Rear view mirror apparatus and method for vehicle lane changing
First Claim
1. A rear view mirror apparatus for viewing an area of a multilane roadway alongside a motor vehicle having an elongated body, comprising:
- at least one mirror rotatably mounted to one side of a driver compartment of the vehicle,said at least one mirror being normally oriented in a home position to permit an operator to view a section of roadway including at least a portion of a lane adjacent the lane in which the vehicle is traveling;
a motor coupled to the at least one mirror operative when activated to rotate the mirror in opposite directions;
a motor activation switch manually operable to a first condition when in a second condition, and operable to the second condition when in the first condition; and
a controller responsive to the operation of the activation switch to the first condition for rotating the mirror in a first direction through a path starting from the home position to a scanning setpoint position to view the roadway including a lane of the roadway outwardly of the adjacent lane, and responsive to the operation of the switch to the second condition following the manual operation to the first condition to rotate the mirror in a second direction from the scanning setpoint position to the home setpoint position; and
means for setting the scanning setpoint position wherein the setpoint position is preselected by the operator from within a range of positions, and set in the controller.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and method in a tractor-trailer type vehicle for insuring the ability to change lanes without colliding with other vehicles traveling in lanes adjacent the lanes adjacent the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. The side rear view mirror is motorized to encompass fields of view that include both adjacent and non-adjacent lanes without attention on the part of the operator. The mirror is rotated at a minimum rate of speed to prevent confusion on the part of the operator during travel of the mirror between the two positions. The normal home position setpoint and the outer or scanned position setpoint are adjustable. The activation switch may be on the gear shift lever, the turn signal, or the control box for the motor.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A rear view mirror apparatus for viewing an area of a multilane roadway alongside a motor vehicle having an elongated body, comprising:
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at least one mirror rotatably mounted to one side of a driver compartment of the vehicle, said at least one mirror being normally oriented in a home position to permit an operator to view a section of roadway including at least a portion of a lane adjacent the lane in which the vehicle is traveling; a motor coupled to the at least one mirror operative when activated to rotate the mirror in opposite directions; a motor activation switch manually operable to a first condition when in a second condition, and operable to the second condition when in the first condition; and a controller responsive to the operation of the activation switch to the first condition for rotating the mirror in a first direction through a path starting from the home position to a scanning setpoint position to view the roadway including a lane of the roadway outwardly of the adjacent lane, and responsive to the operation of the switch to the second condition following the manual operation to the first condition to rotate the mirror in a second direction from the scanning setpoint position to the home setpoint position; and means for setting the scanning setpoint position wherein the setpoint position is preselected by the operator from within a range of positions, and set in the controller. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of determining obstacles not visible to an operator of an elongated vehicle when anticipating changing traffic lanes, comprising:
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positioning a motor-operated side rear view mirror mounted to a driver compartment of the vehicle to a home position setpoint for viewing an adjacent lane of traffic when the motor is inactive; selecting a scanning position setpoint from within a range of rotational positions and setting the scanning position setpoint into a controller; operating a switch, electrically connected to the controller, to a first condition to activate the motor in anticipation of changing lanes; automatically positioning the mirror to the selected scanning position setpoint for viewing a lane of traffic outwardly from the adjacent lane of traffic upon activation of the motor in response to operation of said switch to said first position; holding the switch in the first position while viewing the lane corresponding to the scanning position setpoint; releasing the hold on the switch to reactivate the motor; and automatically rotating the mirror to the home position setpoint upon reactivation of the motor for viewing the adjacent lane of traffic. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A rear view mirror apparatus for viewing an area of a multilane roadway alongside a motor vehicle having an elongated body, comprising:
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at least one mirror rotatably mounted to one side of a driver compartment of the vehicle, said at least one mirror being normally oriented in a home position to permit an operator to view a section of roadway including at least a portion of a lane adjacent the lane in which the vehicle is traveling; a motor coupled to the at least one mirror operative when activated to rotate the mirror in opposite directions; a motor activation switch manually operable to a first condition when in a second condition, and operable to the second condition when in the first condition; a controller responsive to the operation of the activation switch to the first condition for rotating the mirror in a first direction through a path starting from the home position to a scanning setpoint position to view the roadway including a lane of the roadway outwardly of the adjacent lane, and responsive to the operation of the switch to the second condition following the manual operation to the first condition to rotate the mirror in a second direction from the scanning setpoint position to the home setpoint position; means for setting the scanning setpoint position wherein the setpoint position is preselected by the operator from within a range of positions, and set in the controller; and a mirror position tracking device attached to the at least one mirror for tracking an angular position of the mirror during its rotation. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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23. A method of determining obstacles not visible to an operator of an elongated vehicle when anticipating changing traffic lanes, comprising:
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positioning a motor-operator side rear view mirror mounted to a driving compartment of the vehicle to a home position setpoint for viewing an adjacent lane of traffic when the motor is inactive; selecting a scanning position setpoint from within a range of rotational positions and setting the scanning position setpoint into a controller; operating a switch to a first condition to activate the motor in anticipation of changing lanes; positioning the mirror to the scanning position setpoint for viewing a lane of traffic outwardly from the adjacent lane of traffic upon activation of the motor in response to operation of said switch to said first position; holding the switch in the first position while viewing the lane corresponding to the scanning position setpoint; releasing the hold on the switch to reactivate the motor; rotating the mirror to the home position setpoint upon reactivation of the motor for viewing the adjacent lane of traffic; and tracking an angular position of the mirror during its rotation with a mirror position tracking device.
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Specification