Outside mirror apparatus including lighting device for vehicle

• US 20050254251A1
• Filed: 05/06/2005
• Published: 11/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ichikoh Industries Limited (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Ichikoh Industries Limited (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Chou, Shuuichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,513,664 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/494
• 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 1/1207 with lamps; with turn indicators
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/14 Light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/195 Details of lamp holders, terminals or connectors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode

Abstract

An outside mirror apparatus for a vehicle includes a mirror housing including an opening, a housing recess, and a cutout communicating with the housing recess; a mirror unit; and a lighting device including a lamp housing and a lamp lens, a light irradiating unit, and a light source. The housing recess and the cutout are provided in the mirror housing; the light irradiating unit is provided in the lighting device; the lighting device is housed in the housing recess; and the light irradiating unit is arranged in the cutout. An outer surface of the light irradiating unit is provided along an outer surface of the mirror housing.

Claims

1. An outside mirror apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a mirror housing including

an opening provided on a back side of the mirror housing;

a housing recess provided to be recesses to an inner side of the mirror housing on a left side or a right side of the mirror housing; and

a cutout communicating with the housing recess provided on the left side or the right side of the mirror hosing;

a mirror unit that is mounted on the inner side of the mirror housing via a holding unit, the mirror unit being tiltably located in the opening; and

a lighting device including

a lamp housing and a lamp lens housed in the housing recess;

a light irradiating unit provided in a projected shape in the lamp lens, the light irradiating unit being arranged in the cutout; and

a first light source that is arranged in a lamp chamber partitioned by the lamp housing and the lamp lens, and irradiates light to a predetermined light distributing zone from the light irradiating unit, wherein

a wall of the housing recess is formed in a shape avoiding a tilting area of the mirror unit and an arrangement area of the holding unit,

the lamp housing is formed in a shape modeled after the shape of the wall of the housing recess, and

an outer surface of the light irradiating unit is provided along an outer surface of the mirror housing.

2. The outside mirror apparatus according to claim 1, wherein horizontal cross-sections of the wall of the housing recess and the lamp housing form a stepped shape.

3. The outside mirror apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a horizontal cross-section of the lighting device is elongated, and

the first light source and a second light source for lighting the entire lamp lens in conjunction with the first light source are arranged in the lamp chamber having an elongated horizontal cross-section.

4. The outside mirror apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first light source and the second light source are light emitting diodes,

the light emitting diodes are formed as an assembly with a plate member made of an electrically conductive member, and

the light emitting diodes and the plate member are arranged in the lamp chamber.

5. The outside mirror apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plate member is formed in a shape modeled after the shape of the lamp housing, and is fixed to the lamp housing.

6. The outside mirror apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plate member is integrally formed with terminals of a connector on a lamp side that are connectable to terminals of a connector on a power supply side.

7. The outside mirror apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plate member is made of a steel sheet to which a surface treatment for corrosion prevention and decoration is performed, and covers substantially an entire surface of the lamp housing in the lamp chamber.

8. The outside mirror apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the plate member is divided into a plurality of sheets,

the light irradiating unit includes a group of light-distribution control elements controls light from the light emitting diodes to irradiate the light on the predetermined light distributing zone, and

the group of light-distribution control elements are arranged along gaps among the plurality of sheets of the plate member.