JP7721115B2 - Vehicle sunshade - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sunshade for a vehicle.

Conventional vehicle sunshades are placed on the inside of the front windshield of a vehicle such as an automobile when the vehicle is parked outdoors, blocking or insulating the heat from solar radiation entering the vehicle through the windshield, thereby preventing the temperature inside the vehicle from rising.

Such sunshades are also known, for example, to have a plate-like shape with an external shape that matches the windshield, and are supported by the top surface of the dashboard, the sun visor, and the rearview mirror inside the vehicle, thereby blocking or insulating sunlight that enters the vehicle interior through the windshield. They also have designs or text information printed on the front side that can be displayed to the outside through the windshield (see, for example, Patent Documents 1-3).

The automobile sunshade described in Patent Document 1 is made of rectangular, light-blocking cardboard and has multiple folds that run parallel across the width, allowing it to be folded like an accordion. The front surface is provided with an anti-theft display made of a luminous material that glows in the dark, highlighting the presence of an anti-theft alarm.

The automotive sunscreen described in Patent Document 2 consists of a large plate-like body roughly the same size as the vehicle's windshield, multiple folding lines formed vertically at predetermined intervals across the width of the plate, and a desired declarative advertising label attached to the front surface of the plate.

The sunshade described in Patent Document 3 has a flexible decorative layer adhered to the windshield side of the parasol when it is extended toward the windshield, and the decorative layer is removable and replaceable using hook/loop fastenings or metal snaps, etc., allowing the user to create identifiers, advertisements, or messages as needed.

Utility Model Registration No. 3102058 Microfilm of Utility Model Application No. 62-36106 (Utility Model Application No. 63-142214) US Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0154741

However, in the conventional vehicle sunshades described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, patterns and text information are printed directly on the surface, and the display effect is limited to the displayed content. If other content is to be displayed, a separate sunshade with different display content printed on it must be prepared, resulting in a lack of versatility.

The sunshade described in Patent Document 3 is a folding umbrella-like object with a replaceable flexible layer attached to the front, so if the decorative sheet described in Patent Document 3 were attached to the sunshade described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example, it would be possible to display various content by displaying letters and pictures on the flexible layer (decorative sheet) and replacing it with a different decorative sheet. Furthermore, if the decorative sheet is small in size, it is easy to print on, which reduces costs and makes it easy to procure.
Therefore, the decorative sheet can be formed to a size smaller than the size of the sunshade and can be attached to the conventional vehicle sunshades of Patent Documents 1 and 2.

However, because sunshades are folded accordion-style, it is important to attach the decorative sheet somewhere on the car shade so that even when the sunshade is folded, the decorative sheet can be folded along with the sunshade and unfold to its original state when opened.

The present invention aims to provide a vehicle sunshade that allows a decorative sheet that is smaller than the base material (sunshade) to be attached to the desired location on the accordion-folded base material.

The vehicle sunshade of the present invention is a vehicle sunshade that is placed on the interior side of a vehicle's front windshield, and includes: a plate-shaped base material that is placed on the interior side of the front windshield and is accordion-folded by alternating mountain folds and valley folds along the vertical direction;
The present invention is characterized in that it comprises a sheet-like decorative sheet that is arranged on the front surface of the base material so as to be visible from outside the front window and is formed to a size smaller than the base material, the decorative sheet being formed to a size that includes at least one of the valley fold lines and is formed so as to be easily attached and detached to the front surface side of the base material.

In the vehicle sunshade of the present invention, the decorative sheet is formed to a size that includes one or more valley fold lines, so when the decorative sheet is folded, the tension in the decorative sheet at the valley fold lines is relaxed. Therefore, even if the base material is mountain-folded at the mountain fold lines and the decorative sheet is pulled in both directions, the decorative sheet located at the valley fold lines will not shift. As a result, the base material can be folded so that the respective portions divided by the mountain fold lines and valley fold lines overlap each other.

The base may include legs that raise the base, and connecting portions that connect the base and the legs.
Even if the height of the base material is insufficient for the height of the front windshield, the base material can be raised by the height of the legs, and the height position of the base material becomes higher, so that the vehicle sunshade of the present invention can be supported by being sandwiched between the top surface of the dashboard and the sun visor.

A recess and a protrusion that fit together may be formed at the lower end of the base and the upper end of the leg.
The protrusions of the legs are fitted into the recesses of the base material, which prevents the legs from shifting left and right.

