×

External mirror for vehicles

  • US 4,840,475 A
  • Filed: 04/14/1987
  • Issued: 06/20/1989
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/24/1986
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
Patent Images

1. External mirror for vehicles having a mirror casing, which is stationary in the operating position and in which a mirror glass is held so as to be adjustable, and having a mirror base holding the mirror casing and immovably located relative to the vehicle, also having two hinge pins located at a distance apart one behind the other in the direction of travel and approximately parallel to the external surface of the vehicle, these hinge pins being provided for the mirror casing so that the latter can, in the case of collision, move either to the front or to the rear, one of which hinge pins is located immovably with respect to the mirror base and the other relatively immovably with respect to the mirror casing, the two hinge pins being rigidly connected together by means of a coupling link, also having at least one spring acting, in its effective direction, transverse to the hinge pins and clamping the mirror casing in the operating position defined by stops on the mirror casing and/or mirror base, characterized by the combination of the following features:

  • the mirror base is provided with a rigid streamlined fairing which--in the operating position of the mirror casing - merges flush with a gap in a streamline fairing of the mirror casing;

    the hinge pin with fixed location relative to the mirror base is located to the rear with respect to the direction of vehicle travel and the other hinge pin, arranged to be relatively immobile with respect to the mirror casing is located at the front with respect to the direction of travel vehicle;

    a pivotably or rotatably held guide part is provided on the mirror casing at a distance from the front hinge pin and in the direction towards the mirror base and/or offset relative to it towards the front, which guide part interacts with guide track located in the mirror base, the guide surface of which guide track points in the direction of the mirror casing and is in contact with the guide part at least in the operating position of the mirror casing; and

    the guide track has--seen in the plane of pivoting of the mirror casing--at least in a front part, a shape such that when the mirror casing pivots out of the operating position in the forward direction, the instantaneous center of the pivoting motion represented by the current intersection point of the connecting line between the two hinge pins of the mirror casing with the guide track normal at the kinematically effective contact point of the guide part, is always located outside the fairing parts but in the vicinity of the gap.

View all claims
  • 1 Assignment
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×