PERISCOPIC VIEWING SYSTEM

• US 3,784,288 A
• Filed: 01/05/1972
• Issued: 01/08/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Louis Harmon
• Original Assignee: William W Toy
• Inventors: Toy, William W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wibert, Ronald L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tokar, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US05/215,498
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• Field of Search: 350/51,52,179,173,286,287,301,302,307
• US Class Current: 359/503
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/10 Front-view mirror arrangements; specially adapted for covering the peripheral part of the vehicle B60R1/002; Periscope arrangements , i.e. optical devices using combinations of mirrors, lenses, prisms or the like specially adapted for covering the peripheral part of the vehicle B60R1/002; for viewing traffic-lights B60R1/005; Other mirror arrangements giving a view from above or under the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/08 Periscopes arrangements on floating structures of underwater viewing devices B63C11/49; arrangement of visual watch equipment on submarines B63G8/38
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/06 Fluid-filled or evacuated prisms
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/182 for mirrors

Abstract

A periscopic rear view optical system for vehicles in which an image of a rearward objective is reflected downwardly from a rooftop mirror through a prismatic device constructed as a transparently faced housing filled with a liquid suitable for the optical path to be within the critical angle at the desired reflective faces for reflection of the image to the driver of the vehicle. A modification of the device includes adjustable prism faces to accommodate different driver heights, with the spatial dimension variations produced by the adjustment effecting a vertical movement of the device.

Claims

1. A periscopic rear view system for a vehicle having support structure elevated and forwardly of the vehicle driver, said system comprising:

a. a prismatic structure carried by and depending from said support structure, having an image receiving face arranged to receive therethrough an image of a reArward objective, interiorly reflective faces, and a viewing face confronting said vehicle driver, the image received through said receiving face being transmitted to said reflecting faces and thence outwardly through said viewing face to said vehicle driver; and

b. adjusting means selectively adjustably tilting at least two faces of said prismatic structure angularly relative to the other faces on substantially horizontal tilt axes to angularly vary the optical axis within said structure in the use of said apparatus.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said adjusting means operably maintains said receiving and viewing faces optically parallel at all times.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said prismatic structure comprises a housing having at least one chamber containing light transmitting fluid having the necessary index of refraction when combined with said faces to effect prismatic performance of said structure.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 including means selectively varying the internal spatial dimensions of said prismatic structure upon operating said adjusting means.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said adjusting means adjustably varies one of said reflective faces and said viewing face.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said adjusting means adjustably varies said faces at unequal rates for maintaining said receiving and viewing faces optically parallel.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said faces are all planar.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said adjusting means adjustably varies at least two of said faces at rates to maintain said receiving and viewing faces optically parallel.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said reflective faces comprise a specular reflective face and a mirrored face, the optical axis through said prismatic structure extending through said receiving face to said specular reflective face at more than the critical angle thereof for reflection to said mirrored face, reflecting therefrom through said specular reflective face at less than the critical angle thereof and thence through said viewing face.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said adjusting means adjustably varies said mirrored face and said viewing face.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said adjusting means adjustably varies said mirrored face at one-half the rate of adjustment of said viewing face and thereby maintains said receiving and viewing faces optically parallel.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said receiving face is affixed to said support structure and including means automatically moving that portion of said prismatic structure containing said mirrored and viewing faces substantially vertically relative to said receiving face as said mirrored and viewing faces are adjusted whereby to compensate for unequal adjustment of said mirrored and viewing faces to maintain a constant volume within said prismatic structure, such adjustment and movement thereby adapting the rear view system to drivers of different height.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 and including means for maintaining a constant volume within said prismatic structure.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said receiving face is affixed to said support structure and that portion of said prismatic structure containing said viewing face is substantially vertically adjustable relative to said receiving face.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said prismatic structure includes a prism and an optical wedge each comprising a housing having a chamber containing light transmitting fluid, said prism including said receiving and said reflective faces, and said wedge including said viewing face.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said reflective faces comprise a specular reflective face and a mirrored face, the optical axis through said prismatic structure extending through said receiving face to said specular reflective face at more than the critical angle thereof for reflection to said mirrored face, reflecting therefrom through said specUlar reflective face at less than the critical angle thereof and thence through the wedge and its viewing face.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said wedge is disposed adjacent said specular reflective face and is constructed to maintain said viewing face optically parallel to said receiving face.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 including means openly communicating said prism and wedge housing chambers for flow of said fluid therebetween.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein adjustment of said faces effects variation of the respective volumes of said chambers.

20. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said receiving face of the prism is affixed to said support structure, and including means moving said wedge and that portion of said prism containing said mirrored face substantially vertically relative to said receiving face.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 including means selectively adjustably varying one of said reflective faces and said viewing face angularly relative to the other faces thereby unequally varying the volumes of said chambers, and means openly communicating said chambers whereby said volume variations actuates said moving means to compensate for such unequal volume variations and maintain a substantially constant total volume of said chamber.

22. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said fluid has the necessary index of refraction when combined with said faces to effect prismatic performance of said structure.

23. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means includes mechanism operably connecting two adjustable faces for simultaneous adjustment thereof.

24. The apparatus of claim 1 including a mirror carried by and above said support structure to reflect an image of a rearward objective downwardly, and wherein said receiving face is disposed substantially horizontally to receive therethrough the image reflected from said mirror.

25. A periscopic rear view system for a vehicle having support structure elevated and forwardly of the vehicle driver, said system comprising:

a. a prism carried by and depending from said support structure, having an image receiving face arranged to receive therethrough an image of a rearward objective, an interiorly specular reflective face, and a mirrored face;

b. an optical wedge connected to said prism adjacent said specular reflective face, having a viewing face confronting said vehicle driver and disposed optically parallel to the receiving face of said prism;

c. the optical axis through said prism and wedge extending through said receiving face to said specular reflective face at more than the critical angle thereof for reflection to said mirrored face, reflecting therefrom through said specular reflective face at less than the critical angle thereof and thence through the viewing face of said wedge to said vehicle driver; and

d. said prism comprising a housing having an effective optical chamber defined in part by said receiving, specular reflective and mirrored faces and filled with a light transmitting fluid having the necessary index of refraction when combined with the prism faces to effect prismatic performance of said prisms.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein said wedge comprises a housing having a chamber defined in part by said viewing face and a light transmitting face disposed adjacent to the specular reflective face of said prism, and filled with a light transmitting fluid having the necessary index of refraction when combined with said wedge faces to effect prismatic performace of said wedge.

27. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein said mirrored face has a reflective external surface.

28. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein said faces are all planar.

29. The apparatus of claim 25 including a mirror carried by and above said support structure to reflect an image of a rearward objective downwardly, and wherein said receiving face is disposed substantially horizontally to receive therethrough the image reflected from said mirror.