WO2009040527A9

WO2009040527A9 - Vehicle with windows with sunshades

Info

Publication number: WO2009040527A9
Application number: PCT/GB2008/003241
Authority: WO
Inventors: Carl James Evans
Original assignee: Bentley Motors Limited
Priority date: 2007-09-25
Filing date: 2008-09-25
Publication date: 2010-04-22
Also published as: WO2009040527A1; GB0718665D0

Abstract

A vehicle (1) having one or more windows (2, 3, 4), and one or more doors the or each of which may be locked by means of a lock (33). The vehicle has means for preventing or restricting the transmission of light and/or heat into or out of the interior of the vehicle via the one or more windows on operation of the or each door lock. The means for preventing or restricting the transmission of light and/or heat may be one or more sunshades. Alternatively, the window may comprise 'smart glass' such as electrochromic glass.

Description

VEHICLE WITH WINDOWS WITH SUNSHADES

The present invention relates to a vehicle.

It is already known to provide vehicles with means such as a sunshade which may be activated to prevent or restrict transmission of light through at least one of the windows of the vehicle to the interior of the vehicle. Normally, these means are activated by the vehicle driver or a passenger when inside the vehicle. However, there are other circumstances when activation may be beneficial and an object of the invention is to take advantage of this. According to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle having one or more windows, and one or more doors the or each of which may be locked by means of a lock, and means for preventing or restricting the transmission of light and/or heat into or out of the interior of the vehicle via the one or more windows on operation of the or each door lock. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the means for preventing or restricting comprises one or more sunshades associated with the or each window respectively. The or each sunshade may be moveable between a stored position in which the transmission of light and/or heat is permitted, and an operative position in which the transmission of light and/or heat is prevented or restricted. In an alternative, the or each window may be made from a material the light transmissibility of which may be altered in order to prevent or reduce passage of light to the interior of the vehicle. This so called "smart glass" may comprise any suitable material capable of preventing or restricting the transmission of light and/or heat such as electrochromic, suspended particle display, liquid crystal, photochromic, thermotropic or reflective hydride material.

The means for restricting or preventing may be electrically activated or deactivated and activation or deactivation may be set to take place on activation or deactivation of the door locks at the option of for example, the driver. Storage means may be provided for storing these settings. The settings may include preset positions for the shades or preset light and/or heat transmissibility factors which may be restored on unlocking the door lock(s). In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 shows a vehicle having sunshades where sunshades are not deployed; Figure 2 shows the vehicle of Figure 1 with the sunshades deployed

Figures 3a & 3b show simple flow diagrams illustrating the steps taken when the vehicle of Figures 1 and 2 is locked/unlocked and the sunshades are deployed/stored; and

Figure 4 shows a more advanced flow diagram illustrating the steps taken in a more advanced system than that shown in Figure 3. Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, the vehicle shown is a four door saloon having the usual rear window 1 and front and rear side windows 2 and 3 (only visible on one side of the vehicle) although the invention may be applied to any vehicle with windows including aircraft and waterborne craft. The rear window 1 and rear side windows 3 are all provided with corresponding sunshades 4 (for the rear window) and 5 (for the rear side window only one of which is shown). Each sunshade 4, 5 is motorized and may be activated from a stored position (as shown in Figure 1) to a deployed position (as shown in Figure 2). The rear window shade 4 is normally housed in the rear parcel shelf of the vehicle and the rear side window shades 5 are normally housed in the corresponding rear doors of the vehicle. In a conventional vehicle provision may be made for the shades to be moved between the stored and operative positions by the vehicle driver and or by a passenger in the vehicle.

