Electrically powered remote control rearview mirror system

• US 5,724,200 A
• Filed: 01/16/1996
• Issued: 03/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Murakami Kaimedio Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Murakami Kaimedio Company Limited
• Inventors: Mochizuki, Toshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Dzierzynski, Paul M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Robinson, Mark A.
• Application Number:
  US08/586,293
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: 359/877, 359/872, 307/10.1
• US Class Current: 359/877
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/07 by electrically powered actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/072 for adjusting the mirror relative to its housing
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/5219 Sealing means between coupling parts, e.g. interfacial seal
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6273 comprising two latching arms
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 31/085 Short circuiting bus-strips

Abstract

The electrically powered remote control rearview mirror includes a mirror body (12); an actuator unit (15) including a housing (16, 17) having an outer surface with a convex portion (43) and a concave portion (46); mirror tilting motors (31, 32) inside the housing (16, 17) with motor terminals (31a,31a); wire harnesses (39) for electrical connection to the respective motors, each of which include harness terminals (37, 38) for electrical contact with respective motor terminals (31a,31a), and connectors (40) secured to the housing to maintain the electrical connection of the respective wire harnesses (39) to the motors. Each connector (40) is provided with a concave portion (41) facing the housing (16,17), two containing portions (42,42) on respective opposite sides of the concave portion (41) for holding the harness terminals (37, 38) of the wire harness (39), a concave groove (44) formed in peripheral wall top portions of the containing portions (42,42) in which the convex portion (43) is engaged and a pair of engaging pawls (45) protruding from an inside wall of the concave portion (41) into the housing (16, 17) and engaging the housing to firmly hold the connector (40) on the housing. The housing (16) includes two throughgoing slits (47) for each connector through which the harness terminals (37,38) are passed.

Claims

1. An electrically powered remote control rearview mirror with means for horizontally and vertically tilting a mirror surface, said rearview mirror comprising

a mirror body (12),

an actuator unit (15) comprising an actuator unit housing (16, 17) having an outer surface provided with a convex portion (43) and a concave portion (46) and means for adjusting a tilting angle of the mirror surface including mirror tilting motors (31, 32) inside the actuator unit housing (16, 17), each of said motors having a motor casing and motor terminals (31a,31a) in the motor casing,

a wire harness (39) for making an electrical connection to one (31) of the motors (31,32), said wire harness including harness terminals (37, 38) for making electrical contact with the respective motor terminals (31a,31a) of said one of the motors, and

a connector (40) for maintaining said electrical connection of said wire harness (39) to said one (31) of the motors, said connector (40) being engaged on the outer surface of the actuator unit housing (16, 17);

wherein the connector (40) is provided with a concave portion (41) facing the housing (16,17), two containing portions (42,42) on respective opposite sides of the concave portion (41) for holding the harness terminals (37,

     38) of the wire harness (39), a concave groove (44) formed in peripheral wall top portions of the containing portions (42,42), said convex portion (43) engaging in said concave groove (44), and a pair of engaging pawls (45) protruding from an inside wall of the concave portion (41) into the housing (16,

     17) and engaging the housing to firmly hold the connector (40) on the housing so as to contact the harness terminals (37,

     38) with the motor terminals (31a,31a);

wherein the housing (16) includes at least two throughgoing slits (47) in the vicinity of said one (31) of the motors through which said harness terminals (37,38) are passed, the engaging pawls (45) engage with the housing in the concave portion (46) of the housing and the convex portion (43) of the connector (40) extends around the at least two throughgoing slits (47) and the concave portion (46); and

wherein the connector (40) having the concave groove (44) and the engaging pawls (45) protruding from the inside wall of the concave portion (41) is provided with an entrance portion (48) for inserting the wire harness (39) and said entrance portion (48) is open on one end of the connector (40) for insertion of the wire harness.

2. The rearview mirror as defined in claim 1, wherein respective upper half portions of harness terminals (37, 38) contained in the containing portions (42, 42) are inserted through two of said at least two slits (47, 47) respectively, the upper half portions are contacted with the motor terminals (31a, 31a) and the connector (40) is attached to the outer surface of the actuator unit housing (16, 17).

3. The rearview mirror as defined in claim 1, further comprising another wire harnesses for making an electrical connection to another (32) of said motors (31,32) and another of said connectors (40) for maintaining said electrical connection of said another wire harness to said another (31) of said motors.