Automatic rearview mirror for vehicle

• US 4,936,670 A
• Filed: 06/02/1989
• Issued: 06/26/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jae P. Yoo
• Original Assignee: Jae P. Yoo
• Inventors: Yoo, Jae P.
• Primary Examiner(s): LaRoche, Eugene R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shafer, R. D.
• Application Number:
  US07/361,022
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 350/604, 350/605, 350/606, 350/626, 350/632, 350/633, 350/637, 350/639, 350/582, 248/476, 248/479, 248/480
• US Class Current: 359/841
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/078 easily removable; mounted for bodily outward movement, e.g. when towing
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/1827 Motorised alignment

Abstract

An automatic rearview mirror for vehicles which is capable of constricting the rearview mirror when it is not used, and capable of drawing out the rearview mirror only when it is required. The rearview mirror comprising an external housing, an internal housing, a protecting glass plate, a mirror plate, packing and scraper, a motor, and two servomotors for adjusting the angle of mirror plate. The external housing is fixed to the interior of the front quarter vent or on the bonnet, and the internal housing is drawn out of the external housing and inserted therein by switching operations performed by the driver. The protecting glass plate is cleaned every time the internal housing is drawn out of and constricted into the external housing by the scraper attached to the opening edge of the external housing so that the mirror can be easily cleaned.

Claims

1. An automatic rearview mirror for vehicles comprising:

an external housing having an open end portion and a closed end portion fixed to the interior of a vehicle body;

a DC motor capable of rotating in either direction and is fixed within the closed end portion of said external housing, and a small pulley is fixed at the end portion of the rotary shaft of said motor;

a bearing means fixed to a side wall of said external housing;

a supporting wall formed with a shaft hole which protrudes downwardly at the interior of said closed end portion of said external housing;

a screw shaft supported rotatably with its one end portion by said bearing means and said shaft hole of said supporting wall

a large pulley fixed to one end portion of said screw shaft located between said bearing means and said supporting wall;

a belt means for connecting said small pulley with said large pulley;

guide rods at one end to the supporting wall and positioned longitudinally adjacent to said screw shaft;

an internal housing movably inserted in a sliding manner into the interior of said external housing;

a protecting glass plate fixed on a front surface of said internal housing;

a side wall plate fixed to an inner side end portion of said internal housing with a follower to be meshed with said screw shaft and two bushings in which said guide rods are inserted therein, respectively;

a partitioning plate fixed longitudinally at the central portion of said internal housing and perpendicularly to said side wall plate by screws;

a spherical pivot ball fixed at the center of said partitioning plate outwardly;

a fixing plate formed with a semi-spherical recess to be coupled pivotally to said spherical pivot ball at the center position of the rear side thereof, and is supported pivotably in the spherical surface of said pivot ball and semi-spherical recess;

a mirror plate attached to the front surface of said fixing plate and maintained at a predetermined distance with said protecting glass plate;

first and second servomotors for angle adjustment or said fixing plate and are respectively mounted at both sides of one end portion of said partitioning plate;

rotary disks are respectively attached to the rotary shafts of said first and second servomotors; and

lever means connected between the outer surface of said rotary disks and said fixing plate.

2. An automatic rearview mirror for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein a packing contacts the peripheral surface of the internal housing, and a scraper contacts the protecting glass plate, said packing and scraper both are provided at the edge of said open end portion of said external housing.

3. An automatic rearview mirror for vehicles according to claim 2, wherein said packing and scraper both are made of soft rubber material.

4. An automatic rearview mirror for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein said side wall plate of said internal housing is formed with double structure composed of two plates, and having coupling means to release or engage said plates.

5. An automatic rearview mirror for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein said rotary shafts of said first and second servomotors are of a crank shaft type.