Vehicle ceiling structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle ceiling structure capable of increasing the size of a mirror provided on a sun visor.SOLUTION: The sun visor 18 includes a sun visor body 20, a mirror 32 provided on a first surface 20a that is a surface facing an interior design surface of the ceiling material 14 when the sun visor 18 takes the storage posture, and a mirror cover 36 rotatably attached to the first surface 20a of the sun visor body 20 around an axis line L3 along an upper edge of the mirror 32 and rotatable between a closed position where the mirror 32 is covered and an open position where the mirror 32 is exposed. When it is in the open position, the light of the lighting device 50 is transmitted in the semi-transmission part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle ceiling structure in which a sun visor is arranged on the ceiling. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 below discloses a sun visor for a vehicle. The sun visor described in Patent Document 1 below has a mirror (vanity mirror) and a lighting device (vanity lamp) attached to the visor body, and is configured so that an automatic extinguishing device turns off the vanity lamp when the angle between the top surface and the visor body is equal to or greater than a predetermined non-use angle. With this configuration, the sun visor described in Patent Document 1 below can prevent the vanity lamp from being turned on unnecessarily and reduce power consumption of the vehicle battery. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-50015 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The sun visor in Patent Document 1 not only has a vanity mirror attached to the visor body, but also has a vanity lamp, an angle sensor that detects the lowering angle of the visor body, and a control device that turns off the vanity lamp based on the detection result of the angle sensor inside the visor body, which limits the size of the vanity mirror.Other sun visors have sliding mirror covers, but in order to ensure movement space for the mirror cover, the size of the mirror must be small.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle ceiling structure that allows the size of a mirror provided on a sun visor to be increased. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the vehicle ceiling structure disclosed in the present application has the following structure. (1) A vehicle ceiling structure comprising a ceiling material that forms an interior design surface of the ceiling of a vehicle, and a sun visor that is rotatably attached to the ceiling material and can take a light-blocking position that covers the window glass of the vehicle and a stored position that follows the surface of the ceiling material, The sun visor is A sun visor body, a mirror provided on a first surface of the sun visor body, which is a surface facing the interior design surface of the ceiling material when the sun visor is in the stored position; a mirror cover attached to the first surface of the sun visor body so as to be rotatable about an axis along an upper edge of the mirror, and rotatable between a closed position that covers the mirror and an open position that exposes the mirror when the sun visor is in the light-blocking position; Equipped with a lighting device for irradiating light toward a user of the mirror, the lighting device being provided on the ceiling material at a location covered by the sun visor in the stored position; The vehicle ceiling structure is characterized in that the mirror cover has a semi-transparent portion that can transmit a portion of light, and when the mirror cover is in the open position, the semi-transparent portion transmits light from the lighting device.

[0007] The vehicle ceiling structure disclosed herein includes a sun visor body and a mirror cover for opening and closing the mirror. When the sun visor body is lowered (hanging from the ceiling), the mirror cover rotates around its upper edge as an axis, lifting up to expose the mirror. The lighting device (vanity mirror) is also attached to the ceiling material. In other words, the vehicle ceiling structure disclosed herein does not limit the size of the mirror, allowing it to be relatively large. However, the larger the mirror, the larger the mirror cover. In the open position, the mirror cover extends below the lighting device attached to the ceiling material, making it difficult for light to reach the user (occupant). In contrast, the vehicle ceiling structure disclosed herein includes a semi-transparent portion in the mirror cover, allowing light to be semi-transparently transmitted to illuminate the user when the mirror cover is in the open position. On the other hand, when the sun visor is in use (when the sun visor is in the light-blocking position), the mirror cover is located on the interior side of the sun visor body, but the semi-transparent portion makes it difficult for the occupant to see the mirror, so that the use of the sun visor is not affected. Therefore, it is desirable that the semi-transparent portion be made of a material that transmits part of the light while absorbing the rest, so as not to reflect light when the sun visor is in use. Note that the mirror cover may be semi-transparent only partially or entirely.

[0008] Furthermore, the vehicle ceiling structure having the above-described configuration can be configured in various ways as shown below.

[0009] (2) The vehicle ceiling structure described in (1), wherein the mirror cover is molded from a semi-transparent material that can transmit a portion of light, and the entire mirror cover is the semi-transparent portion.

[0010] In this vehicle ceiling structure, the entire mirror cover is made semi-transparent, so that when the mirror is in use, regardless of the angle of the sun visor body, the mirror cover in the open position can reliably transmit light from the lighting device to illuminate the occupants.

[0011] (3) The vehicle ceiling structure according to (1) or (2), wherein the mirror has an area equal to or larger than half of the area of ​​the first surface of the sun visor body.

