Full display mirror with worm gear driven toggle mechanism

• US 9,718,409 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2016
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Inventors: Minikey, Jr., Danny L., Kuester, Ulrich A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ustaris, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): SECHSER, JILL D
• Application Number:
  US15/053,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20160250974A1
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: 348148
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/04 mounted inside vehicle B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/12 Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1215 with information displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1253 with cameras, video cameras or video screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/205 using a head-up display
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8026 in addition to a rear-view mirror system
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 19/08 for interconverting rotary motion and oscillating motion
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0149 characterised by mechanical features G02B27/0176 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A rearview mirror for a vehicle includes a housing defining an interior cavity and an open side, a substrate coupled within the open side of the housing and having a reflective surface thereon, and an actuation mechanism coupled within the housing. The actuation mechanism has a mounting plate rotatably coupled within the cavity of the housing at a first end thereof, a spring plate coupled with the mounting plate and having a resiliently deformable spring arm extending away from the mounting plate, and a socket body rotatably coupled within the interior cavity of the housing, the spring arm of the spring plate being operably coupled with the socket body at a coupling axis therebetween. A motor is coupled within the interior cavity of the housing and is operably coupled with the socket body to drive rotation thereof by a reduction mechanism including a worm gear.

Claims

1. A rearview mirror for a vehicle, comprising:

a housing defining an interior cavity and an open side;

a substrate coupled within the open side of the housing and having a reflective surface thereon; and

an actuation mechanism coupled within the housing and including;

a mounting plate rotatably coupled within the cavity of the housing at a first end thereof;

a spring plate coupled with the mounting plate and having a resiliently deformable spring arm extending away from a second end of the mounting plate opposite the first end;

a socket body rotatably coupled within the interior cavity of the housing about a socket axis parallel to the second end of the mounting plate, the spring arm of the spring plate being operably coupled with the socket body at a coupling axis therebetween and parallel to the socket axis, the coupling of the spring plate with the socket body directly linking rotation of the socket body about the socket axis with relative movement of the housing with respect to the second end of the mounting plate; and

a motor coupled within the interior cavity of the housing and operably coupled with the socket body to drive rotation thereof by a reduction mechanism including a worm gear.

2. The rearview mirror of claim 1, wherein:

the socket body defines a plurality of teeth around a portion of a circumference thereof; and

the reduction mechanism further includes a bearing shaft rotatably coupled within the interior cavity of the housing and extending generally parallel to the socket body, the bearing shaft having rigidly coupled therewith a gear operably engaged with the teeth of the socket body.

3. The rearview mirror of claim 2, wherein the worm gear is coupled with an output shaft of the motor and is in a mesh engagement with a worm wheel coupled with the bearing shaft.

4. The rearview mirror of claim 1, wherein the reduction mechanism has a reduction ratio from the motor to the socket body of between 12:

1 and 20;

1.

5. The rearview mirror of claim 1, wherein rotation of the socket body through a first angle causes rotation of the mounting plate about the first end between first and second stable positions.

6. The rearview mirror of claim 5, wherein:

the first angle is between about 70 degrees and 100 degrees; and

the stable positions are rotationally spaced about the first end of the mounting plate at an angle of between about 5 degrees and 10 degrees.

7. The rearview mirror of claim 5, wherein:

the rotation of the socket body through the first angle moves the coupling axis from a first position at a first distance from the first end of the mounting plate to a second position at a second distance from the first end of the mounting plate and through an apex position at a third distance from the first end of the mounting plate that is less than the first and second distances; and

the spring arms are biased against the socket body to urge the coupling axis away from the apex and toward a nearest of the first and second positions, the first and second positions corresponding to the first and second stable positions.

8. The rearview mirror of claim 1, further including a mounting arm coupled with the mounting plate, wherein:

rotation of the output shaft of the motor drives rotation of the mounting plate with respect to the housing, thereby causing the housing to rotate with respect to the mounting arm.

9. The rearview mirror of claim 1, wherein the substrate includes a display, and wherein the reflective surface overlies the display.

10. A rear-vision system for a vehicle, comprising:

a video camera mounted on the vehicle in a position to capture an image of a portion of an exterior thereof; and

a display mirror, including;

a housing defining an interior cavity and an open side;

a substrate coupled over the open side of the housing and having a display in electronic communication with the camera for presenting the image thereon and a one-way reflective layer overlying the display; and

an actuation mechanism coupled within the housing and including;

a mounting plate rotatably coupled within the cavity of the housing at a first end thereof;

a spring plate coupled with the mounting plate and having a resiliently deformable spring arm extending away from a second end of the mounting plate opposite the first end;

a socket body rotatably coupled within the interior cavity of the housing about a socket axis parallel to the second end of the mounting plate, the spring arm of the spring plate being operably coupled with the socket body at a coupling axis therebetween and parallel to the socket axis, the coupling of the spring plate with the socket body directly linking rotation of the socket body about the socket axis with relative movement of the housing with respect to the second end of the mounting plate; and

a motor coupled within the interior cavity of the housing and operably coupled with the socket body to drive rotation thereof by a reduction mechanism including a worm gear.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising control circuitry coupled with the motor for controlling the motor in driving the rotation of the socket body, wherein:

the control circuitry is further in electronic communication with the display and automatically causes the rotation of the socket body to move the housing between first and second positions upon one of an activation or deactivation of the display, respectively.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein when in the first position, the substrate is angled toward a headliner of the vehicle by between 5 degrees and 10 degrees relative to the second position.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first and second positions of the housing correspond with first and second stable positions of the actuation mechanism.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the socket body defines a plurality of teeth around a portion of a circumference thereof; and

the reduction mechanism further includes a bearing shaft rotatably coupled within the interior cavity of the housing and extending generally parallel to the socket body, the bearing shaft having rigidly coupled therewith a gear operably engaged with the teeth of the socket body.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the worm gear is coupled with an output shaft of the motor and is in a mesh engagement with a worm wheel coupled with the bearing shaft.

16. A vehicle, comprising:

a windshield;

a headliner adjacent an upper edge of the windshield; and

a mirror assembly mounted within the vehicle adjacent the windshield and the headliner and including;

a substrate including a display and a one-way reflective layer overlying the display;

a mounting plate rotatably coupled within the cavity of the housing at a first end thereof;

a spring plate coupled with the mounting plate and having a resiliently deformable spring arm extending away from a second end of the mounting plate opposite the first end;

a socket body rotatably coupled within the interior cavity of the housing about a socket axis parallel to the second end of the mounting plate, the spring arm of the spring plate being operably coupled with the socket body at a coupling axis therebetween and parallel to the socket axis, the coupling of the spring plate with the socket body directly linking rotation of the socket body about the socket axis with relative movement of the housing with respect to the second end of the mounting plate; and

a motor coupled within the interior cavity of the housing and operably coupled with the socket body to drive rotation thereof by a reduction mechanism including a worm gear.

17. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein rotation of the socket body through a first angle causes rotation of the mounting plate about the first end between first and second stable positions.

18. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein when in the first stable position, the substrate is angled toward the headliner by between 5 degrees and 10 degrees relative to the second stable position.

19. The vehicle of claim 17, further comprising a control circuitry coupled with the motor for controlling the motor in driving the rotation of the socket body, the control circuitry further being in electronic communication with the display and automatically causing the rotation of the socket body to move the mounting plate between the first and second stable positions upon one of an activation or deactivation of the display, respectively.

20. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein:

the socket body defines a plurality of teeth around a portion of a circumference thereof; and

the reduction mechanism further includes a bearing shaft rotatably coupled within the interior cavity of the housing and extending generally parallel to the socket body, the bearing shaft having rigidly coupled therewith a gear operably engaged with the teeth of the socket body.