Patent Publication Number: US-2019176581-A1

Title: Vehicle door sun shade apparatus

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a National Stage Entry application of PCT International Application No. PCT/JP2016/004479, filed on Oct. 5, 2016, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to a vehicular door sunshade apparatus. 
     2. Description of the Background 
     Conventional vehicular door sunshade apparatuses cover the inner surface of a door window for the purpose of, for example, shielding a cabin from sunshine transmitting through the door window. Such a vehicular door sunshade apparatus is mainly structured by a sunshade housed in a taken-up state, and a hook member provided at a door sash. When using the vehicular door sunshade apparatus, a passenger of the vehicle pulls out, expands, and engages the sunshade with the hook member. Thus, the sunshade is retained at the use position covering the inner surface of the door window. 
     For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-42772 (hereinafter referred to as “Patent Literature 1”) discloses a sunshade mounting structure including a hook member suspended from the upper side part of a door sash and projecting vehicularly inward (toward the cabin) in the vehicular right-left direction. Further, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-46469 (hereinafter referred to as “Patent Literature 2”) discloses a sunshade mounting structure including a hook member suspended from the upper side part of a door sash and projecting vehicularly outward (toward the outside of the cabin) in the vehicular right-left direction. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     Here, in the structure disclosed in Patent Literature 1, the sunshade hardly disengages from the hook despite any push-out force applied thereto from the cabin side toward the outside. That is, the sunshade is hardly released with a quick action. In the structure disclosed in Patent Literature 2, the passenger can barely visually recognize the projecting end of the hook member in engaging the sunshade with the hook member. Additionally, this structure forces the passenger to twist his/her hand greatly for the sunshade to be caught from the door window side (the far side) toward the cabin side (the near side), which means that the structure is poor in mountability. 
     The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicular door sunshade apparatus with excellent mountability on a hook member, still allowing the passenger to release a sunshade with a quick action. 
     In order to solve the problem, the present invention provides a vehicular door sunshade apparatus including: a sunshade configured to be stored in an end of an interior trim covering a vehicle body panel; and a hook member provided at a door sash guiding a door window in rising and lowering. An inner surface of the door window is covered with the sunshade being pulled out from the end of the door trim and engaged with the hook member. The sunshade includes: a screen having its lower edge fixed to a take-up shaft biased in an axial rotation direction; and a holder bar provided at an upper edge of the screen, the holder bar extending in a vehicular front-rear direction. The hook member includes: a basal part attached to a side part of the door sash, the side part extending in the vehicular front-rear direction; and an engaging part continuously provided at the basal part so as to project in the vehicular front-rear direction, the engaging part engaging with the holder bar. The side part of the door sash and the engaging part define space between the side part of the door sash and the engaging part, the space providing access from each of a cabin side and a door window side to the engaging part. 
     In the present invention, preferably, the holder bar includes a caught piece caught by the engaging part. Preferably, around the caught piece, an opening allowing the holder bar to pass through the hook member is provided. 
     Further, in the present invention, the engaging part preferably includes a receiving part being recessed while extending in the vehicular front-rear direction. 
     Still further, in the present invention, the hook members are preferably disposed respectively at two locations spaced apart by a predetermined distance from each other at the side part of the door sash. The hook members preferably each point at the center of the side part so that projecting ends of the engaging parts oppose to each other. 
     Still further, in the present invention, the holder bar preferably further includes a knob serving as a grip for the holder bar to be vertically shifted. The caught pieces are preferably disposed at opposite sides with reference to the knob corresponding to the hook members, respectively. 
     The vehicular door sunshade apparatus of the present invention exhibits excellent mountability on the hook member, still allowing the passenger to release the sunshade with a quick action. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a side door to which a vehicular door sunshade apparatus according to the present embodiment is applied as seen from the cabin side. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  are explanatory illustrations showing the main part of the vehicular door sunshade apparatus in an enlarged manner. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing a state where a holder bar is engaged with a hook member positioned on the vehicular front side. 