The connecting portion may include a first connecting portion formed on each of the base material and the leg portion, and a belt-like second connecting portion whose base end is connected to either the base material or the leg portion and extends to the other to connect to the first connecting portion.
By connecting to the first connecting part via the second connecting part, the base material and the leg part can be connected simply and securely.

The decorative sheet may be provided with an attachment portion for attaching the decorative sheet to the base material, the decorative sheet protruding from a sheet body on which a decorative surface is formed, and a tab portion having a through hole formed therein, and the attachment portion may include a first attachment portion formed on the base material and a second attachment portion joined to the first attachment portion via the through hole of the tab portion.
By joining the second mounting portion to the first mounting portion formed on the base material via the through-hole in the tab portion, the tab portion is fixed in a state where it is sandwiched between the first mounting portion and the second mounting portion, thereby preventing the tab portion from shifting.

The tab portion may be formed with a joining portion that joins to the first attachment portion. In this way, the joining portion of the tab portion joins to the first attachment portion, and the second attachment portion sandwiches the tab portion and joins to the first attachment portion, allowing for easy and secure fixation to the substrate.

The vehicle sunshade of the present invention can be folded so that the sections divided by the mountain folds and valley folds of the base material overlap each other, allowing a decorative sheet smaller than the base material to be attached to the desired location on the accordion-folded base material.

1 is a perspective view showing an automobile sunshade according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a diagram illustrating a decorative sheet of the sunshade for an automobile shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating a mounting portion of the sunshade for an automobile shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a view showing the automobile sunshade shown in FIG. 1 in a bellows-folded state. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a sunshade for an automobile according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 6 is a partial enlarged view for explaining a connecting portion of the sunshade for an automobile shown in FIG. 5 .

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, an automobile sunshade as an example of a vehicle sunshade according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification, the up-down direction will be described with the sun visor side of the automobile sunshade as the top and the dashboard side as the bottom, based on the state in which the automobile sunshade is attached to the windshield.

The automobile sunshade 1 shown in Figure 1 is intended to be placed on the inside of the vehicle's front windshield, and is installed by leaning it against the top of the dashboard, supporting it on the sun visor, or attaching it to the windshield with a suction cup (not shown).

The sunshade 1 for an automobile includes a base material 10, a decorative sheet 20, and an attachment portion 30.
The base material 10 is disposed inside the front window and is formed in a plate shape.
The base material 10 has a predetermined thickness and is made of flexible foamed plastic insulation material, with aluminum sheets vapor-deposited on both sides to function as heat shielding materials. The base material 10 widens downward on both the left and right sides, and the lower edge is formed in an arc shape. The outline of the base material 10 is formed to match or closely match the outline of the windshield, thereby achieving heat shielding and insulation effects.

The materials applicable to the substrate are not limited to those mentioned above, and any known material having a heat-shielding and/or heat-insulating effect can be used. In addition, the substrate may be made of only a heat-insulating material, or may be made of only a heat-shielding material.
In addition, a rectangular notch 11 is formed in the center of the upper edge of the base material 10 to prevent interference with the rearview mirror of the vehicle on which the sunshade 1 is installed.

Mountain fold lines L1 and valley fold lines L2 are alternately formed along the vertical direction on the base material 10, allowing it to be folded accordion-style for compact storage. In this embodiment 1, the base material 10 is divided into eight members in the width direction F1 (left-right direction) by four mountain fold lines L1 and three valley fold lines L2.

The base material 10 has insertion grooves 12 (see FIG. 3 ) for locating the mounting portion 30 at positions where the decorative sheet 20 is attached. In the base material 10 shown in FIG. 1 , the insertion grooves 12 are formed at the four corners of the decorative sheet 20, where the rectangular decorative sheet 20 is attached.
The insertion groove 12 (first insertion groove 12a, second insertion groove 12b) is formed as a pair of parallel linear through holes (see FIG. 4).

The decorative sheet 20 is a flexible sheet material made from rectangular tarpaulin. The decorative sheet 20 is attached to the base material 10 at approximately the center in the height direction F2, and is formed to a size that spans two of the four components on each side of the valley fold line (center line Lc) located at the center in the width direction F1.

As shown in Figure 2, the decorative sheet 20 comprises a sheet body 21 on which a decorative surface such as advertising is formed, and tab portions 22 that protrude laterally from the four corners of the sheet body 21 and are used to attach the substrate 10.

