Motor vehicle rear view mirror

• US 5,583,703 A
• Filed: 10/03/1994
• Issued: 12/10/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mekra Rangau Plastics GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Mekra Rangau Plastics GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Lang, Heinrich, Seiboth, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Dzierzynski, Paul M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SIKDER, MOHAMMAD YUNUS
• Application Number:
  US08/317,192
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• Field of Search: 359/601, 359/602, 359/604, 359/607, 359/877, 359/865, 359/871, 359/872, 359/874, 359/875, 359/876, 359/843, 248/481, 248/484, 428/475.1
• US Class Current: 359/877
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/0605 specially adapted for mounting on trucks, e.g. by C-shaped support means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/0612 by electrically actuated means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31736 Next to polyester

Abstract

A motor vehicle rear view mirror comprising a housing, a mirror glass support supported by a pivot joint disposed in the housing to be pivotable relative to the housing and a mirror glass disposed on the mirror glass support. The mirror glass support defines an installation chamber sized to hold at least one servomotor for the remote-controlled pivotable adjustment of the mirror glass support and thus of the mirror glass relative to the housing.

Claims

1. A rear view mirror for motor vehicles, in particular for commercial vehicles, comprising

a housing supporting a mirror glass support;

a mirror glass support (3, 3'"'"', 3") having a base member and a frame means to hold a mirror glass spaced from said base, said base member and frame means defining an installation chamber (25);

a mirror glass (7) disposed said frame means to cover said installation chamber, said installation chamber being sized to hold at least one servomotor to provide for a remote-controlled pivotal adjustment of the mirror glass support (3, 3'"'"', 3") and thus of the mirror glass in relation to the housing;

a spherical universal joint, in which a spherical bearing ring (35) molded on the mirror glass base member is clamped by frictional locking between a spherical bearing member (36) fixed to the housing (1) and disposed on the rear of the mirror glass support (3, 3'"'"', 3") and a spherical bearing cover (37) on the inside of the mirror glass support (3, 3'"'"', 3"), the bearing cover (37) supporting itself on an abutment member (39) fixed to the housing (1) and disposed on the inside of the mirror glass support (3, 3'"'"', 3");

at least one servomotor comprising a movable positioning element being arranged in said installation chamber to be stationary relative to the mirror glass support wherein the movable positioning element is linked with a coupling plate (34), fixed to the housing (1), by way of a slider crank mechanism comprising a crank disk (29) linked with the coupling plate (34) by way of a connecting rod (31) articulated on the crank disc (29) and guided in a guide sleeve (32,

     33) of the coupling plate (34), said coupling plate being attachable on the abutment member (39, 42, 42'"'"') in a manner fixed to the housing (1).

2. A rear view mirror according to claim 1, wherein on a plane (13) extending parallel to a main plane of the mirror glass (7), the mirror glass support (3) is divided into a base member (14) and a frame member (15) placed thereon and carrying the mirror glass (7).

3. A rear view mirror according to claim 1, wherein the rear view mirror is feasible, in the way of a unit assembly system, as a manually adjustable mirror by the at least one servomotor (26, 27) being omitted, or as a remote-controlled adjustable mirror by the at least one servomotor (26, 27) being placed in the installation chamber (25) of the mirror glass support (3, 3'"'"', 3").

4. A rear view mirror for motor vehicles in particular for commercial vehicles, comprising:

a housing supporting a mirror glass support;

a mirror glass support having a base member and a frame means to hold a mirror glass spaced from said base member, said base member and frame means defining an installation chamber;

a mirror glass disposed on said frame means to cover said installation chamber, said installation chamber being sized to hold at least one servomotor to provide for a remote-controlled pivotal adjustment of the mirror glass support and thus of the mirror glass relative to the housing;

a spherical universal joint, in which a spherical bearing ring molded on the mirror glass base member is clamped by frictional locking between a spherical bearing member fixed to the housing and disposed on the rear of the mirror glass support and a spherical bearing cover on the inside of the mirror glass support the bearing cover supporting itself on an abutment member fixed to the housing and disposed on the inside of the mirror glass support;

at least one servomotor comprising a movable positioning element being arranged in said installation chamber to be stationary relative to the mirror glass support wherein the movable positioning element is articulately linked with a coupling plate, fixed to the housing, by way of a slider crank mechanism, said coupling plate being attachable on the abutment member in a manner fixed to the housing.

5. A rear view mirror according to claim 4, wherein the mirror glass support is a hollow pan open towards the mirror glass (7).

6. A rear view mirror according to claim 4, wherein said frame means includes a frame member and wherein on a plane extending parallel to a main plane of the mirror glass, the mirror glass support (3) is divided into the base member and the frame member placed on the base member, said frame member carrying the mirror glass.

