Exterior mirror assembly

• US 7,438,453 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2006
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Saitoh, Makoto, Domon, Takayuki, Sano, Tomohiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Jong-Suk (James)
• Assistant Examiner(s): SPINELLA, KEVIN
• Application Number:
  US11/511,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20070047049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 362/494, 362/498, 362/551, 362/555, 362/559, 362/560, 362/540, 362/541, 362/543, 362/544, 362/545, 362/476, 362/492, 362/546, 362/135, 362/140, 362/511, 362/143, 362/503, 362/244, 362/245, 362/223, 362/249, 362/487, 359/602, 359/842, 359/871, 359/872, 359/844, 359/838, 340/475, 340/472, 340/463, 340/465, 340/425.5
• 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

An exterior mirror assembly includes a mirror member, a housing and a light member. The mirror member is supported in the housing. The light member is attached to the housing to radiate light, having a luminous body and a lens mask configured to cover the luminous body. The housing has an outermost portion which lies outwardly furthest with respect to a width direction of a vehicle. The light member is disposed inside of the outermost portion with respect to a width direction of the vehicle and the lens mask is formed so that its shape smoothly continues to the outermost portion. A projection is formed on the lens mask so that a surface of the projection is inside of the outermost portion with respect to a width direction of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An exterior mirror assembly for installed placement on a vehicle having a longitudinal center line, said mirror assembly comprising:

a mirror member;

a housing in which the mirror member is supported, the housing having a shape with a substantially continuous curve formed therein extending from a front portion around to a side portion thereof, the housing having a shaped opening formed therein to receive part of a light member, and

a light member which is attached to the housing to radiate light, the light member comprising a luminous body and a lens mask configured to cover the luminous body, the lens mask including an exposed surface having a shape configured to fit in the shaped opening of the housing and having a substantially continuous curve formed therein extending from a front portion around to a side portion thereof,

wherein the side portion of the housing has an outermost portion which lies outwardly furthest from a longitudinal center line of the vehicle in an installed configuration thereof with respect to a width direction of a vehicle,

wherein a portion of the light member is disposed closer to the longitudinal center line of the vehicle than the outermost portion of the housing with respect to the width direction of the vehicle, and the lens mask is formed so that a shape of the exposed surface of the lens mask continues from the front portion of the housing towards the outermost portion,

wherein a projection is formed on the lens mask extending outwardly from the side portion of the exposed surface in a direction away from the longitudinal center line of the vehicle, said projection configured so that an outer surface of the projection is positioned closer to the longitudinal center line of the vehicle than the outermost portion of the housing with respect to the width direction of the vehicle, said projection having a rear end and a front end, wherein said rear end is oriented to extend both in a direction away from the front end of the vehicle and in an outward direction with respect to the width direction of the vehicle, and tapers towards said exposed surface as it extends rearwardly, and said front end of the projection forms a step shape that projects in an outward direction from the exposed surface with respect to the width direction of the vehicle.

2. An exterior mirror assembly according to claim 1, wherein the lens mask is formed so as to extend inwardly further from the outermost portion with respect to the width direction of the vehicle as the lens mask extends farther apart from the outermost portion and wherein the projection is spaced inwardly away from the outermost portion.

3. An exterior mirror assembly according to claim 2, wherein the luminous body comprises a pair of directional light sources which is arranged in a vertical direction and the projection is spaced upwardly or downwardly apart from the outermost portion, and wherein one of the light sources not only orients a pointing direction more backward than the other one, but also aligns the pointing direction with the projection.

4. An exterior mirror assembly according to claim 3, wherein the lens mask is formed to curve at the outermost portion from a forward portion to a side portion of the housing so that the lens mask folds at the outermost portion and the projection is formed in a backward end portion of the lens mask, and the pair of light sources is located more forward than the projection with respect to a forward-backward direction of the vehicle.

5. An exterior mirror assembly according to claim 2, wherein the lens mask comprises a substantially wedge-shaped exposed surface portion which tapers from a wider to a narrower height as the lens mask extends inwardly further from the outermost portion with respect to the width direction of the vehicle.

6. An exterior mirror assembly according to claim 2, wherein the exposed surface portion of the lens mask tapers from a wider to a narrower height as the lens mask extends inwardly further from the outermost portion with respect to the width direction of the vehicle.

7. An exterior mirror assembly according to claim 1, wherein the luminous body is disposed on an upper side of the outermost portion.

8. The exterior mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein said outermost portion is situated so as to protect said light member from damage.

9. An exterior mirror assembly for installed placement on a vehicle having a longitudinal center line, said mirror assembly comprising:

a mirror member;

a housing in which the mirror member is supported, the housing having a shape with a substantially continuous curve formed therein extending from a front portion around to a side portion thereof, the housing having a substantially wedge-shaped opening formed therein to receive a portion of a lens mask; and

a light member which is aftached to the housing to radiate light, the light member comprising;

a bracket for supporting a luminous body,

a luminous body attached to the bracket and comprising a plurality of light sources comprising a first light source oriented in a first direction and a second light source oriented in a second direction which is different from the first direction, and

a lens mask configured to cover the luminous body, the lens mask comprising a recessed attachment portion and a substantially wedge-shaped exposed surface portion projecting outwardly from the attachment portion and configured to fit in the substantially wedge-shaped opening of the housing, the exposed surface portion having a substantially continuous curve formed therein extending from a front portion around to a side portion thereof

wherein the side portion of the housing has an outermost portion which lies outwardly furthest from the longitudinal center line of the vehicle in an installed configuration thereof,

wherein a portion of the light member is disposed closer to the longitudinal center line of the vehicle than the outermost portion of the housing with respect to the width direction of the vehicle, and the lens mask is formed so that a shape of the exposed surface of the lens mask continues from the front portion of the housing towards the outermost portion, and

wherein a projection is formed on the exposed surface portion of the lens mask extending outwardly from the side portion thereof in a direction away from the longitudinal center line of the vehicle, said projection configured so that an outer surface of the projection is positioned inside of closer to the longitudinal center line of the vehicle than the outermost portion of the housing, said projection having a rear end and a front end, wherein said rear end is oriented both in a direction away from the front end of the vehicle and in an outward direction with respect to the width direction of the vehicle, and tapers towards said exposed surface as it extends rearwardly, and said front end forms a step shape projecting outwardly from the exposed surface portion of the lens mask.

10. An exterior mirror assembly according to claim 9, wherein the projection is spaced inwardly away from the outermost portion, and wherein the lens mask is formed so as to extend inwardly further from the outermost portion with respect to the width direction of the vehicle as the lens mask extends farther apart from the outermost portion.

11. An exterior mirror assembly according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of light sources comprises a pair of directional light sources which is arranged in a vertical direction and the projection is spaced upwardly or downwardly apart from the outermost portion, and wherein one of the light sources not only orients a pointing direction more backward than the other one, but also aligns the pointing direction with the projection.

12. An exterior mirror assembly according to claim 9, wherein the lens mask is formed to curve at the outermost portion from a forward portion to a side portion of the housing so that the lens mask folds at the outermost portion and the projection is formed in a backward end portion of the lens mask, and the pair of light sources is located more forward than the projection with respect to a forward-backward direction of the vehicle.

13. An exterior mirror assembly according to claim 9, wherein the luminous body is disposed above and to the inside of the outermost portion.

14. The exterior mirror assembly of claim 9, wherein said rear end further includes an inner surface substantially perpendicular to said luminous body.