Integrated mirror device for vehicle

• US 8,506,097 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2006
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Honda Lock
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company), Kabushiki Kaisha Honda Lock
• Inventors: Kukita, Tomoyuki, Sasaki, Mitsuo, Matsumoto, Yoshiyuki, Abe, Masaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafer, Ricky D
• Application Number:
  US11/992,027
• Publication Number:
  US 20100007961A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,518 Days
• Field of Search: 359/841, 359/843, 359/865, 359/877
• US Class Current: 359/843
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/007 specially adapted for covering the lateral blind spot not covered by the usual rear-view mirror
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/025 comprising special mechanical means for correcting the field of view in relation to particular driving conditions, e.g. change of lane; scanning mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/04 mounted inside vehicle B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/06 mounted on vehicle exterior B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/062 with remote control for adjusting position B60R1/0607 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/066 for adjusting the mirror relative to its housing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/074 for retracting the mirror arrangements to a non-use position alongside the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/081 avoiding blind spots, e.g. by using a side-by-side association of mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/082 using a single wide field mirror or an association of rigidly connected mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/087 with remote or automatic control means

Abstract

A vehicular integrated mirror system is provided that is supported on a vehicle body that includes a door, and has an outside mirror disposed outside a vehicle compartment and an interior mirror disposed within the vehicle compartment at a position in the proximity of the outside mirror so that, in cooperation with the outside mirror, a vehicle rear field of vision is obtained, wherein a mirror holder retaining the outside mirror and the inside mirror is swingably supported on mirror support means mounted on the vehicle body in order to change the reflection angle of the two mirror relative to a vehicle driver, and the reflection angle of the outside mirror and the inside mirror is changed by remote drive means that makes the mirror holder swing by remote operation. This enables the reflection angle of the outside mirror and the inside mirror to be remotely controlled.

Claims

1. A vehicular integrated mirror system that is supported on a vehicle body that includes a door, and has an outside mirror disposed outside a vehicle compartment and an inside mirror disposed within the vehicle compartment at a position proximate the outside mirror so that, in cooperation with the outside mirror, a vehicle rear field of vision is obtained, wherein the system comprises:

a mirror holder retaining the outside mirror and the inside mirror thereon;

a mirror support device mounted on the vehicle body so as to swingably support the mirror holder thereon in order to change a reflection angle of the two mirrors relative to a vehicle driver; and

a remote drive device for making the mirror holder swing by remote operation in order to change the reflection angle of the outside mirror and the inside mirror;

wherein the mirror holder comprises an outside mirror holder and an inside mirror holder respectively retaining the outside mirror and the inside mirror thereon, wherein said outside mirror holder and said inside mirror holder are supported on the mirror support device and are operable so as to swing independently from each other,

wherein the remote drive device comprises;

an outside drive device and an inside drive device for respectively making the outside and inside mirror holders swing;

a control unit for controlling operation of the outside drive device and the inside drive device, the control unit being switchable between a normal operation control state in which the outside and inside drive devices are both operated so as to make the outside mirror holder and the inside mirror holder swing in association, and a specific operation control state in which only the outside drive device is operated so as to make the outside mirror holder swing on its own; and

a remote operation member that enables manual operation by a vehicle driver on a driver'"'"'s seat of the vehicle, wherein;

the control unit selects the specific operation control state, and operates the outside drive device only by a predetermined amount toward a side that makes a direction the outside mirror faces change downward only by a predetermined angle, in response to an operation of an operation device operated by the vehicle driver when reversing the vehicle,

the control unit operates the outside drive device so as to return the outside mirror holder to the position the outside mirror holder was in before the specific operation control state started in response to the vehicle driver completing operation of the operation device,

when the operation by the vehicle driver for reversing the vehicle is not detected, the control unit selects the normal operation control state in which the outside mirror holder and the inside mirror holder are made to swing in association with each other in response to a signal input from the remote operation member, and

when the operation by the vehicle driver for reversing the vehicle is detected, the control unit is switched to select the specific operation control state in which only the outside driver device is operated to make the outside mirror holder swing on its own.

2. A vehicular integrated mirror system that is supported on a vehicle body that includes a door, and has an outside mirror disposed outside a vehicle compartment and an inside mirror disposed within the vehicle compartment at a position proximate the outside mirror so that, in cooperation with the outside mirror, a vehicle rear field of vision is obtained, wherein the system comprises:

a mirror holder retaining the outside mirror and the inside mirror;

a mirror support device mounted on the vehicle body so as to swingably support the mirror holder in order to change a reflection angle of the two mirrors relative to a vehicle driver; and

a remote drive device making the mirror holder swing by remote operation in order to change the reflection angle of the outside mirror and the inside mirror;

wherein the mirror holder comprises an outside mirror holder and an inside mirror holder respectively retaining the outside mirror and the inside mirror thereon, said outside mirror holder and said inside mirror holder are supported on the mirror support device and are operable so as to swing independently from each other,

wherein the remote drive device comprises;

an outside drive device and an inside drive device for respectively making the outside and inside mirror mirror holders swing;

a control unit for controlling operation of the outside drive device and the inside drive device, the control unit being switchable between a normal operation control state in which the outside and inside drive devices are both operated so as to make the outside mirror holder and the inside mirror holder swing in association and a specific operation control state in which only the outside drive device is operated so as to make the outside mirror holder swing on its own; and

a remote operation member that enables manual operation by a vehicle driver on a driver'"'"'s seat of the vehicle, wherein;

the control unit selects the specific operation control state, and operates the outside drive device only by a predetermined amount toward a side that makes a direction the outside mirror faces change downward only by a predetermined angle, in response to an operation of an operation device operated by the vehicle driver when changing a path of the vehicle,

the control unit operates the outside drive device so as to return the outside mirror holder to the position the outside mirror holder was in before the specific operation control state started in response to the vehicle driver completing operation of the operation device,

when the operation by the vehicle driver for changing the path of the vehicle is not detected, the control unit selects the normal operation control state in which the outside mirror holder and the inside mirror holder are made to swing in association with each other in response to a signal input from the remote operation member, and

when the operation by the vehicle driver for changing the path of the vehicle is detected, the control unit is switched to select the specific operation control state in which only the outside driver device is operated to make the outside mirror holder swing on its own.