GB2554733A

GB2554733A - Sun visor for a vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2554733A
Application number: GB1617055.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Holland Rachel; Tomar Ashutosh
Original assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Ltd
Current assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Ltd
Priority date: 2016-10-07
Filing date: 2016-10-07
Publication date: 2018-04-11
Also published as: GB201617055D0

Abstract

A sun visor 1 for a vehicle 100 comprising a light source 6, 7 for providing illumination within the vehicle, and a printed electronic circuit 4 located within the sun visor for light source operation control. The sun visor may include a light dispersion device 10, which may include a body portion 11 extending over the printed electronic circuit and a light emission portion 12 extending around the body portion and arranged to transmit light from the light source to the outside of the sun visor. The light guide may extend to surround the perimeter edge of the visor, and comprise any of a variety of profiles (see figure 6) to change light dispersion patterns that may focus light and may rely on total internal reflection aided by a reflective coating. Light may be controlled based on output signals from at least one sensor, such as: vehicle occupancy; the movement state of the vehicle; detected preceding vehicle motion or change in traffic light state. Light control may depend on user settings. The light may provide vehicle cabin ambient lighting.

Description

(54) Title of the Invention: Sun visor for a vehicle

Abstract Title: Sun visor for a vehicle comprising printed electronic circuit in visor (57) A sun visor 1 for a vehicle 100 comprising a light source 6, 7 for providing illumination within the vehicle, and a printed electronic circuit 4 located within the sun visor for light source operation control. The sun visor may include a light dispersion device 10, which may include a body portion 11 extending over the printed electronic circuit and a light emission portion 12 extending around the body portion and arranged to transmit light from the light source to the outside of the sun visor. The light guide may extend to surround the perimeter edge of the visor, and comprise any of a variety of profiles (see figure 6) to change light dispersion patterns that may focus light and may rely on total internal reflection aided by a reflective coating. Light may be controlled based on output signals from at least one sensor, such as: vehicle occupancy; the movement state of the vehicle; detected preceding vehicle motion or change in traffic light state. Light control may depend on user settings. The light may provide vehicle cabin ambient lighting.

Window showing circuit 3

Types of top edges Depending on focaS zone

Figure 3

Surface can be curved

At least one drawing originally filed was informal and the print reproduced here is taken from a later filed formal copy.

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12 17

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12 17

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SUN VISOR FOR A VEHICLE

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a sun visor for a vehicle. Aspects of the invention relate to a sun visor, to a light emitting system for a sun visor, and to a vehicle comprising a sun visor.

BACKGROUND

Most road vehicles are provided with deployable sun visors located above the main windshield in front of the driver seat and the front passenger seat. Known sun visors typically include a lighting system located adjacent to a vanity mirror that is switched on automatically when the mirror is exposed or operated via a switch. In certain circumstances glare may be caused by lighting elements of these sun visors and there may be insufficient or unsuitable lighting for certain use conditions. In addition, it is generally necessary for the lighting elements to be controlled by an electronic control unit (ECU) located outside the sun visor, which adds to the weight, cost and complexity of the lighting system, and in some vehicles poses a restriction to providing a lit vanity mirror altogether.

It is an aim of the present invention to address disadvantages associated with the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects and embodiments of the invention provide a sun visor, a light emitting system for a sun visor, and a vehicle comprising a sun visor as claimed in the appended claims.

According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a sun visor for a vehicle, the sun visor comprising an integrated light emitting system, the integrated light emitting system comprising a light source and a printed electronic circuit configured to control the light source. By providing a printed electronic circuit within the sun visor it is possible to achieve optimised control of lighting from the sun visor using a simple, compact, lightweight, at least substantially self-contained package. It will be appreciated that the printed electronic circuit may include multiple layers of printed electronic components.

The light source may form part of the printed electronic circuit. The light source may comprise a plurality of light emitters, for example LEDs or OLEDs. The light emitters may be printed light emitters, and may be distributed at a plurality of different locations across the printed electronic circuit.

