Periscope-type rear view mirror apparatus for automobile

• US 3,979,158 A
• Filed: 06/23/1975
• Issued: 09/07/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ichikoh Industries Limited (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Ichikoh Industries Limited (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Miyamoto, Akira, Enomoto, Masao, Kushida, Masagoro, Niitsuma, Fumio, Yamashita, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Corbin, John K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Evans, F. L.
• Application Number:
  US05/589,771
• Time in Patent Office: 442 Days
• Field of Search: 350/288, 350/301, 350/302, 350/307, 350/277, 350/283
• US Class Current: 359/861
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/10 Front-view mirror arrangements; specially adapted for covering the peripheral part of the vehicle B60R1/002; Periscope arrangements , i.e. optical devices using combinations of mirrors, lenses, prisms or the like specially adapted for covering the peripheral part of the vehicle B60R1/002; for viewing traffic-lights B60R1/005; Other mirror arrangements giving a view from above or under the vehicle

Abstract

A periscope-type rear view mirror for automobiles which has a planar objective mirror positioned above an aperture formed through the roof of the driver'"'"'s compartment of the automobile body for reflecting the light rays coming from behind the automobile forwardly and downwardly into the driver'"'"'s compartment. A planar reflecting mirror is positioned substantially parallel to the objective mirror in the driver'"'"'s compartment for reflecting the light rays reflected from said objective mirror forwardly and upwardly to a planar eye-piece mirror positioned close to said reflecting mirror and having a mirror surface crossing obliquely at an acute angle for reflecting the light rays reflected from said reflecting mirror into the driver'"'"'s eye position. Said reflecting mirror is fixed to a stay, and said eye-piece mirror is pivotally secured to said stay which, in turn, is pivotably secured to the inner wall of the automobile at a position close to said aperture.

Claims

1. A periscope-type rear view mirror apparatus for an automobile having a roof with an aperture therein in front of the driver'"'"'s position comprising:

1. a hollow housing fixed to the roof of said automobile above said aperture having an inclined wall inclining at an angle substantially equal to the angle of inclination of the front windshield, having two side walls extending from the opposite side edges of said inclined wall toward the roof of the automobile, and further having a rearward opening opposing said inclined wall and defined by said inclined wall, said side walls, and the roof of said automobile;

2. a planar objective mirror fixed to said inclined wall above the aperture and positioned within the housing opposite the rearward opening;

3. adjustable stay means secured at one end thereof to the inner surface of the automobile body at a position above and near the windshield and extending downward therefrom, said stay means comprised of;

a. a stay bar having a cylindrically shaped fulcrum member at one end thereof transverse to the length of said bar;

b. a mounting bracket attached to the inner surface of the automobile body above and near the windshield having a groove therein for receiving the fulcrum member of said stay bar;

c. a cover plate having a groove therein corresponding to the groove in said mounting bracket, whereby the fulcrum member of said stay bar can fit into the bore formed by the grooves between said mounting bracket and said cover plate; and

d. screws for holding said cover plate over said mounting bracket with said fulcrum member therebetween, whereby adjusting the tightness of the screws will adjust the positioning of said stay bar;

4. a planar reflecting mirror substantially horizontally fixed on the free end of said stay means, below said aperture, so that the reflecting surface of the reflecting mirror faces upwardly toward the aperture in the roof of the automobile and said objective mirror;

5. a planar eye-piece mirror pivotally secured to said stay means adjacent to said reflecting mirror and having its reflecting surface opposed to the reflecting surface of said reflecting mirror at an acute angle thereto and directed toward the eyes of the driver of the automobile, said eye-piece mirror further having a cylindrical extension along one side thereof;

6. said stay bar has therein a socket with flexible sidewalls at a position close to said reflecting mirror for receiving said cylindrical extension of said eyepiece mirror;

7. a bolt passing through said extension of said eye-piece mirror and said sidewalls, whereby tightening the bolt will urge the sidewalls toward each other to hold the cylindrical extension therebetween;

8. transparent panel means on the rearward opening of said hollow housing for sealing this opening from the outside;

9. filter means slightly larger than said reflecting mirror for filtering the intensity of light reflected by said mirrors; and