In this embodiment, tarpaulin is used as the sheet material for the decorative sheet 20. Tarpaulin is a sheet material made of cloth or fabric coated with vinyl chloride resin, and is advantageous in terms of physical strength, water resistance, oil and chemical resistance, stain resistance, weather resistance, heat resistance, and durability. Furthermore, it is resistant to fading when printed, and has advantageous color development properties, making it possible to achieve a high decorative effect.
1, for example, an advertisement for a real estate company is printed on the front surface (attachment surface) of the decorative sheet 20, and the automobile sunshade 1 of this embodiment with the decorative sheet 20 attached can be installed on the front window of an automobile to perform an advertising function for the real estate company. For example, in sales by car, by using the automobile sunshade 1 of this embodiment while the automobile is parked, the salesperson can advertise from the automobile while selling to customers.
Therefore, it is possible to enhance the effectiveness of advertising.

In addition, the content printed on the decorative sheet 20 is not limited to company advertisements; for example, it is possible to print a message stating that construction work is underway and place it on the front window of a construction vehicle to alert passersby and others that construction work is underway.
In addition, when restricting a portion of a lane for automobile traffic to carry out construction work, accident response, etc., it is possible to print and display information such as the lane restrictions being in place, and to prompt drivers of moving automobiles to, for example, change lanes.
It is also possible to print and display information directing people to the venues of events such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games and concerts.
Furthermore, depending on the user's preference, for example, photographed images or illustrations can be printed on the decorative sheet 20 to enhance the decorative effect. Note that materials other than tarpaulin may also be used as the sheet material for the decorative sheet 20. Furthermore, in this embodiment, printing is performed only on the front side of the decorative sheet 20, but printing may also be performed on the back side, and either the front or back side of the decorative sheet 20 may be selected as the front side depending on the situation and attached to the substrate 10.

The tab portion 22 is formed in a rectangular shape and includes a first region 22A located on the distal end side and having a plurality of through holes 22a formed therein, and a second region 22B located on the proximal end side and having a joining portion 22b formed therein for joining to a first mounting portion (described later).
The width of the tab portion 22 is formed so that it can be inserted into the insertion groove 12 formed in the base material 10 .

As shown in Figure 3, the mounting portion 30 includes a first mounting portion 31 formed in a ring shape so as to wrap around the substrate 10 sandwiched between a pair of insertion grooves 12, and a second mounting portion 32 joined to the first mounting portion 31 via the tab portion 22 of the decorative sheet 20.
The first attachment portion 31 and the second attachment portion 32 can be hook-and-loop fasteners. For example, when the first attachment portion 31 is either a male member or a female member, the second attachment portion 32 is the other member. In the first embodiment, the first attachment portion 31 is a female member and the second attachment portion 32 is a male member. Therefore, the joining portion 22b of the decorative sheet 20 is formed of the other male member, the same as the second attachment portion 32.
The first attachment portion 31 is formed by forming a single female member into a ring and bonding the end faces that are butted together.
The second mounting portion 32 may be a male member formed into a substantially square shape.

The use of the sunshade 1 for an automobile according to the first embodiment of the present invention configured as above will now be described with reference to the drawings.
When attaching the decorative sheet 20 to the base material 10 of the automobile sunshade 1 shown in Figure 1, the tab portion 22 is inserted into the insertion groove 12 (insertion groove 12b in the example of Figure 3) located on the outer side from the center of the decorative sheet 20, out of the pair of insertion grooves 12 shown in Figure 3, and the first region 22A is pulled out to the back side of the base material 10.
Next, the joining portion 22b (male member) formed in the second region 22B is joined to the first attachment portion 31 (female member). Then, with the first region 22A drawn out to the back surface side of the base material 10 pressed against the first attachment portion 31, the second attachment portion 32 (male member) is pressed so as to sandwich the tab portion 22.
By doing so, the protrusion of the second mounting portion 32 is inserted into the through-hole 22a formed in the first region 22A of the tab portion 22 and entangled with the first mounting portion 31, thereby joining them.
In this way, the second attachment portion 32 sandwiches the tab portion 22 and joins it to the first attachment portion 31, thereby preventing the decorative sheet 20 from shifting.

In this way, the second region 22B of the tab portion 22 is joined to the first mounting portion 31 attached to the substrate 10 by the joint 22b formed on the tab portion 22, and the first region 22A is joined to the first mounting portion 31 by the second mounting portion 32 via the through hole 22a formed in the first region 22A.
Therefore, the tab portion 22 protruding from the sheet body 21 can be easily and firmly fixed to the substrate 10 .

