Vehicle sun visors and methods for manufacturing the same

• US 7,234,751 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2006
• Issued: 06/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyowa Sangyo Co., Ltd., Shinwa Seiko Company Limited (NSK Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kyowa Sangyo Co., Ltd., Shinwa Seiko Company Limited (NSK Limited)
• Inventors: Umemura, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): PAPE, JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US11/348,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20060175860A1
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 296/97.12, 296/97.13, 296/97.9
• US Class Current: 296/97.12
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 3/0252 Structure of the support arm
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 3/0265 Attachments of sun visors to mounting means including details of sun visor bearing member regulating the rotational friction on the support arm

Abstract

A vehicle sun visors includes a support rod and a visor body pivotally mounted to the support rod. The support rod has a removal preventing projection that may prevent the visor body from being removed from the support rod. A pair of electrically conductive members made of metal is disposed within the support rod in order to supply electric power to an electric appliance, such as an illuminating lamp of a mirror unit, which is mounted to the visor body. The electrically conductive members are embedded within the support rod when the synthetic resin is used to mold the support rod. A reinforcing member is formed integrally with one of the electrically conductive members and is embedded within the removal preventing projection in order to reinforce the removal preventing projection.

Claims

1. A vehicle sun visor movable between a storage position along a vehicle cabin ceiling and a light-shielding position away from the vehicle cabin ceiling, in which the vehicle sun visor comprises:

a support rod made of synthetic resin and arranged and constructed to be mounted to the vehicle cabin ceiling;

a visor body pivotally mounted to the support rod;

a removal preventing projection extending from an outer peripheral surface of the support rod and pivotally securing the visor body to the support rod;

a pair of electrically conductive members made of metal and disposed within the support rod,

wherein the pair of electrically conductive members are arranged and configured to conduct electric power to an electric appliance mounted to the visor body; and

a reinforcing member integrally formed with one of the electrically conductive members and reinforcing the removal preventing projection.

2. The vehicle sun visor as in claim 1, wherein each of the pair of electrically conductive members further comprises:

a connecting terminal formed on a first end of a corresponding electrically conductive member and arranged and constructed to be connected to a power source;

a contact formed on a second end of the corresponding electrically conductive member;

wherein the vehicle sun visor further comprises;

a contact terminal corresponding to each of the contacts and mounted to the visor body;

wherein when the visor body is in the light-shielding position, each of the contacts of the pair of electrically conductive members abuts the corresponding contact terminal and completes an electric circuit defined by the respective connecting terminals of the pair of electrically conductive members; and

wherein when the visor body is in the storage position, each of the contacts of the pair of electrically conductive members is isolated from the corresponding contact terminal and does not complete the electric circuit defined by the respective connecting terminals of the pair of electrically conductive members.

3. The vehicle sun visor as in claim 2, wherein the electric appliance is a lamp mounted to the sun visor body and the lamp is electrically connected to each of the corresponding contact terminals.

4. The vehicle sun visor as in claim 3,

wherein the reinforcing member is formed by bending a section of at least one of the pair of electrically conductive members.

5. The vehicle sun visor as in claim 4,

wherein the reinforcing member is bent approximately into the shape of a letter U.

6. The vehicle sun visor as in claim 4,

wherein the reinforcing member is bent approximately into a zigzag shape.

7. A vehicle sun visor comprising:

a support rod;

a visor body pivotally mounted to the support rod,

a removal preventing projection formed on the support rod to pivotally secure the visor body to the support rod;

a first electrically conductive member and a second electrically conductive member disposed within the visor rod and arranged and configured to conduct electricity;

a reinforcing member formed integrally with at least one of the first electrically conductive member or the second electrically conductive member and arranged and constructed to reinforce the removal preventing projection.

8. The vehicle sun visor as in claim 7,

wherein the support rod is integrally molded with the first electrically conductive member and the second electrically conductive member.

9. The vehicle sun visor as in claim 7,

wherein the support rod is made of synthetic resin;

and

wherein the first electrically conductive member and the second electrically conductive member are made of metal.

10. The vehicle sun visor as in claim 7, further comprising:

an electric appliance mounted to the visor body;

a pair of contact terminals mounted to the visor body and electrically connected to the electric appliance;

wherein the first electrically conductive member further comprises;

a first connecting terminal for connecting with a power source, and

a first contact;

wherein the second electrically conductive member further comprises;

a second connecting terminal for connecting with the power source; and

a second contact;

wherein the first contact and the second contact along with the pair of contact terminals either complete an electric circuit with the electric appliance or break the electric circuit with the electric appliance corresponding to a pivotal position of the visor body relative to the support rod.

11. The vehicle sun visor as in claim 10, further comprising:

a bearing mounted to the visor body and pivotally connecting the visor body to the support rod; and

wherein the pair of contact terminals are mounted to the bearing.

12. The vehicle sun visor as in claim 10,

wherein the electric appliance comprises an illumination lamp for a mirror unit mounted to the visor body.

13. The vehicle sun visor as in claim 10,

wherein the support rod comprises a rod portion defining a pivotal axis of the visor body;

and

wherein the first contact and the second contact are disposed on opposing sides of the rod portion; and

wherein the pair of contact terminals is resiliently abuts the rod portion from the opposing sides of the rod portion.

14. The vehicle sun visor as in claim 9,

wherein the reinforcing member is formed by bending a section of at least one of the first electrically conductive member or the second electrically conductive member.

15. The vehicle sun visor as in claim 14,

wherein the reinforcing member is bent approximately into the shape of a letter U.

16. The vehicle sun visor as in claim 14,

wherein the reinforcing member is bent approximately into a zigzag shape.