Side mirror rotating apparatus including a transducer with a signal transmitter and a signal receiver
First Claim
1. An apparatus for automatically adjusting the angle of a side view mirror of a vehicle having a trailer coupled thereto, said apparatus comprising:
- a control unit including a memory for storing dimension information of said vehicle and said trailer;
at least one transducer responsive to said control unit and attached to said vehicle, each transducer including a signal transmitter for transmitting signals toward said trailer and a signal receiver for receiving signals reflected back to said transducer by said trailer;
determining means coupled to said at least one transducer for determining an angle between said vehicle and said trailer in accordance with the dimension information stored in said memory and a time required for signals transmitted by said signal transmitter to be reflected back to said signal receiver;
generating means responsive to said determining means for generating an electrical signal related to the angle between said vehicle and said trailer;
transmitting means for transmitting the electrical signal using radio waves;
a receiver unit disposed near the side view mirror, said receiver unit including a receiving antenna for receiving the signal transmitted from said transmitting means; and
a drive unit electrically coupled to said receiver unit for rotating and adjusting the angle of the side view mirror in accordance with the electrical signal.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for automatically adjusting the angle of a side view mirror of a vehicle having a trailer coupled thereto is provided. The apparatus includes a control unit and at least one transducer coupled to the vehicle for transducing signals from the control unit to a signal directed toward the trailer and which is reflected back to the at least one transducer. The transducers are used to determine an angle between the vehicle and the trailer. A microchip then generates an electrical signal related to the angle between the vehicle and the trailer. A transmitter transmits the electrical signal using radio waves to a receiver unit disposed near the side view mirror. The receiver unit includes a receiving antenna for receiving the signal transmitted from the transmitter. A drive unit is electrically coupled to said receiver unit for rotating and adjusting the angle of the side view mirror in accordance with the electrical signal.
107 Citations
13 Claims
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1. An apparatus for automatically adjusting the angle of a side view mirror of a vehicle having a trailer coupled thereto, said apparatus comprising:
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a control unit including a memory for storing dimension information of said vehicle and said trailer; at least one transducer responsive to said control unit and attached to said vehicle, each transducer including a signal transmitter for transmitting signals toward said trailer and a signal receiver for receiving signals reflected back to said transducer by said trailer; determining means coupled to said at least one transducer for determining an angle between said vehicle and said trailer in accordance with the dimension information stored in said memory and a time required for signals transmitted by said signal transmitter to be reflected back to said signal receiver; generating means responsive to said determining means for generating an electrical signal related to the angle between said vehicle and said trailer; transmitting means for transmitting the electrical signal using radio waves; a receiver unit disposed near the side view mirror, said receiver unit including a receiving antenna for receiving the signal transmitted from said transmitting means; and a drive unit electrically coupled to said receiver unit for rotating and adjusting the angle of the side view mirror in accordance with the electrical signal. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5)
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2. An automatically adjusting side view mirror for use with a vehicle, said automatically adjusting side view mirror comprising:
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a rotating mirror capable of rotating around a vertical axis; a control unit; at least one transducer responsive to said control unit and attached to said vehicle, each transducer including a signal transmitter for transmitting signals toward said trailer and a signal receiver for receiving signals reflected back to said transducer by said trailer; determining means coupled to said at least one transducer for determining an angle between said vehicle and said trailer in accordance with the dimension information stored in said memory and a time required for signals transmitted by said signal transmitter to be reflected back to said signal receiver; generating means responsive to said determining means for generating an electrical signal related to the angle between said vehicle and said trailer; transmitting means for transmitting the electrical signal using radio waves; a receiver unit disposed near the side view mirror, said receiver unit including a receiving antenna for receiving the signal transmitted from said transmitting means; and a drive unit electrically coupled to said receiver unit for rotating and adjusting the angle of the side view mirror in accordance with the electrical signal. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
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9. An apparatus for automatically adjusting the angle of a side view mirror of a vehicle having a trailer coupled thereto, said apparatus comprising:
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a control unit including a memory for storing dimension information of said vehicle and said trailer; at least one transducer responsive to said control unit and attached to said vehicle, each transducer including a signal transmitter for transmitting signals toward said trailer and a signal receiver for receiving signals reflected back to said transducer by said trailer; determining means coupled to said at least one transducer for determining an angle between said vehicle and said trailer in accordance with the dimension information stored in said memory and a time required for signals transmitted by said signal transmitter to be reflected back to said signal receiver; generating means responsive to said determining means for generating an electrical signal related to the angle between said vehicle and said trailer; a transmitter for transmitting the electrical signal; a receiver unit disposed near the side view mirror, said receiver unit including a receiver for receiving the signal transmitted from said transmitter; and a drive unit electrically coupled to said receiver unit for rotating and adjusting the angle of the side view mirror in accordance with the electrical signal. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification