Door mirror including fresnel lens

• US 8,240,898 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2009
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murakami Corporation
• Original Assignee: Murakami Corporation
• Inventors: Teramoto, Hiroshi, Yasumoto, Ryo
• Primary Examiner(s): Husar, Stephen F
• Assistant Examiner(s): CRANSON JR, JAMES W
• Application Number:
  US12/618,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20100165651A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• Field of Search: 362/494, 362/495, 362/501, 362/503, 362/522
• US Class Current: 362/522
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/082 using a single wide field mirror or an association of rigidly connected mirrors

Abstract

On the surface of Fresnel lens part which is formed on the back face of the lens in a door mirror, grain is provided. This grain includes the first grain formed in the first area positioned in the outside of the boundary extending in the front and rear direction of a vehicle, and the second grain formed in the second area positioned in the door panel side of the boundary, and the concavity depth of the second grain is deeper than that of the first grain. Consequently, illumination intensity of the light irradiated toward the face of the door panel from the deeper grain side of the second area can be reduced compared with the illumination intensity of the light toward the footstep from the shallower grain side of the first area. Adoption of such lens makes possible to apply in the various vehicle models through changing only the boundary position and concavity depth of the grain on the face of the Fresnel lens part.

Claims

1. A door mirror comprising:

a lamp to illuminate a footstep under an outside of a door panel of a vehicle, the lamp is disposed in a door mirror body; and

a lens fitted in the door mirror body to diffuse light of the lamp, the lens includes a Fresnel lens part in which a plurality of parallel steps are formed at a back side of the lens and a boundary extending in substantially a front and rear direction of the vehicle on the surface of the Fresnel lens part;

wherein in the surface of the Fresnel lens part, a first grain is formed in a first area which is positioned outside of the boundary and a second grain is formed in a second area which is positioned in the door panel side of the boundary, and

wherein a concavity depth of the second grain is made deeper with respect to a concavity depth of the first grain.

2. The door mirror according to claim 1, wherein a camera shooting window is provided in the second area in which the second grain is formed.

3. The door mirror according to claim 1, wherein a surface of each of the plurality of parallel steps is provided with the concavity of one of the first grain and the second grain.