Mirror switch assembly

• US 20060082910A1
• Filed: 02/25/2005
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Original Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Inventors: Spike, Robert L., Danek, Daniel J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,270,433 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/877
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/07 by electrically powered actuators

Abstract

A mirror switch assembly that may be incorporated with a mirror unit for tilting a mirror. A set of contacts rotates when the mirror unit is rotated between a horizontal orientation and a vertical orientation. The set of contacts is electrically coupled to two motors and to a set of terminals. The set of terminals is electrically coupled to at least one mirror adjustment switch that is located in the interior of the vehicle. When the set of contacts rotate, the connections between the terminals and the motors are reconfigured to compensate for a change in orientation of the mirror.

Claims

1. A mirror switch assembly that reconfigures a mirror control system when an orientation of a mirror changes, the mirror switch assembly comprising:

a rotor that is coupled to a mirror frame and that rotates as the orientation of the mirror changes;

a switch housing that is connected to the rotor;

a set of terminals located within the switch housing and that is electrically coupled to at least one mirror adjustment button; and

a set of contacts located within the switch housing and that rotates with the rotor as the orientation of the mirror changes, that is electrically coupled to at least two motors causing the mirror to change a tilting position, and that is reconfigured when the rotor rotates to compensate for the orientation of the mirror.

2. The mirror switch assembly of claim 1, wherein the orientation of the mirror changes between a horizontal orientation and a vertical orientation.

3. The mirror switch assembly of claim 1, wherein the rotor couples to at least one tab on a mirror frame.

4. The mirror switch assembly of claim 1, wherein each contact in the set of contacts comprises a spring-loaded contact.

5. The mirror switch assembly of claim 1, further comprising a set of wires and a pair of connectors that electrically couple the at least two motors to the set of contacts.

6. The mirror switch assembly of claim 1, further comprising a first electrical connector that electrically couples a first pair of wires to a first motor, and a second electrical connector that electrically couples a second pair of wires to a second motor.

7. The mirror switch assembly of claim 1, further comprising a connector frame that contains the set of terminals, the connector frame defining inclined surfaces to facilitate the rotation of the set of contacts relative to the set of terminals.

8. The mirror switching assembly of claim 1, further comprising a contact frame that mounts the set of contacts.

9. The mirror switching system of claim 1, wherein the set of contacts includes four contacts, and wherein two contacts are electrically coupled to a first motor and two other contacts are coupled to a second motor.

10. The mirror switching system of claim 1, wherein the set of terminals includes three terminals, wherein a first terminal is electrically coupled to a vertical tilting control wire of the at least one mirror adjustment switch, wherein a second terminal is electrically coupled to a horizontal tilting control wire of the at least one mirror adjustment switch, and wherein a third terminal is electrically coupled to a common control wire of the at least one mirror adjustment switch.

11. A mirror unit that is mounted on a vehicle, comprising:

a mirror housing;

a mirror frame that is housed in the mirror housing and that pivots on a mirror bracket;

a mirror that mounts to the mirror frame;

at least two motors that tilt the mirror horizontally and vertically; and

a mirror switch assembly that includes a rotor that is coupled to the mirror frame and that rotates as the orientation of the mirror changes, a set of terminals that is electrically coupled to at least one mirror adjustment switch, and a set of contacts that rotates with the rotor as the orientation of the mirror changes, that is electrically coupled to the at least two motors causing the mirror to change a tilting position, and that is reconfigured when the rotor rotates to compensate for the orientation of the mirror.

12. The mirror unit of claim 11, further comprising a set of wires that couple the two motors to the set of contacts through the rotor.

14. The mirror unit of claim 11, wherein the set of contacts is reconfigured to compensate for motor polarity in accordance with the orientation of the mirror.

15. The mirror unit of claim 11, further comprising a first electrical connector that electrically couples a first pair of wires to a first motor, and a second electrical connector that electrically couples a second pair of wires to a second motor.

16. The mirror unit of claim 11, wherein the set of contacts includes four contacts, and wherein two contacts are electrically coupled to a first motor and two other contacts are coupled to a second motor.

17. The mirror unit of claim 11, wherein the set of terminals includes three terminals, wherein a first terminal is electrically coupled to a vertical tilting control wire of the at least one mirror adjustment switch, wherein a second terminal is electrically coupled to a horizontal tilting control wire of the at least one mirror adjustment switch, and wherein a third terminal is electrically coupled to a common control wire of the at least one mirror adjustment switch.

13. The mirror unit of 11, wherein each contact in the set of contacts comprises a spring-loaded contact.

18. A mirror switch assembly that reconfigures a mirror control system when an orientation of a mirror changes, the mirror switch assembly comprising:

a rotor that is coupled to a mirror frame and that rotates as the orientation of the mirror changes;

a set of terminals that is electrically coupled to at least one mirror adjustment switch, wherein the at least one mirror adjustment switch enables a user to tilt the mirror in a vertical direction and in a horizontal direction;

a set of spring-loaded contacts that rotates with the rotor as the orientation of the mirror changes, that is electrically coupled to two motors causing the mirror to tilt horizontally and vertically, wherein one of the motors changeably tilts the mirror in the horizontal direction and the other motor changeably tilts the mirror in the vertical, and that is reconfigured when the rotor rotates to compensate for the orientation of the mirror; and

a pair of connectors that couple the two motors to the set of spring-loaded contacts through the rotor.

19. The mirror switch assembly of claim 18, wherein the set of spring-loaded contacts includes four contacts, and wherein two contacts are electrically coupled to a first motor and two other contacts are coupled to a second motor.

20. The mirror switch assembly of claim 18, wherein the set of terminals includes three terminals, wherein a first terminal is electrically coupled to a vertical tilting control wire of the at least one mirror adjustment switch, wherein a second terminal is electrically coupled to a horizontal tilting control wire of the at least one mirror adjustment switch, and wherein a third terminal is electrically coupled to a common control wire of the at least one mirror adjustment switch.