Electrical remote-control mirror assembly

• US 5,274,505 A
• Filed: 10/29/1991
• Issued: 12/28/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ichikoh Industries Limited (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Ichikoh Industries Limited (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Sekino, Takao, Nagayama, Yoshirou
• Primary Examiner(s): Arnold, Bruce V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shafer, R. D.
• Application Number:
  US07/773,853
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 359/872, 359/874, 359/876, 359/877, 248/479, 248/480, 248/481, 248/482, 248/483, 248/484, 248/485, 248/487, 74/89.15, 74/89.16
• US Class Current: 359/874
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/025 comprising special mechanical means for correcting the field of view in relation to particular driving conditions, e.g. change of lane; scanning mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/072 for adjusting the mirror relative to its housing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/18584 Shaft shorter than nut
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/1872 Imperforate enclosure

Abstract

An improved electrical remote-control mirror assembly in which a externally threaded plunger (54) installed to a mirror body (3) is moved by a motor (102) to adjust the support angle of a mirror (4) secured to the mirror body. In addition to the drive system using the motor (102), another motor (103) is provided which operates independently of the motor (102) to quickly rotate the externally threaded plunger (52) forwardly and reversely. Thus, the mirror assembly according to the present invention is imparted the conventional function to adjust the mirror angle and a function to quickly tilt the mirror by means of the independent driving means. The above-mentioned independently driving means permits to quickly tilt down the mirror body for viewing the reflected image of the car rear wheel and also to quickly return the mirror body (3) to the initial position thereof.

Claims

1. An electrically remote-controlled type mirror assembly comprising:

a mirror;

a mirror body supporting said mirror;

a casing having a ball-and-socket joint which supports said mirror body pivotally;

a pair of plungers coupled with said mirror body and so disposed within said casing as to be moved forward and backward by a pair of motors, respectively, by means of reduction gear trains, respectively, to tilt said mirror body horizontally and vertically within certain pivoting angles;

at least one of said plungers having an external thread formed on the outer circumference thereof and having a central hole provided along the center line thereof;

at least one nut member having an internal thread engaging said external thread of said one of the plungers and having at least one external thread member provided on the outer circumference thereof;

at least one hollow driving cylinder having formed on the inner circumference thereof an internal thread engaging said external thread member, and having formed on the outer circumference thereof a last-stage gear of said reduction gear train;

wherein said one of said plungers is moved together with said nut member to tilt said mirror body within said certain pivoting angles when said at least one driving cylinder is rotated by said motor, and

at least one driving mechanism having another motor and other gear train which is driven by said another motor to rotate said one of the plungers relative to said nut member to tilt said mirror body beyond one of said certain pivoting angles;

wherein said driving mechanism includes,

a driving shaft member including a rotary member having formed on the outer circumference thereof a last-stage gear of said another gear train, and a shaft slidably fitted in said central hole of said plunger so as to be blocked against pivoting relative to the plunger.

said another motor which drives said another gear train, and

a stopper means of limiting said pivoting angle of said mirror body, and

wherein said one of the plungers screws forward and backward relative to said nut member to tilt said mirror body beyond said certain pivoting angles when said driving shaft member is rotated by said another motor.

2. An electrically remote-controlled mirror assembly according to claim 1, further comprising:

a clutch means provided between said driving shaft member and said another motor to interrupt a power transmission to said driving shaft member from said another motor when a greater torque than a predetermined one is received, thereby interrupting a power transmission to said drive shaft member from said another motor.

3. An electrically remote-controlled mirror assembly according to claim 2, wherein:

said shaft and said rotary member in said driving shaft member are formed separately; and

wherein said clutch means comprises a spring member so provided between said rotary member and said shaft as to produce frictional coupling therebetween.

4. An electrically remote-controlled mirror assembly according to claim 3, wherein said spring member is fixed to said rotary member.

5. An electrically remote-controlled mirror assembly according to claim 2,

wherein said shaft and said rotary member in said driving shaft member are formed separately;

wherein said clutch means comprises

engagement pawls elastically supported to said rotary member, and

engagement recesses provided on said shaft; and

wherein said predetermined torque is so set as to be larger when said mirror body is tilted upward than when tilted downward.

6. An electrically remote-controlled mirror assembly according to claim 1, wherein said stopper means is adapted to limit a relative moving stroke between said one of the plungers and said nut member.

7. An electrically remote-controlled type mirror assembly comprising:

a mirror;

a mirror body supporting said mirror;

a casing having a ball-and-socket joint which supports said mirror body pivotally;

a pair of plungers coupled with said mirror body and so disposed within said casing as to be moved forward and backward by a pair of motors, respectively, by means of reduction gear trains, respectively, to tilt said mirror body horizontally and vertically within certain pivoting angles.

at least one of said plungers having an external thread formed on the outer circumference thereof and having a cut provided along the center line thereof;

at least one nut member having an internal thread engaging said external thread of said one of the plungers and having at least one external thread member provided on the outer circumference thereof;

at least one hollow driving cylinder having formed on the inner circumference thereof an internal thread engaging said external thread member, and having formed on the outer circumference thereof a last-stage gear of said reduction gear train;

wherein said one of the lungers is moved together with said nut member to tilt said mirror body within said certain pivoting angles when said at least one driving cylinder is rotated by said motor,

at least one driving mechanism having another motor and another gear train which is driven by said another motor to rotate said one of the plungers relative to said nut member to tilt said mirror body beyond one of said certain pivoting angles;

wherein said driving mechanism includes,

a driving shaft member including a shaft slidably fitted in said cut of said one of the plungers so as to be blocked against pivoting relative to the plunger, and a rotary member having formed on the outer circumference thereof a last stage gear of said another gear train; and

a stopper means for limiting said pivoting angle of said mirror body, and

wherein said one of the plungers screws forward and backward relative to said nut member to tilt said mirror body beyond said certain pivoting angles when said driving shaft member is rotated by said another motor.

8. An electrically remote-controlled mirror assembly according to claim 7, further comprising:

a clutch means for interrupting a power transmission to said drive shaft member from said another motor when a greater torque than a predetermined one is received;

wherein said at least one of the plungers is provided with a pair of arms having formed therebetween said cut of a width W, and having said external thread formed on each of said arms whereby giving flexibility to said one of the plungers,

wherein said shaft is formed as an elongated plate with t in thickness and W in height, and the amount D of engagement between said external thread of said arms and said internal thread of said nut member is defined by 2D<

W-t, and

whereby disengagement occurs between said external thread of said arms and said internal thread of said nut member when said arms are deflected inwardly to be closely fitted to said elongated plate due to said greater torque.

9. An electrically remote-controlled mirror assembly according to claim 7, further comprising:

a T-shaped projection provided at a top of said shaft of said driving shaft member; and

stoppers projecting inwardly from inner end faces, respectively, of said cut of said one of the plungers;

whereby said one of the plungers is prevented from coming off said cut when said T-shaped projection and said stoppers abut each other.

10. An electrically remote-controlled mirror assembly according to claim 7, wherein said stopper means is adapted to limit a relative moving stroke between said one of the plungers and said nut member.