Vehicular sun visor assembly

• US 5,205,639 A
• Filed: 07/22/1991
• Issued: 04/27/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Automotive Components Group North America (Lear Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Jay E. White, Jay R. White
• Inventors: White, Jay R., White, Jay E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazarus, Ira S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, Y MY QUACH
• Application Number:
  US07/733,298
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 296/97.1, 296/97.2, 296/97.12, 362/135, 362/140, 362/142, 362/143, 362/144, 362/80.1, 362/83.1, 362/74, 362/394, 362/137
• US Class Current: 362/137
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 3/0278 structure of the body B60J3/0208, B60J3/0213 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 3/0282 specially adapted for a courtesy mirror

Abstract

A lighted mirror sun visor assembly including a molded plastic base core member and a molded plastic cover core member. The exterior surface of the core members are covered with an upholstery material. The pivot rod, visor storage position spring, lighting circuit including lamps, mirror and sliding door are all preloaded into the base core member. Finally the cover core member is snapped locked to the base core member and the upholstery material is permanently held in place by separate retention means creating a unique seam with an overall aesthetic appearance.

Claims

1. A vehicular visor assembly comprising:

a molded plastic base core member having a longitudinally extending top, a longitudinally extending bottom and generally transverse sides,

a socket molded adjacent the longitudinally extending top and one of said transverse sides of said molded plastic base core member;

a pivot rod received in said socket;

a torque spring surrounding said pivot rod being preloaded and contained in said molded plastic base core member;

a circuit board mounted in said molded plastic base core member having a switch integral therewith and a part of a lighting circuit contained on said circuit board;

a vanity mirror mounted in said molded plastic base core member,

a sliding door mounted in longitudinally extending guides molded in said molded plastic base core member for movement from a closed position covering said vanity mirror to an open position exposing said vanity mirror for use and concealing said sliding door within said vehicular visor assembly, said sliding door having a switching element which contacts said switch to close it as said sliding door is moved from its closed to its open position;

at least one lamp connected with said lighting circuit and a lens for directing light from said lamp towards an object to be observed in said vanity mirror;

a molded plastic cover core member having an access opening providing access to said sliding door and underlying vanity mirror; and

a plurality of spaced complimentary locking means adjacent the peripheries of said molded plastic base core member and said molded plastic cover core member for snap locking said molded plastic cover core member to said molded plastic base core member.

2. The vehicular visor assembly according to claim 1 wherein said pivot rod is hollow and carries input power for said lighting circuit.

3. The vehicular visor assembly according to claim 2 wherein said pivot rod is a molded plastic with metal tube in its center;

said metal tube being one of two input power leads and a wire inside of said metal tube being an other of the two input power leads to said lighting circuit.

4. The vehicular visor assembly according to claim 3 wherein a portion of the molded plastic pivot rod is cut away to form a connection between the metal tube and a spring loaded contact which forms a switch which opens said lighting circuit as the vehicular visor assembly is pivoted into a storage position adjacent a vehicle roof and the spring loaded contact passes from the cut away portion to be insulated by the plastic of said molded plastic pivot rod.

5. The vehicular visor assembly according to claim 1 wherein said switch is a pressure switch molded in said circuit board extending substantially the length of said sliding door in the closed position of said sliding door, and said switching element is a rib on said sliding door which contacts said switch upon initial sliding of said sliding door from its closed position to maintain a continuous moving contact during sliding of the sliding door from adjacent to its closed position to its open position and back to adjacent its closed position.

6. The vehicular visor assembly according to claim 5 wherein said switch is a resistance element forming part of said lighting circuit causing continuous increasing brightness of said at least one lamp as the sliding door is moved from its closed position to its open position and continuous decreasing brightness as the sliding door is moved from its open position to its closed position.

7. The vehicular visor assembly according to claim 1 wherein said vanity mirror is bonded adhesively to said circuit board.

8. The vehicular visor assembly according to claim 1 wherein said pivot rod has a generally cylindrical surface with a planar detent surface portion, and said torque spring is generally U-shaped having opposed legs joined by a bight, one of said opposed legs having a portion adjacent the bight conforming to the generally cylindrical surface of said pivot rod and an other opposed leg with a planar surface conforming to the planar detent surface of said pivot rod, each of said opposed legs having a terminal free end which is restrained by a separate ledge portion of said molded plastic base core member to create a preloading force which tends to retain said vehicular visor assembly in a storage position adjacent a vehicle roof by the coaction of the planar detent surface of said pivot rod with the planar surface on said torque spring.