         FIG. 5  is an explanatory illustration schematically showing a handled state of the vehicular door sunshade apparatus. 
         FIG. 6  is an explanatory illustration showing a variation of an engaging part. 
         FIG. 7  is an explanatory illustration showing a variation of the hook member. 
         FIG. 8  is an explanatory illustration showing a variation of a caught piece. 
         FIG. 9  is an explanatory illustration showing a variation of the engaging part and the caught piece. 
         FIG. 10  is an explanatory illustration showing a variation of the hook member. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following, a description will be given of a vehicular door sunshade apparatus  10  according to the present embodiment.  FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a side door  1  to which the vehicular door sunshade apparatus  10  according to the present embodiment is applied as seen from the cabin side.  FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in  FIG. 1 . In the drawings, “F” indicates the front direction in the vehicular front-rear direction; “R” indicates the rear direction in the vehicular front-rear direction; “RT” represents the right direction in the vehicular right-left direction; and “LT” represents the left direction in the vehicular right-left direction. 
     The side door  1  is, for example, a rear side door openably attached to a door opening positioned between a center pillar and a rear pillar. The side door  1  mainly includes a door body  2  including a door outer panel (not shown) forming exterior half the door body, and a door inner panel (not shown) forming interior half the door body. 
     A door trim  3  is attached onto the interior side of the door body  2 , which door trim  3  is an interior trim covering the door inner panel (a vehicle body panel). The door trim  3  is formed of any appropriate synthetic resin material having undergone die-forming. The door trim  3  has a laminated surface on its interior side (the front surface) for both the cushion and decorative purposes. 
     The side door  1  includes, above the door body  2  (the door inner panel), a door sash  4  guiding the door window  5  in rising and lowering. The door sash  4  is a frame member consisting of: a lower side part (not shown) extending in the vehicular front-rear direction and attached to the door body  2 ; an upper side part  4   a  extending in the vehicular front-rear direction positioned above the lower side part; a front side part  4   b  coupling between the front end of the lower side part and the front end of the upper side part  4   a ; and a rear side part  4   c  coupling between the rear end of the lower side part and the rear end of the upper side part  4   a.    
     The vehicular door sunshade apparatus  10  covers the inner surface of the door window  5 , to shield the cabin from sunshine transmitting through the door window  5  or ensure privacy of the cabin. The vehicular door sunshade apparatus  10  includes a sunshade unit  11  and a pair of hook members  30 . 
     The sunshade unit  11  mainly includes a door upper trim  12 , a take-up shaft  13 , and a sunshade  14 , and disposed to extend in the vehicular front-rear direction at the upper end of the door trim  3 . 
     The door upper trim  12  is formed of any appropriate synthetic resin material having undergone die-forming. The door upper trim  12  is attached to the upper end of the door trim  3 . Part of the door upper trim  12 , in conjunction with the door trim  3 , forms the decorative surface of the cabin interior. To the door upper trim  12 , the take-up shaft  13  taking up the sunshade  14  is installed. The take-up shaft  13  is housed in the space inside the door trim  3 . Further, the door upper trim  12  includes a sunshade-dedicated opening  12   a  which is elongated in the vehicular front-rear direction and defined between the door upper trim  12  and the upper edge of the door trim  3 . The sunshade  14  taken up around the take-up shaft  13  is configured to be pulled out from the sunshade-dedicated opening  12   a.    
     The take-up shaft  13  is a shaft member for taking up the sunshade  14 . The opposite ends of the take-up shaft  13  are rotatably supported by a pair of bearings provided at the door upper trim  12 . The take-up shaft  13  is biased in one axial rotation direction (the direction in which the sunshade  14  is taken up) by, for example, a biasing member such as a spiral spring. 
     The sunshade  14  includes a screen  15  and a holder bar  16 . 
     The screen  15  is configured to cover the inner surface of the door window  5 . The screen  15  is formed of a thin flexible material so as to be taken up around the circumference of the take-up shaft  13 , and cut into a predetermined shape conforming to the shape of the door window  5 . Further, the screen  15  has the shading function. For example, the screen  15  may be mesh fabric. 