The integrated light emitting system may comprise a light dispersion device configured to disperse light emitted by the light source. By providing a light dispersion device configured to disperse light emitted by the light source it is possible to achieve more consistent and uniform lighting with reduced glare. The light source may in some cases be embedded in the light dispersion device.

The light dispersion device may comprise a body portion that is configured to receive light emitted by the light source. The light source may be embedded in the body portion.

The body portion of the light dispersion device may be at least substantially sheet-like. The body portion may be formed as a single continuous sheet.

The body portion of the light dispersion device may be located adjacent to the printed electronic circuit. The body portion may be located directly adjacent to the printed electronic circuit, or may alternatively be separated from the printed electronic circuit, for example by a coating and/or an adhesive. The body portion may at least substantially cover the printed electronic circuit.

The light dispersion device may be moulded, for example injection moulded, directly onto the printed electronic circuit. Alternatively the light dispersion device may be moulded separately to the printed electronic circuit and then assembled together with the printed electronic circuit.

The light dispersion device may comprise a light emission portion that is configured to transmit light emitted by the light source to the outside of the sun visor. The light emission portion may be configured to transmit light emitted by the light source to the outside of the sun visor through an end face of the light emission portion.

The body portion may be configured to transfer light emitted by the light source to the light emission portion. Alternatively the light emission portion may be configured to receive light emitted by the light source directly, in which case a separate body portion for receiving light and transferring light to the light emission portion is not necessary.

The light emission portion of the light dispersion device may be configured to act as a wave guide for directing light towards the outside of the sun visor.

The light emission portion of the light dispersion device may be integrally formed with the body portion (that is as a single monolithic component).

The light emission portion of the light dispersion device may extend outwardly from the body portion.

The light emission portion of the light dispersion device may extend outwardly from the body portion in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the body portion.

The light emission portion of the light dispersion device may be joined to the body portion by a transition region.

The transition region may have a curved or angled shape. A curved or angled transition region may allow more efficient transfer of light from the body portion to the light emission portion. The curved or angled transition region may be arranged to not disrupt total internal reflection of light within the transition region.

The transition region may comprise a reflective surface. The reflective surface may act to increase the efficiency of transfer of light from the body portion to the light emission portion.

The light emission portion of the light dispersion device may be located at or adjacent to at least one edge of the sun visor. By locating the light emission portion at or adjacent to the edge of the sun visor it may be possible to minimise visual distraction caused by the light emitting system, especially when a user looks at a mirror located towards the centre of the sun visor. In this arrangement, the light emission portion is in a spaced apart relationship with respect to the mirror.

The light emission portion of the light dispersion device may form a loop extending around the sun visor. The loop may be at least substantially continuous, and may run along one or more edges of the sun visor.

The light emission portion of the light dispersion device may extend along at least one edge of the body portion.

The light emission portion of the light dispersion device may be configured to focus the light transmitted to the outside of the sun visor. For example, the light emission portion may be configured to act as a lens to focus the light transmitted to the outside of the sun visor. The light emission portion may, for example, include a curved outer surface for focussing the light transmitted to the outside of the sun visor, although other shapes are also possible. By focussing the light it may be possible to reduce any visual distraction provided by the integrated light emitting system.

The light dispersion device may be formed of acrylic, polycarbonate, polyvinyl butyral (PVB) or glass. Other materials are also possible. The light dispersion device may be formed of a thermo-plastic or thermo-setting polymer.

At least a portion of the light dispersion device may be provided with a coating for preventing leakage of light from the light dispersion device. The coating may have a lower refractive index than the material of the light dispersion device. The coating may be provided on one or both sides of the body portion of the light dispersion device and/or around at least a portion of an outer edge surface of the light emission portion of the light dispersion device. The outer edge surface of the light emission portion may alternatively or additionally be covered by a covering that wraps around the edge of the sun visor.

The light dispersion device may be configured to internally reflect light emitted by the light source.

The light dispersion device may be configured to internally reflect light emitted by the light source with total internal reflection.

