Sun visor for automotive vehicle

• US 4,984,137 A
• Filed: 11/02/1989
• Issued: 01/08/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Maemura, Kenichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Husar, Stephen F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/430,323
• Time in Patent Office: 432 Days
• Field of Search: 362/61, 362/74, 362/135, 362/140, 362/141, 362/142, 362/144, 296/97.1, 296/97.2, 296/97.5
• US Class Current: 362/492
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 3/0282 specially adapted for a courtesy mirror

Abstract

To improve the usability of a vanity mirror of a sun visor for an automotive vehicle, the vanity mirror is removably housed within a mirror accommodating hollow space formed in a sun visor body, and further locked to or unlocked from the hollow space via a locking mechanism when the vanity mirror unit is a little pushed into the hollow space. Further, the removable vanity mirror unit comprises a storage cell (charged by a car battery when the mirror unit is housed in the sun visor body) and an illumination lamp, so that the removed mirror unit can be used as a portable illumination mirror.

Claims

1. A sun visor for an automotive vehicle comprising:

(a) a sun visor body formed with a mirror accommodating hollow space having an opening in one side space of said sun visor body;

(b) a vanity mirror unit removably held in the mirror accommodating hollow space when said vanity mirror unit is inserted from the opening, said vanity mirror unit having a mirror mounted therein; and

(c) a locking mechanism for locking and unlocking said vanity mirror unit to and from the mirror accommodating hollow space, said locking mechanism comprising;

(1) a cover member formed with a hole;

(2) a slider member having a pivotal hook member inserted into the hole of the cover member and pivotable from a closed position in which it locks said vanity mirror unit within the mirror accommodating hollow space to an open position in which it unlocks said vanity mirror unit from the mirror accommodating space; and

(3) cam means, cooperating with said slider member, for moving said slider member from a first position in which said hook member is held in said closed position via contact with said cover member to a second position in which said hook member is pivotable into said open position.

2. The sun visor of claim 1, wherein said cam means comprises a spring which contacts said slider member to bias said slider member towards said second position, a cam groove formed in said slider member, and an idler pin engaging the cam groove.

3. The sun visor of claim 2, wherein said cam groove is a reverse heart-shaped cam groove, and further comprising a striker member extending from said vanity mirror unit, said striker member being locked by said hook member when said striker member pushes said slider member against said spring so that said idler pin slides from an uppermost unlock position to a lower lock position of said cam groove, and being unlocked from said hook member when said striker member pushes said slider member against said spring so that said idler pin slides from the lower lock position to the uppermost unlock position of said cam groove.

4. The sun visor of claim 3, wherein said hook member engages a first side of said striker member, and further comprising a second hook member engaging a second side of said striker member.

5. The sun visor of claim 1, further comprising:

(a) a storage cell housed in said vanity mirror unit;

(b) a lamp housed in said vanity mirror unit; and

(c) a lamp switch connected between said storage cell and said lamp.

6. The sun visor of claim 4, wherein said sun visor body further comprises a pair of spring terminals connected to a car battery, and wherein said vanity mirror unit further comprises a pair of contact terminals connected to said storage cell, said spring terminals and said contact terminals being brought into contact with each other whenever said vanity unit is inserted into said sun visor body to charge said storage cell by said car battery through said spring terminals and said contact terminals.

7. A sun visor for an automotive vehicle comprising:

(a) a sun visor body formed with a mirror accommodating hollow space having an opening on one side surface of said sun visor body;

(b) a vanity mirror unit removably housed in the mirror accommodating hollow space when said vanity mirror unit is inserted from the opening; and

(c) locking means for locking and unlocking said vanity mirror unit to and from the mirror accommodating hollow space of said sun visor body, said locking means comprising;

(1) a cover member formed with a central hole;

(2) a slider member formed with a reverse heart-shaped cam groove and having two pivotal hook members inserted into the central hole of said cover member and pivoted open when released;

(3) a spring for urging said slider member away from said cover member; and

(4) an idler pin engaged with the reverse heart-shaped cam groove of said slider member, a striker member attached to said vanity mirror unit, said striker member being locked by said two pivotal hook members when said striker member pushes said slider member against said spring so that said idler pin slides from an uppermost unlock position to a lower lock position of said reverse heart-shaped cam groove, and being unlocked from said two pivotal hook members when said striker member pushes said slider member against said spring so that said idler pin slides from the lower lock position to the uppermost unlock position of said reversed heart-shaped cam groove.

8. The sun visor of claim 7, wherein said vanity mirror unit comprises:

(a) a storage cell housed in said vanity mirror unit;

(b) a lamp housed in said vanity mirror unit; and

(c) a lamp switch connected between said storage cell and said lamp.

9. The sun visor of claim 28 wherein said sun visor body further comprises a pair of spring terminals connected to a car battery, and wherein said vanity mirror unit further comprises a pair of contact terminals connected to said storage cell, said spring terminals and said contact terminals being brought into contact with each other, whenever said vanity mirror unit is inserted into said sun visor body, to charge said storage cell by the car battery through said spring terminals and contact terminals.