Mirror for motor vehicles

• US 4,768,871 A
• Filed: 10/21/1987
• Issued: 09/06/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bernhard Mittelhauser
• Original Assignee: Bernhard Mittelhauser
• Inventors: Mittelhauser, Bernhard, Kurschner, Norbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Gary L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lindsey, Rodney M.
• Application Number:
  US07/112,043
• Time in Patent Office: 321 Days
• Field of Search: 350/632, 350/636, 350/637, 350/625, 350/626, 350/627, 350/634, 350/636, 74/501 M, 74/471 XY, 248/481, 248/483, 248/479, 248/476, 60/536, 60/567, 60/571, 60/533, 60/581, 92/89, 92/90, 92/91, 92/92
• US Class Current: 359/876
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/0625 by hydraulically or pneumatically powered actuators
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20201 Control moves in two planes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20432 for moving a mirror

Abstract

An adjustable rear view mirror, the mirror element of which is supported by a ball-and-socket-like joint, and can be adjusted by two elements that can be actuated by pressure medium. In order to use single-acting adjustment elements, a reset spring is associated with the two elements. This reset spring is disposed on an imaginary line that bisects the angle defined by the two adjustment elements and the ball-and-socket-like joint. This reset spring is expediently a compression spring that is disposed across from the two adjustment elements.

Claims

1. An adjustable mirror for a motor vehicle, comprising in combination:

a substantially rectangular cup-shaped housing having a horizontal axis and a vertical axis that intersect each other;

a ball-and-socket-like joint provided by said housing;

a mirror element supported in said housing by said ball-and-socket-like joint located behind said mirror element where the horizontal axis and vertical axis intersect each other centrally of said housing;

two adjustment elements that act on said mirror element for adjusting angular position thereof in said housing, with said adjustment elements being disposed along the horizontal axis and vertical axis offset from where the horizontal axis and vertical axis intersect each other as well as being in angularly displaced locations between said mirror element and said housing for effecting movement of said mirror element about axes intersecting each other at right angles and being in communication with pressure medium for actuation thereby;

each of said adjustment elements being effective in one direction only;

a reset spring that is mounted between said mirror element and said housing to one side of said ball-and-socket-like joint in a location remote from said two adjustment elements and that acts on said mirror element in a direction substantially opposite to the effective directions of said adjustment elements, with said reset spring being disposed in said housing on an imaginary line that bisects the angle defined by said ball-and-socket-like joint and said two adjustment elements;

respective lines for carrying said pressure medium to said adjustment elements;

two deformable pressure medium reservoirs that are offset relative to one another by 90°

, with a respective line communicating with a given one of said reservoirs;

a displacement element having a rectangular cross-sectional shape defined by surfaces disposed at essentially right angles to one another, with a given one of said surfaces acting upon a given one of said pressure medium reservoirs;

a control rod that is operatively connected to said displacement element for moving the latter to effect said interaction between said pressure medium reservoirs and said surfaces of said displacement element.

2. A mirror according to claim 1, in which said reset spring is a compression spring, with said ball-and-socket-like joint being disposed between said compression spring on the one hand, and said two adjustment elements on the other hand.

3. A mirror according to claim 2, in which said housing, when installed on said vehicle, has an essentially horizontal adjustment axis as well as an essentially vertical adjustment axis for said mirror element, with one of said adjustment elements being disposed in said horizontal axis for adjusting the position of said mirror element about said vertical axis, while the other of said adjustment elements is disposed in said vertical axis for adjusting the position of said mirror element about said horizontal axis.