     The lower edge of the screen  15  is fixed to the take-up shaft  13 . By causing the take-up shaft  13  to axially rotate in accordance with the biasing force applied to the take-up shaft  13 , the screen  15  is taken up around the take-up shaft  13 . On the other hand, by causing the take-up shaft  13  to reversely rotate against the biasing force applied to the take-up shaft  13 , the screen  15  is pulled out. 
     The holder bar  16  allows the passenger to regularly pull out the screen  15  without slack. The holder bar  16  is provided so as to extend in the vehicular front-rear direction at the upper edge of the screen  15 . The holder bar  16  is formed of, for example, a hard plate member having a predetermined thickness in the vehicular right-left direction and elongated in the vehicular front-rear direction. 
     At the center of the holder bar  16  in the vehicular front-rear direction, a knob  17  is attached. The knob  17  is attached to the holder bar  16  on the cabin side, and serves as a grip for the passenger to pull out or take up the screen  15 . The knob  17  has a shape greater than the sunshade-dedicated opening  12   a,  so as not to pass through but is stopped at the sunshade-dedicated opening  12   a  when the screen  15  is taken up. Thus, the taking-up of the screen  15  is forcibly stopped, and the knob  17  is positioned at the upper end of the door trim  3 . When using the screen  15 , the passenger pulls up the knob  17  at the upper end of the door trim  3  upward, thereby pulling out the screen  15 . 
     Further, the holder bar  16  is provided with caught pieces  18  for allowing the hook members  30  to catch the holder bar  16 . The caught pieces  18  are disposed at the opposite sides of the holder bar  16  with reference to the knob  17 , respectively. That is, the caught piece  18  is provided on each of the front end side and the rear end side of the holder bar  16 . In the present embodiment, the caught piece  18  on the vehicular front side is provided at the position toward the center (on the knob  17  side) than the front end of the holder bar  16 , and the caught piece  18  on the vehicular rear side is provided at the position toward the center (on the knob  17  side) than the rear end of the holder bar  16 . 
     The hook members  30  are provided at the upper side part  4   a  of the door sash  4 . By the holder bar  16  being engaged with the hook members  30 , the hook members  30  retain the holder bar  16  at the upper side part  4   a  of the door sash  4 . The hook members  30  are respectively disposed at two locations separated from each other by a predetermined distance in the vehicular front-rear direction, corresponding to the two caught pieces  18  of the holder bar  16 . 
     Hereinafter, a description will be given of a detailed structure of the caught pieces  18  and the hook member  30  of the holder bar  16 .  FIGS. 3A and 3B  are explanatory illustrations showing the main part of the vehicular door sunshade apparatus  10  in an enlarged manner.  FIG. 3A  is a perspective view schematically showing the hook member  30  on the vehicular front side, and  FIG. 3B  is a perspective view showing the caught piece  18  of the holder bar  16  on the vehicular front side.  FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing the state where the holder bar  16  is engaged with the hook member  30  on the vehicular front side. 
     Each hook member  30  includes a basal part  31  and an engaging part  32 . The basal part  31  and the engaging part  32  are integrally formed. 
     The basal part  31  is suspended from the upper side part  4   a  of the door sash  4 . The basal part  31  includes, for example, a flat plate member having a plane parallel to the vehicular right-left direction. 
     The engaging part  32  is a site for the holder bar  16  to engage with. In the present embodiment, by the engaging part  32  catching the caught piece  18  of the holder bar  16 , the engaging part  32  engages with the holder bar  16 . The engaging part  32  is formed continuously from the tip (the lower end) of the basal part  31  and projects in the vehicular front-rear direction. Specifically, one engaging part  32  points at the center of the upper side part  4   a  of the door sash  4  so that its projecting end  32   a  opposes to other hook member  30  (the projecting end  32   a  of other engaging part  32 ). Here, the engaging part  32  of the hook member  30  on the vehicular front side has its projecting end  32   a  pointed vehicularly rearward. On the other hand, the engaging part  32  of the hook member  30  on the vehicular rear side has its projecting end  32   a  pointed vehicularly frontward (see  FIG. 1 ). 
