SUN VISOR AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A SUN VISOR

Abstract

A sun visor core (10) comprises two major surfaces (11) and a perimeter (12). In correspondence with one portion of the perimeter (12) the core comprises a retention member (13) for retaining a portion of a flexible cover, the retention member (13) comprising an aperture (130) for receiving the portion of the flexible cover. The retention member (13) further comprises, in said aperture (130), a plurality of projections (130a, 130b) adapted for engaging the flexible cover.

Claims

1. A sun visor core (10) comprising two major surfaces (11) and a perimeter (12), each one of the major surfaces (12) being configured for receiving a pad so that the core and the pads together form a sun visor body, characterized in that in correspondence with one portion of the perimeter (12) the core comprises a retention member (13) for retaining a portion of a flexible cover, the retention member (13) comprising an aperture (130) for receiving the portion of the flexible cover, the retention member (13) further comprising, in said aperture (130), a plurality of projections (130a, 130b) adapted for engaging the flexible cover.

2. The sun visor core according to claim 1, wherein the aperture (130) is situated between two edges (132) of the retention member extending along a portion of the perimeter (12) of the core (10).

3. The sun visor core according to claim 1, wherein the aperture (130) is defined between two opposing internal surfaces (13a, 13b) of the retention member (13), and wherein the projections (130a, 130b) extend from said surfaces forming at least a first row of projections (130a) extending from a first one of said surfaces (13a), and a second row of projections (130b) extending from a second one of said surfaces.

4. The sun visor core according to claim 3, wherein the first row of projections and the second row of projections are staggered in relation to each other, so that at least some of the projections (130a) of the first row of projections are placed between two projections (130b) of the second row of projections, and vice-versa.

5. The sun visor core according to claim 4, wherein at least some of the projections (130a) of the first row of projections are spaced a distance (b) in the range of 5-15 mm from the adjacent projections (130b) in the second row of projections in the direction along the rows of projections, and wherein in each of the rows of projections, the distance (a) between at least two adjacent projections is in the range of 15-30 mm, these distances corresponding to the spacings between the centerpoints of the respective projections.

6. The sun visor core according to claim 1, wherein the aperture (130) has a height (f) in the range of 1.5-3 mm.

7. The sun visor core according to claim 6, wherein at least some of the projections (130a, 130b) have a height (c) in the range of 1-2 mm.

8. The sun visor core according to claim 3, wherein at least some of the projections (130a, 130b) have a length (d) in the direction into the aperture in the range of 3-10 mm.

9. The sun visor core according to claim 3, wherein at least some of the projections (130a, 130b) have a width (e) in the direction along the aperture in the range of 0.5-2 mm.

10. A sun visor body comprising the core (10) according to claim 1 having two pads (20), one of the pads (20) being applied to a first one of the two major surfaces (11) of the core (10) and another one of the pads being applied to a second one of the two major surfaces of the core.

11. The sun visor body of claim 10, wherein the pads (20) have a perimeter (21), and wherein the retention member (13) lies flush with the perimeter (21) of the pads (20).

12. The sun visor body of claim 10, wherein the pads (20) have a perimeter (21), and wherein the retention member (13) is recessed from the perimeter (21) of the pads by a distance (g) in the range of 0.1-5 mm, preferably 0.1-1 mm, more preferably 0.1-0.5 mm, even more preferably 0.1-0.3 mm.

13. A sun visor for an automotive vehicle, comprising the sun visor body of claim 10, and a cover (30), the cover (30) covering the pads (20).

14. The sun visor according to claim 13, wherein an end (31) of the cover is retained in the aperture (130) of the retention member (13).

15. A method of manufacturing a sun visor for an automotive vehicle, comprising: providing a sun visor body according to claim 10, providing a cover (30) defining an interior space accessible through an opening in an end (31) of the cover; inserting the sun visor body into the cover through the open end (31) thereof; inserting the open end (31) of the cover (30) into the aperture (130) of the retention member (13).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] To complete the description and in order to provide for a better understanding of the invention, a set of drawings is provided. Said drawings form an integral part of the description and illustrate some embodiments of the invention, which should not be interpreted as restricting the scope of the invention, but just as examples of how the invention can be carried out. The drawings comprise the following figures:

[0032] FIG. 1 is a top view of a partially assembled sun visor body according to the state of the art.

[0033] FIG. 2 is a top view of a partially assembled sun visor body according to one possible embodiment of the invention.

[0034] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of part of the sun visor body of FIG. 2.

[0035] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a detail of a retention member in an embodiment of the invention.

[0036] FIG. 5 is a schematic front view of the retention member of FIG. 4.

[0037] FIG. 6 is a schematic cross sectional view of a detail of the retention member of FIG. 4.

[0038] FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of a detail of the retention member of FIG. 4.

[0039] FIGS. 8A and 8B are schematic cross-sectional views of a detail of a sun visor according to two alternative embodiments of the invention.

