Wireless remote controlled mirror

• US 6,585,384 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Issued: 07/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: N-K Enterprises LLC
• Original Assignee: N-K Enterprises LLC
• Inventors: Smith, Adam L., Illian, Paul R. Sr., Nielsen, Erik R., Keller, Gordon, Moselage, John H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Mark A.
• Application Number:
  US09/895,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20030002180A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 359/838, 359/843, 359/844, 359/872, 359/877
• US Class Current: 359/877
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/008 allowing the driver to see passengers, e.g. for busses combined with rear-view mirrors B60R1/08
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/078 easily removable; mounted for bodily outward movement, e.g. when towing

Abstract

A wireless remote controlled mirror enabling a user to selectively adjust a view from a remote location. A preferred embodiment enables a driver to remotely control a mirror attached to a rear seat of a vehicle to remotely adjust the view of a child in a rear-facing safety seat. A preferred embodiment includes a base that mounts to an object (such as the safety seat or the rear seat), a reflective lens that moves relative to the base, one or more electric motors to drive the reflective lens, and a receiver that detects a command signal from a wireless remote controller and energizes the one or more motors to reorient the reflective lens to view the child. The mirror can alternatively be mounted on other portions of a vehicle, e.g., as a remote controlled side mirror.

Claims

1. A wireless remote controlled mirror, comprising:

(a) a base, said base including means for supporting the base with a portion of a vehicle so as to enable a person seated in the vehicle to view the wireless controlled mirror;

(b) a prime mover mounted on the base;

(c) a reflective lens drivingly coupled to the prime mover and pivotally coupled to the base by a pivot joint to enable the reflective lens to move relative to the base in two substantially orthogonal directions; and

(d) a receiver in electrical communication with the prime mover, said receiver including means to detect a wireless command signal from a remote controller that is activated by a user, for controlling the prime mover in response to the wireless command signal, to cause the prime mover to drive the reflective lens to a desired orientation to enable the person seated in the vehicle to view a reflection in the reflective lens from a desired direction.

2. The wireless remote controlled mirror of claim 1 wherein the means for supporting the base attaches the base to one of a fixed and a removable component used with a vehicle, enabling a front-facing driver of the vehicle to remotely control the reflective lens to view a rear-facing passenger disposed behind a front seat of the vehicle, when the reflective lens is remotely controlled to achieve the desired orientation.

3. The wireless remote controlled mirror of claim 1 wherein the means for supporting the base attaches the base to one of a side portion, a front portion, and a back portion of a vehicle, to enable a driver of the vehicle to achieve the desired orientation in order to view an area external to the vehicle.

4. The wireless remote controlled mirror of claim 1, wherein the means for supporting the base comprises at least one of a strap, a clamp, a suction cup, an adhesive layer, a fastener plate, a stand that supports the wireless remote controlled mirror on a surface, and a wireless remote controlled mirror to an object.

5. The wireless remote controlled mirror of claim 1, further comprising a lens housing in which the reflective lens is mounted, the lens housing including an opening through which a reflection in the reflective lens is viewed, and a back disposed opposite the opening, said back comprising a positioning surface that is coupled to the prime mover and is pivotally mounted to the base.

6. The wireless remote controlled mirror of claim 5, further comprising:

(a) a threaded shaft rotatably connected to the prime mover and having driving threads along a substantial length of the threaded shaft; and

(b) driven threads disposed on the positioning surface that engage the driving threads of the threaded shaft, rotation of the threaded shaft causing the lens housing and reflective lens to pivot.

7. The wireless remote controlled mirror of claim 5, further comprising an additional prime mover that is mounted to the base and is in electrical communication with the receiver, said prime mover pivoting the reflective lens about a first axis and said additional prime mover pivoting the reflective lens about a second axis that is generally orthogonal to the first axis, in response to the wireless command signal.

8. The wireless remote controlled mirror of claim 7, further comprising:

(a) an additional threaded shaft rotatably connected to the additional prime mover and having driving threads along a substantial length of the additional threaded shaft; and

(b) additional driven threads disposed on the positioning surface that engage the driving threads of the additional threaded shaft, rotation of the additional threaded shaft causing the lens housing and reflective lens to pivot about the second axis.

9. The wireless remote controlled mirror of claim 1, further comprising a battery power supply that provides electrical power to energize the receiver and to selectively energize the prime mover in response to the wireless command signal.

10. The wireless remote controlled mirror of claim 1, wherein the prime mover comprises an electric motor with a drive shaft that is rotatably coupled to the reflective lens.

