Rear-view device with vibration damping

• US 10,202,078 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2015
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SMR Patents Sarl (SMR Patents)
• Original Assignee: SMR Patents Sarl (SMR Patents)
• Inventors: Sulzle, Bernd
• Primary Examiner(s): Cherry, Euncha
• Application Number:
  US15/527,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20170320438A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 3592173, 359843
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/06 mounted on vehicle exterior B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/0602 comprising means for cleaning or deicing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/072 for adjusting the mirror relative to its housing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1253 with cameras, video cameras or video screens
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 7/1028 the inertia-producing means being a constituent part of the system which is to be damped

Abstract

A rear-view device for a motor vehicle with vibration damping, includes at least one rear-view element which is mounted in a housing in an adjustable manner relative to the housing via an adjusting drive, where the adjusting drive includes at least one motor which can be adjusted via a control or regulating device in order to adjust the field of view, and the control or regulating device controls or regulates the motor via the energizing process of the motor depending on at least one variable, which is selected from a first detected variable and/or at least one second stored variable, during a driving process in order to counteract movements of the at least one rear-view element relative to the housing by adjusting the motor, said movements being caused in particular by the movements of the motor vehicle during the driving process of the motor vehicle.

Claims

1. A rear-view device for a motor vehicle configured to provide vibration dampening, comprising:

a housing;

an adjusting drive comprising at least one motor which is configured to be adjusted via a control unit, and

at least one rear-view element which is mounted in the housing in an adjustable manner relative to the housing via the adjusting drive,

wherein the adjusting drive is configured to be adjusted via the control unit in order to adjust a field of view of the rear-view element, and

the control unit controls the motor by energizing the motor depending on at least one variable, which is selected from at least one first detected variable or at least one second stored variable, during a driving process in order to counteract vibration of the at least one rear-view element without changing the field of view.

2. The rear-view device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one rear-view element comprises at least one of a mirror element and an image acquisition element.

3. The rear-view device according to claim 2, wherein the image acquisition element comprises a camera, which is suited to acts as a mirror replacement element.

4. The rear-view device according to claim 1, wherein:

the first detected variable is detected via a sensing device, and

the first detected variable is determined via at least one of

the driving process of the motor vehicle, preferably the speed of the motor vehicle, the engine speed of the motor vehicle motor and/or the lane of the motor vehicle, and

the weather during the driving process, preferably a wind force, and

at least one obstacle which is to be avoided.

5. The rear-view device according to claim 1, wherein the second stored variable originates from a storage device in the rear-view device or in the motor vehicle or in a mobile unit.

6. The rear-view device according to claim 1, wherein the second stored variable is determined via a map.

7. The rear-view device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit adjusts the energizing process via current pulses or the current intensity of a permanent current.

8. The rear-view device according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting drive comprises two motors in order to adjust the field of view and to dampen vibrations.

9. The rear-view device according to claim 1, wherein a shock absorbing device for the at least one rear-view element, in operative connection with the control unit and at least one of each motor, the sensing device and the storage device.

10. The rear-view device according to claim 1, wherein

the mirror element covers a first viewing zone and the image acquisition element covers a second viewing zone, or

two mirror elements or two image acquisition elements are provided for a first and a second viewing zone.

11. The rear-view device according to claim 10, wherein the first viewing zone constitutes a near viewing zone and the second viewing zone constitutes a distance viewing zone.

12. The rear-view device according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a first housing element and a second housing element which is configured to be moved relative thereto.

13. The rear-view device according to claim 12, wherein a pivoting device, which is in operative connection with the control unit and at least one of each motor, the sensing device, the storage device and the impact absorbing device, is arranged between the first and the second housing element.

14. A rear-view device for a motor vehicle configured to provide vibration dampening, comprising:

a housing;

an adjusting drive comprising at least one motor which is configured to be adjusted via a control unit, and

at least one rear-view element which is mounted in the housing in an adjustable manner relative to the housing via the adjusting drive,

wherein the adjusting drive is configured to be adjusted via the control unit in order to adjust a field of view of the rear-view element, and

the control unit controls the motor by energizing the motor depending on at least one variable, which is determined during a driving process of the motor vehicle in order to counteract vibration of the at least one rear-view element without changing the field of view.

15. A rear-view device for a motor vehicle configured to provide vibration dampening, comprising:

a housing;

an adjusting drive comprising at least one motor which is configured to be adjusted via a control unit; and

at least one rear-view element which is mounted in the housing in an adjustable manner relative to the housing via the adjusting drive,

wherein the adjusting drive is configured to be adjusted via the control unit in order to adjust a field of view of the rear-view element, and

the control unit controls the motor by energizing the motor depending on at least one variable during a driving process in order to counteract vibration of the at least one rear-view element relative to the housing without changing the field of view by adjusting the motor.

16. A rear-view device for a motor vehicle configured to provide vibration dampening, comprising:

a housing;

an adjusting drive comprising at least one motor which is configured to be adjusted via a control unit; and

at least one rear-view element which is mounted in the housing, with the housing comprising a first housing element and a second housing element which is configured to be moved relative thereto,

wherein the at least one rear-view element is mounted in an adjustable manner relative to at least one of the first and second housing elements via the adjusting drive, and

the control unit controls the motor by energizing the motor depending on at least one variable during a driving process in order to counteract vibration of the at least one rear-view element relative to the housing without changing the field of view by adjusting the motor.