Sun shield

The invention relates to a sun shield for a vehicle, wherein the sun shield can be rotated from a storage position about a horizontal rotational axis in front of the windshield into at least one first shading position. The sun shield comprises a sun shield body, whereon a shield segment is mounted in a movable manner. The present invention further relates to a method for retracting and extending a shield segment relative to a sun shield body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a National Stage application of PCT/EP2008/004896, filed Jun. 18, 2008, which claims the benefit and priority of German Patent Application 10 2007 030 112.1, filed Jun. 28, 2007, and German Patent Application 10 2007 056 181.6, filed Nov. 21, 2007. The foregoing applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

The invention relates to a sun shield for a vehicle, said sun shield being pivotable about a horizontal axis of rotation from a storage position at least into a first shading position in front of the windshield. The sun shield has a sun shield body on which a shield segment is mounted in a displaceable manner. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for retracting and extending a shield segment relative to a sun shield body.

The sun shields of the type in question are known from the prior art, for example from DE 33 41 509, A1, DE 697 17 088, T2,, DE 203 20 593, U1,, DE 197 16 084, A1 and DE 196 33 192, C1. However, the sun shields disclosed therein have the disadvantage of being of comparatively complicated design, of the mounting of the sun shield on the vehicle being subjected to a comparatively high load in particular during the displacement of the shield segment and/or of having a tendency to be noisy.

It was therefore the object of the present invention to provide a sun shield which does not have the disadvantages of the prior art.

The object is achieved by a sun shield for a vehicle, with a sun shield body on which a shield segment is mounted in a displaceable manner, said shield segment being reversibly transferable from a retracted position into an extended position, wherein said sun shield has a spring means which prestresses the shield segment into the extended position thereof.

The sun shield according to the invention is pivotable about a horizontal axis of rotation from a storage position at least into a first shading position in front of the windshield. However, it is preferably also transferable into a second shading position substantially parallel to the side window. It is provided that the sun shield is designed such that it is divided, preferably along the longitudinal extent thereof, such that one segment of the sun shield can be shifted reversibly in a direction preferably transversely with respect to the longitudinal extent. For example, the transverse extension of the sun shield can thereby be made smaller in the storage position than in the first shading position. This advantage can also be used when the sun shield is pivoted about a vertical axis from the first shading position into a second shading position in front of the side window of the vehicle.

The division along the longitudinal extent of said sun shield preferably penetrates only a partial region, for example only the front or rear shell, of the sun shield. In particular, the division and the displacement of the segment are provided in such a manner that there is never a slit between the sun shield body and the displaceable segment through which sunbeams may penetrate.

The shield body and the shield segment very particularly preferably overlap at least partially in every position.

Furthermore, according to the invention, the sun shield has a spring means with which the shield segment is prestressed into the extended position thereof and which, when required, drives the transfer of the shield segment into the extended position thereof. This embodiment has the advantage that the sun shield is never automatically reduced in size and therefore results in an unexpected dazzling in particular of the vehicle driver. In addition, the mounting of the sun shield according to the invention on the vehicle is subjected to a smaller amount of load because the shield segment is pressed out of the shield body rather than having to be pulled out therefrom.

The transfer of the sun shield into the extended position is preferably braked, particularly preferably by a rotary brake.

The sun shield preferably has a guide along which the shield segment is retracted and extended.

The spring means preferably interacts with an articulated arm and drives the latter. The articulated arm is particularly preferably a rotary lever.

In a further preferred embodiment, the articulated arm is connected to the shield segment, in particular to the guide thereof.

The spring means, the articulated arm and/or the guide are preferably formed in duplicate. This preferred embodiment of the present invention improves in particular the movement of the shield segment. In this embodiment, the movement of the two articulated arms is particularly preferably synchronized. In an embodiment of the articulated arms as rotary articulated arms, this can take place, for example, by means of complementary interlocking means which are arranged on the two articulated arms and are in engagement, for example meshed, with each other. The synchronization of the two articulated arms prevents the shield segment from tilting during the retraction and/or extension operation.

According to another or a preferred subject matter of the present invention, the shield segment can be locked in the retracted and/or extended position thereof by means of a latching mechanism, preferably a pressure-actuated latching mechanism. The latching of the shiftable part in the retracted and/or extended position advantageously takes place by means of a pressure-actuated latching, similar to a pressure-actuated latching mechanism for the reservoir of a pressure-actuated ballpoint pen, the pressure being applied in particular to the lower edge of the separated shield segment. The latching in both positions increases the safety of the vehicle and/or reduces the amount of noise produced.

A further subject matter of the present invention is a method for retracting and extending a shield segment relative to a sun shield body, in which the retraction and extension take place by means of a pressure pulse.

The extension preferably takes place by means of a short pressure pulse which deactivates the latching. A driving means, for example a spring, then presses the shield segment into the extended position thereof. By contrast, the retraction takes place by means of a longer pressure pulse in which the operation to transfer the shield segment into the retracted position is carried out. Particularly preferably, in said operation, a spring is also tensioned.

FIG. 1shows the sun shield1according to the invention in the first shading position thereof in a view in the direction of travel (FIG. 1a) and transversely with respect thereto (FIG. 1b). The sun shield1comprises a sun shield body2with a longitudinal extent L and a transverse extension B, and also comprises an angled sun shield spindle3with bearing lugs4. The sun shield body2has a front half, the front shell5, and a rear half, the rear shell6, which shells can be manufactured separately, for example, by injection molding. The front shell5is of divided design along the longitudinal extent of the sun shield body2such that a narrow shield segment7is formed in the region of the lower edge of the sun shield body2. Said shield segment7can be shifted away from the sun shield spindle3as far as a transverse extension B′ in order to increase the shading region, as illustrated by the arrow A. Said extended position of the shield segment7as illustrated inFIGS. 2A and 2Bwhich also show the shading position.

As is apparent fromFIG. 3, the shield segment7is mounted via guides8in a manner such that it is displaceable transversely with respect to the longitudinal extent L. Two articulated arms9are arranged mirror-symmetrically with respect to each other in the sun shield body2, said articulated arms being pivotable in the vicinity of the center of the sun shield body2about two spaced-apart axes of rotation10and being synchronized via intermeshing toothings11. The ends of the articulated arms9are connected rotatably to the guides8and are prestressed in the direction of the extended position via springs12. One of the articulated arms9is furthermore connected to a pressure-actuated latching mechanism13which initially holds the articulated arm9in the retracted position (FIG. 3). However, when pressure is applied to the lower edge of the shield segment7(arrow B) counter to the direction of pressure of the springs12, the shield segment7is shifted by the springs12and the articulated arms9into the extended position (FIG. 4) and is preferably likewise locked there, in particular by the pressure-actuated latching mechanism13. The transfer speed of the shield segment from the retracted position into the extended position is preferably reduced at least temporarily by a brake, in particular a rotary brake. Upon a renewed pressure in the direction of the arrow B, the shield segment7is pushed again into the sun shield body2and held by the pressure-actuated latching mechanism13. In the process, the springs12are prestressed again. A pressure-actuated latching mechanism13of this type is known, for example, from the publication DE 1 291 258, A. Said publication is hereby produced as a reference and is therefore considered to be part of the disclosure.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS