Electrically operated remote control rearview mirror
First Claim
1. An electrically actuated rearview mirror comprising:
- an X axis;
a Y axis, said X axis and said Y axis being mutually orthogonal;
a mirror;
a support for said mirror;
means for pivotally mounting said mirror on said support, said mirror being pivotable about said X and Y axes;
a spherical gear disposed on the back of said mirror, said spherical gear including an X gear section and a Y gear section, said X and Y gear sections having spherical pitch lines;
an X drive means meshing with said X gear section for pivoting said mirror about said X axis when electrical power is applied to said X drive means; and
a Y drive means meshing with said Y gear section for pivoting said mirror about said Y axis when electrical power is applied to said Y drive means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electrically actuated rearview mirror comprises a mirror, a support housing for the mirror and means for pivotally mounting the mirror in the support housing, the mirror being pivotable about mutually orthogonal X and Y axes. A spherical gear is disposed on the back of the mirror, the spherical gear including an X gear section and a Y gear section. The X and Y gear sections are provided with spherical pitch lines. X and Y drive means mesh with the X and Y gear sections for pivoting the mirror about the X and Y axes, respectively. The X and Y gear sections and the X and Y drive means are provided with gear teeth having a roughly triangular cross section and the X and Y drive means are spring biased into engagement with the X and Y gear sections, respectively, to provide for ratchet-like adjustment of the mirror relative to the support housing in the event of a power failure.
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Citations
43 Claims
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1. An electrically actuated rearview mirror comprising:
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an X axis; a Y axis, said X axis and said Y axis being mutually orthogonal; a mirror; a support for said mirror; means for pivotally mounting said mirror on said support, said mirror being pivotable about said X and Y axes; a spherical gear disposed on the back of said mirror, said spherical gear including an X gear section and a Y gear section, said X and Y gear sections having spherical pitch lines; an X drive means meshing with said X gear section for pivoting said mirror about said X axis when electrical power is applied to said X drive means; and a Y drive means meshing with said Y gear section for pivoting said mirror about said Y axis when electrical power is applied to said Y drive means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. In an electrically actuated rearview mirror of the type which is mounted for multidirectional pivotal movement about independent X and Y axes, a mirror, a support for said mirror, means for pivotally mounting said mirror for multidirectional pivotal movement on said support, said mirror being at least pivotable about said X and Y axes, an X drive means and a Y drive means, the improvement comprising:
a spherical gear operatively connected to said mirror such that displacement of said spherical gear provides a corresponding displacement of said mirror, said spherical gear including an X gear section and a Y gear section, said X and Y gear sections having a spherical pitch line, said X and Y drive means meshing with said X and Y gear sections, respectively, for driving said mirror about said X and Y axes, respectively, when electrical power is applied to said drive means. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. An electrically actuated rearview mirror comprising:
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an X axis; a Y axis, said X axis and said Y axis being mutually orthogonal; a mirror; a support for said mirror; a universal joint for pivotally mounting said mirror on said support, said mirror being pivotable about said X and Y axes; a spherical gear disposed on the back of said mirror, said spherical gear including an X gear and a Y gear section, said X and Y gear sections having overlapping spherical pitch lines; a yoke including a plurality of legs extending to and secured on the back of said mirror said spherical gear being disposed on said yoke facing the back of said mirror; an X drive means meshing with said X gear section for pivoting said mirror about said X axis when electrical power is applied to say X drive means; a Y drive means meshing with said Y gear section for pivoting said mirror about said Y axis when electrical power is applied to said Y drive means; means for spring biasing said X and Y drive means into engagement with said X and Y gear sections, respectively; and said X and Y gear sections and said X and Y drive means having gear teeth of roughly triangular cross section to provide for ratchet-like adjustment of said mirror relative to said support in the event of a power failure.
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Specification