     The engaging part  32  of the hook member  30  is attached to the tip of the basal part  31  and projects in the vehicular front-rear direction. Thus, between the upper side part  4   a  of the door sash  4  and the engaging part  32 , space S that is continuous in the vehicular right-left direction is formed. The space S provides access from each of the cabin side and the door window  5  side to the engaging part  32  (a receiving part  33  which will be described later). 
     The engaging part  32  includes a receiving part  33  which is recessed while extending in the vehicular front-rear direction. In the present embodiment, the engaging part  32  includes a pair of planar parts  32   b,    32   c  forming a valley-folded shape having the valley extending in the vehicular front-rear direction. The valley-folded shape forms the recessed receiving part  33 . The provision of the receiving part  33  is so devised that the caught piece  18  caught by the engaging part  32  will not easily come off from the engaging part  32 . 
     On the other hand, the caught piece  18  of the holder bar  16  is a site caught by the engaging part  32  of the hook member  30 , and provided on the upper edge side of the holder bar  16 , for example. Further, around the caught piece  18 , an opening  19  defining a gap between the caught piece  18  and the holder bar  16  is provided. The opening  19  is configured to allow the hook member  30  to pass through the gap when the holder bar  16  is shifted in the vehicular right-left direction. The opening  19  is set to have a predetermined shape and dimension corresponding to the shape and dimension of the hook member  30 . 
       FIG. 5  is an explanatory illustration schematically showing a handled state of the vehicular door sunshade apparatus  10 . With the vehicular door sunshade apparatus  10  according to the present embodiment, the passenger grips and vertically shifts the knob  17  with his/her hand, to unwind the sunshade  14  (the screen  15 ) from the take-up shaft  13  and let it be caught by the hook member  30  thereby expanding the same; alternatively, to release the sunshade  14  from the hook member  30  and let it be taken up around the take-up shaft  13  thereby housing the same. 
     Specifically, when the passenger grips the knob  17  and lifts the holder bar  16  upward, the screen  15  is pulled out from the sunshade-dedicated opening  12   a.  When the holder bar  16  reaches the upper side part  4   a  of the door sash  4 , the passenger aligns the pair of caught pieces  18  of the holder bar  16  and the pair of hook members  30  at the upper side part  4   a  with each other, and lets the caught pieces  18  be caught by the engaging parts  32  while shifting the holder bar  16  from the cabin side (the near side (the left LT side in  FIG. 1 )) toward the door window  5  side (the far side (the right RT side in  FIG. 1 )). Thus, the holder bar  16  engages with the hook members  30  and is retained at the upper side part  4   a  of the door sash  4 , that is, the expanded screen  15  is retained at the use position where the screen  15  covers the inner surface of the door window  5 . 
     Here, the space S is secured between the upper side part  4   a  of the door sash  4  and the engaging part  32 . This space S allows the caught piece  18  to pass through. Hence, by the caught piece  18  riding past the upper edge of the near-side planar part  32   b  and reaching the receiving part  33 , the caught piece  18  is stably caught by the engaging part  32 . 
     Further, the opening  19  provided around the caught piece  18  allows the caught piece  18  to pass through the hook member  30  suspended from the upper side part  4   a  of the door sash  4 . Thus, while avoiding interference between the caught piece  18  as well as the holder bar  16  and the hook member  30 , the caught piece  18  is caught by the engaging part  32 . 
     On the other hand, in storing the sunshade  14 , the passenger gripping the knob  17  and lifting the holder bar  16  shifts the holder bar  16  from the far side to the near side. Thus, the caught piece  18  of the holder bar  16  rides past the upper edge of the near-side planar part  32   b  from the receiving part  33  and reaches the cabin side. Then, when the passenger shifts the holder bar  16  downward, the screen  15  is retracted into the sunshade-dedicated opening  12   a,  and taken up around the take-up shaft  13 . When the holder bar  16  passes through the sunshade-dedicated opening  12   a,  finally, the knob  17  is stopped at the sunshade-dedicated opening  12   a.  This forcibly stops the take-up of the screen  15 , and the knob  17  is positioned at the upper end of the door trim  3 . Thus, the state where the screen  15  is housed is attained. 