By attaching the four tab parts 22 of the decorative sheet 20 to the base material 10 in order according to such a procedure, the decorative sheet 20 can be attached to the base material 10 in a taut state in a short time without being wrinkled or folded and without being displaced.
Furthermore, since the attachment portion 30 is formed by a hook-and-loop fastener, the decorative sheet 20 can be easily removed from the base material 10 .

When the automobile is traveling, the automobile sunshade 1 is folded and stored.
As shown in FIG. 4, when folding the sunshade 1 for an automobile, the sunshade 1 can be deformed into a compact size by folding it in an accordion-like manner with the mountain fold line L1 positioned as a ridge line and the valley fold line L2 positioned as a valley line.
For example, if the decorative sheet is positioned so that it spans only one mountain fold line, the sheet body 21 is pulled in both directions around the mountain fold line L1, but since the sheet body 21 is difficult to stretch, folding the base material 10 at the mountain fold line L1 is hindered.
However, since the decorative sheet 20 according to this embodiment 1 is formed to a size that includes two valley fold lines L2, when the sheet body 21 is folded, the tension of the sheet body 21 at the position of the valley fold line L2 is relaxed.
Therefore, even if the base material 10 is mountain-folded at the mountain fold line L1 and the sheet body 21 is pulled in both directions, the sheet body 21 located at the valley fold line L2 is shifted. Therefore, the base material 10 can be folded so that the portions divided by the mountain fold line L1 and the valley fold line L2 overlap each other.

In this embodiment 1, the decorative sheet 20 is placed in the center of the base material 10, but a decorative sheet 20 smaller than the base material 10 can be attached to any desired location, such as the upper left, lower right, or a range that includes one or more valley fold lines L2 when viewed from the front of the automobile.
Therefore, the automobile sunshade 1 can attach the decorative sheet 20, which is smaller in size than the base material 10, to a desired location on the accordion-folded base material 10.

In this embodiment 1, as shown in FIG. 3, the tab portion 22 is inserted into the insertion groove 12 formed in the base material 10, and the first mounting portion 31 and the second mounting portion 32 are joined on the back side of the base material 10, so that the joined portion cannot be seen from the front side, resulting in a good appearance.
However, if it is not a problem if the joint is visible from the front surface side, the tab portion 22 may be extended in the direction of the front surface and joined by being sandwiched between the first mounting portion 31 and the second mounting portion 32. In this case, the insertion groove 12 can be omitted.

(Embodiment 2)
A vehicle sunshade according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In Fig. 5, the same components as those in Figs. 1 to 4 are designated by the same reference numerals and will not be described again.
In the case where the height of the automobile sunshade of embodiment 2 is lower than the height of the windshield and cannot be supported between the top of the dashboard and the sun visor, the sunshade is raised by legs and supported by being sandwiched between the top of the dashboard and the sun visor.

As shown in FIG. 5, the sunshade 1 ′ for an automobile is formed with connecting portions 50 that connect the base material 10 ′ and the leg portions 40 .
The leg portion 40 is connected to the base material 10' to increase the height of the automobile sunshade 1'. The leg portion 40 has a lower end side 40b formed in, for example, an arc shape.
The leg 40 has an upper end 40t formed with a protrusion 41 that protrudes upward.
A recess 13 that opens downward is formed in the lower end 10b of the base material 10'. This recess 13 is formed at a position corresponding to the protrusion 41 of the leg portion 40.
A recess 13 formed on the lower end 10b of the base member 10' and a protrusion 41 formed on the upper end 40b of the leg portion 40 are fitted together.

The connecting portion 50 includes a first connecting portion 51a formed on the base material 10' side and a second connecting portion 51b formed on the leg portion 40 side, and a second connecting portion 52 whose base end is connected to the base material 10' side, extends toward the leg portion 40, and connects to the first connecting portions 51a and 51b.

One of the first connecting portions 51a is formed on the upper edge of the recessed portions 13 of the base material 10′.
The other first connecting portion 51b is formed at the position of the convex portion 41 and at the position of the lower edge of the concave portion formed between the convex portions 41. The first connecting portions 51a, 51b may be, for example, hook-and-loop fasteners having the same configuration as the first attachment portion 31 shown in Fig. 3. Furthermore, the first connecting portions 51a, 51b may be configured to be wrapped between a pair of insertion grooves 12 formed in the base material 10', or may be configured by attaching hook-and-loop fastener pieces to the front surface of the base material 10'.

The second connecting portion 52 may be a hook-and-loop fastener formed in a belt shape.
When either the first connecting portion 51a, 51b or the second connecting portion 52 is a male member, the other connecting portion can be a female member.

