Vehicular mirror having tilt angle detection rod with swing axis

• US 7,354,170 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2006
• Issued: 04/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Honda Lock
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Honda Lock
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Kaoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Amari; Alessandro
• Assistant Examiner(s): CONSILVIO, MARK J
• Application Number:
  US11/338,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20060181793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 359/877, 359/876, 359/874
• US Class Current: 359/874
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/072 for adjusting the mirror relative to its housing

Abstract

In a vehicular mirror device, one end part of an operating shaft disposed on a side opposite to a drive shaft relative to a fulcrum of a mirror holder is swivelably coupled to the mirror holder, and a detection rod of a sensor is coupled to the operating shaft, which is slidably inserted into a guide hole provided in a fixed support member, so that it detects a swing angle of the mirror holder according to an axial position of the operating shaft. The operating shaft is inserted into the guide hole while being supported on the support member so that it can swing around an axis perpendicular to a plane containing a straight line linking a part of the drive shaft that couples the drive shaft to the mirror holder, the fulcrum of the mirror holder, and a part of the operating shaft that couples the operating shaft to the mirror holder. The detection rod, which has an axis coaxial with the swing axis of the operating shaft, is coupled to the operating shaft so that the operating shaft can swing around the swing axis. Thus, the swing angle of the mirror holder can be detected with a high accuracy.

Claims

1. A vehicular mirror device in which an axially movable drive shaft is coupled to a mirror holder swingably supported by a fulcrum disposed on a straight line that is perpendicular to the axis of the drive shaft, one end part of an operating shaft disposed on the straight line on a side opposite to the drive shaft relative to the fulcrum is swivelably coupled to the mirror holder, and a detection rod of a sensor, the sensor being fixed to a fixed support member, is coupled to the operating shaft, which is slidably inserted into a guide hole provided in the support member so as to extend parallel to the drive shaft, so that the detection rod detects a swing angle of the mirror holder according to an axial position of the operating shaft,

wherein the operating shaft is inserted into the guide hole while being supported by the support member so that the operating shaft can swing around a swing axis, that is coaxial with a guide projection on a leg part of the operating shaft, the swing axis being perpendicular to a plane containing the straight line and perpendicular to an axis along the longitudinal length of the operating shaft, and

wherein the detection rod having an axis that is coaxial with the swing axis of the operating shaft is coupled to the operating shaft so that the operating shaft can swing around the axis of the detection rod.

2. The vehicular mirror device according to claim 1, wherein a sensor case of the sensor, which comprises the detection rod extending in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the operating shaft, is fixed to the support member whose position relative to an actuator case that incorporates a drive means axially driving the drive shaft does not change;

wherein, in order to detect by means of the sensor, a swing angle of the mirror holder according to the axial position of the operating shaft, a tip of the detection rod is coupled to another end part of the operating shaft by fitting them together by axially pushing the operating shaft against the detection rod in a state in which the detection rod is stationary; and

wherein a stopper that abuts against the tip of the detection rod so as to determine a limit of movement of the detection rod on a side opposite to the mirror holder is provided on the support member.

3. The vehicular mirror device according to claim 2, wherein a slit-shaped coupling part is provided on said other end part of the operating shaft, which is made of a synthetic resin, the slit-shaped coupling part having a guide part that is formed so that its width decreases as it goes inward so that the width of the inner end is smaller than the outer diameter of the detection rod and the outer end is open, a mating part that is connected to the inner end of the guide part so that the detection rod fits into the mating part, and a channel part that has a width smaller than the diameter of the detection rod and is connected to the mating part.

4. The vehicular mirror device according to claim 2, wherein the actuator case, which is fixed within a housing, comprises:

a case main body as the support member, which is formed by integrally coupling via a coupling part, the case main body having a first housing part housing the drive means and a second housing part housing the sensor;

a first lid member swingably supporting the mirror holder and covering the first housing part so as to make the drive shaft project; and

a second lid member covering the second housing part so that the operating shaft can pass therethrough.

5. The vehicular mirror device according to claim 1, wherein the operating shaft comprises a shaft portion that extends along the swing axis and a slit-shaped coupling part, and the detection rod is coupled to the coupling part of the operating shaft at a position corresponding to the shaft portion in the axial direction of the operating shaft.