Rotatable Translatable Vehicle Visor Assembly for Glare Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional vehicle visors are inadequate in blocking glare and light sources due to their fixed positioning, which can lead to moments of blindness for drivers and pilots, especially in vehicles like airplanes where the position of light sources changes with the vehicle's orientation, obstructing the view and potentially causing accidents.

Innovation Solution

A visor assembly that is both rotatable and translatable along a track, allowing precise selection of its position along the window to effectively block glare and light sources, while maintaining visibility through translucent or transparent materials.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If the visor is made of opaque material, then the light source and glare are blocked, but the view through the window is blocked

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelight blockingVSAvoidview obstruction

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The visor uses electrochromic material that can change its optical properties from opaque to transparent based on electrical control, allowing it to block light when needed while maintaining visibility when not in use

Inventive Principle:

Principle #32Color changes

2Loss of information

If the visor is made smaller, then less field of view is blocked, but the shielding effectiveness is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefield of viewVSAvoidlight shielding effectiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The electrochromic material allows the visor to provide full shielding effectiveness when activated while maintaining a smaller physical size, as the material itself changes properties rather than requiring a larger physical barrier

Inventive Principle:

Principle #32Color changes

3Device complexity

If the visor position is fixed, then the structure is simple, but the visor cannot track moving light sources

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructure simplicityVSAvoidglare blocking effectiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The visor assembly incorporates both rotational and translational movement capabilities, allowing it to dynamically reposition itself to track moving light sources while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The visor can move not only rotationally but also translate along the window surface, adding an additional degree of freedom that enhances its ability to track light sources without significantly complicating the mechanism

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

4Device complexity

If the visor is rotated only, then the mechanism is simple, but the visor cannot be precisely positioned along the window

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemechanism simplicityVSAvoidvisor positioning precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

By adding translational movement capability to the rotational mechanism, the visor achieves precise positioning along the window while keeping the overall mechanism relatively simple and manageable

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS7695046B2Visor assembly for a vehicle

Publication Date: 2010.04.13 AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO INC

AI summary

A visor for shielding the interior of a vehicle from the light or glare from a light source includes a visor that can be rotated about an axis from a stowed position to a shielding position. The visor may also be translated along a track so that the placement of the visor along the length of a large window may be chosen with precision.