VEHICLE DOOR MIRROR

• US 20130194685A1
• Filed: 04/15/2011
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Minebea AccessSolutions Inc
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Honda Lock
• Inventors: Kukita, Tomoyuki, Kenmochi, Kenji
• Granted Patent: US 8,950,878 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/841
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/06 mounted on vehicle exterior B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/074 for retracting the mirror arrangements to a non-use position alongside the vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle door minor is provided in which an upward facing support seat and a support shaft rising from the support seat are fixedly provided on a side door side of a vehicle, a click mechanism is provided between opposing faces of the support seat and a bearing part provided on a bracket and pivotably supported on the support shaft, a coil spring is provided between a spring receiving member fixed to the support shaft and a flat spring receiving face formed on the bearing part, and a lubricant reservoir is formed on the spring receiving face. The lubricant reservoir has at least a first groove that continues so that one end is disposed closer to the center of the support shaft than the other end. Thus, a lubricant is always stably supplied to an area of the coil spring that is in sliding contact with the spring receiving face.

Claims

1. A vehicle door minor in which an upward facing support seat (10) and a support shaft (11) rising from the support seat (10) are fixedly provided on a side door (5) side of a vehicle (V), a click mechanism (13) is provided between opposing faces of the support seat (10) and a bearing part (12) provided on a bracket (8) supporting a minor and pivotably supported on a base of the support shaft (11), the click mechanism (13) imparting a click feel to pivoting of the bracket (8), a coil spring (16) is provided in a compressed state between a spring receiving member (14) fixed to the support shaft (11) and a flat spring receiving face (15) formed on a face, on the opposite side to the support seat (10), of the bearing part (12), the coil spring (16) pressing the bearing part (12) toward the support seat (10) side, and a lubricant reservoir (31) that can be charged with a lubricant is formed on the spring receiving face (15), characterized in that the lubricant reservoir (31) has at least a first groove (32) that continues so that one end is disposed closer to the center of the support shaft (11) than the other end.

2. The vehicle door minor according to claim 1, wherein the first groove (32) is formed so that a virtual line extending radially from the center of the support shaft (11) diagonally intersects an intermediate part of the first groove (32).

3. The vehicle door minor according to claim 2, wherein the first groove (32) is formed into a curved shape.

4. The vehicle door mirror according to claim 1, wherein the lubricant reservoir (31) is formed from a plurality of the first grooves (32) disposed at intervals in a peripheral direction of the spring receiving face (15), and an annular second groove (33) that said other ends of the first grooves (32) communicate with in common, and the second groove (33) is formed on an outer peripheral part of the spring receiving face (15) so as to be positioned further outside than an outer periphery of the coil spring (16).

5. The vehicle door mirror according to claim 1, wherein a tubular spring housing part (23) is provided on the bracket (8), the spring housing part (23) being connected to an outer peripheral edge of the spring receiving face (15) at right angles and housing the coil spring (16), and a drain hole (34) for draining water within the spring housing part (23) is provided at a location, closest to the ground, of the spring housing part (23) in a state in which the bracket (8) is supported on the support shaft (11).

6. The vehicle door minor according to claim 4, wherein a tubular spring housing part (23) is provided on the bracket (8), the spring housing part (23) being connected to an outer peripheral edge of the spring receiving face (15) at right angles and housing the coil spring (16), and a drain hole (34) for draining water within the spring housing part (23) is provided at a location, closest to the ground, of the spring housing part (23) in a state in which the bracket (8) is supported on the support shaft (11).

7. The vehicle door minor according to claim 2, wherein a tubular spring housing part (23) is provided on the bracket (8), the spring housing part (23) being connected to an outer peripheral edge of the spring receiving face (15) at right angles and housing the coil spring (16), and a drain hole (34) for draining water within the spring housing part (23) is provided at a location, closest to the ground, of the spring housing part (23) in a state in which the bracket (8) is supported on the support shaft (11).

8. The vehicle door minor according to claim 3, wherein a tubular spring housing part (23) is provided on the bracket (8), the spring housing part (23) being connected to an outer peripheral edge of the spring receiving face (15) at right angles and housing the coil spring (16), and a drain hole (34) for draining water within the spring housing part (23) is provided at a location, closest to the ground, of the spring housing part (23) in a state in which the bracket (8) is supported on the support shaft (11).

9. The vehicle door mirror according to claim 2, wherein the lubricant reservoir (31) is formed from a plurality of the first grooves (32) disposed at intervals in a peripheral direction of the spring receiving face (15), and an annular second groove (33) that said other ends of the first grooves (32) communicate with in common, and the second groove (33) is formed on an outer peripheral part of the spring receiving face (15) so as to be positioned further outside than an outer periphery of the coil spring (16).

10. The vehicle door mirror according to claim 3, wherein the lubricant reservoir (31) is formed from a plurality of the first grooves (32) disposed at intervals in a peripheral direction of the spring receiving face (15), and an annular second groove (33) that said other ends of the first grooves (32) communicate with in common, and the second groove (33) is formed on an outer peripheral part of the spring receiving face (15) so as to be positioned further outside than an outer periphery of the coil spring (16).