GB2034397A

GB2034397A - Spring clips

Info

Publication number: GB2034397A
Application number: GB7844684A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Ford Motor Co Ltd; Ford Motor Co
Current assignee: Ford Motor Co Ltd; Ford Motor Co
Priority date: 1978-11-15
Filing date: 1978-11-15
Publication date: 1980-06-04
Also published as: DE7930613U1; GB2034397B

Abstract

A mounting clip (11) for a sun visor comprises a body having two generally parallel laterally extending spring arms (13a, 13b) adapted to grip a longitudinally extending frame member (9), and a spring leaf (15) extending from one of the arms out of the plane of the arm and in a longitudinal direction. In use, the body is mounted on a longitudinally extending frame member (9) of a sun visor panel positioned adjacent and parallel to a sleeve (7) positioned along one longitudinal edge of the panel. The sleeve receives a shaft (2) projecting from the mounting bracket (1), and the spring leaf (15) abuts the shaft to retain the visor panel in any desired rotational position. In a preferred embodiment, the spring leaf (15) and shaft (2) have flat surfaces (16, 3) which engage when the visor panel is in its out-of- use position, and reduce the risk of accidental displacement of the panel. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Mounting clip This invention relates to mounting clips, particularly for sun visors.

One known type of sun visor widely used in motor vehicles comprises a mounting bracket having a shaft extending laterally therefrom and a visor panel mounted on the shaft. The visor panel includes a frame structure which incorporates a sleeve along one edge of the panel in which the shaft is received. A spring mounting clip connects the frame to the shaft so that the panel can rotate through an angle of at least 90 relative to the mounting bracket. The mounting clip conventionally used in this sun visor comprises a generally U-shaped body having two arms in the form of leaf springs adapted to grip the shaft of the mounting bracket. Two spring leaves are pressed out of the plane of one of the arms and are adapted to grip part of the frame structure of the visor panel.In order to ensure that the clip engages the shaft sufficiently firmly to prevent relative rotation of the shaft and the visor panel, a slipper must be mounted on the shaft between the spring arms and the shaft to increase the gripping face of the spring leaves. The use of such a slipper not only increases the complexity of the construction of the sun visor, but also increases its assembly time.

According to the present invention, there is provided a mounting clip comprising a body having two generally parallel laterally extending spring arms adapted to a grip a longitudinally extending frame member, and a spring leaf projecting upwardly from the body and extending in a longitudinal direction, the spring leaf being adapted for abutment with a longitudinally extending shaft adjacent to frame member.

The invention also includes: a sun visor comprising a mounting bracket having a longitudinally extending shaft projecting therefrom; a visor panel mounted on the shaft for rotation relative to the bracket, the visor panel comprising a frame which includes a sleeve along one longitudinal edge of the visor panel adapted to receive the shaft of the mounting bracket, and a frame member which extends parallel to and adjacent the sleeve; and a mounting clip according to the invention connecting the visor panel to the shaft, the spring arms of the clip being in engagement with the frame member, and the spring leaf being in abutment with the shaft.

Preferably, the shaft of the mounting bracket also includes a flat surface along at least part of its length, the spring leaf being engagable with the flat surface to bias the visor into a desired rotational position relative to the mounting bracket, i.e. the relative position which the visor panel and the mounting bracket will occupy when the visor is not in use in the motor vehicle.

In order to improve the retaining force exerted by the spring leaf in this position of the visor, the spring leaf preferably also includes a flat portion which overlies the spring arms and which is engagable with the shaft of the mounting bracket. Desirably, the frame member on which the clip is mounted is of rectangular or sqaure cross-section to reduce the possibility of the clip rotating on the frame member. In order to increase the gripping force of the clip on the frame member, the spring arms preferably include inwardlydirected tangs.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the spring leaf projects through an aperture in the sleeve into abutment with the shaft.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings; in which Figure 1 is an end elevation of a mounting clip in accordance with the invention, Figure 2 is a side elevation of the mounting clip of Fig. 1, and Figure 3 is an "exploded" perspective view of a sun visor according to the invention incorporating the clip of Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to Fig. 3 of the drawings, a sun visor for a motor vehicle comprises a mounting bracket 1 adapted to be connected to the interior wall of a motor vehicle body. The bracket 1 carries a fixed longitudinally extending shaft 2 which has a flat surface 3 formed along its length.

