Wide-angle rear view mirror with rotary center piece

• US 3,881,811 A
• Filed: 08/08/1974
• Issued: 05/06/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bruce K. French
• Original Assignee: Bruce K. French
• Inventors: French, Bruce K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wibert, Ronald L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Henry, Jon W.
• Application Number:
  US05/495,634
• Time in Patent Office: 271 Days
• Field of Search: 350/288,289,293,299,300,303,304,280,6,7 178/7,6
• US Class Current: 359/864
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/081 avoiding blind spots, e.g. by using a side-by-side association of mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/08 Mirrors vehicle mirrors involving special optical features B60R1/08

Abstract

A rear view mirror for vehicles has flat portions on opposite sides of a short, curved center piece to provide a field of view in excess of 60*. The center piece is silvered on opposite sides and rotates at a sufficient speed to filter out distorted reflections in the center of the mirror and provide the equivalent of a continuous reflective surface with a curved center portion and flat ends.

Claims

1. A rear view mirror for vehicles comprising:

first, second, and third reflective portions forming an essentially continuous reflective surface, the first and third portions being flat planar surfaces, the second portion having a cylindrically curved surface of a predetermined length, the second portion being located intermediate the first and third portions, but closely spaced relative thereto so as to form the equivalent of a continuous reflective surface;

means for rotating the second portion of the mirror about an axis located between and generally parallel to the ends of the flat first and third portions of the mirror, the second portion of the mirror being rotatable at such a speed of rotation that the second portion, in combination with the first and third portions, provides an essentially continuous, unbroken reflection to a viewer in the vehicle; and

means for mounting the mirror defined by the first, second, and third reflective portions in a vehicle.

2. A mirror according to claim 1 in which the means for mounting the mirror are located on the side thereof opposite the reflective surface, and the curvature of the rotary second portion of the mirror is such that the planar first and third portions of the mirror define predetermined angles of inclination relative to each other such that when the mounting means mounts the mirror in the vehicle with the reflective first portion located essentially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and the second and third portions are located on the side of the vehicle longitudinal axis adjacent the driver'"'"''"'"'s location and with the second and third reflective portions extending in a direction remote from the driver, the continuous reflective surface provides an overall viewing angle in excess of 60*.

3. A mirror according to claim 1 in which the diameter of the curved rotary portion of the mirror is about 20 percent of the overall length of the mirror.

4. A mirror according to claim 3 in which the curvature of the rotary second portion is tangent at its opposite ends to the planes defining the flat first and third portions of the mirror.

5. A mirror according to claim 1 including reflective surfaces on opposite curved surfaces of the rotary section portion of the mirror.

6. A mirror according to claim 5 including means for rotating the curved second portion of the mirror about an axis extending between and generally parallel to the ends of the flat first and third portions which are adjacent the opposite ends of the curved second portion.

7. A mirror according to claim 1 in which the planes defining the first and third portions of the mirror intersect at a point which is collinear with a line representing the radius of curvature of the curved second portion and extending through the center of rotation thereof.