Door mirror

• US 4,657,362 A
• Filed: 02/25/1985
• Issued: 04/14/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kasiha Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Inventors: Suzuki, Masaru
• Primary Examiner(s): Petrakes, John
• Application Number:
  US06/705,099
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• Field of Search: 350/631-634, 350/636, 350/637, 74/501 M, 248/474, 248/476, 248/479, 248/485-487
• US Class Current: 359/841
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/074 for retracting the mirror arrangements to a non-use position alongside the vehicle

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a door mirror for use in a motor vehicle having a door mirror positioning device for controlling the attitude of the mirror visor with respect to the door from the interior of the motor vehicle through remote control. The device includes a first switching arrangement for selectively driving an electrical motor accommodated in the visor in a desired rotational direction to move the visor to an opened (projected) or closed (retracted) position from the closed or opened position, and a second switching arrangement for stopping automatically the rotation of the motor at a time when the visor reaches one of the opened and closed positions, whereby the operation of the device can be facilitated.

Claims

1. In a door mirror for use in a motor vehicle, the combination which comprises:

a stay having a shaft portion and secured on an outer surface of a door of a vehicle,

a mirror visor pivotally supported on the stay so that the visor may rotate about the shaft portion on the stay between a projected and a retracted position,

an electrical motor mounted on the visor;

power transmission means for transmitting the power developed by the motor to the stay to pivotally move the visor between the projected and retracted position with respect to the stay, the power transmission means including a first gear connected with the motor and a second gear secured on the shaft portion of the stay and arranged to engage the first gear, whereby the motor when driven turns the first gear together with the visor around said second gear and, hence, around the shaft portion of the stay so that the visor moves between the retracted and projected positions;

a control circuit for selectively driving the motor in a desired rotational direction, the control circuit including a manually operable switch and an actuating knob for the switch, the manually operable switch being arranged to drive the motor in a desired direction when the actuating knob is operated in a corresponding direction so that the visor is moved from the retracted position to the projected position or from the projected position to the retracted position, and

a rotary switch mounted on the shaft portion of the stay and coupled to the control circuit, the rotary switch being responsive to the movement of the visor to stop the motor when the visor has reached one of the retracted and projected positions.

2. In a door mirror for use in a motor vehicle, the combination which comprises:

a stay having a shaft portion and secured on an outer surface of a door of the vehicle,

a mirror visor pivotally supported on the stay so that the visor may rotate about the shaft portion of the stay between a projected and a retracted position,

a source of DC power for the motor;

power transmission means for transmitting the power developed by the motor to the stay to pivotally move the visor between the projected and retracted position with respect to the stay, the power transmission means including a first gear connected with the motor and a second gear secured on the shaft portion of the stay and arranged to engage the first gear, whereby the motor when driven turns the first gear together with the visor around said second gear and, hence, around the shaft portion of the stay so that the visor moves between the retracted and projected positions;

a switching circuit for connecting the motor to the power source and for selectively reversing the polarity of power applied to the motor to selectively drive the motor in a desired direction;

a manually operable switch for operating the switching circuit to move said visor from the retracted position to the projected position or from the projected position to the retracted position; and

a rotary switch mounted on the shaft portion of the stay and coupled to the switching circuit, the rotary switch being arranged to sense the pivotal movement of visor, and to be turned to one state when the visor is in one of the retracted and projected positions, and to be turned to another state during the time that the visor passes an intermediate position between the retracted and projected positions, whereby the operation of said switching circuit and the motor stops when the rotary switch is turned to said one state.

3. A door mirror as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

said manually operable switch comprises a contact member connected to said power source, and first and second terminals in association with said contact member,

said switching circuit comprises a bridge circuit having four transistors connected to said power source, a first capacitor interposed between said first terminal and ground, and a second capacitor interposed between said second terminal and ground, said motor being interposed between a connecting point of said first and second transistor and a connecting point of said third and fourth transistors, said first terminal being connected to each base of said first and third transistors in parallel relationship to said first capacitor, said second terminal being connected to each base of said second and fourth transistors in parallel relationship to said second capacitor, and

said rotary switch comprises first and second terminals respectively connected to said first and second terminals of said manually operable switch, and a contact member arranged to contact one of the first and second terminals of the rotary switch when said visor is in said projected and retracted positions and to not contact the first and second terminals of the rotary switch when said visor is in between said positions.

4. A door mirror as claimed in claim 3, wherein said rotary switch further includes said second gear having said first and second terminals mounted thereon, and a rotary member having said contact member mounted thereon, the rotary member being secured to said visor so as to rotate therewith around an axis of said shaft portion of said stay.

5. A door mirror as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

said manually operable switch comprises a movable contact member connected to said power source, and first and second terminals associated with said contact member,

said switching circuit comprises first and second relays and first and second capacitors, said first and second relays respectively having first and second relay coils and respectively connected to said power source through said first and second terminals, first and second movable contact members respectively connected to said motor, first and second normally opened terminals respectively connected to said power source, first and second normally closed terminals respectively connected to ground, said first and second capacitors being respectively connected to the power source in parallel to said first and second relay coils,

said rotary switch comprises first and second terminals respectively connected to said first and second terminals of said manually operable switch, and a contact member arranged to contact the first or second terminal when said visor is moved to said projected or retracted position and not to contact the first or second terminal when said visor is intermediate said positions.

6. A door mirror as claimed in claim 5, wherein said rotary switch further includes said second gear having said first and second terminals mounted thereon, and a rotary member having said contact member mounted thereon, the rotary member being secured to said visor so as to rotate therewith around an axis of said shaft portion of said stay.

7. In a door mirror for use in a motor vehicle which comprises a stay secured on an outer surface of a door and pivotably supports a mirror visor thereon with the stay having a shaft portion about which the visor rotates, the combination which comprises:

an electrical motor mounted on the visor

a source of DC power for the motor;

power transmission means for transmitting the power developed by said motor to said stay to pivotally move said visor between a projected and retracted position with respect to said stay, the power transmission means including a first gear connected to said motor and a second gear secured on the shaft portion of the stay for engaging the first gear, whereby when the motor is driven, the first gear turns around said second gear and hence, around the shaft portion of said stay,

control means connected between the power source and the motor for applying power to the motor with a selected polarity to cause the motor to move said visor to one of the retracted and projected positions from the other position, and

a rotary switch mounted on the shaft portion of the stay and connected to the control means, the rotary switch being arranged to sense the pivotal movement of said visor and to be turned to one state when the visor has reached the retracted or projected position to thereby terminate the application of power to the motor and stop movement of the visor.

8. A door mirror as claimed in claim 7 wherein:

said rotary switch comprises a movable contact member, which is connected to the power source, a pair of contact segments which are arranged to move together with said visor, and a pair of contact arms, which operate in association with said movable contact member and the pair of contact segments,

said control means comprises first and second switches which operate in association with each other respectively and have movable contact members connected to said motor, the first and second switches being manually operable, and including first and second terminals, the first terminal of the first and second switches being, respectively, connected to the power source, the second terminal of the first switch being connected to one of contact segments of said rotary switch, and the second terminal of the second switch being connected to the other of the contact segments of said rotary switch, said movable contact member being arranged to be alternatively held in contact with the corresponding first terminals.