The use of the sunshade 1' for an automobile according to the second embodiment of the present invention configured as above will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, as shown in FIG. 5, when attaching the automobile sunshade 1' to the front window, the height of the base material 10' may be insufficient, and even when placed on the top surface of the dashboard, it may not reach the sun visor and may not be able to support it.

In such a case, the legs 40 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are connected to the lower end of the base 10'.
When connecting the leg 40 to the lower end of the base material 10′, first, the convex portion 41 of the leg 40 is fitted into the concave portion 13 of the base material 10′. This prevents the leg 40 from shifting in the width direction F1 (left-right direction).
Next, the tip of the belt-shaped second connecting portion 52 is extended toward the leg portion 40. The second connecting portion 52 is then pressed against one of the first connecting portions 51a and the other of the first connecting portions 51b to connect them. Because the second connecting portion 52 can be easily and securely connected to the first connecting portions 51a and 51b, it is possible to prevent the leg portion 40 from coming off or shifting when fitting it into the front window.

In this way, the base material 10' can be raised by the height of the legs 40, and the height position of the base material 10' is increased, allowing the automobile sunshade 1' to be supported by being sandwiched between the top surface of the dashboard and the sun visor.

The height of the legs 40 can be determined appropriately depending on the height of the base material 10' and the vehicle model. Because the height can be adjusted using the legs 40, it is possible to manufacture only one type of base material 10' and then prepare multiple types of legs 40 to accommodate a variety of vehicle models.

In the second embodiment, the base 10' side is the recess 13 and the leg 40 side is the protrusion 41, but the base 10' side may be the protrusion and the leg 40 side may be the recess.
In addition, the second connecting portion 52 is formed so that its base end is connected to the substrate 10' side and extends toward the leg portion 40 side, but it may also be formed so that its base end is connected to the leg portion 40 side and extends toward the substrate 10' side.

Embodiments 1 and 2 have been described above. According to this embodiment, the decorative sheet 20 is made of tarpaulin, which has excellent durability, good color development, and a highly decorative effect.

In addition, while in this embodiment a hook-and-loop fastener unit is used as the fixing band, other fasteners may be used, such as a belt-like string or rubber band. In this case, for example, the detachable joining means may be realized by fastening with a snap button or hook. Also, one end may be fixed to the base material, and the other end may be detachable.

In this embodiment, the device is installed on the front windshield of a car, but it may also be applied to vehicles other than cars, such as work vehicles, heavy machinery, buses, or trains, and can be applied to any type of vehicle.

1, 1' Automotive sunshade (vehicle sunshade)
10, 10' Base material 10b Lower end portion 11 Cutout portion 12 Insertion groove 12a First insertion groove 12b Second insertion groove 13 Recessed portion 20 Decorative sheet 21 Sheet body 22 Tab portion 22a Through hole 22b Joint portion 22A First region 22B Second region 30 Mounting portion 31 First mounting portion 32 Second mounting portion 40 Leg portion 40t Upper end portion 40b Lower end side 41 Convex portion L1 Mountain fold line L2 Valley fold line Lc Center line F1 Width direction F2 Height direction

Claims (5)

A vehicle sunshade that is placed on the inside of a vehicle's front windshield,
a plate-shaped base material that is arranged inside the front window and is accordion-folded with mountain folds and valley folds that are alternately positioned along the up-down direction;
a sheet-like decorative sheet that is arranged on the front surface of the base material so as to be visible from outside the front window and is formed to a size smaller than the base material,
the decorative sheet is formed to a size that includes at least one of the valley fold lines, and is formed to be detachable from the front surface side of the base material ;
a mounting section for mounting the decorative sheet on the substrate;
The decorative sheet has a tab portion formed thereon, the tab portion having a through-hole and projecting from a sheet body having a decorative surface formed thereon,
The mounting portion of the vehicle sunshade includes a first mounting portion formed on the base material and a second mounting portion joined to the first mounting portion via a through hole in the tab portion . The vehicle sunshade of claim 1, further comprising: a leg portion that raises the base material; and a connecting portion that connects the base material and the leg portion. The vehicle sunshade of claim 2, wherein the lower end of the base and the upper end of the leg are formed with recesses and protrusions that fit together. The vehicle sunshade according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the connecting portion comprises a first connecting portion formed on each of the base material and the leg portion, and a belt-like second connecting portion whose base end is connected to either the base material or the leg portion and extends to the other to connect to the first connecting portion. The sunshade for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the tab portion is formed with a joining portion that joins to the first mounting portion.