The light dispersion device may be at least substantially invisible from the outside of the sun visor when the light source is not being operated. In some cases the light dispersion device may be covered by a first surface cover, which may be an electrochromic cover.

The sun visor may comprise a vanity mirror. The vanity mirror may be located adjacent to the light emission portion of the light dispersion device and/or may be surrounded by the light emission portion of the light dispersion device. In some cases the mirror may be covered by a first surface cover, which may be an electrochromic cover.

The printed electronic circuit may be configured to control the colour of light emitted by the light source and/or the intensity of light emitted by the light source.

The printed electronic circuit may be configured to control operation of the light source in dependence on an output from at least one sensor. The sensor(s) may be provided in or on the sun visor, or alternatively may be external to the sun visor, for example at another location within the vehicle. The sensor(s) may include at least one ambient light sensor.

The printed electronic circuit may be configured to change the colour of light emitted by the light source and/or to change the intensity of light emitted by the light source in dependence on the colour and/or the intensity of light detected inside and/or outside the vehicle. It may therefore be possible to provide optimised lighting in dependence on the current light conditions inside and/or outside the vehicle.

The printed electronic circuit may be configured to control operation of the light source in dependence on a user selected setting. For example, the sun visor may include one or more control elements such as physical or capacitive switches or a gesture detection device via which it is possible to manually control the colour and/or the intensity of light emitted by the light source, or a microphone that is configured to receive voice commands in order to turn the light source on and off.

The printed electronic circuit may be configured to control operation of the light source in dependence on vehicle occupancy. In this case it is possible for different users of the vehicle to select different light settings (including colour and intensity) to be applied depending on which user(s) are detected within the vehicle.

The printed electronic circuit may be configured to control operation of the light source in dependence on the movement state of the vehicle. For example, the printed electronic circuit may be configured to change the colour of light emitted by the light source and/or to reduce the intensity of light emitted by the light source or switch the light source off if the vehicle begins to move or exceeds a certain speed.

The printed electronic circuit may be configured to control operation of the light source in dependence on detected movement of a vehicle in front of the vehicle to which the sun visor is fitted and/or in dependence on a detected change in a traffic light state. For example, the printed electronic circuit may be configured to change the colour of light emitted by the light source and/or to reduce the intensity of light emitted by the light source or switch the light source off if it is determined that a vehicle in front of the vehicle to which the sun visor is fitted has begun to drive away or if it is determined that a traffic light has changed to green.

The sun visor may be configured to provide ambient lighting within a cabin of the vehicle, optionally while in a stowage position adjacent to an interior of the roof of the vehicle.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a sun visor for a vehicle, the sun visor comprising a light source and a light dispersion device. The light dispersion device may comprise a light emission portion that is configured to transmit light emitted by the light source to the outside of the sun visor. The light dispersion device may further comprise a body portion that is configured to receive light emitted by the light source. The light source may optionally be controlled by a printed electronic circuit, which may optionally be located within the sun visor. The sun visor may include any of the features described above in relation to the first aspect of the present invention.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a vehicle comprising a sun visor as described above. The vehicle may be an automotive vehicle, for example a car.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a light emitting system for a vehicle sun visor, the light emitting system comprising a light source and a printed electronic circuit configured to control the light source. The light emitting system may include any of the features described above in relation to the first aspect of the present invention.

Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and/or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and/or features of any embodiment can be combined in any way and/or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and/or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a vehicle comprising a sun visor according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 illustrates a sun visor according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 illustrates the sun visor of Figure 2 with the surface covers removed;

Figure 4 illustrates a cross-section taken through a central portion of the sun visor of Figure 2; and

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate portions of a light dispersion device of the sun visor of figure 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figure 1 illustrates a vehicle 100 comprising a deployable sun visor 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The sun visor 1 is pivotally mounted to an interior of the roof 101 of the vehicle above the main windshield 102 in front of the driver’s seat by a hinge 103, as illustrated in Figure 2. The sun visor 1 is pivotable between a stowage position (indicated in dashed lines in Figure 2) in which the sun visor 1 is adjacent to the interior of the roof of the vehicle 101 and a deployed position in which the visor is deployed from the interior of the roof vehicle 101 into a position in which glare through the windshield 102 is reduced (indicated with a solid line in Figure 2) in a known manner.

