

Abstract

A sun visor is disclosed for mounting adjacent to the windscreen of a vehicle. The sun visor comprises a screen of adjustable length (1), and means for deploying and retracting the screen so as to be substantially parallel to the windscreen when in use. The sun visor may be retro-fitted to the vehicle or may be installed within a roof cavity of the vehicle. A locking mechanism may be provided to prevent reeling in of the screen when it is supported by a roller, or it may be held in place by one or more telescopic arms. The screen can either be deployed or retracted manually or electrically.

Description

2337736 PATENTS ACT 1977 P13430GB-LH/SJP/vt "A sun visor" THIS INVENTION

relates to a sun visor and more particularly to a sun visor for a vehicle windscreen.

Sun visors for automobiles are well known and are all of substantially the same design, comprising an elongate rectangular padded plate which is hingedly mounted to a corner of the vehicle above the vehicle windscreen. The sun visor is stored flush with the ceiling of the vehicle and, when required, can be folded down to block, partially, the top portion of the windscreen from the driver's view thereby preventing the driver from being dazzled by a low sun in front of the vehicle. If the sun is to one side of the vehicle, then the sun visor can be folded down from flush with the ceiling and rotated through substantially 90' to lie flush with the top portion of the driver's side window thereby preventing the driver from being blinded by a low sun at one side to the vehicle.

Conventionally, sun visors have the disadvantage that they are not fully effective when the sun is very low and is still visible below the deployed sun visor. Further, this problem is exacerbated for drivers of small stature who sit down low in the seat or for drivers who adopt a reclined driving position. Thus, conventional sun visors do not fully screen drivers from the glare of sunlight.

2 It is an object of the present invention to seek to provide a sun visor which does not suffer from the above-mentioned problems and which provides an effective screen from the sun for most driving conditions.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a sun visor for mounting adjacent a windscreen of a vehicle, the sun visor comprising a screen having an adjustable length and a support to hold the screen in a deployed condition at a desired angle such that, in use, the screen lies substantially parallel to the rake of the windscreen.

In order that the present invention may be more readily understood, embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a sun visor according to a first embodiment of the present invention, the screen thereof being shown partially deployed; FIGURE 2 is a view of the rear of the sun visor of Figure 1, the screen thereof being shown fully retracted; FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of the sun visor taken along line IllIll of Figure 2; FIGURE 4 is perspective view of a sun visor according to a second embodiment of the present invention, the screen thereof being shown partially deployed; and 3 FIGURE 5 is an elevational view of the sun visor of Figure 4, illustrating the sun visor installed within the roof cavity of a vehicle.

Referring to Figure 1, a sun visor embodying the present invention comprises a screen 1 of sheet material wound on a roller 2 which is journalled to and held between two mounting blocks 3,4. The roller 2 is spring-loaded so that the screen 1 is biased to roll back around the roller 2. However, a ratchet mechanism (not shown) is employed in one of the roller mounting blocks 4 to prevent the screen 1 rolling back onto the roller 2. A release lever 5 is connected to the ratchet mechanism within the roller mounting block 4. The lever 5 can be pressed to release the ratchet mechanism thereby allowing the screen 1 to roll back onto the roller 2.

A spreader bar 6 extends between the two roller mounting blocks 3,4 and rigidly maintains the two blocks 3,4 a predetermined distance apart from one another to provide a stable support for and to allow free rotation of the roller 2.

The top surfaces 7,8 of the mounting blocks 3,4 define a plane which, in use of the sun visor, is substantially horizontal when the sun visor is installed in a vehicle. A triangular bracket 9,10 projects from the rear of each of the mounting blocks 3,4. A telescopic arm 11, 12 is supported at one end 13,14 by each of the triangular brackets 9, 10 and extends downwardly and forwardly so that the other end 15,16 of each arm is located almost underneath the roller 2. The arms 11, 12 subtend at an acute angle to the substantially horizontal plane of the top surfaces 7,8 of the mounting blocks 33,4. The acute angle is selected to be such that the arms 11, 12 follow the rake of the windscreen when the sun visor is mounted in a vehicle. Although this angle varies from vehicle to vehicle, it is generally in the region of 45'.

4 The other ends 15,16 of the arms 11, 12 turn towards one another and form a substantially horizontal pull bar 17 extending across the width of the sun visor. The free end 18 of the screen 1 is secured around the pull bar 17.

The top ends 13,14 of the telescopic arms 11, 12 secured to the mounting blocks 3,4 have a greater diameter than the bottom ends 15,16 such that the bottom ends 15,16 can be telescopically received within the top ends 13,14.

A mounting pin 19 is provided on one of the roller mounting blocks 3 to mount the sun visor to the ceiling of a vehicle. The sun visor is mounted such that the mounting blocks 3,4 are substantially adjacent the top of the vehicle windscreen and the telescopic arms 11,12 follow the rake of the windscreen. The top surfaces 7,8 of the mounting blocks 3,4 are substantially horizontal.

The mounting pin 19 is rotatably mounted to the ceiling of a vehicle in the same mounting provided for a conventional sun visor. Thus, the sun visor embodying the present invention may be easily retro-fitted in place of conventional sun visors by fitting to the co-operating mounting for mounting a conventional sun visor.

