Electrically swingable door mirror

• US 4,919,526 A
• Filed: 10/27/1988
• Issued: 04/24/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ichikoh Industries Limited (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Ichikoh Industries Limited (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Umekawa, Akihiko, Ishiyama, Yoshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Arnold, Bruce Y.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ryan, J.
• Application Number:
  US07/263,313
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: 350/604, 350/605, 350/632, 350/637, 350/639, 248/900, 248/479, 248/480, 248/486
• US Class Current: 359/841
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/074 for retracting the mirror arrangements to a non-use position alongside the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/90 Movable or disengageable on impact or overload

Abstract

A center shaft is erected from a base fixed to the car body. When a planet gear driven by a motor runs round a sun gear fixed to the center shaft, a mirror housing can be swung. The mirror housing is supported at both ends of the center shaft and a driver system comprises plural stepped gears attached to two parallel shafts, respectively, in series and engaged with one another.

Claims

1. A door mirror of the electrically swingable type comprising a base fixed to a door of a vehicle, a center shaft nonrotatably attached to the base, a mirror housing pivoted on and rotated round the center shaft, a mirror housed in the mirror housing in such a way that its angle can be adjusted in the mirror housing, a sun gear attached to the center shaft, and a driver system having a planet gear engaged with the sun gear to swing the mirror housing relative to the base through the sun gear;

wherein said mirror housing is supported at both ends of the center shaft by intermediate and bottom walls of a case in which the drive system in the mirror housing is housed;

wherein said case in which the driver system is housed has a cylindrical bearing section which is projected from the bottom of the case and rotatably fitted onto a cylindrical shaft section erected from the base, a ring-shaped groove is formed on the inner face of the cylindrical bearing section at the lower end thereof, an O-ring is fitted into the groove, closely contacting the outer circumference of the cylindrical shaft section, and a washer is then attached to the open side of the groove from below.

2. A door mirror of the electrically swingable type comprising a base fixed to a door of a vehicle, a center shaft nonrotatably attached to the base, a mirror housing pivoted on and rotated round the center shaft, a mirror housed in the mirror housing in such a way that its angle can be adjusted in the mirror housing, a sun gear attached to the center shaft, and a driver system having a planet gear engaged with the sun gear to swing the mirror housing relative to the base through the sun gear, wherein said mirror housing is supported at both ends of the center shaft by intermediate and bottom walls of a case in which the drive system in the mirror housing is housed;

said door mirror further comprising a clutch system including the sun gear rotatably fitted onto the center shaft, a fixing member fixed to the center shaft, engaging sections formed on those faces of the sun gear and fixing member which are opposed to each other, a washer nonrotatably fitted onto the center shaft and mounted on the sun gear, and a compression coil spring stretched between the washer and a push nut fixed to the upper portion of the center shaft.

3. A door mirror of electrically swingable type comprising:

a base fixed to a door of a vehicle;

a mirror housing for housing a mirror;

a case attached to the mirror housing and containing a drive system having a planet gear for swingably driving the mirror housing with respect to the base, said case including an intermediate wall and a bottom wall;

a center shaft nonrotatably attached to the base and for supporting the case at its both ends and at the intermediate and bottom walls of the case; and

a sun gear attached to the center shaft and engaged with the planet gear so that the mirror housing swings with respect to the base.

4. A door mirror according to claim 3, wherein said base comprises a cylindrical shaft section for fixedly supporting the center shaft therein, said case includes a cylindrical bearing section for rotatably engaging with the cylindrical shaft section of the base to form a ring-shaped groove, an O-ring and a washer being fitted into the ring-shaped groove.

5. A door mirror according to claim 3, said sun gear being rotatably fitted to the center shaft and further comprising a clutch mechanism including a member fixed to the center shaft and engaging means, formed on cooperating surfaces of said member and the sun gear and including by a coil spring, for selectively engaging the sun gear with the center shaft.

6. A door mirror according to claim 3, wherein said drive system includes;

a drive motor;

a pinion gear fixed to a rotating shaft of the drive motor; and

a plurality of stepped gears, each having a large diameter gear and a small diameter gear, the large diameter gear of the first stepped gear being engaged with the pinion gear, the small diameter gear of each stepped gear being engaged with the large diameter gear of the next stepped gear and the small diameter gear of the final stepped gear being engaged with the planet gear.