Automobile outer mirror assembly

• US 4,764,004 A
• Filed: 08/04/1987
• Issued: 08/16/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Inventors: Tsujiuchi, Yoshio, Ichino, Toshikazu, Yamada, Takashi, Fujita, Masaki, Kawai, Yoshihiro, Ogasawara, Morihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Henry, Jon W.
• Application Number:
  US07/081,157
• Time in Patent Office: 378 Days
• Field of Search: 350/632, 350/633, 350/634, 350/636, 248/483, 248/478, 248/481, 248/288.3, 403/123, 403/90, 403/129, 403/125, 403/144
• US Class Current: 359/872
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/072 for adjusting the mirror relative to its housing
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/1824 Manual alignment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32311 Ball and socket
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32639 including internal tie means

Abstract

A connection arrangement for a mirror back supporting plate and a mirror support member in a mirror case for an automobile outer mirror assembly comprises a connecting portion of the mirror back supporting plate being held between a connecting portion of the mirror support member and a clutch member and these members being connected to each other by a connecting member. The connecting member extends through a through-hole of the clutch member and also through a through-hole of the mirror back supporting plate. After being passed through the through-holes, the connecting member is rotated 90 degrees about its axis so that it is mounted to the mirror back supporting plate. Therefore, the mirror back supporting plate and the mirror supporting member can be easily connected together.

Claims

1. An automobile outer mirror assembly comprising:

a proturberant connnecting portion being generally centrally located in a mirror back supporting plate which supports a mirror body at a back side thereof, said protuberant connecting portion having a through-hole in a center portion thereof, and also having a semispherical outer periphery and a semispherical inner periphery; and

connecting means for rotatably connecting the protuberant connecting portion to a connecting portion of a mirror support member fixed in position in a mirror case, said connecting portion of the mirror support member projecting from a body portion of said mirror support member and having on an opposite side of said mirror back supporting plate a semispherical inner periphery for contact with the semispherical outer periphery of said protuberant connecting portion of said mirror back supporting plate, a through-hole opening at a center of said inner periphery to communicate with the through-hole of said protuberant connecting portion and extending through said mirror support member, said connecting means further comprising,

a clutch member having a semispherical outer periphery slidably engageable with the semispherical inner periphery of said mirror back support plate, and a bottom portion extending through the through-hole of said protuberant connecting portion and engageable with said mirror support member rotatably about the axis of said through-hole but not about the center of the semispherical inner periphery of said member, said bottom portion having a through-hole which communicates with the through-hole of said mirror support member,

a connecting member having a connecting neck extending through the through-hole of the clutch member and through the through-hole of the mirror support member, and a first flange portion projecting radially from a first end of said connecting rod and adaptd to pass through said through-holes, said flange portion being rotatable about the axis of the connecting member for phase variation so that it is unreleasably locked around a rear face of the mirror back support member, and

a spring means being compressedly fitted between said clutch member and a second end of said connecting neck so as to press the clutch member against said mirror support member while pressing said first flange portion of said connecting member against a circumferential edge portion of the through-hole of said mirror support member, whereby the connecting portion of said mirror back supporting plate and the connecting portion of said mirror support member are connected to each other by said connecting member for rotatably holding said connecting portion between the inner periphery of said connecting portion and the semispherical outer periphery of said clutch member.

2. The automobile outer mirror assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein recesses are provided around the rear face of said mirror back support member for receiving the first flange of said connecting member.

3. The automobile outer mirror assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said clutch member is formed at the front end thereof with slits located at radially opposite sides and the connecting neck of said connecting member has at the front end thereof a second flange portion which extends in radial directions, whereby when the connecting member is so held that it extends through the through-hole of the clutch member and through the through-hole of the mirror back support member, with said second flange portion fitted in said slits of the clutch member, the connecting member is rotated, in conjunction with the clutch member, a specified angle about the axis thereof so that the first flange portion is fitted in the slits of the mirror back support member while the second flange portion is released from the slits of the clutch member, whereafter the clutch member only is rotated a specified angle about its axis so that the second flange portion is locked to the front end of the clutch member.