Vehicle door mirror

• US 8,888,341 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2012
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Misato Industries Company Limited (Samvardhana Motherson International Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Ichikoh Industries Limited (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Honda, Keisuke, Endoh, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): BANNAN, JULIE A
• Application Number:
  US13/586,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20130051047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 362/494
• US Class Current: 362/494
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/06 mounted on vehicle exterior B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/1207 with lamps; with turn indicators

Abstract

In a vehicle door mirror, Between a circumferential edge of a mirror body 2 of a reflection mirror unit 1 in which a lighting unit 10 is incorporated and a flange on a circumferential edge 3a of a holder 3, a gap 4 for light emission is provided in a state in which the circumferential edges thereof are partially spaced from each other in a radial direction, and in the gap, a light emitting portion 10L of the lighting unit 10 is secondarily disposed. In this manner, a driver can directly visually recognize light that is emitted from the light emitting portion 10L, and a decrease in reflection area of the mirror body 2, which is caused by forming the gap 4, can be restrained to its required minimum level, making it possible to ensure an effective field of view of the door mirror.

Claims

1. A vehicle door mirror comprising:

a reflection mirror unit, comprising;

a mirror body having a circumferential edge;

a holder having a flange on a circumferential edge of the holder, and holding the mirror body, the circumferential edge of the mirror body being partially spaced from the circumferential edge of the holder in a radial direction such that a gap for light emission exists between the circumferential edges; and

a circuit board having a light emitting unit with a light emitting portion, the light emitting portion disposed in the gap, wherein the light emitting portion has a light emission surface parallel to a reflection surface of the mirror body such that light is emitted from the light emission surface in a direction perpendicular to the reflection surface of the mirror body and perpendicular to the radial direction,

wherein the holder comprises a recessed portion forming a closed space with respect to a back face of the mirror body, the recessed portion disposed at a circumferential side proximal position that corresponds to the gap, the circuit board arranged in the recessed portion,

wherein an opening of the recessed portion is closed by means of a cap, and the mirror body is adhesively bonded and fixed over the cap and a general portion of the holder.

2. The vehicle door mirror according to claim 1, wherein

the circuit board comprises an optical system of the lighting unit which has a light source and a light guide adapted to receive light that is emitted from the light source and then guide the received light to the light emission surface.

3. The vehicle door mirror according to claim 2, wherein the cap is integrally molded with the light guide.

4. The vehicle door mirror according to claim 1, wherein

the recessed portion does not have an opening hole other than a power conducting member arrangement hole and a ventilation hole, and

the ventilation hole is closed by means of a ventilation waterproof film.

5. The vehicle door mirror according to claim 2, wherein the light guide is molded separately from the holder, whereas the recessed portion of the holder comprises a groove portion with which the light guide is capable of engaging, and the light guide is engaged with the groove portion, and is fixed by means of welding or adhesive bonding.

6. The vehicle door mirror according to claim 5, wherein the light guide comprises an engagingly stop stepped portion that is adjacent to the light emission surface, the stepped portion being molded in a stepped manner to be lower than the light emission surface, the stepped portion being adapted to engagingly stop at a circumferential edge portion of the mirror body.

7. The vehicle door mirror according to claim 2 wherein the light guide is integrally molded with the holder by means of two color molding.