[0012] In this vehicle ceiling structure, the mirror size is increased, and the vehicle ceiling structure disclosed in the present application is suitable.

[0013] (4) A vehicle ceiling structure according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the mirror has a dimension in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the sun visor that is greater than half the size of the sun visor body.

[0014] For example, in a vehicle with a large interior height, or in other words, a vehicle with a high ceiling, the sun visor has a large dimension in the direction perpendicular to its pivot axis (vertical dimension). A larger vertical dimension of the sun visor mirror makes it easier to use, and even in a sun visor with a large vertical dimension, it is desirable for the mirror to have a correspondingly large vertical dimension. In other words, as in the vehicle ceiling structure of this configuration, the mirror is long at least vertically. In this configuration, the mirror cover is also long vertically. Therefore, the vehicle ceiling structure disclosed in the present application is suitable for a sun visor of this configuration.

[0015] (5) The sun visor body is a first member forming the first surface and a second member forming a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a mounting portion for mounting the first member and the second member to each other is provided at an end side opposite to the rotation shaft of the sun visor; The vehicle ceiling structure according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the mirror is attached to the first member with a lower end thereof extending downward from the attachment portion.

[0016] In the vehicle ceiling structure of this configuration, the mirror provided on the sun visor body is enlarged to extend to the vicinity of the lower edge of the sun visor body, and the vehicle ceiling structure disclosed in the present application is preferable. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle ceiling structure that allows the size of a mirror provided on a sun visor to be increased. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a vehicle ceiling in which a vehicle ceiling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is used; [Figure 2] A diagram showing the sun visor in a light-blocking position (mirror cover in closed position) as seen from the rear of the vehicle. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a view showing a sun visor with a mirror cover in an open position as viewed from the rear of a vehicle. [Figure 4] Side cross-sectional view of the sun visor (cross-sectional view along AA in Figure 2) [Figure 5] Side view showing vanity mirror in use [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a view showing a modified sun visor with the mirror cover in an open position; [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a side view showing a modified mirror cover; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] A vehicle ceiling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is used in the ceiling of a vehicle (automobile). The ceiling structure of a vehicle 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 5. Note that in some of the drawings, directions are indicated using the symbols Fr, Rr, L, R, U, and D, which respectively represent the front and rear sides of the vehicle, the left and right sides in the vehicle width direction (the width direction of the vehicle), the upper and lower sides.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 1, the ceiling structure of the vehicle 10 is configured such that the interior side of a roof panel 12 that constitutes the ceiling of the vehicle body is covered with a roof trim (ceiling material) 14. Sun visors 18 that block sunlight and other light entering the passenger compartment through a windshield 16 are provided on the front side of the roof trim 14, corresponding to each of the driver's seat and passenger seat of the vehicle. Note that the sun visors 18 on the driver's seat side (right side) and passenger seat side (left side) have the same configuration, so Fig. 1 shows only the sun visor 18 on the right side, and the ceiling structure of the vehicle 10 of this embodiment will be described below based on the sun visor 18 on the right side.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the sun visor 18 has a generally rectangular, plate-shaped sun visor body 20 held by a generally L-shaped arm 22. The arm 22 is composed of a first arm portion 22a extending vertically and a second arm portion 22b extending horizontally from the lower end of the first arm portion 22a. The upper end of the first arm portion 22a is attached to the roof trim 14 and is rotatable about its own axis L1. The tip side of the second arm portion 22b is inserted along the edge of the sun visor body 20 and holds the sun visor body 20 rotatable about its own axis L2. The sun visor body 20 also has a shaft portion 24 arranged coaxially with the second arm portion 22b. The shaft portion 24 engages with a hook (not shown) provided on the roof trim 14 and is rotatable about the axis. With the shaft 24 engaged with the hook, the sun visor body 20 is held with its axis L2 extending in the vehicle width direction. The sun visor body 20 is rotatable about the axis L2 in this state, and as shown in Fig. 1, can be rotated between a stored position (position indicated by a solid line in Fig. 1) aligned with the roof trim 14 and a light-blocking position (position indicated by a two-dot chain line in Fig. 1) aligned with the windshield 16, and can be held at any angular position therebetween (for example, the position shown in Fig. 5). Incidentally, when the shaft 24 is removed from the hook, the sun visor body 20 can be rotated about the axis L1 to cover a portion of the window glass of a vehicle side door.