     Meanwhile, in a situation where the passenger in emergency escapes to the outside from the vehicle with its door window  5  open, the passenger may take a quick action of pushing out the expanded screen  15  with his/her hand. In this case, in response to force F applied to the screen  15  acting from the cabin side to the outside, the upper edge of the screen  15  is pulled diagonally downward. In response to the force acting on the screen  15 , a force component toward the outside also acts on the holder bar  16 . This causes the caught piece  18  of the holder bar  16  to ride past the upper edge of the far-side planar part  32   c  from the receiving part  33 , to exit outside the cabin. When the caught piece  18  is disengaged from the engaging part  32 , the take-up force of the take-up shaft  13  pulls the screen  15  into the sunshade-dedicated opening  12   a,  whereby the screen  15  and the holder bar  16  are housed. As a result, the door sash  4  becomes open without any interference of the screen  15 . 
     As has been described above, in the present embodiment, the sunshade  14  includes the screen  15  having its lower edge fixed to the take-up shaft  13  biased in an axial rotation direction, and the holder bar  16  provided at the upper edge of the screen  15  so as to extend in the vehicular front-rear direction. The hook member  30  includes the basal part  31  attached to the upper side part  4   a  of the door sash  4 , and the engaging part  32  continuously provided at the basal part  31  so as to project in the vehicular front-rear direction, the engaging part  32  engaging with the holder bar  16 . The upper side part  4   a  of the door sash  4  and the engaging part  32  define the space S between them, the space S providing access from each of the cabin side and the door window  5  side to the engaging part  32 . 
     In this structure, the space S is secured between the upper side part  4   a  of the door sash  4  and the engaging part  32 . Therefore, by allowing the holder bar  16  to shift from the cabin side (the near side) to the door window  5  side (the far side), the holder bar  16  engages with the engaging part  32 . This allows the passenger to shift the caught piece  18  to the engaging part  32  while visually recognizing the caught piece  18 . That is, the mounting operation is facilitated. 
     Further, in a situation where the passenger in emergency escapes from the cabin, the passenger pushes out the expanded screen  15  to the outside with his/her hand, whereby a force component in the outside direction acts from the screen  15  on the holder bar  16 . In response to the force component, the holder bar  16  engaging with the engaging part  32  passes through the space S, and is disengaged from the engaging part  32 . Thus, the take-up force of the take-up shaft  13  pulls the screen  15  into the sunshade-dedicated opening  12   a,  and the door sash  4  becomes open. Thus, without the necessity of the passenger&#39;s vertically shifting the holder bar  16 , the passenger&#39;s quick action of pushing out the screen  15  causes the screen  15  to be housed (released). 
     Thus, the vehicular door sunshade apparatus  10  with excellent mountability on the hook member  30 , still allowing the passenger to release the sunshade  14  with a quick action, is provided. 
     Further, in the present embodiment, the provision of the space S allows the passenger to shift the holder bar  16  also from the door window  5  side to the cabin side, to engage the holder bar  16  with the engaging part  32 . This structure provides various mounting operations, contributing toward improving the usability. 
     Still further, in the present embodiment, the holder bar  16  includes the caught piece  18  caught by the engaging part  32  of the hook member  30 . Around the caught piece  18 , the opening  19  allowing the holder bar  16  to pass through the hook member  30  in the vehicular right-left direction is provided. 
     In this structure, while avoiding interference between the holder bar  16  and the hook member  30 , the holder bar  16  is properly mounted or removed. 
     Further, in the present embodiment, the engaging part  32  includes the receiving part  33  which is recessed while extending in the vehicular front-rear direction. 