[0040] FIGS. 9A-9D schematically illustrate how a cover can be applied over the sun visor body in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF A WAY OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0041] FIGS. 2 and 3 schematically illustrate one possible embodiment of the invention, namely, a partially assembled sun visor 1 comprising a mainly plastic core 10 with two major surfaces 11 (one of which is shown in FIG. 2) and a perimeter 12 determining the outline of the core 10. The other major surface is in contact with a pad 20. The sun visor has a generally rectangular configuration, and in correspondence with one of its shorter sides the core 10 comprises a retention member 13. The retention member features a gap or aperture 130 in correspondence with the perimeter, and this aperture is adapted for receiving and retaining a portion of a cover, as will be explained below. As shown in FIG. 3, the gap or aperture 13 is formed between two edges 132 of the retention member 13 which extend along and define the corresponding portion of the perimeter 12 of the core.

[0042] The aperture is defined between two opposing internal surfaces 13a, 13b of the retention member, and from these surfaces a plurality of projections or teeth 130a, 130b extend for the purpose of retaining an open end portion of a cover. As schematically illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, in one embodiment of the invention the teeth are distributed between the opposing surfaces of the gap or aperture 130, so that one row of teeth 130a is arranged on one of the surfaces, and another row of teeth 130b is arranged on the opposite surface, in an offset or staggered manner so that the teeth 130a in the first row, such as in an upper row, are placed between the teeth in the second row, such as in the lower row, in the direction of the gap according to the circumference of the core. Preferably, the two rows are offset in relation to each other so that the teeth of one row are spaced from the teeth of the other row by a distance corresponding to approximately 50% of the distance between the centers of two consecutive teeth in any of the rows. This is schematically illustrated in FIG. 5, showing how the distance b between the centers of two consecutive teeth 130a and 130b along the gap 130 (in the direction of the perimeter of the core) is about 50% of the distance between the centers of two consecutive teeth 130a in the upper row. In a typical implementation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a is in the range of 10-30 mm and b is in the range of 5-15 mm.

[0043] In the illustrated embodiment, and as schematically illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the gap has a height f (for example, in the range of 1.5-3 mm), and the teeth have: a height c (for example, in the range of 1-2 mm), a length d (for example, in the range of 3-10 mm) in the direction perpendicular to the perimeter of the core (that is, in the direction into the gap), and a width e (for example, in the range of 0.5-2 mm). Values of c, d, e and f within these ranges are considered to be especially appropriate in the context of vehicle sun visors.

[0044] Whereas FIG. 3 schematically illustrates how the retention member can extend beyond the pads, it may be preferred that the retention member rather be recessed in relation to the pads, as schematically illustrated in FIG. 8A. FIG. 8A shows a cross section of a sun visor in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, including a core with a retention member 13 and two EPP pads 20. A cover 30 has been applied over the body comprising pads 20 and core (including the retention member 13), and the open end 31 of the sock-like cover 30 has been inserted into the gap of the retention member, as schematically illustrated in FIG. 8A. Differently from the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, here the retention member is slightly recessed in relation to the perimeter 21 of the pads, by a distance g in, for example, the range of 0.1-5 mm. This can help to ensure that a person contacting the sun visor will always feel the pads under the cover, rather than feeling the possibly harder retention member. At the same time it is achieved that the retention member will not leave visible marks on, for example, an external surface of a PVC cover. In some embodiments, it is preferred that the distance (offset) g be small, such as in the range of 0.1-1 mm, or 0.1-0.5 mm, such as 0.1-0.3 mm.

[0045] FIG. 8B shows an alternative embodiment in which the retention member 13 lies flush with the perimeter 21 of the pads 20. That is, here the offset g is approximately cero.

[0046] FIGS. 9A-9C schematically illustrate how a sun visor body including a core covered by two EPP pads 20 (one of which can be observed in FIGS. 9A and 9B) is inserted into a cover 30 with a bag-like or sock-like configuration, featuring an open end 31. The cover fits snuggly onto the sun visor body, and once the sun visor body has been inserted, the open end 31 is turned over inwards and inserted into the retention member 13, see FIG. 9D and FIGS. 8A and 8B. Depending on the material, additional measures can be taken to secure the cover, for example, by high frequency or laser welding at the perimeter. In some embodiments, the end of the cover is not inserted into the aperture but closed by welding or similar. This can, for example, by practical in the case of PVC covers.

[0047] The illustrated embodiments are suitable for the manufacture of sun visors with a large variety of covers, including covers of woven and non-woven fabrics, PVC, etc.

[0048] In this text, the term “comprises” and its derivations (such as “comprising”, etc.) should not be understood in an excluding sense, that is, these terms should not be interpreted as excluding the possibility that what is described and defined may include further elements, steps, etc.

[0049] Unless otherwise specified, any indicated ranges include the recited end points.

[0050] The invention is obviously not limited to the specific embodiment(s) described herein, but also encompasses any variations that may be considered by any person skilled in the art (for example, as regards the choice of materials, dimensions, components, configuration, etc.), within the general scope of the invention as defined in the claims.