A sun visor assembly for a vehicle to be used in conjunction with an overhead
airbag
is disclosed. The sun visor assembly includes a visor panel, a pivot rod, and a
mount for securing the sun visor assembly to the vehicle. The sun visor assembly
also has a deflecting element for allowing the visor panel to be deflected out
of the path of an inflating overhead airbag. The deflecting element could be a
detachable catch mechanism that holds the visor panel in an operational position
until the airbag deploys. The deflecting element could also be a spring loaded
pivot or crease disposed within the body of the visor panel. The deflecting element
could further be a tear seam or flexible fabric for channeling the trajectory of
the overhead airbag.
