Sideview mirror assembly with regulating filter using sunlight for automobiles

• US 4,906,085 A
• Filed: 12/08/1988
• Issued: 03/06/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Inventors: Sugihara, Susumo, Yoshida, Yutaka, Aoki, Michio
• Primary Examiner(s): Henry, Jon W.
• Application Number:
  US07/281,835
• Time in Patent Office: 453 Days
• Field of Search: 350/601, 350/600, 350/278, 350/276 R, 350/276 SL
• US Class Current: 359/839
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/08 involving special optical features, e.g. avoiding blind spots , e.g. convex mirrors; Side-by-side associations of rear-view and other mirrors B60R1/025, B60R1/10 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/12 Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/1207 with lamps; with turn indicators
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1215 with information displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/00 Optical elements other than lenses light guides G02B6/00; optical logic elements G02F3/00

Abstract

A sideview mirror for automobiles includes a half mirror, a regulating filter mounted in opposed relation to a backside of the half mirror and a light-emitting diode for applying light to the regulating filter. The half mirror has both light reflecting and transmitting characteristics. The regulating filter is so arranged that only part of the light from the light-emitting diode is allowed to pass through the regulating filter to be thereby directed toward a following vehicle and that the remainder of the light from the light-emitting diode is prevented from passing through the regulating filter. Since an image reflected on the half mirror is overlapped with the part of the light from the light-emitting diode, the contrast of the image is reduced.

Claims

1. A sideview mirror assembly for an automobile the automobile having a forward, driver portion and a rearward portion comprising:

(a) a half mirror having a back side and being provided on an automobile so that the rearward view from the automobile is reflected thereon, said half mirror having both light reflecting and light transmitting characteristics;

(b) light irradiating means for introducing sunlight and for irradiating the same toward the back of said half mirror;

(c) a regulating filter provided on the back side of said half mirror so that light impinging thereon from said light irradiating means passes through said half mirror in the direction toward the rearward portion of the automobile and not in the direction of the driver portion, the regulating filter having a back side; and

(d) a housing member covering the back side of said mirror and wherein said light irradiating means includes one or more windows formed in said housing member so that sunlight is allowed to pass through the windows of said housing member to the interior of said housing member and to irradiate said half mirror through said regulating filter.

2. A sideview mirror assembly for automobiles as claimed in claim 1, wherein said light irradiating means includes a reflecting member disposed on the back side of said regulating filter for reflecting the sunlight which has passed through said half mirror toward the back side thereof, the sunlight being reflected thereon in the direction opposite to the direction in which the sunlight has passed through said half mirror.

3. A sideview mirror assembly for automobiles of the type having a forward, driver portion and a rearward portion comprising:

(a) a half mirror provided on an automobile so that the rearward view is reflected thereon, said half mirror having both light reflecting and light transmitting characteristics;

the half mirror having a back side;

(b) a housing member for covering the back side of said half mirror, the housing member defining an interior;

(c) at least one window formed in said housing member so that sunlight is allowed to pass therethrough to the interior of said housing member so as to be irradiated toward the back side of said half mirror; and

(d) a regulating filter provided on the back side of said half mirror so that the sunlight impinging thereon through said window passes through said half mirror in the direction of the rearward portion of the automobile and not in the direction of the driver portion.

4. A sideview mirror assembly for automobiles according to claim 3, wherein said regulating filter comprises a transparent panel disposed on the back side of the said half mirror, the transparent panel having a large number of non-transparent films disposed in a spaced-apart relation to one another within the transparent panel.