WO1991011340A1

WO1991011340A1 - Motor vehicle sunvisor

Info

Publication number: WO1991011340A1
Application number: PCT/SE1991/000060
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sven Elfensson; Nicklas Bennstedt; Mats JÖNSÅS
Original assignee: Autopart Sweden Ab
Priority date: 1990-01-31
Filing date: 1991-01-25
Publication date: 1991-08-08
Also published as: SE9000337D0; SE9000337L; SE465719B

Abstract

Motor vehicle sunvisor consisting of an oblong plate (1) covered by a sheeting material, with a mirror (8), which is flush-mounted in a depression (4) on one side of the plate. Between the sheeting (2) and the plate (1), a moulding frame (6) is glued along the edges of the depression. A mirror frame (9) with hooked pins (10) extending into holes (7) in the moulding frame, holds the mirror in place when pressed down into the depression.

Description

Motor vehicle _sunvisor

The present invention relates to a motor vehicle sunvisor, comprising an oblong plate covered with sheeting, which plate has on one side a depression in which a component in the form of a mirror, illumination unit or the like with surrounding frame, is fixed. The invention also relates to a process for manufacturing such a sunvisor.

Motor vehicle sunvisors are produced in very large series, and therefore it is quite essential that their design be such that they can be manufactured efficiently with uni¬ form quality and with a minimum of manual work. When pro¬ ducing a sunvisor of the type described above by way of introduction, the component and the frame should-, for estethic considerations and for reasons of safety, lie flush with the surrounding surface of the sunvisor, i.e. be entirely sunk into the depression. The sheeting must be joined to the edges of the frame without forming wrinkles at the frame or at the edges of the plate itself.

in a common type of sunvisor, the plate is a foam plastic body and the sheeting is plastic sheeting, e.g. vinyl, which has a certain amount of stretch. The sheeting is stretched over the plate and is welded at its edges. When producing a sunvisor with a depression for a component, e.g. a mirror with associated frame, the sheeting must either be cut off in the area of the depression or be pressed down into the depression. If the sheeting is cut off over the depression, the frame must be glued to the edges of the opening formed before the sheeting is stretched and welded about the plate. This step requires manual labour and is complicated and time consuming in a production process which is otherwise highly automatic. If faults should occur, such as can occur when welding the sheeting around the plate, e.g. wrinkle formation at the rounded lateral edges of the plate, not only the sheeting must be discarded but also the glued frame.

In order to be able to retain the sheeting over the com- preεsion when it is stretched and welded about the plate, the sheeting material must be weakened at the depression area in order to be stretched and pressed down without affecting the stretching over the edges of the plate in such a manner as to form wrinkles. This can be done by heating the sheet material over the depression or by per¬ forating it. Heating has, however, the disadvantage that it affects the appearance of the sheeting in an edge area about the depression, and perforation risks creating a wavy or wrinkled edge against the frame.

The purpose of the present invention is to achieve a sun- visor of the type described by way of introduction, in which the sheeting can be pressed down into the depression to permit sunken mounting of a component, e.g. a mirror, and a frame, without requiring special treatment of the sheeting before welding about the plate.

This is achieved according to the invention by virtue of the fact that moulding elements are fixed to the plate between the plate and the sheeting at at least two opposite sides of the depression, that said moulding elements have a plurality of through-holes, and that the frame is provided with grooved or hooked pins which extend into the holes and fix the frame to the plate.

The invention provides a sunvisor in which the sheeting, with the aid of the mirror frame, is stretched and pressed down into the depression when the frame is mounted in place and its pins pierce through the sheeting into the holes in the moulding elements.

The invention will be described below in more detail with reference to an example shown in the accompanying drawing, which shows a sectional perspective view of a sunvisor with a component in the form of a mirror.

The sunvisor is formed of an oblong plate 1 of foamed plastic, for example, and a sheeting 2 of vinyl, for example, which is stretched over the plate 1 and welded together at at least three sides (not shown in more detail) .

The plate is provided on one side 3 with a depression 4, which in the example shown is rectangular and has a chan¬ nel 5 extending along all sides of the depression. In the channel there is glued a plastic moulding element 6 with a shape fitting the channel 5.