The sun visor 1 comprises a large rectangular vanity mirror 2 on a first surface. The first surface is the surface that faces towards a user or the vehicle cabin when the sun visor is in the fully deployed position. The sun visor 1 also comprises a second surface. The second surface is the surface that faces towards a user or the vehicle cabin when the sun visor is in the fully stowage position. The sun visor 1 further comprises an integrated light emitting system 3 that is configured to provide lighting in the vehicle cabin around the mirror 2, as described below. The light emitting system 3 is illustrated in Figure 3, in which the first surface and second surface covers of the sun visor 1 have been removed to expose the light emitting system 3, and in Figure 4, which illustrates a cross section through a portion of the sun visor 1 at the location of the mirror 2.

The light emitting system 3 comprises a printed electronic circuit 4 formed on a substrate 5, as illustrated in part in Figure 4. The printed electronic circuit 4 includes a plurality of printed LEDs 6 distributed across a plurality of locations on the substrate 5, one of which is illustrated in Figure 4. The LEDs 6 together form a light source 7 of the light emitting system 3. The printed electronic circuit 4 further comprises a plurality of other printed electronic components 8 that are configured to control operation of the LEDs 6 such that the colour and intensity of the light emitted by the light source 7 may be controlled to provide optimised lighting using a simple, compact and substantially self-contained lighting system. Underlying conductive prints or tracks 9 on the surface of the substrate 5 carry current to the components 6, 8 of the printed electronic circuit 4 as required.

For the avoidance of doubt, the printed electronic circuit 4 does not merely comprise a conventional printed circuit board, PCB. Rather, the printed electronic circuit as referred to herein comprises one or more electronic components formed by a printing process. Typically, the one or more electronic components comprise active and passive electronic components connected by printed tracks or wires. Typical passive components may comprise resistors, capacitors, inductors and transformers and diodes, whereas typical active components are those which act upon a source of current, such as amplifiers, switches, light emitting diodes (LEDs), integrated circuits, memories and microcontrollers. Known techniques for printing of the one or more electronic components, wires and tracks onto a substrate include screen printing, flexographic printing, gravure, offset lithography, inkjet printing, laser printing, or aerosol deposition.

The light emitting system 3 further comprises a light dispersion device 10 for dispersing the light emitted by the LEDs 6 and transferring the light to the outside of the sun visor 1 to illuminate the near vicinity of the vehicle cabin, and the user’s face in front of the mirror, as illustrated in Figure 3. The light dispersion device 10 is typically formed of a polycarbonate material with high optical transmittance. The light dispersion device 10 comprises a sheet-like, substantially planar body portion 11 that extends across a majority of the area of the sun visor 1, and an outer bezel or light emission portion 12 that extends outwardly from the plane of the body portion 11 in a direction towards the first surface of the sun visor 1 continuously around the perimeter of the body portion 11. The light emission portion 12 is integrally formed with the body portion, and is joined to the body portion by a transition region 13.

The body portion 11 of the light dispersion device 10 is located directly adjacent to and extends across the substrate 5 and the printed electronic circuit 4, and the components 6, 8 of the printed electronic circuit 4 (including the LEDs 6) are embedded within the light dispersion device 10, as illustrated in Figure 4. The body portion 11 of the light dispersion device 10 is configured to receive light emitted by the LEDs 6 when the LEDs are operated by the printed electronic circuit 4, and to transfer the light emitted by the LEDs 6 to the light emission portion 12 via the transition region 13. The LEDs 6 may be configured to emit light in a direction that is substantially parallel to the plane of the printed electronic circuit and the plane of the body portion in order to maximise the efficiency of transmission of light through the body portion 11. In some embodiments one or both sides of the body portion 11 may be provided with a reflective coating or a coating having a lower refractive index than the material of the light dispersion device in order to promote total internal reflection of light within the body portion 11 to further improve efficiency. In the present embodiment the LEDs 6 are spaced apart around the edges of the body portion 11 at locations adjacent to the light emission portion 12 and face towards the light emission portion 12, although in other embodiments the LEDs 6 may be provided at other locations, for example towards the centre of the body portion 11 of the light dispersion device 10.

