Abstract:
A visor mounting assembly includes a visor elbow and a visor mounting bracket with a cam cooperating between the two members to detent the visor when moved from a front windshield position to a side window position at a location which allows clearance of the side curtain air bag, thereby positioning the visor when in the side window position at a location which does not interfere with or inhibit the deployment of a side curtain air bag. In one embodiment, a stop extends between the elbow and bracket to limit the movement of the visor.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to vehicle visors and particularly to a mounting assembly for attaching a visor to a vehicle.  
           [0002]    Visors are conventionally mounted to a vehicle by an elbow bracket which is secured to the sheet metal or other framework of the vehicle roof by fastening screws. The visor assembly includes a visor body into which a visor rod assembly attaches to allow the visor to rotate from a stored position adjacent the vehicle headliner to a lowered use position and subsequently rotated to the side window position for blocking incoming sunlight from either the side or the windshield by adjusting the visor&#39;s rotational position once lowered. Frequently such visor assemblies include illuminated vanity mirrors and/or accessories, such as garage door opening transmitters, memo recorders, or other electrical accessories.  
           [0003]    With the advent of side curtain air bags which are mounted within the vehicle headliner adjacent the side window and extend downwardly when triggered, it is possible for a vehicle operator to adjust a conventional visor to a side window sun-screening position which could interfere with or inhibit the operation of a side curtain air bag.  
           [0004]    There exists a need, therefore, for a visor mounting system which prevents or greatly reduces the possibility of misaligning a visor in a side window sun-blocking position which could interfere with the operation of a side curtain air bag.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    The visor mounting assembly of the present invention provides a system in which a visor elbow is mounted to a visor mounting bracket with a cam cooperating between the two members to detent the visor when moved from a front windshield position to a side window position at a location which allows clearance of the side curtain air bag, thereby positioning the visor when in the side window position at a location which does not interfere with or inhibit the operation of a side curtain air bag.  
           [0006]    In one embodiment of the present invention, the visor mounting assembly includes an elbow mounting bracket having one of a recess and projection which is angularly positioned to cooperate with a visor elbow supporting a visor rod, which elbow includes the other of a projection and recess. When the visor is lowered and moved from a front windshield position to a side window position, it seeks and detents in a side window position which locates the visor in a position spaced laterally from the zone of operation of a side curtain air bag if deployed. Accordingly, a visor mounting assembly of the present invention provides an improved visor mounting system by which the vehicle operator can tactically locate the visor in a safe side window sun-blocking position for use in a vehicle equipped with a side curtain air bag. 
       
    
    
       [0007]    These and other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following description thereof together with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a vehicle including a visor embodying the present invention, shown with the visor in a first position;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a vehicle including a visor embodying the present invention, shown with the visor in a second lowered use position;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a vehicle including a visor embodying the present invention, shown with the visor in a side window sun-blocking position;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 4 is an enlarged end elevational view of the visor as shown in FIG. 3, shown with a side curtain air bag in a deployed position in phantom form;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the visor mounting assembly of the present invention; and  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the structure shown in FIG. 5, taken in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 5. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0014]    Referring initially to FIGS.  1 - 3 , there is shown a vehicle  10 , such as an automobile, which includes a roof  12  typically including a sheet metal support covered by a headliner  14  which can be integrally molded and attached to provide a sound absorptive and decorative interior finish to the vehicle. A visor  20  is mounted above the windshield  16  of the vehicle by means of a visor mounting assembly  30  described in greater detail below in connection with FIGS. 5 and 6.  
         [0015]    The visor  20  can be moved from a raised stored position adjacent the vehicle headliner  14 , as shown in FIG. 1, to a lowered windshield sun-blocking position, as shown in FIG. 2, adjacent the rearview mirror  13 , also typically mounted to the windshield  16  or alternatively to the edge of the vehicle roof  12  adjacent windshield  16 . The visor  20  may include a covered illuminated vanity mirror assembly  22  of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,629, which allows the vehicle operator to use the vanity mirror contained in the visor under low ambient light conditions. Visor  20  can be pivoted, using the visor mounting assembly  30 , from a front windshield sun-blocking position, as shown in FIG. 2, around the A-pillar  17  of the vehicle to a side window sun-blocking position, as seen in FIG. 3.  
         [0016]    Many vehicles include a side curtain air bag, which is mounted in the headliner  14  in the area adjacent side window  15 . With such an installation, the possibility exists that a visor could be positioned to block the deployment of the side curtain air bag or otherwise interfere with its proper operation. The visor mounting assembly  30  of the present invention prevents or greatly reduces such a possibility and allows the side curtain air bag, such as illustrated in phantom lines as element  25  in FIG. 4, to deploy in a position adjacent the driver seat  26 . As seen in FIG. 4, the vertical zone below the headliner  14  is clear to allow deployment of the side curtain air bag. Although the driver&#39;s side is shown in FIGS.  1 - 4 , it is to be understood that the visor assembly of the present invention can be used on either one or both of the driver and passenger sides of a vehicle. The details of the visor pivot rod and torque control are not shown in detail but can be of a construction as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,552, which utilizes a torque spring clamp of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,131. The visor mounting assembly  30  is now described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.  
