Vehicle visor having mirror assembly

• US 8,434,812 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2011
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Li, Chi, Stakoe, John Andrew, Chen, Changhong, Wang, Haibo
• Primary Examiner(s): Dayoan, Glenn
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROMAIN, PINEL E
• Application Number:
  US13/179,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20130016429A1
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 296/97.2, 296/97.5, 296/97.8, 296/97.11, 296/97.1, 359/844, 359/872, 359/876
• US Class Current: 296/97.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 3/0208 combined with auxiliary visor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/008 allowing the driver to see passengers, e.g. for busses combined with rear-view mirrors B60R1/08
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/082 using a single wide field mirror or an association of rigidly connected mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1269 with sun visors

Abstract

A vehicle visor is provided that includes a mirror assembly. The visor body has a first side and a second side and pivots between a stowed position and a downward use position. The visor body further includes a mirror assembly located on the visor body. The mirror assembly includes a conversation mirror that is extendable from a first side of the visor body for viewing from the first side of the visor body, and is stowable within the visor body for viewing through an aperture from the second side of the visor body. The mirror may serve as a vanity mirror.

Claims

1. A vehicle visor comprising:

a visor body having a first side and a second side;

a vanity mirror assembly on the first side of the visor body; and

a conversation mirror assembly located on the visor body, said conversation mirror assembly having a conversation mirror that articulates between a stowed position within the visor body and an extended position extending from the visor body.

2. The vehicle visor of claim 1, wherein the conversation mirror extends outward and below the visor body when the visor body is in an upward stowed position.

3. The vehicle visor of claim 2, wherein the visor body further comprises an aperture that provides a viewing window to enable a viewer to view the conversation mirror from the first side of the visor body.

4. The vehicle visor of claim 1, wherein the conversation mirror comprises a convex mirror.

5. The vehicle visor of claim 1, wherein the conversation mirror assembly comprises a latch disposed on the visor body for latching the conversation mirror stowed within the visor body.

6. The vehicle visor of claim 5, wherein the latch comprises a user depressible actuation latch.

7. The vehicle visor of claim 1 further comprising a pivot mechanism for connecting the visor body to a vehicle structure, wherein the pivot mechanism allows the visor to pivot between the stowed position and a downward use position.

8. A vehicle visor comprising:

a visor body having a first side and a second side, wherein the visor body pivots between a stowed position and a downward use position; and

a mirror assembly comprising a pivot stalk, a first mirror on one side, and a second mirror on an opposite side, wherein the mirror assembly is extendable from the visor body and the first and second mirrors are pivotable about the stalk.

9. The visor of claim 8, wherein the mirror assembly is extendable from the first side of the visor body by pivoting outward about a pivot mechanism, and wherein the mirror assembly is stowed within an aperture in the visor body such that the second mirror may be viewed from the second side of the visor body.

10. The visor of claim 8, wherein the mirror assembly extends outward and below the visor body when the visor body is in an upward stowed position.

11. The visor of claim 8, wherein the visor body comprises an aperture, and wherein the second mirror is viewable through the aperture from the second side of the visor body.

12. The visor of claim 8, wherein the mirror assembly further comprises a latch disposed on the visor body for latching the mirror assembly stowed within the visor body.

13. The visor of claim 8, wherein the first mirror comprises a conversation mirror.

14. The visor of claim 8, wherein the first mirror comprises a conversation mirror and the second mirror comprises a vanity mirror.

15. The visor of claim 8, wherein the second mirror comprises a vanity mirror.

16. The visor of claim 8, wherein the second mirror comprises a flat portion and a convex portion.

17. A vehicle visor comprising:

a visor body having first and second sides and pivotable between stowed and downward use positions;

a vanity mirror assembly on the visor body; and

a conversation mirror assembly located on the visor body and comprising a conversation mirror extendable from the first side of the visor body for viewing, and stowable within the visor body for viewing through an aperture from the second side of the visor body.

18. The visor of claim 17, wherein the conversation mirror is extendable from the first side of the visor body by pivoting outward about a pivot mechanism, and wherein the conversation mirror is stowed within an aperture in the visor body such that the conversation mirror may be viewed from the second side of the visor body.

19. The visor of claim 17, wherein the conversation mirror extends outward and below the visor body when the visor body is in an upward stowed position.

20. The visor of claim 17, wherein the visor body comprises an aperture, and wherein the conversation mirror is viewable through the aperture from the second side of the visor body.

21. The visor of claim 17, wherein the conversation mirror assembly further comprises a latch disposed on the visor body for latching the conversation mirror stowed within the visor body.

22. The visor of claim 17, wherein the conversation mirror has a convex shape.

23. A vehicle visor comprising:

a visor body having first and second sides and pivotabie between a stowed position and a downward use position;

a vanity mirror assembly on the visor body; and

a conversation mirror assembly located on the visor body and comprising a conversation mirror extendable from the first side of the visor body for viewing, and stowable within the visor body for viewing through an aperture from the second side of the visor body, wherein the mirror assembly comprises a pivoting stalk, a first mirror on one side and a second mirror on an opposite side, wherein the first and second mirrors are pivotable about the stalk to display one of the first and second mirrors to a user.

24. The visor of claim 23, wherein the first mirror comprises a conversation mirror and the second mirror comprises a vanity mirror.