The transition region 13 of the light dispersion device 10 has an angled shape, illustrated in Figure 5, with an angle that is below the critical angle for light travelling through the light dispersion device 10 in order to avoid disrupting total internal reflection of light within the light dispersion device 10 and thereby maximise the efficiency of transmission of light from the body portion 11 to the light emission portion 12. In other embodiments the transition region 13 could alternatively have a curved shape, in which case the curvature may be selected to avoid disrupting total internal reflection. In addition, the transition region 13 may be provided with a reflective surface 14 (e.g. a mirror element or mirrored surface) for preventing leakage of light, in which case the angle or curvature of the transition region is less critical.

The light emission portion 12 of the light dispersion device 10 terminates in an end face 15 that faces away from the body portion 11 and towards the exterior of the sun visor 1. The light emission portion 12 is configured to act as a wave guide to guide light emitted by the LEDs 6 towards the first surface of the sun visor 1, and to transmit the light to the outside of the sun visor 1 through its end face 15 in order to provide illumination in the vehicle cabin. The end face 15 of the light emission portion 12 may be substantially planar, as illustrated in Figure 3. Alternatively the end face 15 of the light emission portion 12 may have a profiled shape that is configured to act as a lens to focus light being transmitted to the outside of the sun visor 1, which may act to reduce any distraction caused by the light emitting system 3. For example, Figure 6 illustrates, without limitation, various profile shapes for the light emission portion 12, including both curved and angular lens arrangements.

The light emission portion 12 of the light dispersion device 10 surrounds the mirror 2 in order to provide optimised lighting when a user looks into the mirror 2. The light emission portion 12 runs close to the outer edges of the sun visor 1 in order to minimise visual distraction caused by the light emitting system 3. The light dispersion device 10 acts to diffuse the light emitted by the LEDs 6 and to ensure comparatively uniform lighting from the sun visor 1 with minimised glare.

The first surface of the sun visor is covered by a first surface cover 20. In one embodiment the first surface cover may comprise an electrochromic layer covering the mirror and/or the light dispersion device (including the end face of the light emission portion 12). The electrochromic layer may be arranged to be controlled by the printed electronic circuit 4, and may be operable to hide or darken the mirror 2 when not in use and to hide the light dispersion device 10 when not in use. Other portions of the first surface (for example regions between the mirror and the light emission portion of the light dispersion device and outboard of the light emission portion of the light dispersion device) may be covered by leather or soft trim. The second surface of the sun visor is covered by a second surface cover 21, which wraps around the sides of the light dispersion device 10 to form the outer edges of the sun visor 1.

The printed electronic circuit 4 is configured to control operation of the LEDs 6 forming the light source 7, for example by switching individual LEDs 6 on and off, and by varying the intensity of light emitted by each LED 6. In this way the printed electronic circuit 4 is able to switch the light source 7 on and off, and to control the colour and intensity of light emitted by the light source 7 (and therefore the colour and intensity of light provided to the vehicle cabin by the sun visor 1). The colour of light emitted by the light source 7 may be controlled, for example, by varying the intensity of light emitted by LEDs 6 of a particular colour.

Various possible modes of control that may be achieved using the printed electronic circuit 4 will now be described.

The printed electronic circuit 4 may be configured to automatically switch the light source 7 on to thereby provide illumination from the sun visor 1 when it is detected that the sun visor 1 has been moved out of the stowage position by a predetermined distance. Deployment of the sun visor 1 may be detected, for example, using a sensor located in the hinge 103 of the sun visor 1 that is in communication with the printed electronic circuit 4.