10. support means located above the windshield and close to said aperture for adjustably supporting said filter means, whereby;

said filter means can be adjustably positioned substantially parallel to the pathway between said objective mirror and said reflective mirror outside of the path of said light rays reflected from said objective mirror to said reflecting mirror, and further

said filter means can be adjustably positioned substantially parallel to the light rays reflected from said eye-piece mirror to the eye position of the driver between said objective mirror and said reflecting mirror, thereby filtering only those light rays traversing the path between said objective and reflecting mirror, and still further

said filter means being slightly larger than said reflective mirror can be adjustably positioned against the edge of said reflecting mirror across the path of light rays travelling from said eye-piece mirror to the eye position of the driver and across the path traversed by the light rays reflected from said objective mirror to said reflecting mirror, thereby filtering the light rays once between said objective mirror and said reflecting mirror, and once between said eye-piece mirror and the eye position of the driver.

2. A periscope-type rear view mirror apparatus for an automobile having a roof with an aperture therein in front of the driver'"'"'s position comprising:

1. a hollow housing fixed to the roof of said automobile above said aperture having an inclined wall inclining at an angle substantially equal to the angle of inclination of the front windshield, having two side walls extending from the opposite side edges of said inclined wall toward the roof of the automobile, and further having a rearward opening opposing said inclined wall and defined by said inclined wall, said side walls, and the roof of said automobile;

2. a planar objective mirror fixed to said inclined wall above the aperture and positioned within the housing opposite the rearward opening;

3. adjustable stay means secured at one end thereof to the inner surface of the automobile body at a position above and near the windshield and extending downward therefrom, said stay means comprised of;

a. a stay bar having a cylindrically shaped fulcrum member at one end thereof transverse to the length of said bar;

b. a mounting bracket attached to the inner surface of the automobile body above and near the windshield having a groove therein for receiving the fulcrum member of said stay bar;

c. a cover plate having a groove therein corresponding to the groove in said mounting bracket, whereby the fulcrum member of said stay bar can fit into the bore formed by the grooves between said mounting bracket and said cover plate; and

d. screws for holding said cover plate over said mounting bracket with said fulcrum member therebetween, whereby adjusting the tightness of the screws will adjust the positioning of said stay bar;

4. a planar reflecting mirror substantially horizontally fixed on the free end of said stay means, below said aperture, so that the reflecting surface of the reflecting mirror faces upwardly toward the aperture in the roof of the automobile and said objective mirror;

5. a planar eye-piece mirror pivotally secured to said stay means adjacent to said reflecting mirror and having its reflecting surface opposed to the reflecting surface of said reflecting mirror at an acute angle thereto and directed toward the eyes of the driver of the automobile, said eye-piece mirror further having a cylindrical extension along one side thereof;

6. said stay bar has therein a socket with flexible sidewalls at a position close to said reflecting mirror for receiving said cylindrical extension of said eye-piece mirror;

7. a bolt for passing through said extension of said eye-piece mirror and said sidewalls, whereby tightening the bolt will urge the sidewalls toward each other to hold the cylindrical extension therebetween;

8. transparent panel means on the rearward opening of said hollow housing for sealing this opening from the outside;

9. filter means slightly larger than said reflecting mirror for filtering the intensity of light reflected by said mirrors; and

10. support means located at the free end of said stay means adjacent said reflecting mirror for adjustably supporting said filter means, whereby

said filter means can be adjustably positioned beneath said reflecting mirror fixed to said stay means outside of the pathways of any of the light rays reflected by any of the mirrors, and further

said filter means can be adjustably positioned substantially parallel to said eye-piece mirror in front of the light path between said objective and reflecting mirrors, thereby filtering only those light rays traversing the path between the eye-piece mirror and the eye-position of the driver, and still further

said filter means being slightly larger than said reflecting mirror can be adjustably positioned across the light path between said objective mirror and said reflecting mirror while at the same time being positioned across the light path between said eye-piece mirror and the eye position of said driver, thereby filtering the light rays once between the objective mirror and the reflecting mirror and once between the eye-piece mirror and the eye position of the driver.