Rearview mirror assembly

• US 9,475,431 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2012
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magna Mirrors of America Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Magna Mirrors of America Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Brummel, Mark R., De Wind, Darryl P., Huizen, Gregory A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gramling, Sean
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sufleta, II, Gerald J
• Application Number:
  US13/644,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20130088884A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,482 Days
• Field of Search: 362/494
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/04 mounted inside vehicle B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/1207 with lamps; with turn indicators
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0096 the lights guides being of the hollow type

Abstract

A rearview mirror assembly includes a mirror reflective element, a front mirror casing portion configured to receive the mirror reflective element, a rear mirror casing and a mirror backplate. The mirror backplate includes a generally planar attachment portion for attaching at a rear surface of the mirror reflective element and includes a perimeter flange circumscribing a perimeter of the generally planar attachment portion. The perimeter flange is partially received in the rear mirror casing portion and partially received in the front mirror casing portion, and the perimeter flange couples the front and rear mirror casing portions to the mirror backplate.

Claims

1. An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said interior rearview mirror assembly comprising:

a mirror reflective element;

a rear mirror casing;

a mirror backplate;

wherein said mirror backplate includes a generally planar attachment portion at a front of said mirror backplate for attaching at a rear surface of said mirror reflective element and includes a pivot element at a rear of said mirror backplate for pivotally mounting said interior rearview mirror assembly at an interior portion of the vehicle, and wherein said pivot element and said generally planar attachment portion are integrally formed via injection molding of a polymeric material to establish a unitary mirror backplate;

wherein said pivot element comprises a socket element for receiving a ball member of a mirror mounting assembly;

wherein said mirror backplate comprises a perimeter flange extending substantially around a perimeter of said generally planar attachment portion and extending rearward therefrom, wherein said perimeter flange is disposed along and extends rearward of a perimeter edge region of said mirror reflective element when said generally planar attachment portion of said backplate is attached at said rear surface of said mirror reflective element;

wherein said rear mirror casing comprises a forward perimeter lip extending substantially around a perimeter of said rear mirror casing and a plurality of attaching elements at said forward perimeter lip that are configured to engage respective attaching elements established at said perimeter flange;

wherein said forward perimeter lip of said rear mirror casing receives said perimeter flange of said mirror backplate therein, and wherein said plurality of attaching elements at said forward perimeter lip engage respective attaching elements at said perimeter flange to attach said perimeter flange and said mirror backplate and said mirror reflective element at said rear mirror casing; and

wherein said rear mirror casing has an aperture for receiving the ball member of the mirror mounting assembly therethrough when said socket element is pivotally attached at the ball member of the mirror mounting assembly.

2. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, comprising a front casing portion configured to at least partially receive a front portion of said perimeter flange of said mirror backplate and configured to attach to said perimeter flange.

3. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 2, wherein said attaching elements of said perimeter flange comprise a plurality of apertures established at said perimeter flange, and wherein said front casing portion comprises a plurality of tabs that are received in respective apertures established at said perimeter flange to attach said front casing portion to said mirror backplate.

4. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 3, wherein said attaching elements of rear mirror casing comprise a plurality of tabs, and wherein said tabs are received in respective apertures established at said perimeter flange of said mirror backplate to attach said rear mirror casing to said mirror backplate.

5. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein said attaching elements of said rear mirror casing comprise a plurality of tabs and wherein said attaching elements of said perimeter flange comprise a plurality of apertures established at said perimeter flange, and wherein said tabs are received in respective apertures established at said perimeter flange of said mirror backplate to attach said rear mirror casing to said mirror backplate.

6. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, comprising a perimeter lighting device operable to illuminate at least one of (i) a perimeter region of said rear mirror casing and (ii) a perimeter region of said mirror reflective element, wherein said perimeter lighting device comprises at least one illumination source and a light directing element configured to direct light emitted by said at least one illumination source generally toward said at least one of (i) a perimeter region of said rear mirror casing and (ii) a perimeter region of said mirror reflective element.

17. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein said perimeter flange is integrally formed with said pivot element and said generally planar attachment portion via injection molding of the polymeric material to establish said unitary mirror backplate.

18. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 17, wherein said attaching elements of said rear mirror casing comprise a plurality of tabs and wherein said attaching elements of said perimeter flange comprise a plurality of apertures established at said perimeter flange, and wherein said tabs are received in respective apertures established at said perimeter flange of said mirror backplate to attach said rear mirror casing to said mirror backplate.

19. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 18, comprising a front casing portion configured to at least partially receive a front portion of said perimeter flange of said mirror backplate and configured to attach to said perimeter flange, wherein said front casing portion comprises a plurality of tabs that are received in respective apertures established at said perimeter flange to attach said front casing portion to said mirror backplate.

20. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 19, wherein said apertures commonly receive said tabs of said front casing portion and said tabs of said rear casing portion.

21. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 20, wherein said perimeter flange comprises an outer surface that generally corresponds with and engages an inner surface of said rear mirror casing when said rear mirror casing at least partially receives said perimeter flange and attaches to said perimeter flange.

7. An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said interior rearview mirror assembly comprising:

a mirror reflective element;

a front mirror casing portion configured to receive said mirror reflective element and circumscribe a perimeter edge of said mirror reflective element, wherein said front mirror casing portion comprises a plurality of attaching elements disposed at or near a rearward perimeter lip of said front mirror casing portion;

a rear mirror casing portion, wherein said rear mirror casing portion comprises a plurality of attaching elements disposed at or near a forward perimeter lip of said rear mirror casing portion;

a mirror backplate;

wherein said mirror backplate includes a generally planar attachment portion that attaches at a rear surface of said mirror reflective element and includes a perimeter flange circumscribing a perimeter of said generally planar attachment portion at or near said perimeter edge of said mirror reflective element and extending rearward therefrom; and

wherein said perimeter flange is partially received in said forward perimeter lip of said rear mirror casing portion and partially received in said rearward perimeter lip of said front mirror casing portion, and wherein said perimeter flange includes a plurality attaching elements spaced along said perimeter flange of said mirror backplate, and wherein said attaching elements of said front and rear mirror casing portions engage said attaching elements of said perimeter flange of said mirror backplate to position said mirror backplate and said mirror reflective element between said front and rear mirror casing portions.

8. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 7, wherein said attaching elements of said rear mirror casing portion comprise a plurality of tabs and wherein said attaching elements of said perimeter flange comprise a plurality of apertures established at said perimeter flange, and wherein said tabs are snapped into the respective apertures established at said perimeter flange to attach said rear mirror casing portion to said mirror backplate.

9. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 8, wherein said attaching elements of said front mirror casing portion comprise a plurality of tabs that are received in respective apertures established at said perimeter flange to attach said front mirror casing portion to said mirror backplate.

10. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 7, wherein said rear mirror casing portion comprises a forward opening circumscribed by said forward perimeter lip for partially receiving said perimeter flange and said front mirror casing portion comprises a rearward opening circumscribed by said rearward perimeter lip for partially receiving said perimeter flange, and wherein said forward perimeter lip of said rear mirror casing portion is configured to mate with said rearward perimeter lip of said front mirror casing portion when said perimeter flange couples said front and rear mirror casing portions to said mirror backplate.

11. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 10, wherein said forward perimeter lip of said rear mirror casing portion and said rearward perimeter lip of said front mirror casing portion are configured to limit movement of said front mirror casing portion relative to said rear mirror casing portion when said front and rear mirror casing portions are coupled to said mirror backplate.

12. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 7, wherein said mirror backplate includes a pivot element for pivotally mounting said interior rearview mirror assembly at an interior portion of the vehicle, wherein said pivot element is aligned with an aperture in said rear mirror casing for at least one of said pivot element and a mirror mounting assembly to extend through the aperture in said rear mirror casing, and wherein said pivot element and said generally planar attachment portion and said perimeter flange are integrally formed via injection molding of a polymeric material to establish a unitary mirror backplate.

13. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 7, comprising a perimeter lighting device disposed at least partially about a periphery of said mirror reflective element and operable to illuminate at least one of (i) a perimeter region of said front mirror casing portion and (ii) a perimeter region of said mirror reflective element.

14. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 9, wherein said apertures at said perimeter flange commonly receive said tabs of said front casing portion and said tabs of said rear mirror casing portion.

15. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 14, wherein said perimeter flange comprises an outer surface that generally corresponds with and engages an inner surface of said rear mirror casing portion when said rear mirror casing portion at least partially receives said perimeter flange and attaches to said perimeter flange.

16. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 7, wherein said perimeter flange is integrally formed with said generally planar attachment portion via injection molding of a polymeric material to establish a unitary mirror backplate.