This application claims priority to Japanese patent application serial number 2005-14192, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sunvisor for a vehicle that has a support shaft inserted into a visor body and a retention device. The support shaft supports the visor body rotatably around the support shaft. The retention device inhibits the visor body from slipping-off of the support shaft in the axial direction.
2. Description of the Related Art
A sunvisor for a vehicle generally has a retention device to inhibit the visor body from slipping-off of the support shaft in the axial direction. For example, the sunvisor for a vehicle described in JP 2003-127662 A has a clip inside of the visor body to bias the visor body to the cabin ceiling surface. The retention device is provided between the clip and the support shaft. The retention device has locking claws that are formed on the clip. A groove portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the support shaft. The locking claws slidably engage the groove portion.
In this regard, many recent vehicles have air bags installed in the cabin-ceiling surface. Accordingly, the visor body may be pushed by the air bags when the air bags deploy. The air bags cause the visor body to be pushed axially with respect to the support shaft (see
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a sunvisor for a vehicle that is equipped with a retention device capable of securely inhibiting the visor body from slipping-off of the support shaft in an axial direction.
According to one aspect of the present teachings, a retention device has one or more engaging members mounted in the visor body. Each of the one or more engaging members has an engaging portion. The support shaft has a locking portion. When the visor body moves in a slipping-off direction of the support shaft, the one or more engaging members interact with the support shaft and are manipulated so that the engaging portion of at least one of the one or more engaging members engages with the locking portion. Therefore, the retention device can inhibit the visor body from slipping-off of the support shaft.
In another aspect of the present teachings, at least one of the one or more engaging members is pivotably mounted in the visor body. When the visor body moves in the slipping-off direction of the support shaft, the at least one of the one or more engaging members interacts with the support shaft and is pivoted so that the engaging portion of the at least one of the one or more engaging members engages with the locking portion.
In another aspect of the present teachings, at least one of the one or more engaging members has a fixed end fixed and is configured in a cantilever manner. When the visor body moves in the slipping-off direction of the support shaft, the at least one of the engaging members interacts with the support shaft and is deformed so that the engaging portion of the at least one of the one or more engaging members engages with the locking portion.
In another aspect of the present teachings, a retention device has one or more engaging members whose end is fixed in the visor body. The one or more engaging members have an engaging portion. When the visor body moves in the direction of slipping-off of the support shaft, at least one of the engaging members are pressed by the support shaft so as to be deformed. The engaging portion then engages with a locking portion formed at the support shaft. Therefore, the retention device can prevent the visor body from slipping-off of the support shaft.
In another aspect of the present teachings, at least one of the engaging portion or the locking portion has an inclined surface formed therein, so that as the visor body moves in the slipping-off direction of the support shaft the engaging portion is urged in a direction of further engagement with the locking portion. Accordingly, the engaging portion firmly engages with the locking portion due to the inclined surface. This makes it possible to securely inhibit the slipping-off of the visor body from the support shaft.
In another aspect of the present teachings, a retention device has one or more engaging members mounted on the support shaft. Each of the one or more engaging members has an engaging portion. The visor body has a locking portion. When the visor body moves in the slipping-off direction of the support shaft the one or more engaging members interact with the visor body and are manipulated so that the engaging portion of at least one of the one or more engaging members engages with the locking portion. Therefore, the retention device can prevent the visor body from slipping-off of the support shaft.
In another aspect of the present teachings, at least one of the one or more engaging members is pivotably mounted on the support shaft. When the visor body moves in the slipping-off direction of the support shaft, the at the least one of the one or more engaging members interacts with the visor body and is pivoted so that the engaging portion of the at least one of the one or more engaging members engages with the locking portion.
In another aspect of the present teachings, at least one of the one or more engaging members has a fixed end fixed and is configured in a cantilever manner. When the visor body moves in the slipping-off direction of the support shaft, the at least one of the one or more engaging members interacts with the visor body and is deformed so that the engaging portion of the at least one of the engaging members engages with the locking portion.
In another aspect of the present teachings, at least one of the engaging portion or the locking portion has an inclined surface formed therein, so that as the visor body moves in the slipping-off direction of the support shaft the engaging portion is urged in a direction of further engagement with the locking portion. This makes it possible to securely inhibit the slipping-off of the visor body from the support shaft.
Each of the additional features and teachings disclosed above and below may be utilized separately or in conjunction with other features and teachings to provide improved sunvisors for a vehicle. Representative examples of the present invention, which examples utilize many of these additional features and teachings both separately and in conjunction with one another, will now be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. This detailed description is merely intended to teach a person of skill in the art further details for practicing preferred aspects of the present teachings and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Only the claims define the scope of the claimed invention. Therefore, combinations of features and steps disclosed in the following detailed description may not be necessary to practice the invention in the broadest sense, and are instead taught merely to particularly describe representative examples of the invention. Moreover, various features of the representative examples and the dependent claims may be combined in ways that are not specifically enumerated in order to provide additional useful embodiments of the present teachings.