The moulding element 6 has a U-profile with its open side facing the bottom of the channel. Through-holes 7 are spaced along the bottom of the profile. A mirror 8 is disposed in the depression 4 and is held in place by a plastic rectangular mirror frame 9, which has pins 10 extending into holes 7 and fixing the frame 9 to the moulding element.

when manufacturing the sunvisor described here, the moulding element 6 is first glued into the channel 5, whereafter the sheeting 2 is stretched over the plate 1 and welded at its edges without taking any special steps to press the sheeting 2 down into the depression 4. The mirror 8 is placed in the depression 4 and the frame 9 is aligned with the mirror. The pins 10 on the frame are adapted to the holes 7 in the moulding element, so that they are in alignment with the holes when the frame is in alignment with the mirror. The frame 9 can now be pressed towards the plate 1, and the pins 10 will pierce the sheeting and penetrate into the holes 7. The pins 10 are made with a pointed end and a bevelled portion 11 which terminates in a hook-shaped portion 12. The holes 7 are localized relative to the points of the pins and the bevelled portion 11, so that the pins are deflected laterally somewhat as they penetrate into the holes to finally spring back when the hooked portion 12 snaps in behind the edge of the respective hole, as shown in the Figure. The normal ductility of the sheet material allows the sheet to be stretched somewhat as it is pressed down into the depression so as to provide a smooth and even connection to the frame, as shown in the Figure.

Instead of a coherent moulding frame 6, separate straight moulding elements can be used. It is possible that it could be sufficient with moulding elements only on two opposite sides of the depression, e.g. its long sides or short sides. The pins with a single hook can be replaced with pins which are corrugated over most of their length.

Claims

1. Motor vehicle sunvisor, comprising an oblong plate covered with sheeting, which plate has on one side a de¬ pression in which a component in the form of a mirror, illumination unit or the like with surrounding frame, is fixed. c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that moulding elements (6) are fixed to the plate (l) between the plate and the sheeting (2) at at least two opposite sides of the depression (4), that said moulding elements have a plural¬ ity of through-holes (7), and that the frame is provided with grooved or hooked pins (10) which extend into the holes and fix the frame to the plate.

2. Sunvisor according to Claim l. c h a r a c t e r ¬ i z e d in that the moulding elements (6) are sunk in channels (5) at the edges of the depression (4).

3. Sunvisor according to Claim l or 2, c h a r a c t ¬ e r i z e d in that the moulding elements (6) are glued to the plate (l) .

4. Sunvisor according to one of Claims 1-3, c h a r ¬ a c t e r i z e d in that the moulding elements (6) have a U-profile and are oriented relative to the plate so that the U-profile together with the plate forms a channel into which the pins (10) of the frame extend.

5. Sunvisor according to one of Claims 1-4, c h a r ¬ a c t e r i z e d in that the depression (4) in the plate (1) is rectangular, and that said moulding elements (6) form a frame element adapted to the shape of the mirror frame and extending along all sides of the depression.

6. Sunvisor according to one of Claims 1-5, c h a r ¬ a c t e r i z e d in that the pins (10) of the frame (9) are resilient and are provided with hooks (12).

7. Method of manufacturing a sunvisor for motor vehicles, comprising an oblong plate covered with sheeting, which plate has on one side a depression, in which a mirror with surrounding frame is fixed, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in. that a) a depression or channel (5) is made in the depression (4) at at least two opposite sides of the same, b) U-shaped moulding elements (6) with holes in the bottom of the U-profile are glued into each channel (5) with the open portion of the U-profile facing the bottom of the channel, c) the plate (l) is covered with the sheeting (2), so that the sheeting covers the depression (9) and the moulding elements (6) , d) the mirror (8) is fixed to the sheeting over the de¬ pression with the aid of a mirror frame (9) provided with pins (10), which are made to pierce the sheeting and penetrate into the holes (7) in the moulding elements.

8. Method according to Claim 7, c h a r a c t e r ¬ i z e d in that a channel (5) is formed on all sides of the depression (4), and that a moulding element (6) in the form of a moulding frame adapted to the shape of the mir¬ ror frame (9) is glued into the channel.