Exterior mirror with single pivot power fold

• US 5,684,646 A
• Filed: 01/17/1995
• Issued: 11/04/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LOWE Engineering Company
• Original Assignee: LOWE Engineering Company
• Inventors: Boddy, Ian
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafer, Ricky D.
• Application Number:
  US08/373,742
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 359/841, 359/872, 359/877, 248/549, 248/479, 248/483, 248/900
• US Class Current: 359/841
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/074 for retracting the mirror arrangements to a non-use position alongside the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/90 Movable or disengageable on impact or overload

Abstract

A vehicle mirror assembly comprises a housing assembly and a mirror unit mounted on the housing assembly. A support assembly is provided which is constructed and arranged to be fixedly mounted on a vehicle and to support the housing assembly thereon in an operative position extending laterally outwardly from the vehicle so that the mirror unit serves as an exterior rear view mirror for the driver of the vehicle. A power operated pivot assembly is provided between the support assembly and the housing assembly constructed and arranged to enable the housing assembly to be pivoted with respect to the support assembly about a generally upright axis (1) between the operative position thereof and a folded position with respect to the vehicle in response to the power operation of the pivot assembly and (2) from the operative position thereof in either direction in response to an unwanted impact blow applied in either direction thereto. The power operated pivot assembly includes at least one tubular member carried by one of the assemblies in concentric relation to the upright axis and an electric motor constructed and arranged within the tubular member to be operated by electrical power in a manner to generate flux for which the tubular member constitutes a flux yoke.

Claims

1. A vehicle mirror assembly comprising

a housing assembly,

a mirror unit mounted on said housing assembly,

a support assembly constructed and arranged to be fixedly mounted on a vehicle and to support said housing assembly thereon in an operative position extending laterally outwardly from the vehicle so that said mirror unit serves as an exterior rear view mirror for the driver of the vehicle,

a power operated pivot assembly within said housing assembly constructed and arranged to enable said housing assembly to be pivoted with respect to said support assembly about a generally upright axis (1) between the operative position thereof and a folded position with respect to the vehicle in response to the power operation of said pivot assembly and (2) from the operative position thereof in either direction in response to an unwanted impact blow applied in either direction thereto,

said power operated pivot assembly including a series of components constructed and arranged to be assembled with respect to said support assembly in a sequence of downward movements,

said series of components including an outer tubular member which is moved with respect to said support assembly as the last downward movement in said sequence and is fixed thereto to retain the series of components in assembled relation and a tubular body disposed concentrically between said outer tubular member and said electrical motor, said tubular body extending upwardly from an opening in an upper end of said outer tubular member for connection with said housing assembly,

said housing assembly being connected with said tubular body by a connection constructed and arranged to enable said housing assembly to be moved by said tubular body in response to the power operation of said pivot assembly,

said series of components defining a speed reduction motion transmitting assembly connected between an output shaft of said electric motor and said housing assembly,

said speed reduction motion transmitting assembly including a first motion transmitting member connected to move in response to a desired rotational movement of said motor shaft,

said tubular body constituting a second motion transmitting member of said speed reduction motion transmitting assembly, connected to move with said housing assembly, and

a spring biased indexing system between said first and second motion transmitting members constructed and arranged to (1) transmit the movement of said first motion transmitting member in response to a desired rotation of said motor shaft to said second motion transmitting member to thereby move said housing assembly in response to the desired rotation of said motor shaft and (2) allow said second motion transmitting member to move with said housing assembly relative to said first motion transmitting member in response to an unwanted impact blow applied in either direction to said housing assembly.

2. A vehicle mirror assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said electrical motor is mounted with the output shaft thereof concentric with said upright axis.

3. A vehicle mirror assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein said second motion transmitting member is fixed to said housing assembly.

4. A vehicle mirror assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein said second motion transmitting member is connected to move with said housing assembly by a spring pressed clutch system.

5. A vehicle mirror assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein said series of components includes an inner tubular member concentric with said upright axis disposed between said tubular body and said electric motor, said inner tubular member having an exterior flange on one end thereof engaged with said support assembly, said electric motor being fixedly mounted within said inner tubular member.