In addition, the printed electronic circuit 4 may be configured to control the colour and/or the intensity of the light emitted by the light source 7 in dependence on ambient light conditions inside the vehicle 100 and/or outside the vehicle 100. For example, the sun visor 1 may include a light sensor for detecting the colour and intensity of light inside the vehicle cabin, and the printed electronic circuit 4 may be configured to provide optimised lighting for the current ambient light conditions.

In some embodiments it may also be possible for a user to manually control the lighting provided by the sun visor 1. For example, the sun visor 1 may include one or more control elements such as physical or capacitive switches or a gesture detection device, and the printed electronic circuit 4 may be configured to switch the light source 7 on and off and to control the colour and/or intensity of light emitted by the light source 7 in dependence on a received command signal generated in response to operation of the control element(s) by a user of the vehicle 100. In some embodiments it may also be possible to control the lighting provided by the sun visor 1 using voice commands, in which case the sun visor 1 may include a microphone for receiving voice commands.

The printed electronic circuit 4 may also be configured to control operation of the light source 7 in dependence on vehicle occupancy, in which case it may be possible for different users of the vehicle 100 to select their own preferred light settings (which may include colour and/or intensity preferences) to be applied while they are in the vehicle 100. Vehicle occupancy may, for example, be determined by detecting portable devices such as keyfobs or mobile phones associated with particular users of the vehicle, and information regarding vehicle occupancy may be communicated to the printed electronic circuit 4 either wirelessly or via a wired connection from another control module located in the vehicle 100.

The printed electronic circuit 4 may be configured to control the light source 7 to emit light at a reduced intensity or of a different colour compared to the light emitted while the vehicle 100 is stationary if it is detected that the vehicle is moving (or moving over a certain speed) in order to minimise visual distractions while the vehicle is being driven. In this case the printed electronic circuit 4 may be configured to receive information regarding the movement state of the vehicle 100 (for example confirmation of whether or not the vehicle is moving and/or an indication of current vehicle speed) either wirelessly or via a wired connection from another control module located in the vehicle. The printed electronic circuit 4 may also be configured to change the colour of light emitted by the light source 7 or to reduce the intensity of light emitted by the light source 7 if it is determined that a vehicle in front of the vehicle 100 to which the sun visor 1 is fitted has started to pull away while the vehicle to which the sun visor is fitted is stationary. The colour change or intensity reduction may act as a prompt to the driver about the change in the external conditions. Such a determination may be made in dependence on a parking sensor reading or the output from a camera mounted at the front of the vehicle 100, and may be communicated to the printed electronic circuit 4 either wirelessly or via a wired connection from another control module located in the vehicle 100.

The printed electronic circuit 4 may be configured to control the light source 7 to emit light into the vehicle cabin to illuminate features of the cabin or items brought into the cabin by the occupants e.g. books, magazines, e-readers, games. In an embodiment, when the task lighting mode is switched on, the printed electronic circuit 4 is arranged to switch off any or all colour adjustments to provide substantially white light. In the event that the sun visor comprises a plurality of the light emission portions, the printed electronic circuit 4 is arranged to switch on all of the light emission portions. If the sun visor comprises an electrochromic cover disposed over the vanity mirror, then the printed electronic circuit is arranged to control the electrochromic cover so as to hide the vanity mirror from view during the task light mode. If the sun visor comprises an electrochromic cover disposed over the light dispersion device and/or the light emission portion, then the printed electronic circuit is arranged to control the electrochromic cover so as to reveal the light dispersion device and/or the light emission portion during the task light mode. The task light mode of operation may be activated or deactivated automatically in dependence on an angle or deployment of the sun visor. In an embodiment, the task light mode of operation is automatically activated when the sun visor is deployed to a predefined position, e.g. proximal to the windscreen or unclipped and arranged proximal to a door window.

In the above-described modes of operation the printed electronic circuit 4 acts to control the light source 7 to provide illumination in the vehicle cabin while the sun visor 1 is in a deployed position. However, the printed electronic circuit 4 may also be configured to control the light source 7 to emit light while the sun visor 1 is in the stowage position adjacent to the interior of the roof 101 of the vehicle 100, for example during low light conditions, in order to provide ambient lighting within the vehicle cabin.