A first representative embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. As shown in
As shown in
Thus, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As also shown in
A method of assembling together the support shaft 3 and the visor body 4 will be described below. As shown in
Incidentally, the visor body 4 is often applied with a force acting in a direction for slipping-off of the support shaft 3. For example as shown in
Herein below, a description will be made of the action of the retention device 6 when a force acting in the direction of slipping-off the visor body 4 from the support shaft 3 is applied to the visor body 4.
As shown in
Further, as the force acting in the direction of slipping-off of the support shaft 3 continues to be applied to the visor body 4, the force receiving portions 5a are more firmly pressed by the pressing portion 3c, causing the engaging members 5 to pivot still further. The engaging portions 5d are then even more firmly engaged with the locking portion 3d.
In addition, the engaging portions 5b are guided toward the center axis of the support shaft 3 due to the inclined surface 3e formed in the locking portion 3d. The engaging portions 5b are thus applied with forces acting in the direction of bringing the engaging portions 5b into engagement with the locking portion 3d. This brings the engaging portions 5b into firm engagement with the locking portion 3d.
The first representative embodiment of the present invention is formed as described above. That is, as shown in
Additionally, each of the one or more engaging members S have an engaging portion 5b, which is pivoted into engagement with the support shaft 3 as the visor body 4 moves in the direction of slipping-off of the support shaft 3. Accordingly, the one or more engaging members 5 are brought into firm engagement with the support shaft 3 by utilizing the force acting in the direction of slipping-off of the support shaft 3. The slipping-off of the visor body 4 from the support shaft 3 can thus be securely inhibited.
Still further, as shown in
Accordingly, the engaging portion 5b is brought into firm engagement with the locking portion 3d due to the inclined surface 3e. This makes it possible to securely inhibit the slipping-off of the visor body 4 from the support shaft 3.
The second representative embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
As shown in
The retention device 60 exhibits the same operation and effect as the retention device 6 of the first representative embodiment, and thus inhibits the axial slipping-off of the visor body 4 from the support shaft 3.
The third representative embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
As shown in
When the visor body 4 is applied with a force F in the direction of slipping-off of the support shaft 3, the force receiving portion 8a of the each engaging member 8 is pressed by the pressing portion 3c formed in the support shaft 3. Accordingly, each engaging member 8 elastically deforms about the base end portion 8c. The engaging portion 8b of each engaging member 8 engages with the locking portion 3d of the support shaft 3. Therefore, the retention device 61 can prevent the visor body 4 from slipping-off of the support shaft 3.
The fourth representative embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
As shown in
The locking members 40 are mounted integrally or separately on the inner peripheral surfaces of the visor body 4. Each locking member 40 extends along the horizontal shaft 3b of the support shaft 3. In addition, each locking member 40 has a pressing portion 40a and a locking portion 40b that project toward the engaging member 9. Still further, each locking portion 40b has an inclined surface 40c for urging the corresponding engaging portion 9b in the engaging direction when the locking portion 40b is engaged with the engaging portion 9b.
Herein below, a description will be made of the actions of the retention device 62 when the visor body 4 is applied with a force acting in the direction of slipping-off of the support shaft 3.
When the visor body 4 is applied with a force F in the direction of slipping-off of the support shaft 3, the locking members 40 move together with the visor body 4 in the direction of slipping-off of the support shaft 3. This causes each pressing portion 40a of the each locking member 40 to press the force receiving portions 9a of the locking members 9 so that each engaging member 9 pivots about their respective pivot shafts 9c. Each engaging portion 9b of each engaging member 9 then comes into engagement with each corresponding locking member 40.
The fourth representative embodiment is constructed as described above. That is, as shown in
Still further, each engaging member 9 has an engaging portion 9b that is pivoted into engagement with the visor body 4 as the visor body 4 moves in the direction of slipping-off of the support shaft 3. Each engaging member 9 is thus brought into firm engagement with the visor body 4 by utilizing the force acting in the direction of slipping-off of the support shaft 3. Therefore, the slipping-off of the visor body 4 from the support shaft 3 can be securely inhibited.
The present invention may not be limited to the first through fourth representative embodiments, which are presented only as examples of the teachings of the invention. In addition, the invention can be configured as the following embodiments among others, such as, combinations of various components of the embodiments for example.
(1) The engaging members according to the fourth representative embodiment are pivotably mounted onto the support shaft (see
(2) Further, in each of the first through fourth representative embodiments, the inclined surface, which applies the force acting to bring the engaging portions into engagement with the locking portions, is provided on the engaging portion side. However, the inclined surfaces may be provided on the locking portion side.
(3) In addition, the pair of engaging members of the first and second representative embodiments is mounted to the visor body. However, to unitize the pair of engaging members, a holding member may be provided to pivotably hold the pair of engaging members, with those components being integrally mounted to the visor body.
(4) Further, the visor body of the first through the fourth representative embodiments is a hollow shell member. However, the visor body may be a solid one composed of expanded polystyrene or the like.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2005-014192 | Jan 2005 | JP | national |