Door mirror

• US 6,877,867 B1
• Filed: 03/03/2003
• Issued: 04/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Lock Manufacturing Company Limited (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Lock Manufacturing Company Limited (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Murakami, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cherry, Euncha P.
• Application Number:
  US10/377,118
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 359/841, 359/844, 359/871, 359/872, 359/874, 359/875, 359/876, 248/480, 248/483, 248/484, 248/487
• US Class Current: 359/841
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/076 yieldable to excessive external force and provided with an indexed use position B60R1/0617, B60R1/074 take precedence

Abstract

A door mirror including mirror-supporting therewith bracket supported by a bearing portion disposed integrally to a base of a support shaft, and a coil spring located under compression between a resilient receptacle and the bearing portion for urging the bearing portion toward the support seat. One bearing portion supported to the base end of the support and another bearing portion spaced apart from the bearing portion and supported rotationally on the top end of the support shaft are provided integrally to the bracket. The resilient receptacle is secured to a predetermined position of the support shaft so as to sandwich the coil spring that is compressed to a set load after passage of the support shaft through the coil spring located between both of the bearing portions between one of the bearing portions situated on the side of the support seat and the receptacle.

Claims

1. A door mirror for use in a vehicle including:

a base attached to a side door of the vehicle and having a support seat facing upward and a support shaft (15c) vertically disposed to the support seat,

a bearing portion disposed integrally to a bracket for supporting a mirror and supported by way of a click mechanism to the support shaft while enabling the bracket to rotate in the forward and backward directions of the vehicle, in which

the bearing portion comprises a first bearing portion and a second bearing portion formed integrally to the bracket being spaced apart from each other along the axial direction of the support shaft,

a coil spring located under compression around the support shaft between the first bearing portion and the second bearing portion for urging the bracket downward toward the support seat, and

a resilient receptacle movable along the axial direction of the support shaft and placed in contact with the upper end of the coil spring so as to urge the coil spring downward toward the support seat, in which

the resilient receptacle is secured to a predetermined axial position of the support shaft when it urges the coil spring to a state compressed to a set load after insertion of the support shaft between both of the bearing portions.

2. A door mirror as defined in claim 1 wherein the bracket is covered with a housing having a window in which the mirror is located, and a side wall connecting both of the bearing portions at a portion facing the window is provided integrally with the bracket.

3. A door mirror as defined in claim 1 wherein the resilient receptacle is a push nut capable of engaging the support shaft, and operation holes for the operation of urging the push nut so as to compress the coil spring are formed to one of the bearing portions that situates on the side opposite to the support seat.

4. A door mirror as defined in claim 2, wherein a positioning wall is formed to the inner surface of the side wall along a portion of the outer circumference of the coil spring.

5. A door mirror as defined in claim 2, wherein the resilient receptacle is a push nut capable of engaging the support shaft, and operation holes for the operation of urging the push nut so as to compress the coil spring are formed to one of the bearing portions that situates on the side opposite to the support seat.

6. A door mirror according to claim 1, wherein the support shaft has an engaging groove around the outer circumference at the predetermined axial position between the first bearing portion and the second bearing portion for engaging the resilient receptacle when it urges the upper end of the coil spring when it is compressed to the predetermined set load.