It will be appreciated that the above described control modes are only examples, and that the printed electronic circuit 4 may be configured to control operation of the light source 7 in different ways in other embodiments of the present invention.

The components 6, 8 of the printed electronic circuit 4 may be printed directly onto the substrate 5. In some embodiments the light dispersion device 10 may be manufactured separately to the printed electronic circuit 4 and its substrate 5 and then subsequently assembled together with the printed electronic 4 circuit and its substrate 5 during assembly of the sun visor 1. However, in some embodiments the light dispersion device 10 may instead be moulded directly onto the printed electronic circuit 4 and its substrate 5. In this case the printed electronic circuit 4 and its substrate 5 may be located inside the mould used to form the light dispersion device 10 during a moulding operation, and may provide a moulding surface against which the underside of the light dispersion device 10 (that is the surface facing towards the printed electronic circuit) is moulded. The front surface of the light dispersion device 10 (that is the surface facing away from the printed electronic circuit) may be shaped by a conventional moulding surface of a component mould. However, in some embodiments the front surface of the light dispersion device 10 may similarly be moulded directly onto the rear surface of one or more first surface components of the sun visor, for example the mirror 2 and/or the first surface cover 20.

In the above-described embodiment the light dispersion device 10 comprises a continuous, sheet-like body portion 11 that extends across the entire printed electronic circuit 4 and is configured to receive light emitted by the light source 7. However, in other embodiments the body portion 11 may not be continuous and need not extend across the entire printed electronic circuit 4. For example, the body portion 11 could instead include a central aperture and extend only around an outer portion of the printed electronic circuit 4 adjacent to the light emission portion 12. In other embodiments the LEDs 6 could alternatively be located directly under the light emission portion 12 or bezel of the light dispersion device 10, in which case the body portion 11 and the transition portion 12 of the light dispersion device 10 may optionally be omitted altogether. In this case the LEDs 6 are preferably configured to emit light into the light emission portion 12 in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the printed electronic circuit 4.

In the above-described embodiment the sun visor 1 comprises a single light dispersion device 10 including a single light emission portion 12 in the form of a bezel extending continuously around the sun visor 1 for transmitting light into the vehicle cabin. However, in other embodiments the light emitting portion 12 of the light dispersion device 10 may have a different shape or be provided at a different location on the sun visor 1. In addition, the light dispersion device 10 could alternatively include multiple separate (unconnected) light emission portions 12, and/or the sun visor 1 may include multiple separate light dispersion devices 10 each providing their own respective light emission portion(s).

The above description relates generally to a single sun visor 1 located on the driver’s side of a vehicle 100. However, it will be appreciated that a vehicle 100 may include multiple sun visors 1 in accordance with the present invention, each of which may comprise its own respective light source 7 that is controllable by its own respective printed electronic circuit 4. In one particular embodiment a sun visor 1 is located on each of the driver side of the vehicle and the passenger side of the vehicle.

Many modifications may be made to the above examples without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the accompanying claims.

o

Claims

1. A sun visor for a vehicle, the sun visor comprising an integrated light emitting system, the integrated light emitting system comprising a light source and a printed electronic circuit configured to control the light source.

2. A sun visor according to claim 1, wherein the light source forms part of the printed electronic circuit.

3. A sun visor according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the integrated light emitting system comprises a light dispersion device configured to disperse light emitted by the light source.

4. A sun visor according to claim 3, wherein the light dispersion device comprises a body portion that is configured to receive light emitted by the light source.

5. A sun visor according to claim 4, wherein the body portion of the light dispersion device is at least substantially sheet-like.

6. A sun visor according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the body portion of the light dispersion device is located adjacent to the printed electronic circuit.

7. A sun visor according to any of claims 4 to 6, wherein the light dispersion device is moulded directly onto the printed electronic circuit.

8. A sun visor according to any of claims 3 to 7, wherein the light dispersion device comprises a light emission portion that is configured to transmit light emitted by the light source to the outside of the sun visor.

