Mirror adjustment mechanism, in particular for a wing mirror for a motor vehicle

• US 10,232,777 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2015
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MCi (Mirror Controls International) Netherlands B.V. (Flex, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: MCi (Mirror Controls International) Netherlands B.V. (Flex, Ltd.)
• Inventors: de Groen, Amee Heleen, Gentis, Jan Christiaan, Hamming, Peter Alexander, van Stiphout, Paulus Gerardus Maria, Smilde, Bastiaan Aaldert
• Primary Examiner(s): Pasko, Nicholas R.
• Application Number:
  US15/117,135
• Publication Number:
  US 20170167561A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,481 Days
• Field of Search: 359841, 359871
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/006 Side-view mirrors, e.g. V-shaped mirrors located at the front or rear part of the vehicle combined with rear-view mirrors B60R1/08; side-view periscopes B60R1/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/06 mounted on vehicle exterior B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/066 for adjusting the mirror relative to its housing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/068 using cables
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/072 for adjusting the mirror relative to its housing
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 1/12 Attachments or mountings F16F1/041, F16F13/02 take precedence; of combinations of vibration damper and mechanical spring for vehicle suspension units B60G15/02
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 1/128 with motion-limiting means, e.g. with a full-length guide element or ball joint connections; with protective outer cover F16F1/121 takes precedence

Abstract

A mirror adjustment mechanism, in particular for a wing mirror for a motor vehicle, having a base part with a mirror support arranged pivotally relative thereto, wherein between the base part and the mirror support a damper is arranged, the damper including a collar portion coupled to the mirror support, encompassing a ball portion, coupled to the base part, or vice versa, both constituting a ball joint arrangement. A slide element is slidingly engaged between the ball portion and the collar portion in such a way that it restrains movement of the collar portion relative to the ball portion, resulting from movement the mirror support relative to the base part, wherein the slide element is a spring ring slidingly abutting on contact surfaces of the ball portion and coupled to the collar portion.

Claims

1. A mirror adjustment mechanism, in particular for a wing mirror for a motor vehicle, having a base part with a mirror support arranged pivotally relative thereto, wherein

between the base part and the minor support a damping means is arranged, the damping means comprising:

a collar portion, coupled to the mirror support or the base part and encompassing a langball portion coupled to the other of the base part or the mirror support respectively, both constituting a ball joint arrangement;

a slide element slidingly engaging the ball portion and the collar portion in such a way that it restricts movement of the collar portion relative to the ball portion when the minor support is moved relative to the base part, wherein

the slide element is an elastic spring ring slidingly abutting on contact surfaces of the ball portion, coupled to the collar portion, and being attached onto the ball portion abutting to the contact surfaces and coupled with the collar portion in such a pretensioned way that the spring ring forces the ball portion and the collar portion against each other.

2. The minor adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the spring ring is coupled and arranged in such way that it slides along the contact surfaces of the ball portion, when the minor support is pivoted relative to the base part.

3. The minor adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the collar portion is coupled to the spring ring in such a way that the collar portion has no direct contact to the ball portion.

4. The minor adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the collar portion is arranged and coupled to the spring ring in such a way that it forces at least part of the slide element against the contact surfaces of the ball portion.

5. The mirror adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the ball portion at least partly has a spherical shape, with a base portion facing in a direction away from the collar portion and at least one curved side wall comprising at least one contact surface and extending in an opposite direction.

6. The mirror adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the ball portion broadens in a direction away from the collar portion.

7. The mirror adjustment mechanism according to claim 1 wherein the collar portion has coupling element by which it is detachably coupled to the spring ring.

8. The mirror adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the spring ring is attached to the ball portion in a pre-tensioned manner having a stretched diameter abutting the contact surfaces in a pretensioned way when the base part and the mirror support are arranged in a neutral position without pivotation relative to each other.

9. The mirror adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the contact surfaces are arranged in such a way that during a pivotation of the mirror support relative to the base part of ±

15°

out of a neutral position, the spring ring abuts against at least one of the contact surfaces.

10. The mirror adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the contact surfaces comprise a constant curvature in area the slide ring slides along during a pivotation of the mirror support relative to the base part of ±

15°

out of a neutral position.

11. The mirror adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the spring ring is constructed in such a way that its ring diameter can be elastically increased.

12. The mirror adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the spring ring is manufactured from spring steel.

13. The mirror adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the spring ring is constructed as an elastically open ring element having free ends which can be elastically forced away from each other.

14. The mirror adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the spring ring is constructed as an element, flexibly prolongable along a diameter of the spring ring.

15. The mirror adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the spring ring is abutting against the ball portion with distinct abutment portions formed as embossments at the spring ring.

16. The mirror adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the spring ring is attached to the collar portion, the collar portion having openings the spring ring extends through for abutting onto the ball portion.

17. A wing mirror unit for a motor vehicle, comprising a mirror cap provided with a mirror adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, and a mirror unit coupled with the mirror support of the mirror adjustment mechanism.