Support arm for vehicle mirror

• US 7,198,378 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2004
• Issued: 04/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lang-Mekra North America LLC
• Original Assignee: Lang-Mekra North America LLC
• Inventors: Meier, Markus, Lang, Heinrich, Pfanz, Jurgen, Mayer, Rudolf
• Primary Examiner(s): AMARI, ALESSANDRO V
• Application Number:
  US10/982,936
• Publication Number:
  US 20050122605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 359/871, 359/872, 359/875, 359/876, 359/877, 248/476
• US Class Current: 359/872
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/0605 specially adapted for mounting on trucks, e.g. by C-shaped support means

Abstract

A support arm for a vehicle mirror having at least one mirror head with a mirror pane which includes an upper holding arm (1) made of plastic with an anchoring element (2) for mounting on a vehicle, and a lower holding arm (3) made of plastic with an anchoring element (4) at the bottom for mounting on a vehicle. A one-piece base (6) includes a metal tube (5) whose top or, as the case may be, bottom end is securely connected with the upper and lower holding arm, respectively. The base can also be built in the form of a base plate. In this case, the base has a removable positioning wedge (7) that can be removed from the base to change the angle of at least one mirror pane and/or mirror head carried by the base. The positioning wedge is attached to provide an exterior driver-side rear view mirror, and is removed to provide a passenger-side rear view mirror.

Claims

1. A support arm assembly for a vehicle mirror having at least one mirror head comprising:

an upper holding arm having an upper attachment element for connection to a vehicle-mounted connector;

a lower holding arm having a lower attachment element for the attachment to a vehicle-mounted connector;

a base carried between said upper and lower holding arms;

a removable positioning wedge carried by said base, and said positioning wedge having an installed position when carried by said base, and a removed position when said positioning wedge is removed from said base;

a mirror pane carried by said base;

said mirror pane carried by said base in a first mounted position at a first angle to said base when said positioning wedge is in said installed position, said mirror pane carried by said base in a second mounted position at a second angle to said base when said positioning wedge is in said removed position, and said first angle being greater than said second angle;

whereby said support arm assembly may be used to mount a driver-side mirror when said positioning wedge is in said removed position or a passenger-side mirror when said positioning wedge is in said installed position.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said base includes a metal tube having opposing ends injection molded with the upper and lower holding arms to form an integral support arm.

3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein said base includes a base plate carried by said metal tuber and said positioning wedge is removably mounted to said base plate.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein a mirror adjusting unit may be carried by said positioning wedge in said installed position, and said mirror adjusting unit may be carried by said base plate with said positioning wedge in said removed position.

5. The assembly of claim 4 including a housing carried by said metal tube for at least partially enclosing said metal tube, base plate, and positioning wedge when said mirror pane is carried in said first mounted position;

and at least partially enclosing said metal tube and base plate when said mirror pane is carried in said second mounted position.

6. The assembly of claim 3 wherein one of said metal tube, holding arm, and lower holding arm, has a vertical toothed raster section for attachment of one of said base plate and a mirror head.

7. The assembly of claim 6 wherein one of said upper and lower holding arm includes a horizontal toothed raster for fixing the angular position of said holding arm on the vehicle.

8. The assembly of claim 7 wherein at least one mirror head that is fastened to the metal tube.

9. A support arm assembly for a vehicle mirror having at least one mirror head wherein said assembly includes a unitary support arm comprising:

an upper holding arm having an upper attachment element for connection to a vehicle-mounted connector;

a lower holding arm having a lower attachment element for the attachment to a vehicle-mounted connector;

a base including a metal tube carried between said upper and lower holding arms;

said metal tube having an upper end securely attached with said upper holding arm and a lower end securely attached to said lower holding arm;

wherein,

one of said ends of said metal tube, said upper holding arm and said lower holding arm has a vertical toothed raster section for attachment of said mirror head.

10. The assembly of claim 9 wherein said metal tube has opposing ends injection molded with said upper and lower holding arms to provide a unitary structure.

11. The assembly of claim 10 wherein a plastic tube is injection molded within said metal tube integrally formed with the upper and lower holding arms.

12. The assembly of claim 11 wherein said plastic tube includes a hollow interior formed using an internal fluid pressure process.

13. The assembly of claim 9 where said metal tube is secured to the upper and lower holding arms by means of adhesive.

14. The assembly of claim 9 wherein one of said upper and lower holding arm includes a horizontal toothed raster for fixing the angular position of said support arm on the vehicle.

15. The assembly of claim 9 including at least one mirror head, said base including a base plate;

a removable positioning wedge carried by said base plate with said mirror pane being carried by said base plate;

said mirror pane being mounted at a first angle to said base plate when mounted to said positioning wedge, and said mirror pane being mounted at a second angle to said base plate when mounted to said base plate with said positioning wedge removed, and said first angle being greater than said second angle.

16. The assembly of claim 9 wherein at least a mirror head of said at least one mirror head is fastened to the support arm.

17. A method for manufacturing a support arm assembly for a vehicle mirror comprising the steps of:

providing a mirror support arm having a base;

providing a removable positioning wedge with an inclined surface that may be removably mounted to said base; and

mounting a mirror pane to said base to provide one of a first angular position and a second angular position relative to said base by one of the following steps;

mounting the mirror pane to said inclined surface of said positioning wedge to provide said first angular position on said support arm for providing a passenger-side rear view mirror;

or

removing said positioning wedge from said base, and attaching said mirror pane to said base to provide said second angular position on the support arm for providing a driver-side rear view mirror.

18. The method of claim 17 including molding and shaping upper and lower holding arms on opposing ends of said support arm to provide an integral support arm assembly, said holding arms being attachable to said vehicle.

19. The method of claim 17 including using an internal fluid pressure process to form hollow plastic components of said support arm assembly.