MOTOR VEHICLE SUN VISOR

Abstract: Motor vehicle sun visor, comprising a hollow plate (1) which is produced from layers of a thermoplastic elastomer, the surface layer of which forms the final surface of the sun visor.

Description: Motor Vehicle Sun Visor The present invention relates to a motor vehicle sun visor comprising an oblong plate of plastic material. For safety reasons, sun visors for modern cars comprise either a plate of a relatively soft material, such as foamed plastic, or a hollow plate of a non-foamed plastic. This imparts compressibility to the visors so that they are able to absorb a blow from a vehicle occupant in the event of a collision or under heavy braking. In both cases, the plate is usually covered with a plastic film which serves to give the sun visor an aesthetically pleasing appearance adapted to the interior of the car. A generally employed method for applying the film to the plate comprises applying a film sheet to either side of the plate, welding the film sheets together around the edges of the plate and trimming away the film material outside of the weld line to remove surplus film. Sun visors are manufactured in very large numbers and it is therefore important to automate the manufacturing process to as great a degree as possible in order to keep down the costs. The application of the film is however difficult to carry out entirely without manual assistance. It is the object of the present invention to provide a sun visor comprising an oblong plate of plastic material which is constructed in such a manner that it can be manufactured without a separate surface layer needing to be applied after the production of the plate. This is achieved in accordance with the invention by means of the plate consisting of a thermoplastic elastomer whose surface provides the final shape and surface structure of the plate. The invention is based upon the idea of abandoning the conventional approach to sun visors, virtually all of which consist of a rigid backing of one material with a softer surface layer of another material applied thereto, and instead manufacturing sun visors from a single material which, as far as possible, combines the properties of materials previously used for the backing and surface layer. It has hereby been shown to be possible to achieve desired properties by using thermoplastic elastomers. These materials combine the flexibility of rubber with the strength of structural plastics and can be used for the production of the sun visor plate through, for example, conventional blow moulding or injection moulding techniques, whereby the entire sun visor plate with its final surface structure can be produced in a single step. The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to embodiments illustrated in the attached drawings in which Fig. 1 shows an exploded view of a sun visor plate consisting of two halves, and Fig. 2 shows a cross-section through the plate in Fig. 1 with an enlargement of the circled region. The sun visor plate shown in Fig. 1 consists of first and second plate-halves 1, 2 resp. whose opposing facing sides are mirror images. On their respective inner sides, the plate- halves 1 and 2 are provided with longitudinally and transversely extending stiffening ribs 3 and 4 resp. which form a stiffened frame around an unstiffened cavity 5. The plate- halves 1, 2 are formed with a first cut-away 6 for a main pivot pin (not shown) and a second cut-away 7 for a second pivot pin (not shown) . Transversely extending ribs 4a, which present semicircular-shaped notches 8 for the main pivot pin, together with a longitudinally extending rib 3a delimit a box or pocket 9 for a main bearing with spring snap-in (not shown) . Opposing wall sections 10 at the cut-away 7 present corresponding semicircular-shaped notches 11 for the second pivot pin. In Fig. 2 a complete sun visor plate is shown in cross-section after joining the parts 1 and 2, for example by gluing or welding. As is apparent from the drawing, the plate consists of a single material layer 20. The material is a thermoplastic elastomer, for instance a material which is sold under the name HYTREL*. The material layer 20 forms a backing unit and its surface 21 forms the sun visor's surface. The plate-halves can be injection moulded from a material which contains colour pigment which can thereby impart a surface structure adapted to the interior of the car. The surface can be structured to resemble e.g. a textile surface or a leather surface. Such a sun visor can be formed so that it looks and feels very much like a conventional sun visor made from a foamed body covered by a PVC film. The cavity 5 between the halves 1 and 2 provides the sun visor with necessary compressibility. The resilience of the material and thereby the compressibility of the sun visor plate is determined by the thickness of the layer 20 in the plate. The thickness of the plate layer can be up to 3 mm. As an alternative to the described injection moulding of two plate-halves and their subsequent joining by e.g. gluing or welding, blow-moulding or gas injection can be used, whereby the sun visor plate can thus be produced in one piece.

Claims: Claims 1. Motor vehicle sun visor, comprising an oblong plate of plastic material, characterized in that the plate consists of a thermoplastic elastomer, the surface of which provides the plate with its final shape and surface structure. 2. Sun visor according to claim 1, characterized in that the surface is structured to resemble a textile surface. 3. Sun visor according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the surface is structured to resemble a leather surface. 4. Sun visor according to one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the plate is hollow.

Inventors: BENNSTEDT NIKLAS, BENNSTEDT, NIKLAS
Applicants: HAPPICH SARL, HAPPICH S.A.R.L.
Application year: 1992
Main classification: B60J3
IPC codes: B29D31, B60J3