A visor panel 4 comprises a rectangular frame 5 of moulded plastics material which is composed mainly of frame members of rectangular or square transverse cross-sections. At one corner, the frame 5 includes an open ended sleeve 7 which extends along one longitudinal edge of the visor panel 4. The sleeve 7 is of sufficiently large diameter to receive the shaft 2 and to permit rotation of the panel 4 about the axis of the shaft 2 relative to the mounting bracket 1.

The sleeve 7 lies parallel to an adjacent frame member 9 of the frame 4, and a rectangular aperture 10 in the sleeve 7 faces the frame member 9. A mounting clip 11 is mounted on the frame member 9. As best seen in Figs. 1 and 2 the clip 11 comprises a generally U-shaped body 1 2 composed of spring steel. The body 1 2 has two generally parallel laterally extending spring arms 1 3 a, b. The arms 13a, bare flat-faced and define a recess complementary in shape to the frame member 9. Each arm 13a, bis provided with two pressed-out inwardly directed tangs 14 which penetrate into the material of the frame member 9 to increase the gripping force of the spring arms 1 3 a, b thereon.

The upper spring arm 1 3a (as seen in Figs.

1 and 2) includes an integral spring leaf 1 5 which extends upwardly away from the arms out of the plane of the upper spring arm 1 3a and then extends in the longitudinal direction perpendicularly to the spring arms 1 3a, b. A flat portion 16 of the spring leaf 1 5 overlies the spring arms 13a, band, when the clip 10 is assembled on the frame member 9, projects into the aperture 10. When the shaft 2 is inserted into the sleeve 7, the flat portion 1 6 abuts the shaft 2. In use, the bracket 1 will be mounted in a motor vehicle adjacent the upper edge of its windscreen and the visor panel 4 will be rotatable on the shaft 2 between a generally horizontal position, in which it is out of use, and a generally vertical position in which it obscures part of the windscreen.Throughout the movement between these two positions, the spring leaf 1 5 bears sufficiently firmly against the shaft 2 to retain the visor panel 4 in any desired rotational position on the shaft 2. However, when the visor is out of use, the flat surface 1 6 of the spring leaf will engage against the flat surface 3 of the shaft 2, and an additional face must be applied to the visor in order to rotate it on the shaft 2. Consequently, when the visor panel is out of use, there is little or no risk of the visor accidentally rotating on the shaft 2 as a result, for example, of vibration.

The clip 11 therefore provides a simple device for retaining a sun visor in position.

The sun visor is particularly easy to assemble because the clip 10 comprises only a single component, and can be fixed to the frame member 9 by the simple application of pressure from one side of the panel.

Although the embodiment of the invention described above is provided with a frame 5 of moulded plastics material, the frame may be constructed of any other suitable material, e.g. metal wire. With the latter construction, the sleeve 7 and the frame member 9 may be formed as a pressing from sheet metal.

Claims

1. A mounting clip comprising a body having two generally parallel laterally extending spring arms adapted to grip a longitudinally extending frame member, and a spring leaf projecting upwardly from the body and extending in a longitudinal direction, the spring leaf being adapted for abutment with a longitudinally extending shaft adjacent the frame member.

2. A mounting clip according to Claim 1 wherein the spring leaf includes a flat portion which overlies the spring arms.

3. A mounting clip according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the spring arms include inwardly directed tangs for engaging a frame member positioned between the spring arms.

4. A mounting clip substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.

5. A sun visor comprising a mounting bracket having a longitudinally extending shaft projecting therefrom; a visor panel mounted on the shaft for rotation relative to the bracket, the visor panel comprising a frame which includes a sleeve along one longitudinal edge of the visor panel adapted to receive the shaft of the mounting bracket, and a frame member which extends parallel to and adjacent the sleeve; and amounting clip according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 connecting the visor panel to the shaft, the spring arms of the clip being in engagement with the frame member, and the spring leaf being in abutment with the shaft.

6. A sun visor according to Claim 5 wherein the spring leaf projects through an aperture in the sleeve into abutment with the shaft.

7. A sun visor according to Claim 5 or Claim 6 wherein the frame member is of rectangular or square cross-section.

8. A sun visor according to any one of Claims 5 to 7 wherein the shaft includes a flat surface along at least part of its length, the spring leaf being engagable with the flat surface to bias the visor into a desired rotational position relative to the mounting bracket.

9. A sun visor substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.