Car rearview mirror

• US 5,568,326 A
• Filed: 09/28/1995
• Issued: 10/22/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ichikoh Industries Limited (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Ichikoh Industries Limited (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Yoshida, Norio, Tsuyama, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafer, Ricky D.
• Application Number:
  US08/535,911
• Time in Patent Office: 390 Days
• Field of Search: 359/871, 359/872, 359/874, 359/876, 359/877, 248/477, 248/478, 248/479, 248/481, 248/487
• US Class Current: 359/872
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/06 mounted on vehicle exterior B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/072 for adjusting the mirror relative to its housing

Abstract

A car rearview mirror comprises a mirror unit having a hemispheric convex surface formed thereon and a central support formed integrally therewith on the opposite side to the hemispheric convex surface to receive a leaf or wire spring at the center of the latter, and a mirror housing having a hemispheric concave surface formed thereon and two end supports formed integrally therewith to retain the spring at the opposite ends, respectively, of the latter. The hemispheric convex surface of the mirror unit is fitted to the hemispheric convex surface of the mirror housing in such a manner that the mirror unit can be pivoted in relation to the mirror housing. To assemble the rearview mirror, the spring is bowed and supported at the center thereof on the central support and at the opposite ends thereof on the two end supports. Namely, the car rearview mirror can have a reduced number of parts.

Claims

1. A car rearview mirror, comprising:

a mirror unit having a reflected surface on a front thereof, a hemispheric convex surface on a back thereof, said mirror unit further being provided with two windows;

means for supporting said mirror unit, said supporting means having a hemispheric concave surface; and

means for forcing said hemispheric convex surface to said hemispheric concave surface to fit said mirror unit to said supporting means in such a manner that said mirror unit is pivotable in relation to said supporting means;

said forcing means including a central support provided on said mirror unit, two end supports provided on said supporting means corresponding to said windows of the mirror unit, and an elongated leaf spring that is retained at a center and opposite ends, respectively, thereof by means of said central and two end supports in a bowed state,

said two end supports being fitted to said windows of said mirror unit to prevent said mirror unit from being oscillated about an axis of said hemispheric convex surface.

2. A car rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein said supporting means includes a mirror housing having a front opening, and a power unit disposed in said mirror housing and adapted to be remote-controlled to turn said mirror unit vertically and horizontally,

wherein said power unit has formed integrally thereon said hemispheric concave surface and said two end supports, and

wherein said mirror unit is installed to said mirror housing by means of said power unit such that said mirror unit is pivotable and said reflecting surface is positioned in said front opening of said mirror housing.

3. A car rearview mirror according to claim 2, wherein said mirror unit further comprises a mirror body having said reflecting surface formed on the front thereof;

and a back plate disposed at the back of said mirror body, said back plate comprising a holder to hold said mirror body along a circumference of said mirror body and a base having formed integrally thereon said hemispheric convex surface and said central support, said holder and base being separate pieces and fitted to each other to form together said back plate.

4. A car rearview mirror according to claim 2, wherein said leaf spring is fixed, with a screw, to at least one of said end supports.

5. A car rearview mirror according to claim 2, wherein said central support has a conical shape, said leaf spring has a small concavity formed in the center thereof, and the top of said central support is fitted in said concavity.

6. A car rearview mirror, comprising:

a mirror unit having a reflecting surface on a front thereof, a hemispheric convex surface on a back thereof, said mirror further being provided with two windows;

means for supporting said mirror unit, said supporting means having a hemispheric concave surface; and

means for forcing said hemispheric convex surface to said hemispheric concave surface to fit said mirror unit to said supporting means such that said mirror unit is pivotable in relation to said supporting means;

said forcing means including a central support provided on said mirror unit, two end supports provided on said supporting means corresponding to said windows of the mirror unit, and a wire spring having a circular section and being retained at a center and opposite ends, respectively, thereof by means of said central and two end supports in a bowed state,

said two end supports being fitted to said windows of said mirror unit to prevent said mirror unit from being oscillated about an axis of said hemispheric convex surface.

7. A car rearview mirror according to claim 6, wherein said supporting means includes a mirror housing having a front opening, and a power unit disposed in said mirror housing end adapted to be remote-controlled to turn said mirror unit vertically and horizontally,

wherein said power unit has formed integrally thereon said hemispheric concave surface and said two end supports, and

wherein said mirror unit is installed to said mirror housing by means of said power unit such that said mirror unit is pivotable and said reflecting surface is positioned in said front opening of said mirror housing.

8. A car rearview mirror according to claim 7, wherein said mirror unit further comprises a mirror body having said reflecting surface formed on the front thereof, and a back plate disposed at the back of said mirror body, said back plate comprising a holder to hold said mirror body along a circumference of said mirror body and a base having formed integrally thereon said hemispheric convex surface and said central support, said holder and base being separate pieces and fitted to each other to form together said back plate.

9. A car rearview mirror according to claim 7, wherein said central support has a conical shape, said conical shape having a recess formed on a top thereof, wherein a width and a depth of the recess are about equal to an outer diameter of said wire spring and in which said wire spring is received as fitted at the center thereof.

10. A car rearview mirror according to claim 7, wherein said central support has a conical shape, said conical shape having a recess formed on a top thereof, wherein a width and a depth of the recess are about equal to an outer diameter of said wire spring, said central support including a bottom having a circular section with which said wire spring is supported at the center thereof in a substantial point contact.

11. A car rearview mirror according to claim 7, wherein each of said two end supports has formed therein a recess extending perpendicular to a deflecting direction of said wire spring, said wire spring is retained on a wall surface of said recess, and said recess has formed at an edge of an opening thereof a stopper to which an end of said wire spring abuts, thereby preventing said wire spring from being disengaged from inside said recess.

12. A car rearview mirror according to claim 7, wherein said wire spring is supported at the center thereof in a substantial point contact on a pin fixed to the top of said central support perpendicularly to said wire spring, one end of said wire spring is looped and fixed to one of said two end supports with a screw, the other of said two end supports has two abutments extending axially of said screw and between which a through-hole is formed, and said wire spring is ended at the second end thereof by a crank consisting of a bend extending generally in parallel with the central axis through said looped end and which is set between said two abutments to prevent said wire spring from rotating about an axis of said two abutments and an extreme portion contiguous to said bend and extending straight in a direction away from the first end, said extreme portion being inserted into said through-hole and retained at a wall of said through-hole.

13. A car rearview mirror, comprising:

a mirror unit having a reflecting surface on a front thereof and a hemispheric convex surface on a back thereof;

means for supporting said mirror unit, said supporting means having a hemispheric concave surface; and

means for forcing said hemispheric convex surface to said hemispheric concave surface to fit said mirror unit to said supporting means in such a manner that said mirror unit is pivotable in relation to said supporting means;

said forcing means including a central support provided on said mirror unit, two end supports provided on said supporting means, and a wire spring having a circular section and being retained at a center and opposite ends, respectively, thereof by means of said central and two end supports in a bowed state,

said wire spring being supported at the center thereof in a substantial point contact on a pin fixed to a top of said central support perpendicularly to said wire spring, one end of said wire spring being looped and fixed to one of said two end supports with a screw, the other of said end supports having two abutments extending axially of said screw and between which a through hole is formed, and said wire spring being ended at the second end thereof by a crank consisting of a bend extending generally in parallel with the central axis through said looped end and which is to be set between said two abutments to prevent said wire spring from rotating about the axis of the two abutments and an extreme portion contiguous to said bend and extending straight in a direction away from the first end, said extreme portion inserted into said through-hole and retained at a wall of said through-hole.