[0022] 2 to 4, the sun visor body 20 is provided with a vanity mirror 30. The vanity mirror 30 is provided on one surface of the sun visor body 20, specifically, on a first surface 20a that faces the interior design surface of the roof trim 14 when the sun visor 18 is in the retracted position. In other words, the first surface 20a is the surface that faces the inside of the vehicle cabin (toward the occupants) when the sun visor 18 is down (in the light-blocking position).

[0023] The vanity mirror 30 comprises a rectangular mirror body 32, a frame 34 that forms the periphery of the mirror body 32, and a mirror cover 36 that opens and closes the mirror body 32. The vanity mirror 30 is formed by attaching the mirror body 32 and mirror cover 36 to the frame 34 to form an integrated unit, and is attached to the first surface 20a of the sun visor body 20 in this state. Specifically, the sun visor body 20 comprises a first member 40 that forms the first surface 20a and a second member 42 that forms the second surface 20b opposite the first surface 20a. The vanity mirror 30 is attached to a recess 40a formed in the first member 40. When the vanity mirror 30 is attached to the sun visor body 20, as shown in FIG. 4 , the surface of the vanity mirror 30, more specifically, the surface of the mirror cover 36 that covers the mirror body 32, is configured to be flush with the surface of the first member 40.

[0024] 4, the sun visor body 20 has an attachment portion 44 for attaching the first member 40 and the second member 42 to each other. Specifically, the attachment portion 44 is composed of a protrusion 44a protruding from the back surface of the first member 40 and a boss portion 44b protruding from the back surface of the second member 42, and the protrusion portion 44a is configured to fit into the boss portion 44b. The lower end of the mirror body 32 extends below the attachment portion 44 and, as shown in FIG. 3, extends to the vicinity of the outer edge of the first member 40, that is, the outer edge of the sun visor body 20.

[0025] The mirror cover 36 is attached to the frame 34 so as to be rotatable about an axis L3 along the upper edge. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, when the sun visor 18 is down (in a light-blocking position), the mirror cover 36 is rotatable between a closed position (position indicated by a solid line in Figure 4, the state shown in Figure 2) in which it covers the mirror body 32, and an open position (position indicated by a two-dot chain line in Figure 4, the state shown in Figures 3 and 5) in which it exposes the mirror body 32. Although a detailed description will be omitted, the mirror cover 36 is maintained in the open position shown in Figure 5. As a result, the exposed mirror body 32 is oriented toward the inside of the vehicle cabin, i.e., toward the occupants, and can be used as a mirror.

[0026] 1 and 4, the roof trim 14 is provided with a vanity lamp (lighting device) 50 for illuminating the user when the vanity mirror 30 is in use. The vanity lamp 50 is provided in a portion 14a that is covered by the sun visor 18 when the sun visor 18 is in the retracted position, in other words, in a portion 14a that is exposed when the sun visor 18 is lowered, and can be used when the sun visor 18 is lowered.

[0027] With the above-described configuration, the sun visor body 20 is not provided with any components other than the vanity mirror 30, and the mirror cover 36 is of a rotating type that does not slide in the direction of the plate surface of the sun visor body 20, making it easy to increase the size of the mirror body 32. In this embodiment, the mirror body 32 has a size that is at least half the area of ​​the first surface 20a of the sun visor body 20, as shown in Fig. 3 .

[0028] However, the large size of the mirror body 32 requires a large mirror cover 36. When the large mirror cover 36 is in the open position, as shown in FIG. 5, it extends below the vanity lamp 50 and is positioned between the vanity lamp 50 and the occupant. In this embodiment, the mirror cover 36 is made of a material that transmits part of the light, such as an opalescent thermoplastic resin (acrylic, polycarbonate, etc.). That is, when the mirror cover 36 is in the open position, it transmits part of the light from the vanity lamp 50 and irradiates the occupant. On the other hand, when the sun visor 18 is in the light-blocking position to block sunlight from the windshield 16, the vanity mirror 30, or more specifically, the mirror cover 36 in the closed position, is visible to the occupant. In other words, because the mirror cover 36 is molded from a semi-transparent thermoplastic resin, it absorbs some of the light and makes it less likely to reflect it, preventing the mirror cover 36 itself from functioning as a mirror or the mirror cover 36 from transmitting the mirror image of the mirror body 32. In other words, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the vanity mirror 30 gets in the way of driving, etc. when the sun visor 18 is in use.