9. The vehicular visor assembly according to claim 8 wherein the terminal free ends of said opposed legs are bifurcated with a post portion of said molded plastic base core member located in said bifurcation to retain said torque spring in said molded plastic base core member.

10. A vehicular sun visor assembly comprising:

a core member;

a socket located in said core member, said socket having bearing portions;

a vanity mirror mounted in said core member;

at least one lamp adjacent said vanity mirror, said at least one lamp having a lens for directing light from said at least one lamp towards an object to be observed in said vanity mirror, said lamp being connected to a lighting circuit in said core member;

a pivot rod received in said socket for pivoting said visor assembly between a storage position adjacent a vehicle roof and a substantially vertical use position, said pivot rod including;

a tubular plastic shank surrounding an insert molded metal tube, said insert molded metal tube being one of two input power leads to said lighting circuit, and a wire inside said insert molded metal tube being an other of the two input power leads to said lighting circuit; and

said tubular plastic shank having bearing portions cooperating with the bearing portions of said socket providing smooth rotation of said pivot rod in said socket moving said vehicular sun visor assembly between its storage position to its use position.

11. The vehicular visor assembly according to claim 10 wherein a portion of the tubular plastic shank is cut away to form a connection between the insert molded metal tube and a spring loaded contact which forms a switch which opens said lighting circuit as the vehicular visor assembly is pivoted into said storage position and the spring loaded contact passes from the cut away portion of the tubular plastic shank to be insulated by said tubular plastic shank.

12. A vehicular visor assembly comprising:

a molded plastic base core member having a longitudinally extending top, a longitudinally extending bottom and generally transverse sides,

a socket molded adjacent the longitudinal extending top and one of said transverse sides of said molded plastic base core member;

a pivot rod received in said socket;

a torque spring surrounding said pivot rod being preloaded and contained in said molded plastic base core member;

a lighting circuit mounted in said molded plastic base core member having a first switching element;

a vanity mirror mounted in said molded plastic base core member,

a sliding door mounted in longitudinally extending guides molded in said molded plastic base core member for movement from a closed position covering said vanity mirror to an open position exposing said vanity mirror for use and concealing said sliding door within said vehicular visor assembly, said sliding door having a second switching element which contacts said first switching element to close said lighting circuit as said sliding door is moved from its closed to its open position;

at least one lamp connected with said lighting circuit and a lens for directing light from said at least one lamp towards an object to be observed in said vanity mirror;

a molded plastic cover core member having an access opening providing access to said sliding door and underlying vanity mirror; and

a plurality of spaced complimentary locking means adjacent the peripheries of said molded plastic base core member and said molded plastic cover core member for snap locking said molded plastic cover core member to said molded plastic base core member.

13. The vehicular visor assembly according to claim 12 wherein said pivot rod is hollow and carries input power for said lighting circuit.

14. The vehicular visor assembly according to claim 13 wherein said pivot rod is a molded plastic with metal tube in its center;

said metal tube being one of two input power leads and a wire inside of said metal tube being an other of the two input power leads to said lighting circuit.

15. The vehicular visor assembly according to claim 14 wherein a portion of the molded plastic pivot rod is cut away to form a connection between the metal tube and a spring loaded contact which forms a switch which opens said lighting circuit as the vehicular visor assembly is pivoted into a storage position adjacent a vehicle roof and the spring loaded contact passes from the cut away portion to be insulated by the plastic of said molded plastic pivot rod.

16. The vehicular visor assembly according to claim 12 wherein said pivot rod has a generally cylindrical surface with a planar detent surface portion, and said torque spring is generally U-shaped having opposed legs joined by a bight, one of said opposed legs having a portion adjacent the bight conforming to the generally cylindrical surface of said pivot rod and an other opposed leg with a planar surface conforming to the planar detent surface of said pivot rod, each of said opposed legs having a terminal free end which is restrained by a separate ledge portion of said molded plastic base core member to create a preloading force which tends to retain said vehicular visor assembly in a storage position adjacent a vehicle roof by the coaction of the planar detent surface of said pivot rod with the planar surface on said torque spring.

17. The vehicular visor assembly according to claim 16 wherein the terminal free ends of said opposed legs are bifurcated with a post portion of said molded plastic base core member located in said bifurcation to retain said torque spring in said molded plastic base core member.