9. A sun visor according to claim 8 when dependent on any of claims 4 to 7, wherein the light emission portion of the light dispersion device is integrally formed with the body portion.

10. A sun visor according to claim 9, wherein the light emission portion of the light dispersion device extends outwardly from the body portion.

11. A sun visor according to claim 10, wherein the light emission portion of the light dispersion device extends outwardly from the body portion in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the body portion.

12. A sun visor according to any of claims 9 to 11, wherein the light emission portion of the light dispersion device is joined to the body portion by a transition region.

13. A sun visor according to claim 12, wherein the transition region has a curved or angled shape.

14. A sun visor according to claim 12 or claim 13, wherein the transition region comprises a reflective surface.

15. A sun visor according to any of claims 8 to 14, wherein the light emission portion of the light dispersion device is located at or adjacent to at least one edge of the sun visor.

16. A sun visor according to any of claims 8 to 15, wherein the light emission portion of the light dispersion device forms a loop extending around the sun visor.

17. A sun visor according to any of claims 8 to 16 when dependent on any of claims 4 to 7, wherein the light emission portion of the light dispersion device extends along at least one edge of the body portion.

18. A sun visor according to any of claims 8 to 17, wherein the light emission portion of the light dispersion device is configured to focus the light transmitted to the outside of the sun visor.

19. A sun visor according to any of claims 3 to 18, wherein the light dispersion device is formed of acrylic, polycarbonate, polyvinyl butyral (PVB) or glass.

20. A sun visor according to any of claims 3 to 19, wherein at least a portion of the light dispersion device is provided with a coating for preventing leakage of light from the light dispersion device.

21. A sun visor according to any of claims 3 to 20, wherein the light dispersion device is configured to internally reflect light emitted by the light source.

22. A sun visor according to claim 21, wherein the light dispersion device is configured to internally reflect light emitted by the light source with total internal reflection.

23. A sun visor according to any of claims 3 to 22, wherein the light dispersion device is at least substantially invisible from the outside of the sun visor when the light source is not being operated.

24. A sun visor according to any preceding claim, wherein the sun visor comprises a vanity mirror.

25. A sun visor according to any preceding claim, wherein the printed electronic circuit is configured to control the colour of light emitted by the light source and/or the intensity of light emitted by the light source.

26. A sun visor according to any preceding claim, wherein the printed electronic circuit is configured to control operation of the light source in dependence on an output from at least one sensor.

27. A sun visor according to claim 26, wherein the printed electronic circuit is configured to change the colour of light emitted by the light source and/or to change the intensity of light emitted by the light source in dependence on the colour and/or the intensity of light detected inside and/or outside the vehicle.

28. A sun visor according to any preceding claim, wherein the printed electronic circuit is configured to control operation of the light source in dependence on a user selected setting.

29. A sun visor according to any preceding claim, wherein the printed electronic circuit is configured to control operation of the light source in dependence on vehicle occupancy.

30. A sun visor according to any preceding claim, wherein the printed electronic circuit is configured to control operation of the light source in dependence on the movement state of the vehicle.

31. A sun visor according to any preceding claim, wherein the printed electronic circuit is configured to control operation of the light source in dependence on detected movement of a vehicle in front of the vehicle to which the sun visor is fitted and/or in dependence on a detected change in a traffic light state.

32. A sun visor according to any preceding claim, wherein the sun visor is configured to provide ambient lighting within a cabin of the vehicle, optionally while in a stowage position adjacent to an interior of a roof of the vehicle.

33. A sun visor for a vehicle, the sun visor comprising a light source and a light dispersion device, wherein the light dispersion device comprises a body portion that is configured to receive light emitted by the light source and a light emission portion that is configured to transmit light emitted by the light source to the outside of the sun visor.

34. A vehicle comprising a sun visor according to any preceding claim.

35. A light emitting system for a vehicle sun visor, the light emitting system comprising a light source and a printed electronic circuit configured to control the light source.

36. A light emitting system, a sun visor or a vehicle substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Intellectual

Property

Office

Application No: GB1617055.7 Examiner: Mr Matthew Hanson