6. A vehicle mirror assembly as defined in claim 5 wherein said first motion transmitting member comprises a ring gear mounted on the exterior flange of said inner tubular member in surrounding relation to said inner tubular member, said tubular body being disposed in surrounding relation to said inner tubular member and having an annular flange extending outwardly from a lower end thereof, said outer tubular member being disposed in spaced surrounding relation with said tubular body and having a lower end fixed to said support assembly and an upper annular flange extending inwardly from an upper end thereof, said indexing system including a coil spring within the space between said outer tubular member and said tubular body acting between the upper annular flange of said outer tubular member and the lower annular flange of said hollow body so as to resiliently urge said lower annular flange downwardly toward said ring gear and a plurality of annularly spaced balls between said lower annular flange and said ring gear disposed to engage within corresponding annularly ball receiving depressions formed in said lower annular flange and said ring gear.

7. A vehicle mirror assembly as defined in claim 6 wherein said tubular body includes an annular bearing portion formed on an upper end thereof providing an exterior bearing surface slidably engaging a mating bearing surface on said upper annular flange and an interior bearing surface slidably engaging a mating bearing surface formed on an upper end of said inner tubular member.

8. A vehicle mirror assembly as defined in claim 7 wherein the components of said first motion transmission assembly further includes a stub shaft mounted between said support assembly and the lower end portion of said outer tubular member for rotation about an axis parallel with said upright axis and an elongated shaft mounted with respect to said support assembly for rotation about an axis disposed within a plane perpendicular to a plane passing through the parallel axes, a first spiral gear fixed to said output shaft in meshing relation with a first cooperating gear fixed to said elongated shaft, a second spiral gear fixed to said elongated shaft in meshing relation with a second cooperating gear on said stub shaft and a drive gear fixed to said stub shaft in meshing relation with said ring gear.

9. A vehicle mirror assembly comprising

a housing assembly,

a mirror unit mounted on said housing assembly for movement into any one of a multiplicity of adjusted positions with respect thereto,

a support assembly constructed and arranged to be fixedly mounted on a vehicle and to support said housing assembly thereon in an operative position extending laterally outwardly from the vehicle in generally surrounding relation to said mirror unit which serves as an exterior rear view mirror for the driver of the vehicle,

a power operated pivot assembly within said housing assembly constructed and arranged to enable said housing assembly to be pivoted with respect to said support assembly about a generally upright axis (1) between the operative position thereof and a folded position with respect to the vehicle in response to the power operation of said pivot assembly and (2) from the operative position thereof in either direction in response to an unwanted impact blow applied in either direction thereto,

said power operated pivot assembly including an electrical motor constructed and arranged to be operated by electrical power, and a speed reduction motion transmitting assembly connected between an output shaft of said electric motor and said housing assembly,

said electric motor being fixedly mounted on said support assembly, said motion transmitting assembly comprising a plurality of components mounted on said support assembly including a first motion transmitting member connected to move in response to a desired rotational movement of said motor shaft, a second motion transmitting member connected to move with said housing assembly, and a spring biased indexing system between said first and second motion transmitting members constructed and arranged to (1) transmit the movement of said first motion transmitting member in response to a desired rotation of said motor shaft to said second motion transmitting member to thereby move said housing assembly in response to the desired rotation of said motor shaft and (2) allow said second motion transmitting member to move with said housing assembly relative to said first motion transmitting member in response to an unwanted impact blow applied in either direction to said housing assembly.

10. A vehicle mirror assembly as defined in claim 9 wherein said electrical motor is mounted with the output shaft thereof concentric with said upright axis.

11. A vehicle mirror assembly as defined in claim 10 wherein said second motion transmitting member is fixed to said housing assembly.

12. A vehicle mirror assembly as defined in claim 10 wherein said second motion transmitting member is connected to move with said housing assembly by a spring pressed clutch system.

13. A vehicle mirror assembly as defined in claim 10 wherein said power operated pivot assembly includes an inner tubular member concentric with said upright axis having an exterior flange on one end thereof engaged with said support assembly, said electric motor being fixedly mounted within said inner tubular member.

14. A vehicle mirror assembly as defined in claim 13 wherein said first motion transmitting member comprises a ring gear mounted on the exterior flange of said inner tubular member in surrounding relation to said inner tubular member, said second motion transmitting member which constitutes said tubular body being disposed in surrounding relation to said inner tubular member and having an annular flange extending outwardly from a lower end thereof, said outer tubular member being disposed in spaced surrounding relation with said tubular body and having a lower end fixed to said support assembly and an upper annular flange extending inwardly from an upper end thereof, said indexing system including a coil spring within the space between said outer tubular member and said tubular body acting between the upper annular flange of said outer tubular member and the lower annular flange of said hollow body so as to resiliently urge said lower annular flange downwardly toward said ring gear and a plurality of annularly spaced balls between said lower annular flange and said ring gear disposed to engage within corresponding annularly ball receiving depressions formed in said lower annular flange and said ring gear.

