Vehicle sun visor apparatus

• US 20050264022A1
• Filed: 05/31/2005
• Published: 12/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ASMO Company Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ASMO Company Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Hidetoshi, Suzuki, Hiromi
• Application Number:
  US11/141,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20050264022A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 296/97.400
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 3/0204 Sun visors

Abstract

A vehicle sun visor apparatus is located on a vehicle to block incident light on an eye position of an occupant of the vehicle. The vehicle sun visor apparatus includes a sun visor main body, a drive device, a light receiving sensor, a manipulation device, and a control device. The sun visor main body blocks the incident light, and the drive device moves the sun visor main body. The light receiving sensor is located at a position that does not block the view of the occupant and outputs a signal in accordance with the incident angle of the incident light. A range of an assumable eye position in the vehicle is set in advance, and the manipulation device inputs an assumed position of the eye position within the range by manipulation performed by the occupant. The control device specifies the incident angle of the incident light based on the output from the light receiving sensor and controls the movement of the sun visor main body by the drive device based on the incident angle and the assumed position.

Claims

1. A vehicle sun visor apparatus for blocking incident light on an eye position of an occupant of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a sun visor main body, which is movably supported by the vehicle to block the incident light;

a drive device for moving the sun visor main body;

a light receiving sensor located at a position that does not block the view of the occupant, and the light receiving sensor outputs a signal in accordance with the incident light;

a manipulation device, wherein a range of an assumable eye position in the vehicle is set in advance, and the manipulation device inputs an assumed position of the eye position within the range by manipulation performed by the occupant; and

a control device, which specifies the incident angle of the incident light based on the output from the light receiving sensor, and the control device controls the movement of the sun visor main body by the drive device based on the incident angle and the assumed position.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the manipulation device includes a manipulation body manipulated by the occupant,

wherein the control device sets a plurality of select positions corresponding to eye positions of a plurality of occupants having different physical sizes, and

wherein, when the occupant manipulates the manipulation body, the manipulation device specifies the assumed position among the select positions.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the select positions are set along a straight line, which inclines upward from the front of the vehicle to the rear of the vehicle.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the manipulation device includes a manipulation body manipulated by the occupant, and

wherein, when the occupant manipulates the manipulation body, the manipulation device moves the assumed position in the vertical and fore-and-aft directions of the vehicle.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the vehicle includes a seat in which the occupant is seated and a door located adjacent to the seat, and the manipulation device is located on the door.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the manipulation direction of the manipulation body corresponds to the moving direction of the assumed position.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the range of the eye position is set along a straight line.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the range of the eye position is set along a straight line, which inclines upward from the front of the vehicle to the rear of the vehicle.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the manipulation device includes a rotary manipulation body, which is rotatably supported about an axis, and when the occupant manipulates the rotary manipulation body, the assumed position is moved in accordance with the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the rotary manipulation body.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the manipulation device includes:

a disk, which rotates integrally with the rotary manipulation body, wherein a plurality of grooves, which extend along the thickness direction of the disk, are formed on a circumferential surface of the disk;

a hook, which selectively engages with each groove; and

an urging member, which urges the hook toward the groove, wherein the groove engaged with the hook is sequentially switched to the adjacent groove in accordance with rotation of the rotary manipulation body.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the manipulation device includes a ball, and the ball is supported to be rotatable about the center of the ball, and

wherein, when the occupant manipulates the ball, the manipulation device moves the assumed position in accordance with the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the ball.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the manipulation device includes a touch pad, and the manipulation device moves the assumed position in accordance with a position on the touch pad where the occupant touches and a change of the touched position.

13. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the manipulation device includes a manipulation body manipulated by the occupant,

wherein the manipulation body is moved to describe a path that is the same as the range of the eye position, and

wherein, when the occupant manipulates the manipulation body, the manipulation device moves the assumed position in accordance with the moving amount of the manipulation body.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control device sets a line representing the path of the distal end position of the sun visor main body, a light blocking position, which is shifted downward from the assumed position by a predetermined distance set in accordance with the light blocking amount required by the occupant, and a straight line, which passes through the light blocking position and is inclined by the same angle as the incident angle of the incident light, and

wherein the sun visor main body is moved such that the distal end of the sun visor main body is located at the intersection between the line representing the path and the straight line.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising an automatic mode for adjusting the position of the sun visor main body in accordance with the assumed position of the eye position, a manual mode for adjusting the position of the sun visor main body in accordance with a signal from a manual manipulation switch, and a selector switch for selecting one of the automatic mode and the manual mode, and

wherein the control device controls the movement of the sun visor main body based on the assumed position when the automatic mode is selected, and controls the movement of the sun visor main body in accordance with the signal from the manual manipulation switch when the manual mode is selected.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a nonvolatile storage device, which stores the assumed position,

wherein the control device controls the movement of the sun visor main body based on the assumed position stored in the nonvolatile storage device.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the vehicle includes a steering wheel and a seat having a reclining seat back,

wherein the nonvolatile storage device stores the position of the steering wheel, the position of the seat, and the reclining position of the seat back, and

the control device controls the movement of the sun visor main body based on the assumed position, the position of the steering wheel, the position of the seat, and the reclining position of the seat back, which are stored in the nonvolatile storage device.

18. A vehicle sun visor apparatus for blocking incident light on an eye position of an occupant of a vehicle,

wherein the vehicle includes:

a driver'"'"'s seat and a front passenger seat,

the apparatus comprising;

a first sun visor main body movably supported by the vehicle to block the incident light on the eye position of the occupant seated in the driver'"'"'s seat;

a second sun visor main body movably supported by the vehicle to block the incident light on the eye position of the occupant seated in the front passenger seat;

a first drive device for moving the first sun visor main body;

a second drive device for moving the second sun visor main body;

a light receiving sensor located at a position that does not block the view of the occupant, and the light receiving sensor outputs a signal in accordance with the incident light;

a manipulation device, a range of an assumable eye position in the vehicle is set in advance, and the manipulation device inputs a first assumed position of the eye position of the occupant seated in the driver'"'"'s seat and a second assumed position of the eye position of the occupant seated in the front passenger seat within the range by manipulation performed by the occupant; and

a control device, which specifies the incident angle of the incident light based on the output from the light receiving sensor, and the control device controls the movement of the first and the second sun visor main bodies by the drive devices based on the incident angle and the first and second assumed positions,

wherein the manipulation device includes;

a manipulation body manipulated by the occupant; and

a selector switch for selecting either the movement of the first assumed position or the movement of the second assumed position, and the manipulation device is located between the driver'"'"'s seat and the front passenger seat.