11. The wireless remote controlled mirror of claim 1, wherein the receiver comprises one of a radio frequency receiver, an infrared receiver, a microwave receiver, and an optical receiver.

12. The wireless remote controlled mirror of claim 1, further comprising a local controller electrically connected between the receiver and the prime mover, and providing a drive signal to the prime mover in response to the wireless command signal.

13. The wireless remote controlled mirror of claim 12, further comprising a sensor in communication with the local controller and capable of detecting motion of the reflective lens.

14. The wireless remote controlled mirror of claim 1, wherein the remote controller comprises:

(a) a power supply;

(b) a wireless transmitter connected to the power supply; and

(c) a position switch connected between the power supply and the wireless transmitter, such that when the position switch is activated, the wireless transmitter transmits the wireless command signal to the receiver indicating a direction in which the reflective lens is to be moved.

15. The wireless remote controlled mirror of claim 14, wherein the position switch selectively enables a user to control movement of the reflective lens in a selected one of a plurality of directions.

16. The wireless remote controlled mirror of claim 14, wherein the wireless transmitter produces one of a radio frequency signal, an infrared signal, a microwave signal, and an optical signal detectable by the receiver.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of providing the user with a portable transmitter and switch for transmitting the wireless command signal.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of enabling the user to removably attach the portable transmitter to a surface within a vehicle.

17. A method for controllably positioning a mirror relative to a base, comprising the steps of:

(a) enabling a user to mount the mirror so as to view a passenger disposed behind a front seat in a vehicle;

(b) enabling the user to select a direction in which the mirror is to be reoriented;

(c) in response to the direction selected by the user, transmitting a wireless command signal indicative of the direction selected; and

(d) in response to receiving the wireless command signal at the mirror, reorienting the mirror relative to the base in the direction selected by the user.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of enabling the user to select the direction comprises the step of enabling the user to select one of four orthogonal directions in which the mirror is to be reoriented relative to the base.

21. A system for providing a view of a rear-facing person that is visible to a front-facing person within a vehicle, comprising:

(a) a transmitter including means to be controlled by a front-facing person, to transmit a wireless signal indicating a desired adjustment to a reflected view of a rear-facing passenger;

(b) a receiver disposed within a base that is spatially separate from the transmitter, said base including means for supporting the base with a portion of a vehicle so as to enable a person seated in the vehicle to view the wireless controlled mirror, said receiver including control means to receive the wireless signal transmitted from the transmitter, and for producing a control signal that enables the person seated in the vehicle to selectively adjust the view of the rear-facing person;

(c) a reflective lens pivotally coupled to the base so as to move about two orthogonal axes relative to the base, for use in providing a reflected view of a rear-facing person; and

(d) a first prime mover that is responsive to the control signal produced by the receiver, said first prime mover being drivingly coupled to the reflective lens and adapted to move the reflective lens about a first axis relative to the base, in response to the wireless signal, to an orientation controlled by a user with the transmitter, said control means varying the control signal in response to the wireless signal as to enable the person seated in the vehicle to remotely adjust the reflected view provided by the reflective lens so that the rear-facing person is visible to the person seated in vehicle.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising a second prime mover that is responsive to the control signal produced by the receiver, said second prime mover being drivingly coupled to the reflective lens and adapted to move the reflective lens about a second axis relative to the base, in response to the wireless signal, to an orientation controlled by a user with the transmitter.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the transmitter includes a multi-position switch that controls the wireless signal, said wireless signal being indicative of a selected position in which the switch is activated by a user, to control an orientation of the reflective lens about one of the first and the second axes.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the reflective lens is mounted within a bezel housing that is pivotably attached to the base.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein a rear surface of the bezel housing includes a plurality of tracks, each of which include gear teeth, and wherein the first prime mover and the second prime mover each include drive shafts with gears that engage the gear teeth on a different one of the plurality of tracks, rotation of the drive shaft thereby causing the bezel housing to pivot relative to the base.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the means for supporting the base comprises at least one of a strap, a clamp, an adhesive lager, a stand, a mounting frame, and a fastener.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the transmitter includes a switch that is selectively controlled by a user to cause the transmitter to transmit the wireless signal used to modify the orientation of the reflective lens.

28. A method for controllably positioning a mirror relative to a base, comprising the steps of:

(a) enabling a user to mount the mirror on an exterior of a vehicle to view an environment proximate to the vehicle;

(b) enabling the user to select a direction in which the mirror is to be reoriented;

(c) in response to the direction selected by the user, transmitting a wireless command signal indicative of the direction selected; and

(d) in response to receiving the wireless command signal at the mirror, reorienting the mirror relative to the base in the direction selected by the user.