7. A rear view mirror according to claim 4, wherein the rear view mirror is feasible, in the way of a unit assembly system, as a manually adjustable mirror by the at least one servomotor being omitted, or as a remote-controlled adjustable mirror by the at least one servomotor being placed in the installation chamber (25) or the mirror glass support.

8. A rear view mirror according to claim 4 wherein the slider crank mechanism comprises a crank disc linked with the coupling plate by way of a connecting rod (31 ) articulated on the crank disc and guided in a guide sleeve of the coupling plate.

9. A rear view mirror according to claim 4 wherein the mirror glass comprises a from and a rear and wherein supporting webs projecting towards the mirror glass are molded in the mirror glass support to support the rear of the mirror glass.

10. A rear view mirror for motor vehicles, in particular for commercial vehicles comprising:

a housing supporting a mirror glass support;

a mirror glass support having a base member and a frame means to hold a mirror glass spaced from said base member, said base member and frame means defining an installation chamber,

a mirror glass disposed on said frame means to cover said installation chamber, the mirror glass comprises a from and a rear, supporting webs being molded in the mirror glass support and projecting towards the mirror glass to support the rear of the mirror glass;

said installation chamber being sized to hold at least one servomotor to provide a remote controlled pivotable adjustment of the mirror glass support and mirror glass relative to the housing;

at least one servomotor comprising a movable positioning element is arranged in the installation chamber of the mirror glass support to be stationary relative to the latter and wherein the movable positioning element is articulately coupled with a support member, which is stationary relative to the housing;

a spherical universal joint, in which a spherical bearing ring molded on the base member is clamped by frictional locking between a spherical bearing member fixed to the housing and disposed on the rear of the mirror glass support, and a spherical bearing cover, the bearing cover positioned in said insulation chamber supporting itself on an abutment member fixed to the housing and disposed in said insulation chamber support, which abutment member is simultaneously the support member for the movable positioning element of the at least one servomotor.

11. A rear view mirror according to claim 10, wherein the mirror glass support (3, 3'"'"', 3") defines a hollow pan open towards the mirror glass (7).

12. A rear view mirror according to claim 10 wherein the frame means includes a frame member and, wherein on a plane (13) extending parallel to a main plane of the mirror glass (7), the mirror glass support (3) is divided into the base member (14) and the frame member (15) placed on the base member, said frame member carrying the mirror glass (7).

13. A rear view mirror according to claim 10, wherein a holding plate (21), on which the mirror glass (7) is fixed, is attachable to the mirror glass support (3") for the fastening of the mirror glass (7) to the mirror glass support (3").

14. A rear view mirror according to claim 10, wherein the movable positioning element of the at least one servomotor is linked with a coupling plate, fixed to the housing, by way of a slider crank mechanism, the coupling plate being attachable on the abutment member in a manner fixed to the housing.

15. A rear view mirror according to claim 10, wherein the at least one slider crank mechanism comprises a crank disc linked with the coupling plate by way of a connecting rod articulated on the crank disc and guided in a guide sleeve of the coupling plate.

16. A rear view mirror according to claim 10 for motor vehicles, in particular wherein the rear view mirror is feasible, in the way of a unit assembly system, as a manually adjustable mirror by the at least one servomotor being omitted, or as a remote-controlled adjustable mirror by the at least one servomotor being placed in the installation chamber of the mirror glass support.

17. A rear view mirror according to claim 16, wherein a holding plate (21), on which the mirror glass (7) is fixed, is attachable to the mirror glass support (3") for the fastening of the mirror glass (7) to the mirror glass support (3").

18. A rear view mirror for motor vehicles, in particular for commercial vehicles comprising;

a housing supporting a mirror glass support;

a mirror glass support having a base member and a frame means to hold a mirror glass spaced from said base member, said base member and frame means defining an installation chamber;

a mirror glass disposed on the said frame means to cover said installation chamber;

a pivot joint connected to said mirror glass support and said housing, wherein said pivot joint allows for a pivotal movement of said mirror glass support relative to said housing;

at least one servomotor arranged in the installation chamber of the mirror glass support to be stationary relative to said mirror glass support, said servomotor to provide for a remote controlled pivotal adjustment of the mirror glass support and mirror glass relative to the housing via a slider crank mechanism comprising a crank disk linked with a coupling plate by way of a connecting rod articulated on the crank disk and guided in a guide sleeve of the coupling plate wherein movement of said crank disc causes a pivotal adjustment of the mirror glass support and mirror glass relative to the housing.