Rear-view mirror with forward facing warning light

• US 5,938,322 A
• Filed: 08/19/1998
• Issued: 08/17/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Whelen Engineering Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Whelen Engineering Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Ford, Robert B., Lyons, Harold W., Alonzo, Alexander A. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Quach, Y.
• Application Number:
  US09/136,539
• Time in Patent Office: 363 Days
• Field of Search: 362/494, 362/503, 362/540, 362/546, 362/549, 340/468, 359/838, 359/871
• US Class Current: 362/494
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2665 on rear-view mirrors lighting devices for vehicle interior on or for rear-view mirrors B60Q3/258
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/1207 with lamps; with turn indicators

Abstract

A housing for a wide angle warning light which is to be integrated with a vehicle exterior mounted rear-view mirror is defined by building up a model on the mirror and using the model to produce a mold which is subsequently utilized to form the housing. The housing is, during the integration procedure, adhesively bonded to the mirror and the light head of the warning light is then mounted on the housing.

Claims

1. A warning light for integration with a fixed position, externally mounted rear-view mirror of a vehicle, the vehicle having a front and a rear and a pair of lateral sides which extend between the front and rear, the rear-view mirror including a mirror adjustably supported within a non-adjustable mirror housing, the mirror housing having an open side through which the mirror may be viewed, the mirror housing open side including a rim portion which circumscribes a periphery of the mirror, the mirror housing open side generally facing in a same direction as the vehicle rear, said warning light comprising:

a hollow housing, said hollow housing having oppositely disposed leading and trailing ends interconnected by a side wall which defines a smooth outer surface, said hollow housing trailing end being sized and shaped to receive the mirror housing and form a radial extension of the mirror housing rim portion, said hollow housing defining an aerodynamically contoured forward extension of the received mirror housing, said hollow housing leading end having a smaller cross-section area compared to said hollow housing trailing end and being provided with a mounting surface, said hollow housing further having an opening which extends through said mounting surface;

a light head, said light head in part extending through said opening in said hollow housing mounting surface, said light head having a rearwardly facing surface which is complementary in size and shape to said mounting surface, said light head releasably secured to said mounting surface, said light head including;

a selectively energizable high intensity light source;

a reflector for intercepting and redirecting at least some light emitted by said light source, said reflector having a focal point and a generally concave reflective surface;

a lens for directing light emitted by said light source including light reflected from said reflector, said reflector and lens cooperating with said light source to produce a light beam which diverges in a horizontal plane, an angle of such divergence exceeding 90°

; and

means for supporting said light source between said lens and said reflector, said light source positioned by said supporting means to intersect said focal point; and

means for adhesively bonding an interior of said side wall of said hollow housing to a exterior of the mirror housing such that light provided by said light head will be radiated generally in the direction of forward travel of the vehicle on which the mirror is mounted.

2. A warning light as recited in claim 1 wherein said hollow housing substantially envelopes the received mirror housing.

3. A warning light as recited in claim 2 wherein said means for adhesively bonding comprises a plurality of strips of double faced adhesive tape.

4. A warning light as recited in claim 1 wherein said means for adhesively bonding comprises a plurality of strips of double faced adhesive tape.

5. A method of manufacture of an integrated warning light and fixed position, externally mounted vehicle rear-view mirror assembly, the rear-view mirror assembly including a mirror adjustably supported within a non-adjustable mirror housing, the mirror housing having an open side through which the mirror may be viewed, the mirror housing open side including a rim portion which circumscribes a periphery of the mirror, said method comprising the steps of:

forming on the vehicle mirror assembly a model of a housing of a warning light subassembly, the formed model comprising a modelling material and being shaped to define a smooth walled forward projection of the mirror housing and which decreases in cross-sectional area in a direction away from the mirror housing open side;

incorporating a light head into the formed model such that pattern of light emitted thereby will be directed to maximize visibility of the vehicle, the model being adjusted to merge smoothly with the light head and to define a mounting surface complementary to a mounting surface on the light head;

removing the light head from the model and employing the model to make a casting having an interior shape and size commensurate with the model exterior shape and size;

producing a metal mold from the casting;

employing the metal mold to thermally form the warning light subassembly housing from plastic sheet material, the thermally formed housing having said defined mounting surface at a first smaller end thereof;

placing the thermally formed warning light subassembly housing over the mirror assembly such that the rim portion of the mirror housing and a second larger end of the formed warning light subassembly housing are coplanar;

adhesively bonding an exterior of the mirror assembly housing to the interior of a vacuum formed warning light subassembly housing; and

mounting the light head to the mounting surface of the formed warning light subassembly housing.

6. A method for the manufacture of a housing of a high intensity warning light subassembly which is to be integrated with a fixed position, externally mounted rear-view mirror assembly of a vehicle, the rear-view mirror assembly including a mirror adjustably supported within a non-adjustable mirror housing, the mirror housing having an open side through which the mirror may be viewed, the mirror housing open side including a rim portion which circumscribes a periphery of the mirror, said method comprising the steps of:

forming on the rear-view mirror assembly of the vehicle a model which defines a housing of a warning light subassembly, the formed model comprising a modelling material and being shaped to define a smooth walled forward projection of the mirror housing and which decreases in cross-sectional area in a direction away from the mirror housing open side;

affixing a light head to the formed model and adjusting a position thereof such that pattern of light emitted thereby will be directed to maximize visibility of the vehicle;

varying the model such that its exterior surface merges smoothly with the light head in its final adjusted position, the model as varied defining a mounting surface complementary to a mounting surface on the light head;

removing the light head from the model and employing the model to make a casting having an interior shape and size commensurate with the model exterior shape and size; and

producing a metal mold from the casting; and

employing the metal mold to form the warning light subassembly housing from plastic sheet material, the formed warning light subassembly housing having a mounting surface, complimentary to the mounting surface on the light head, at a first smaller end thereof compared to a second larger end away from said first smaller end.