HOUSING WITH INTEGRAL GASKET COMPONENTS FOR A REARVIEW MIRROR ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY

• US 20020047378A1
• Filed: 03/07/2000
• Published: 04/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David Kevin Willmore, Robert E. Schnell, Robert Lee Bingle
• Original Assignee: David Kevin Willmore, Robert E. Schnell, Robert Lee Bingle
• Inventors: Schnell, Robert E., Bingle, Robert Lee, Willmore, David Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 6,362,548 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 310/89
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/072 for adjusting the mirror relative to its housing
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 16/00 Machines with more than one rotor or stator machines for transmitting mechanical power from a driving shaft to a driven shaft and comprising structurally interrelated motor and generator parts H02K51/00; permanent magnet machines with multiple rotors or stators relatively rotated for vectorially combining the excitation fields or the armature voltages H02K21/029
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/10 with arrangements for protection from ingress, e.g. water or fingers
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/24 specially adapted for suppression or reduction of noise or vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/06 Means for converting reciprocating motion into rotary motion or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1166 comprising worm and worm-wheel structural association with bearings specially adapted for worm gear drives H02K7/081

Abstract

A housing member for an actuator assembly for adjusting the orientation of a mirror element in a mirror assembly provides integral weather seals and noise dampeners. The weather seals and noise dampeners are injection molded with or onto a base wall of the housing member to thereby form seals and dampeners that have superior adhesion or mechanical retention to the housing member and, therefore, are not subject to degradation from noise. In addition, the integral seals and dampeners reduce the time and cost of assembling and servicing the actuator assembly. The housing member includes a base wall, and a sidewall which connects to the base wall and extends around the perimeter of the base wall. The side wall includes connectors for securing the first housing to the second housing. A gasket material is injection molded around the passage to thereby seal the passage, which forms an annular lip on the inner surface of the base wall and extends through the base wall to form a flexible diaphragm on the outer surface of the base wall. The flexible diaphragm includes a first opening molded around the passage and a second opening for receiving and sealingly engaging a positioning member, wherein the second opening moves in and out of the passage with the positioning member when the positioning member extends out or withdraws into the actuator.

Claims

1. A first housing member for an electrically-operated actuator for use in an exterior rearview mirror assembly, the mirror assembly including a reflective element, the actuator including a second housing, the second housing supporting at least one motor, gearing driven by the motor, and at least one mirror positioning member driven by the gearing to adjust the position of the mirror element, said first housing member comprising:

a base wall having an inner surface, an outer surface, a perimeter, and at least one passage for receiving the mirror positioning member;

a sidewall connected to said base wall, said sidewall extending. around said perimeter of said base wall and including at least one connector for securing said first housing to the second housing; and

gasket material injection molded around said passage sealing said passage, said gasket material forming an annular lip on said inner surface of said base wall, said gasket material extending through said base wall and forming a flexible diaphragm adjacent said outer surface of said base wall, said flexible diaphragm including a first opening molded around said passage and a second opening for receiving and sealingly engaging the positioning member, wherein portions of said flexible diaphragm which define said second opening move in and out of said passage with the positioning member when the gearing drives the positioning member.

2. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 1, said annular lip being connected to said flexible diaphragm at one or more locations.

3. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 2, said base wall having at least one aperture adjacent said passage, said annular lip being connected to said flexible diaphragm through said aperture.

4. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 1, said base including an annular wall, said annular wall including an inner surface and an outer surface, said annular wall defining said passage, said diaphragm including an annular sealing surface sealingly engaging said outer surface of said base wall around said outer surface of said annular wall, said lip being connected to said annular sealing surface adjacent said outer surface of said annular wall.

5. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 4, said base wall having a plurality of apertures spaced around said annular wall, said lip being connected to said diaphragm through said apertures.

6. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 5, wherein said apertures comprise elongated openings.

7. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 1, said diaphragm including an elongated collar, said collar having a throughbore defining said opening for receiving the positioning member, and said collar for sealingly engaging the positioning member.

8. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 7, said elongated collar having an inner sealing surface adapted to conform to the shape of the positioning member to thereby provide increased contact between said sealing surface and the positioning member.

9. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 1, said base wall further including gasket material injected thereon to form a noise dampener, said noise dampener projecting from said inner surface of said base wall for dampening the noise of the motor.

10. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 9, wherein said gasket material extends from said lip to said noise dampener.

11. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 9, wherein said base wall includes a depression, said gasket material being injected into said depression to form one of said noise dampener and said flexible diaphragm.

12. A first housing member for an actuator device according to claim 11, wherein said depression includes beveled side walls.

13. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 12, wherein said beveled side walls form a reverse chamfer to mechanically hold said one of said noise dampener and said flexible diaphragm on said base wall.

14. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 9, wherein said base wall includes a plurality of apertures, said apertures extending through said base wall from said inner surface to said outer surface, said gasket material of one of said noise dampener and said flexible diaphragm extending through said plurality of apertures and forming enlarged ends on said outer surface, said enlarged ends mechanically locking said one of said noise dampener and said flexible diaphragm to said base wall.

15. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 9, wherein said noise dampener comprises an elongate pad.

16. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 9, wherein said gasket material forms a chemical adhesion with said first housing member.

17. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 16, wherein said housing comprises a glass-filled polypropylene material.

18. A first housing member for an actuator device according to claim 1, said side wall having a shoulder, and gasket material being injected onto said shoulder to thereby form a gasket seal for sealing said first housing member to the second housing member when said first housing member is secured to the second housing member.

19. A first housing member for an actuator device according to claim 1, wherein said gasket material comprises a thermoplastic elastic material.

20. A first housing member according to claim 1, wherein said gasket material is chemically adhered to said first housing member.

21. A first housing member for an actuator device according to claim 1, wherein said housing member comprises a glass-filled polypropylene material.

22. A first housing member for an electrically-operated actuator for use in an exterior rearview mirror assembly, the actuator including a second housing member, a reversible motor supported in the second housing member, gearing supported in the second housing member driven by the motor, and a mirror positioning rod driven by the gearing and the motor, said first housing member comprising:

a base wall having inner and outer surfaces and a passage therethrough for receiving the mirror positioning rod;

a side wall extending around said base, said side wall including at least one connector for securing said first housing member to the second housing member; and

gasket material injection molded onto said base wall, said gasket material forming at least one noise dampener, said noise dampener extending from said inner surface of said base wall for contacting the motor to reduce noise from the motor when said first housing member is secured to the second housing member.

23. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 22, wherein said base wall includes a depression, said gasket material being injection molded into said depression to form said noise dampener.

24. A first housing member for an actuator device according to claim 23, wherein said depression includes beveled side walls.

25. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 24, wherein said beveled side walls form a reverse chamfer to mechanically hold said noise dampener on said base wall.

26. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 22, wherein said base wall includes a plurality of apertures, said apertures extending through said base wall from said inner surface to said outer surface, said gasket material of said noise dampener extending through said plurality of apertures and forming enlarged ends on said outer surface, said enlarged ends mechanically locking said noise dampener to said base wall.

27. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 22, further comprising gasket material being injection molded around said passage and forming a flexible diaphragm, said flexible diaphragm sealing said passage, said flexible diaphragm including a first opening molded around said passage and a second opening for receiving and sealingly engaging the mirror positioning rod, wherein portions of said flexible diaphragm defining said second opening move in and out of said passage with the positioning rod when the gearing drives the positioning rod.

28. A first housing member for an actuator device according to claim 27, wherein said flexible diaphragm includes a cross-over to said noise dampener.

29. A first housing member for an actuator device according to claim 29, said flexible diaphragm including a collar for sealingly engaging the mirror positioning rod, said collar defining said second opening for receiving the mirror positioning rod therethrough.

30. A first housing member for an actuator device according to claim 22, said side wall having a shoulder, and gasket material being injection molded onto said shoulder to thereby form a gasket seal for sealing said first housing member to the second housing member when said first housing member is secured to the second housing member.

31. A first housing member for an actuator device according to claim 30, wherein said gasket seal includes at least one cross-over to said noise dampener.

32. A first housing member for an electrically-operated actuator for use in an exterior rearview mirror assembly, the actuator including a second housing member, a motor supported in the second housing member, gearing supported in the second housing member driven by the motor, and a mirror positioning rod driven by the gearing and the motor, said first housing member comprising:

a base wall having inner and outer surfaces, a passage formed therethrough, and a plurality of openings spaced around said passage, said passage for receiving the mirror positioning rod;

a side wall extending around said base wall, said side wall including at least one connector for securing said first housing member to the second housing member; and

a flexible diaphragm extending over said passage for sealing the positioning rod with said first housing member, said flexible diaphragm having a first sealing surface sealingly engaging said base wall around said passage and a second sealing surface for sealingly engaging the positioning rod, said flexible diaphragm further including a lip, said lip sealingly engaging the inner surface of said base wall, and said lip being connected to said first sealing surface of said flexible diaphragm through said openings in said base wall.

33. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 32, wherein said base wall includes an annular wall extending around said passage, said annular wall having an outer perimeter, and said openings being spaced around said outer perimeter of said annular wall.

34. A first housing member for an actuator device according to claim 33, wherein said openings comprise elongate openings.

35. A first housing member for an actuator device according to claim 32, said flexible diaphragm including a collar for sealingly engaging the positioning rod, said collar defining said second opening for receiving the respective positioning rod therethrough.

36. A first housing member for an actuator device according to claim 32, said base wall including at least one noise dampener secured thereto, said noise dampener projecting from said base wall for dampening the noise of the motor.

37. A first housing member for an actuator device according to claim 36, wherein said diaphragm and said noise dampener are interconnected by a cross-over.

38. A first housing member for an actuator device according to claim 36 wherein said base wall includes a depression, said gasket material being injected into said depression to form said noise dampener.

39. A first housing member for an actuator device according to claim 38, wherein said depression includes beveled side walls, said beveled side walls forming a reverse chamfer to hold said noise dampener on said base wall.

40. A first housing member for an actuator device according to claim 36, wherein said base wall includes a plurality of apertures, said apertures extending through said base wall from said inner surface to said outer surface, said gasket material of said noise dampener extending through said plurality of apertures and forming a plurality of leads and enlarged ends on said outer surface of said base wall, said leads and said enlarged ends anchoring said noise dampener to said base wall.

41. A first housing member for an electrically-operated actuator for use in an exterior rearview mirror assembly, the mirror assembly including a reflective element, the actuator including a second housing, the second housing supporting at least one motor, gearing driven by the motor, and at least one mirror positioning member driven by the gearing to adjust the position of the mirror element, said first housing member comprising:

a base wall having an inner surface, an outer surface, a perimeter, and at least one passage for receiving the mirror positioning member;

a sidewall connected to said base wall, said sidewall extending around said perimeter of said base wall and including at least one connector and a shoulder, and said connector adapted to secure said first housing to the second housing; and

gasket material injection molded on said shoulder of said side wall, said gasket material forming a gasket seal for sealing said first housing member to the second housing member when said first housing member is secured to the second housing member.

42. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 41, further comprising a flexible diaphragm, said flexible diaphragm including a first opening injection molded around said passage and a second opening for receiving and sealingly engaging the positioning member thereby sealing said passage, wherein portions of said flexible diaphragm defining said second opening move in and out of said passage with the positioning member when the gearing drives the positioning member.

43. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 42, said flexible diaphragm including at least one cross-over extending to said gasket seal.

44. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 42, said base including an annular wall, said annular wall including an inner surface and an outer surface, said annular wall defining said passage, said flexible diaphragm including an annular sealing surface sealingly engaging said outer surface of said base wall around said outer surface of said annular wall and extending through said base wall to form a lip, said lip including an annular sealing surface sealing engaging said inner surface of said base wall adjacent said outer surface of said annular wall.

45. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 41, said base wall having a plurality of apertures spaced around said annular wall, said annular sealing surface of said lip being connected to said annular sealing surface of said flexible diaphragm through said apertures.

46. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 45, said base wall further including gasket material injection molded thereon to form a noise dampener, said noise dampener projecting from said inner surface of said base wall for dampening the noise of the motor.

47. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 46, wherein said lip includes a cross-over extending to said noise dampener.

48. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 41, said base wall further including gasket material injected thereon to form a noise dampener, said noise dampener projecting from said inner surface of said base wall for dampening the noise of the motor.

49. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 48, wherein said noise dampener includes a cross-over extending to said gasket seal.

50. A first housing member for an actuator according to claim 48, wherein said base wall includes a depression, said gasket material injected into said depression to form said noise dampener.

51. A first housing member for an actuator device according to claim 41, wherein said shoulder of said side wall includes a groove, said gasket seal being injection molded into said groove of said shoulder.

52. A first housing member for an actuator device according to claim 41, wherein said gasket material is chemically adhered to said shoulder.

53. A first housing member for an actuator device according to claim 52, wherein said first housing member comprises glass-filled polypropylene.