[0029] <Modification> In the above embodiment, the mirror body 32 has a size equal to or larger than half the area of ​​the first surface 20a of the sun visor body 20. However, the vehicle ceiling structure disclosed in the present application is also suitable for a sun visor 80 shown in FIG. 6 , in which the size of the mirror body 82 is smaller than half the size of the sun visor body 84 in the left-right direction (the direction along the axis L2) and larger than half the size of the sun visor body 84 in the vertical direction (the direction perpendicular to the axis L2). This sun visor 80 has a larger vertical dimension than the sun visor 18 in the above embodiment, and is therefore suitable for use in vehicles with a large interior height. Even in the case of a sun visor 80 with a large vertical dimension, it is desirable for the mirror body 82 to also have a large vertical dimension. Therefore, in this modified example, even if the sun visor 80 has ample room in the left-right dimension, the mirror body 82 is sized to extend close to the bottom end of the sun visor body 84, making it difficult to arrange a sliding mirror cover inside the sun visor body 84, and as with the above embodiment, a pivoting mirror cover 86 is desirable. Furthermore, if a sliding mirror cover is used, the mounting position of the mirror body 82 relative to the sun visor body 84 will be limited in consideration of the accommodation space for the mirror cover, so a pivoting mirror cover 86 is desirable.

[0030] Like the mirror body 82, the mirror cover 86 is also long in the vertical direction, so when the vanity mirror is in use, it completely covers the area below the vanity mirror 50 attached to the roof trim 14. Therefore, like the above embodiment, the mirror cover 86 is made of a material that transmits part of the light, and is configured to transmit part of the light from the vanity lamp 50 to illuminate the occupants when in the open position.

[0031] <Other embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be embodied in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. For example, the following embodiments are also included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0032] In the above embodiment, the entire mirror cover 36 is a semi-transparent portion that transmits a portion of light, but the mirror cover may be configured so that only a portion is semi-transparent. For example, as in the mirror cover 60 shown in Fig. 7, a portion may be configured as a semi-transparent portion 62 molded from the same material as the mirror cover 36 in the above embodiment, and the remaining portion may be configured as a light-shielding portion 64 molded from a material that blocks light.

[0033] In the above embodiment, the mirror cover 36 has a flat surface, but this is not limiting. For example, the surface may be provided with an uneven shape such as a diamond cut, which makes it easier to diffuse the light from the vanity lamp 50.

[0034] In the above embodiment, the mirror body 32 and the mirror cover 36 are rectangular, but as long as a rotation axis can be provided on the upper edge of the mirror cover 36, the shape is not particularly limited.

[0035] In the above embodiment, an automobile is used as an example of a vehicle, but the vehicle ceiling structure of the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to ground vehicles such as trains and recreational vehicles, flying vehicles such as airplanes and helicopters, and marine vehicles such as ships. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10...vehicle (vehicle), 14...roof trim (ceiling material), 16...front window (window glass), 18...sun visor, 20...sun visor body, 20a...first surface, 30...vanity mirror, 32...mirror body (mirror), 36...mirror cover, 40...first member, 42...second member, 44...mounting portion, 50...vanity lamp (lighting device), 60...mirror cover, 62...semi-transparent portion

Claims

1. A vehicle ceiling structure comprising: a ceiling material that forms an interior design surface of a vehicle ceiling; and a sun visor that is rotatably attached to the ceiling material and can take a light-blocking position that covers a window glass of the vehicle and a stored position that follows the surface of the ceiling material, The sun visor is A sun visor body, a mirror provided on a first surface of the sun visor body, the first surface facing the interior design surface of the ceiling material when the sun visor is in the stored position; a mirror cover attached to the first surface of the sun visor body so as to be rotatable about an axis along an upper edge of the mirror, and rotatable between a closed position that covers the mirror and an open position that exposes the mirror when the sun visor is in the light-blocking position; Equipped with a lighting device for irradiating light toward a user of the mirror, the lighting device being provided on the ceiling material at a location covered by the sun visor in the stored position; The vehicle ceiling structure is characterized in that the mirror cover has a semi-transparent portion that can transmit a portion of light, and when the mirror cover is in the open position, the semi-transparent portion transmits light from the lighting device.

2. 2. The vehicle ceiling structure according to claim 1, wherein the mirror cover is molded from a semi-transparent material that allows a portion of light to pass therethrough, and the entire mirror cover is the semi-transparent portion.

3. 3. The vehicle ceiling structure according to claim 1, wherein the mirror has an area equal to or larger than half of the area of ​​the first surface of the sun visor body.

4. 3. The vehicle ceiling structure according to claim 1, wherein the mirror has a dimension in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the sun visor that is greater than half the dimension of the sun visor body.

5. The sun visor body is a first member forming the first surface and a second member forming a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a mounting portion for mounting the first member and the second member to each other is provided at an end side opposite to the rotation axis of the sun visor; 3. The vehicle ceiling structure according to claim 1, wherein the mirror is attached to the first member in a state where a lower end side of the mirror extends downward beyond the attachment portion.

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