Exterior rearview mirror for vehicles, preferably for motor vehicles

• US 20060050423A1
• Filed: 09/01/2005
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Visiocorp Patents S.a.r.l.
• Original Assignee: Schefenacker Vision Systems Germany GmbH
• Inventors: Waldmann, Bernd, Secanu, Florin, Leonberger, Karl-Heinz, Pirner, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US11/217,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20060050423A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/871
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/06 mounted on vehicle exterior B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence

Abstract

Exterior rearview mirror for vehicles, preferably for motor vehicles. The exterior rearview mirror has a mirror base, and a mirror body, which can be folded relative to the mirror base and which has a housing. The housing of the mirror body is approximately rectangular when viewed from the side. It is connected to the laterally projecting part of the mirror base in the corner region of the housing. In order to design the exterior rearview mirror such that it is problem-free in use, the housing transitions through a narrow section into a connecting part to the mirror base. The mirror body is mounted on the mirror base by means of this connecting part. Consequently, the overall height of the mirror base can be kept very small. The narrow section of the mirror body prevents wind noises from occurring, since the slip stream can easily flow past the narrow section without catching on parts of the exterior rearview mirror. The exterior rearview mirror has a favorable aerodynamic design, and has a light and small appearance because of the narrow section.

Claims

1. Exterior rearview mirror for vehicles, comprising a mirror base and a mirror body, which is foldable relative to the mirror base and has a housing, wherein the housing transitions through a narrow section into a connecting part to the mirror base.

2. Exterior rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein the connecting part is joined in an articulating manner to a mounting part of the mirror base.

3. Exterior rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein the narrow section is bounded by side walls that have a continuous curve in a circumferential direction.

4. Exterior rearview mirror according to claim 3, wherein the side walls of the narrow section curve in cross-section.

5. Exterior rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein the narrow section has a depth at least equal to, or greater than, a maximum width of the narrow section.

6. Exterior rearview mirror according to claim 2, wherein the height of the mirror base is approximately one tenth to approximately one twentieth the width of the exterior rearview mirror.

7. Exterior rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein the housing and the connecting part are joined to one another by means of a web.

8. Exterior rearview mirror according to claim 7, wherein the web is a shorter distance away from the underside of the housing than from its upper side.

9. Exterior rearview mirror, in particular according to claim 1, wherein the mirror base has a mounting part for attachment to the vehicle and has a connecting part, which is a component of the housing of the mirror body.

10. Exterior rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein the narrow section is provided in a half of the exterior rearview mirror that faces the motor vehicle.