     In this structure, the caught piece  18  fits into the recessed receiving part  33  and, therefore, this structure minimizes the risk of the caught piece  18  easily coming off from the engaging part  32 . Thus, irrespective of any shock or the like applied to the screen  15 , the caught piece  18  stably engages with the engaging part  32 . 
     Note that, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the engaging part  32  of the hook member  30  may be set so that the inclination (θ1) of the far-side planar part  32   c  is gentle as compared to the inclination (θ2) of the near-side planar part  32   b  (θ1&gt;θ2). This structure allows the holder bar  16  pushed toward the far side to easily come off. Thus, the screen  15  is easily housed in case of emergency evacuation. 
     Further, in the present embodiment, the hook members  30  are disposed respectively at two locations spaced apart by a predetermined distance from each other at the upper side part  4   a  of the door sash  4 . The hook members  30  each point at the center of the upper side part  4   a  so that the projecting ends  32   a  of the engaging parts  32  oppose to each other. 
     In this structure, the projecting ends  32   a  of the engaging parts  32  point at the center and, therefore, the projecting ends  32   a  of the engaging parts  32  face the passenger. That is, the passenger easily recognizes the position of the projecting ends  32   a  of the engaging parts  32 . Thus, the passenger smoothly lets the caught pieces  18  be caught by the engaging parts  32 , which means that the usability improves. 
     Further, in the present embodiment, the holder bar  16  includes the knob  17  serving as a grip for the holder bar  16  to be vertically shifted. In this case, the caught pieces  18  are disposed at opposite sides with reference to the knob  17  corresponding to the hook members  30 , respectively. 
     This structure allows the passenger to visually recognize the caught pieces  18  on the opposite sides with reference to the knob  17  serving as a grip at substantially equivalent distances. Therefore, the passenger can operate the knob  17  while evenly monitoring the caught pieces  18  and the engaging parts  32  positioned respectively on the front side and the rear side with reference to the operated knob  17 . 
     Note that, in the above-described embodiment, the hook members  30  positioned respectively on the front side and the rear side are disposed so as to point at the center. However, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the hook members  30  may be disposed so as to point outward. 
     Further, in the present embodiment, the caught pieces  18  are positioned toward the center than the ends of the holder bar  16 . However, as shown in  FIG. 8 , the caught pieces  18  may be disposed at the ends of the holder bar  16 . 
     Further, in the present embodiment, the engaging part  32  of each hook member  30  projects just in one side in the vehicular front-rear direction. However, as shown in  FIG. 9 , the engaging part  32  may include the engaging part  32  on both sides in the vehicular front-rear direction. 
     Further, as shown in  FIG. 10 , each hook member  30  may include a restricting member  34  in the space S. In letting the caught piece  18  be caught by the engaging part  32 , the restricting member  34  restricts the caught piece  18  from exiting toward the door window  5  side past the engaging part  32 . The restricting member  34  enables the caught piece  18  to be caught stably by the engaging part  32 . 
     Further, in the present embodiment, while the hook members  30  are provided by two pieces for the purpose of stably retaining of the holder bar  16 , the hook member  30  may be provided by one in number. 
     In the foregoing, the description has been given of the vehicular door sunshade apparatus according to the present embodiment. The present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and can be modified in various manners within the scope of the invention. For example, while it has been described that the sunshade is pulled out upward in use, the sunshade may be housed in the end of the headliner (an interior trim), and the sunshade may be pulled out downward in use. 
     REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
       1 : side door 
       2 : door body 
       3 : door trim 
       4 : door sash 
       4   a : upper side part 
       4   b : front side part 
       4   c : rear side part 
       5 : door window 
       10 : vehicular door sunshade apparatus 
       11 : sunshade unit 
       12 : door upper trim 
       12   a : sunshade-dedicated opening 
       13 : take-up shaft 
       14 : sunshade 
       15 : screen 
       16 : holder bar 
       17 : knob 
       18 : caught piece 
       19 : opening 
       30 : hook member 
       31 : basal part 
       32 : engaging part 
       32   a : projecting end 
       32   b,    32   c : planar parts 
       33 : receiving part 
       34 : restricting member