15. A vehicle mirror assembly as defined in claim 14 wherein said tubular body includes an annular bearing portion formed on an upper end thereof providing an exterior bearing surface slidably engaging a mating bearing surface on said upper annular flange and an interior bearing surface slidably engaging a mating bearing surface formed on an upper end of said inner tubular member.

16. A vehicle mirror assembly as defined in claim 15 wherein the components of said first motion transmission assembly further includes a stub shaft mounted between said support assembly and the lower end portion of said outer tubular member for rotation about an axis parallel with said upright axis and an elongated shaft mounted with respect to said support assembly for rotation about an axis disposed within a plane perpendicular to a plane passing through the parallel axes, a first spiral gear fixed to said output shaft in meshing relation with a first cooperating gear fixed to said elongated shaft, a second spiral gear fixed to said elongated shaft in meshing relation with a second cooperating gear on said stub shaft and a drive gear fixed to said stub shaft in meshing relation with said ring gear.

17. A vehicle mirror assembly comprising

a housing assembly,

a mirror unit mounted on said housing assembly,

a support assembly constructed and arranged to be fixedly mounted on a vehicle and to support said housing assembly thereon in an operative position extending laterally outwardly from the vehicle so that said mirror unit serves as an exterior rear view mirror for the driver of the vehicle,

a power operated pivot assembly within said housing assembly constructed and arranged to enable said housing assembly to be pivoted with respect to said support assembly about a generally upright axis (1) between the operative position thereof and a folded position with respect to the vehicle in response to the power operation of said pivot assembly and (2) from the operative position thereof in either direction in response to an unwanted impact blow applied in either direction thereto,

said power operated pivot assembly including a series of components constructed and arranged to be assembled with respect to said support assembly in a sequence of downward movements,

said series of components including an outer tubular member which is moved with respect to said support assembly as the last downward movement in said sequence and fixed thereto to retain the series of components in assembled relation and a tubular body disposed within said outer tubular member extending upwardly from an opening in an upper end of said outer tubular member for connection with said housing assembly,

said housing assembly being connected with said tubular body by a connection constructed and arranged to enable said housing assembly to be moved about said upright axis by said tubular body in response to the power operation of said pivot assembly,

wherein said series of components further includes an elongated shaft which is moved downwardly in said sequence into a bearing groove formed in said support assembly, a stub shaft one end of which is moved downwardly in said sequence into a bore formed in said support assembly, an inner tubular member having an electric motor fixed therein, said electric motor having an output shaft having a drive gear thereon, said inner tubular member being moved downwardly in said sequence so that said electric motor shaft is coextensive with said upright axis and the drive gear thereon meshes with a cooperating driven gear on said elongated shaft, said elongated shaft also having a secondary drive gear thereon which meshes with a cooperating driven gear on said stub shaft, said stub shaft also having a spur gear thereon, said series of components also including an exterior ring gear journalled in surrounding relation on said inner tubular member and disposed in meshing relation with said spur gear, said tubular body having exterior annular flange on a lower end thereof, said outer tubular member being disposed in spaced surrounding relation to said tubular body and having an interior annular flange on an upper end thereof rotatably receiving an upper end portion of said tubular body, a coil spring within the space between said outer tubular member and said tubular body acting between said exterior flanges so as to resiliently urge said exterior annular flange downwardly toward said ring gear, and a plurality of annularly spaced balls disposed to engage within corresponding annular spaced ball receiving depressions formed in said exterior annular flange and said ring gear.

18. A vehicle mirror assembly as defined in claim 17 wherein said housing assembly includes a molded plastic shell structure having a rearward periphery within which said mirror unit is disposed and a forwardly bulging front wall, a fixed casing member fixed to said front wall in a rearwardly disposed relation, a cooperating casing member detachably fixed to said fixed casing member and a power operated adjusting assembly carried by and within said fixed and cooperating casing members and extending from the latter to said mirror unit for adjusting said mirror unit into any one of a multiplicity of adjusted positions.

19. A vehicle mirror assembly as defined in claim 18 wherein said connection between said housing assembly and said tubular body includes a bracket fixed to said fixed casing member.

20. A vehicle mirror as defined in claim 18 wherein said housing assembly and said tubular body includes an integral portion of said molded plastic shell structure.