In use, when the sun drops to a level at which a sun visor is required, the driver simply grasps the pull bar 17 and pulls downwardly and forwardly parallel to the rake of the windscreen to extend the telescopic arms 11, 12 and to roll out the screen 1 from the roller 2 until the screen 1 shields the driver from the glare of the sun. The telescopic arms 11,12 support the screen 1 substantially parallel to the rake of the windscreen. The ratchet mechanism prevents the roller 2 from reeling in the screen 1 and thus holds the screen 1 in the desired position. Thus, the length of screen 1 deployed can be adjusted.

When the sun visor is no longer required, the driver simply presses the release lever 5 which disengages the ratchet mechanism allowing the roller 2 to reel in the length of screen 1 paid out when the screen 1 was deployed, the telescopic arms being automatically retracted as the screen 1 is reeled in. The fully retracted condition of the screen 1 is shown in Figures 2 and 3.

Although the embodiment shown in the Figures uses two-part telescopic arms, greater lengths of extension can be obtained by using three or more part telescopic arms.

It is envisaged that the screen 1 may be perforated to allow some degree of visibility through the screen 1.

The width of windscreen which can be covered by the sun visor can be greater than that covered by a conventional sun visor. For example, the sun visor embodying the present invention can extend across substantially half of the windscreen to provide more effective coverage than a conventional sun visor.

Since sun visors embodying the present invention may be hingedly mounted on the vehicle ceiling by the mounting pin 19, the screen 1 can be pivoted through 90' to screen the driver's side window in substantially the same manner as conventional sun visors can screen both the windscreen and a side window, Although the above-mentioned embodiment is described as being for retro- fitting in place of conventional sun visors, it is also envisaged that alternative embodiments may be provided which are adapted to be located 6 substantially within the roof cavity of a vehicle (i.e. the cavity defined between the external roof panel and the interior trim panel), preferably to be installed during manufacture of the vehicle.

Figures 4 and 5 illustrate an alternative embodiment of the sun visor of the present invention adapted to be located substantially within the roof cavity 20 of a vehicle and which is also motorised. The roof cavity is defined between the external roof panel 21 and the interior trim panel 22 of the vehicle (Figure 5).

The sun visor of figures 4 and 5 again comprises a screen 1 of sheet material wound on a roller 2 which is journalled to and held between two mounting blocks 33,4. However, in this embodiment, the roller 2 is substantially freely rotatable about its longitudinal axis, there being no spring-loading or ratchet mechanism.

A shield plate 23 extends between the two roller mounting blocks 3,4 and curves partially around the roller 2 opposite the side of the roller 2 from which the screen 1 pays out. The shield plate 23 serves generally the same purpose as the spreader bar 6 of the previously described embodiment.

Telescopic arms 11, 12 are again provided, said arms being supported at their upper ends by respective mounting blocks 3,4. The lower ends 15,16 of the arms 11,12 are again secured to the screen 1 such that the screen 1 is stretched therebetween, but in the embodiment shown there is no pull bar.

At the top and bottom of the shield plate 23, there are provided mounting brackets 24,25 respectively for attachment to the interior surfaces of the external roof panel 21 and the interior trim panel 22 respectively. The sun 7 visor arrangement is such that when mounted inside the roof cavity 20 of a vehicle, the lower ends 26,27 of the upper parts 13,14 of the arms 11,12 are located adjacent to and are aligned with respective apertures 28 formed in the interior trim panel 22. Thus, when the arms 11, 12 are extended, the lower ends 15,16 thereof extend into the interior of the vehicle in a direction generally parallel to the rake of the vehicle's windscreen, thereby drawing out the screen 1.

The upper end of each lower end 15,16 of the arms 11, 12 is secured to a respective flexible but resilient chord 29,30 (which may be made from a plastics material) which extends into the roof cavity and cooperates with an electrical motor 31.Upon actuation of the motor 31, the flexible chords 29,30 are reeled in or paid out, thereby retracting or extending the telescopic anus 11, 12 respectively.

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Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A sun visor for mounting adjacent a windscreen of a vehicle, the sun visor comprising a screen having an adjustable length and a support to hold the screen in a deployed condition at a desired angle such that, in use, the screen lies substantially parallel to the rake of the windscreen.

2. A sun visor according to Claim 1, wherein the screen is provided on a roller.

3. A sun visor according to Claim 2, wherein the roller is spring biased to reel in the length of screen, a locking mechanism is provided to prevent reeling in of the length of screen and a release means is provided to disengage the locking mechanism to allow reeling in of the deployed length of screen.

4. A sun visor according to any preceding claim, wherein the support comprises at least one telescopic arm, a free end of the or each telescopic arm being fixed to an end of the length of screen to support the deployed length of the screen.

5. A sun visor according to Claim 4, wherein two telescopic arms are provided, one on each side of the screen.

6. A sun visor according to any preceding claim, wherein the sun visor has a mounting means adapted to be received in co-operating mounting means on a vehicle for mounting a conventional sun visor.

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7. A sun visor according to any preceding claim, wherein the sun visor is mountable to a vehicle by a single rotatable mounting means.

8. A sun visor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sun visor is adapted to be installed substantially within the roof cavity of a vehicle.

9. A sun visor according to any preceding claim provided with means to adjust the length of the screen electrically.

10. A sun visor according to claim 9, wherein said means to adjust the length of the screen electrically comprises an electric motor.

11. A sun visor substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying claims.

12. Any novel feature or combination of features disclosed herein.