Sunvisor device for a vehicle

• US 7,347,479 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2005
• Issued: 03/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ASMO Company Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ASMO Company Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Hidetoshi, Suzuki, Hiromi
• Primary Examiner(s): Morrow; Jason S.
• Application Number:
  US11/110,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20050264021A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: 296/210, 296/97.8, 296/97.1, 296/97.4, 160/DIG.3, 160/DIG.2
• US Class Current: 296/97.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 3/0204 Sun visors

Abstract

Assume that the position of a sun visor main body is adjusted by an occupant when incident light having the incident angle θ1 has entered a vehicle passenger compartment. Then, a straight line L1 is obtained that passes through the distal end position S1 of the moved sun visor main body and is inclined by the same angle as the incident angle θ1. At this time, the intersection between a straight line Y1, which passes through an eye position P0 of a average sized person and extends along the vertical direction of a vehicle, and the straight line L1 is estimated as an eye position P1 of the occupant. Thereafter, a light blocking control is performed in accordance with the estimated eye position P1.

Claims

1. A vehicle sun visor apparatus, comprising:

a light blocking device, which has a sun visor main body provided on a vehicle to block incident light;

a light receiving sensor, which outputs an incident light detection signal for specifying the incident angle of the incident light; and

a control device, which specifies the incident angle of the incident light based on the incident light detection signal and performs a light blocking control to block the incident light with the light blocking device,

wherein the control device stores a reference eye position of an occupant of the vehicle, and

wherein the control device estimates, as an eye position of the occupant, the intersection between a straight line that passes through the reference eye position and extends along the vertical direction of the vehicle and a straight line that passes through the distal end position of the sun visor main body arranged at a position appropriate for shielding the occupant from light and is inclined by the same angle as the incident angle specified by the control device, and performs the light blocking control in accordance with the estimated eye position.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position of the sun visor main body is manually adjustable by the occupant, the apparatus further comprising;

instructing means for instructing the control device to estimate the eye position of the occupant after the occupant adjusted the position of the sun visor main body.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position of the sun visor main body is manually adjustable by the occupant, and

wherein the control device estimates the eye position of the occupant after a predetermined time has elapsed from when the occupant adjusted the position of the sun visor main body.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control device includes a storing section for storing the estimated eye position, and

the apparatus includes discarding means for deleting the estimated eye position stored in the storing section.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control device performs the light blocking control by moving the sun visor main body such that the distal end of the sun visor main body is arranged at the intersection between a line that represents the moving path of the distal end position of the sun visor main body and a line that passes through the eye position and is inclined by the same angle as the incident angle of the incident light.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising selecting means for selecting either of a manual mode in which the occupant adjusts the position of the sun visor main body and an automatic mode in which the control device adjusts the position of the sun visor main body, wherein the control device estimates the eye position of the occupant based on the stopped position of the sun visor main body adjusted by the occupant while the manual mode is selected and the incident angle of the incident light at that time, and performs the light blocking control in accordance with the estimated eye position when the automatic mode is selected.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

selecting means for selecting either of a manual mode in which the occupant adjusts the position of the sun visor main body and an automatic mode in which the control device adjusts the position of the sun visor main body; and

instructing means for instructing the control device to estimate the eye position of the occupant, wherein, when being instructed by the instructing means, the control device estimates the eye position of the occupant based on the stopped position of the sun visor main body at the time of the instruction and the incident angle of the incident light at that time, and performs the light blocking control in accordance with the estimated eye position when the automatic mode is selected.

2. A vehicle sun visor apparatus, comprising:

a light blocking device, which has a sun visor main body provided on a vehicle to block incident light;

a light receiving sensor, which outputs an incident light detection signal for detecting the incident angle of the incident light; and

a control device, which specifies the incident angle of the incident light based on the incident light detection signal and performs a light blocking control to block the incident light with the light blocking device,

wherein the control device stores a reference eye position of an occupant of the vehicle, and

wherein the control device estimates, as an eye position of the occupant, the intersection between a first straight line that passes through the distal end position of the sun visor main body arranged at a position appropriate for shielding the occupant from light and is inclined by the same angle as the incident angle specified by the control device and a second straight line that passes through the reference eye position and is perpendicular to the first straight line, and performs the light blocking control in accordance with the estimated eye position.

12. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the position of the sun visor main body is manually adjustable by the occupant, the apparatus further comprising:

instructing means for instructing the control device to estimate the eye position of the occupant after the occupant has adjusted the position of the sun visor main body.

13. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the position of the sun visor main body is manually adjustable by the occupant, and

wherein the control device estimates the eye position of the occupant after a predetermined time has elapsed from when the occupant adjusted the position of the sun visor main body.

14. The apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the control device includes a storing section for storing the estimated eye position, and

wherein the apparatus includes discarding means for deleting the estimated eye position stored in the storing section.

15. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control device performs the light blocking control by moving the sun visor main body such that the distal end of the sun visor main body is arranged at the intersection between a line that represents the moving path of the distal end position of the sun visor main body and a line that passes through the eye position and is inclined by the same angle as the incident angle of the incident light.

16. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising selecting means for selecting either of a manual mode in which the occupant adjusts the position of the sun visor main body and an automatic mode in which the control device adjusts the position of the sun visor main body, wherein the control device estimates the eye position of the occupant based on the stopped position of the sun visor main body adjusted by the occupant while the manual mode is selected and the incident angle of the incident light at that time, and performs the light blocking control in accordance with the estimated eye position when the automatic mode is selected.

17. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

selecting means for selecting either of a manual mode in which the occupant adjusts the position of the sun visor main body and an automatic mode in which the control device adjusts the position of the sun visor main body; and

instructing means for instructing the control device to estimate the eye position of the occupant, wherein, when being instructed by the instructing means, the control device estimates the eye position of the occupant based on the stopped position of the sun visor main body at the time of the instruction and the incident angle of the incident light at that time, and performs the light blocking control in accordance with the estimated eye position when the automatic mode is selected.

3. A vehicle sun visor apparatus, comprising:

a light blocking device, which has a sun visor main body provided on a vehicle to block incident light;

a light receiving sensor, which outputs an incident light detection signal for detecting the incident angle of the incident light; and

a control device, which specifies the incident angle of the incident light based on the incident light detection signal and performs a light blocking control to block the incident light with the light blocking device,

wherein the control device estimates, as an eye position of an occupant, the intersection between two straight lines, each of which passes through one of two different positions that correspond to the distal end position of the sun visor main body adjusted by the occupant and is inclined by the same angle as the incident angle at the time of each adjustment, and performs the light blocking control in accordance with the estimated eye position.

4. A vehicle sun visor apparatus, comprising:

a light blocking device, which has a sun visor main body provided on a vehicle to block incident light;

a light receiving sensor, which outputs an incident light detection signal for detecting the incident angle of the incident light; and

a control device, which specifies the incident angle of the incident light based on the incident light detection signal and performs a light blocking control to block the incident light with the light blocking device,

wherein, on an xy-coordinate plane including an x-axis that represents the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle and a y-axis that represents the vertical direction of the vehicle, the control device estimates, as an eye position of an occupant, the position of the coordinate values obtained as the average of the coordinate values of the intersections formed by straight lines, the number of which is n (n is a natural number greater than or equal to three), each of which passing through the coordinate values of the distal end position of the sun visor main body adjusted to a plurality of different positions by the occupant and being inclined by the same angle as the incident angle at the time of each adjustment, and the control device performs the light blocking control in accordance with the estimated eye position.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein each straight line is determined by data including the distal end position of the sun visor main body when the occupant adjusts the position of the sun visor main body and the incident angle at that time, and

wherein the control device stores the data every time the eye position is estimated, and if any of the intersections between the straight lines is located in an area corresponding to the outside of the vehicle bounded by a line representing the path of the distal end position of the sun visor main body, the control device deletes the data that determines the old straight line among the two straight lines that form the intersection, and estimates the eye position of the occupant using the straight lines determined by the remaining data.