         [0017]    The visor mounting assembly  30  (FIGS. 5 and 6) includes a visor rod  32  having facets  34  which cooperate with the torque fitting for allowing the visor to be held in a detented stored position, as shown in FIG. 1, and to rotate downwardly to a two-way use position, as shown in FIGS.  2 - 4 . The visor rod  32  is generally L-shaped including a tip end  36 , which extends upwardly through a mounting bracket  50  which, in turn, is secured to the vehicle roof  12  by a plurality of fastening screws  56 . The visor rod  32  is surrounded at the junction of tip  36  and the generally horizontally extending end  33  of visor rod  32  by an elbow  40  made of a suitable polymeric material, such as polycarbonate or a thermoplastic resin, which is injection molded over rod  32 .  
         [0018]    The elbow  40  includes a first section  42  which extends from the edge of the visor and provides a decorative appearance to the junction of the visor to the mounting bracket  50  and a collar section  44  which cooperates with bracket  50  by including either projections, such as  45  and  46  extending upwardly from upwardly facing annular surface  43  of collar  44  or recesses which, as will be described below, provide the similar detent function between the elbow  40  and the mounting bracket  50 . Elbow  40  includes a conical or cylindrical upwardly extending integral extension  47  which communicates with a mating socket  57  of bracket  50  for providing a desired rotational torque. Integrally formed on an outer surface of collar section  44  is an upwardly extending tab  48  defining a stop which cooperates with an arcuate slot  58  (FIG. 6) in bracket  50  as described below to limit the range of rotation of visor  20  from the windshield to the side window position.  
         [0019]    End  36  of visor rod  32  extends through the opening  57  of bracket  50  and a compression spring  58  surrounds tip  36  of visor rod  32  and is held in place by a conventional locking nut  59  force-fitted over the tip end  36  of visor rod  32  in a conventional manner or by a conventional taumeling process. Spring  58  provides a holding force which secures pivot rod  32  to mounting bracket  50  and yet allows the seating and unseating action of projections  45  and  46  of elbow  40  with respect to bracket  50  to detent the visor from the forward position shown in FIG. 2 to the side window position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.  
         [0020]    Mounting bracket  50 , in addition to including a conically tapered or cylindrical central opening  57 , includes a circular recess  54  (FIG. 6) for receiving collar section  44  of elbow  40  therein, which recess includes a floor  55  having spaced opposed recesses  51  and  52  and slot  58 . Recesses  51  are aligned on opposite sides of aperture  57  to receive projections  45 ,  46  of collar  44  for the detent positioning of the visor in a front windshield position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Recesses  52  are angularly positioned approximately 90° from recesses  51  to position the visor in a detented side window position, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, allowing deployment of the side curtain air bag  25 . The angular relationship, therefore, of the detents  51  and  52  depend upon the design of a particular vehicle. In some cases, the proper alignment of the visor in the side window position may be greater or less than 90° and a typical range will be from about 80° to about 110° depending upon the geometry of the vehicle. Slot  58  has end walls  59  and  60  which are selectively engaged by tab  48  on elbow  40  to define stops for the excursion of visor  20  about a vertical axis of end  36  of visor rod  32 . Slot  58  typically will have an arcuate length corresponding to or closely related to the spacing between recesses  51  and  52  (i.e., from about 80° to about 110° depending upon the vehicle). In some embodiments, only a single pair of recesses  51 ,  52  and projections  45 ,  46  (or multiple as required) may be employed to define the cam structure between elbow  40  and bracket  50  for locating the visor.  
         [0021]    Bracket  50  further includes mounting apertures  53  for receiving fastening screws  56  for securing the mounting bracket  50  to the vehicle roof. Mounting bracket  50 , like elbow  40 , may be integrally molded of a suitable polymeric material, such as polycarbonate, thermoplastic resin, or other suitable materials, or cast of a metal, such as an aluminum alloy. In place of employing projections  45  and  46  on collar  44 , collar  44  may include recesses which cooperate with spaced projections formed in the floor  55  of recess  54  of mounting bracket  50 . With either construction, the visor will be positively urged to and detent in a front windshield position and a side window position which locates the visor in an area which does not interfere with the deployment of the side curtain air bag  25 , as seen in FIG. 4. In a preferred embodiment, the arcuate excursion of the visor is limited by the stop defined by tab  48  and slot  58 .  
         [0022]    It will become apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications to the preferred embodiment of the invention as described herein can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.