Extended Sun Visor Rail Mechanism for Glare Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sun visor designs for motor vehicles have a limited range of motion, failing to provide adequate glare protection from the windshield, particularly around the centrally-mounted rear view mirror, and often require complex mechanisms, increasing manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
A sun visor assembly with a rail system that allows the sun visor panel to be releasably mounted at one end and slidably mounted at the other, enabling both sliding and pivoting motions along a longitudinal axis, providing extended glare protection coverage including the area around the rear view mirror.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional pivotally mounted sun visors are used, then the structure is simple, but the range of motion is limited and cannot provide adequate glare protection around the rear view mirror
Solution Approach 1:
The sun visor assembly is divided into two independent mounting mechanisms: a snap fit retainer at the inboard end for releasable mounting, and a shaft coupler at the outboard end for sliding and pivoting motion. This segmentation allows each mechanism to be optimized for its specific function while working together to achieve extended range of motion without excessive complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft coupler is designed to perform multiple functions: it allows the sun visor panel to slide along the longitudinal axis of the rail and also pivot around a vertical axis. This multi-functionality enables a single component to provide both translational and rotational movement, extending the visor's range of motion without requiring separate mechanisms for each degree of freedom
2Adaptability or versatility
If extendable sun visors with complex mechanisms are used, then the range of motion is extended, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential functions of extendable visors (sliding and pivoting motion) and implements them through simple, discrete components: a snap fit retainer for attachment/detachment and a shaft coupler for sliding and pivoting. By removing unnecessary complexity from prior art mechanisms and keeping only the essential motion-providing features, the design achieves extended glare protection coverage while maintaining ease of manufacture
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of mounting the sun visor at a single fixed point and attempting to achieve extended motion through complex linkages, the patent inverts the approach by mounting the visor at both ends to a rail system. This allows the visor to naturally slide and pivot along the rail, achieving extended range of motion through the mounting configuration itself rather than through complex driving mechanisms
Data Source
AI summary
An extended-range sun visor assembly includes a rail and a sun visor panel. The sun visor panel is releasably mounted to the rail at an inboard sun visor panel end and slidably mounted to the rail at an outboard sun visor panel end. The rail may be fixed at opposite ends thereof to a vehicle roof panel and/or headliner. The sun visor panel is releasably mounted at the inboard end by a snap fit retainer, and slidably mounted at the outboard end by a shaft coupler configured to slide along a longitudinal axis of the rail. The shaft coupler pivots or swivels around a shaft coupler vertical axis.