The door and boot locks of the vehicle are also motorized and the electrical circuitry for supplying the door locks is integrated with the electrical circuitry for supplying the motorized sunshades 4 and 5. Referring additionally to Figure 3, the arrangement of the circuitry is such that when the driver leaves the vehicle and locks the doors, usually remotely, the sunshades 4 and 5 may also be automatically deployed from their respective stored positions to their respective operational positions preventing or restricting transmission of light through the corresponding windows to the interior of the automobile. Thus, as shown in the flow diagram of Figure 3, on signal input 30 to lock the vehicle either of two conditions will apply. After checking the settings at 31 the door locks and vehicle sunshades are simultaneously or sequentially activated as shown at 32, or only the door locks are activated as shown at 33. The unlocking procedure is the reverse of this, beginning with a signal input 34 to unlock with either locks alone being unlocked 37 or both locks unlocked and sunshades retracted 36 depending upon the settings 35. Settings can be provided so that the sunshades are deployed or not.

A more advanced system than that described above with reference to Figures 3a and 3b will now be described with reference to Figure 4. In this advanced system the activation of the sunshades is made dependent upon personalized settings (for example from the driver) with an input from an environmental sensor 45. These personalized settings 41 are stored at 46 prior to the input of a lock signal 40. After leaving the vehicle, the vehicle locks only 43 or the vehicle locks and sunshades 42 together are activated in dependence upon those personalized settings (including the input from the environmental sensor 45). The unlocking procedure is again the reverse of this beginning with a signal input 44 to unlock with either locks alone being unlocked 47 or both locks unlocked and sunshades restored to their preset condition.

The above described arrangements enable the amount of ultra violet (UV) radiation received within the vehicle to be reduced. This in turn reduces the amount of resultant damage to interior parts of the vehicle such as wood parts, for example waist rails which lighten due to UV over time. Deployment of the sunshades also has the advantage of keeping the vehicle interior and seat surfaces cooler making for a more pleasant environment on re-entry to the vehicle. Furthermore, vehicle privacy and security is enhanced since viewing of the vehicle rear interior is prevented or restricted. It will be appreciated that the above embodiments has been described by way of example only and that many variations are possible within the scope of the invention. For example, although sunshade embodiments have been described the invention can also be implemented using appropriate glass in the windows such as photochromic glass or glass the light transmissibility of which can be altered by applying an appropriate electrical signal.

Claims

1. A vehicle having one or more windows, and one or more doors the or each of which may be locked by means of a lock, and means for preventing or restricting the transmission of light and/or heat into or out of the interior of the vehicle via the one or more windows on operation of the or each door lock.

2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the means for preventing or restricting comprises one or more sunshades associated with the or each window respectively.

3. A vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the or each sunshade is moveable between a stored position in which the transmission of light and/or heat is permitted, and an operative position in which the transmission of light and/or heat is prevented or restricted.

4. A vehicle as claimed in either claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the or each sunshade is motorised.

5. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the means for preventing or restricting is the or each window which comprises a material, the light transmissibility of which may be altered.

6. A vehicle as claimed in claim 5, wherein the material is an electrochromic, suspended particle display, liquid crystal, photochromic, thermotropic or reflective hydride material

7. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the means for preventing or restricting is electrically activated or deactivated.

8. A vehicle as claimed in claim 7, wherein activation and deactivation of the means for preventing or restricting is subject to personalised settings stored on a storage means.

9. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the means for preventing or restricting is arranged to prevent or restrict the transmission of light and/or heat when the or each door is locked, and permit the transmission of light and/or heat when the or each door is unlocked. 10. A vehicle as claimed in claim 7 when dependent directly or indirectly upon claim 2, wherein the or each sunshade is arranged, upon activation, to move to a preset position.

11. A vehicle as claimed in claim 7 when dependent directly or indirectly upon claim 5, wherein the or each window is arranged, upon activation, to prevent or restrict the transmission of light and/or heat to a preset light and/or heat transmissibility factor.

12. A vehicle as claimed in either claim 10 or 11 , wherein settings relating to the preset position or light and/or heat transmissibility factor are stored on the storage means. 13. A vehicle as claimed in claim 8, further comprising an environmental sensor arranged to affect the operation of the means for preventing or restricting depending upon the personalized settings.

4. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the vehicle is an automobile.