Rear-view mirror for vehicles

• US 5,621,569 A
• Filed: 10/24/1994
• Issued: 04/15/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hubert Schlenke
• Original Assignee: Hubert Schlenke
• Inventors: Schlenke, Hubert
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafer, Ricky D.
• Application Number:
  US08/078,240
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 359/603, 359/604, 359/605, 359/854, 359/855, 359/864, 359/865, 359/866, 359/868
• US Class Current: 359/603
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/081 avoiding blind spots, e.g. by using a side-by-side association of mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/082 using a single wide field mirror or an association of rigidly connected mirrors

Abstract

The invention concerns a vehicle rear-view mirror (1) comprising a plane-mirror section (2) and at least one convex section (3, 11) contiguous with the sides of the plane section. The curvature of the convex side sections is zero at the transition line (4, 12) with the plane-mirror section (2), and increases progressively with increasing are length (L) from the transition line, the cur of vertical orthogonal lines of intersection being equal to the curvature of a horizontal reference line (6, 6A) at their point of intersection. The rear-view mirror (1) proposed enables the driver to view both behind and to the side. The mirror (1) is easy to produce since the curvature of the convex side sections (3, 11) only departs by a small amount from the plane of the plane-mirror section (2).

Claims

1. A rear-view mirror (1) for vehicles, comprising a plane-mirror section (2) and at least one convexly curved side section (3, 11) contiguous with the sides of the plane-mirror section and sloping steadily, and having a curvature of zero at the transition line (4, 12) into the plane-mirror section (2), the curvature of the side section continuously increasing progressively with increasing distance from the plane-mirror section (2), characterized in that the rear-view mirror (1) is an inside rear-view mirror, that the lines of intersection of orthogonal planes of the side-mirror section (3, 11) are circles whose curvature corresponds respectively to the curvature of a horizontal line of reference (6, 6A) on the side-mirror section in their point of intersection with the circles, that the curvature of the side-mirror section (3, 11) increases in the manner of a clothoid spiral in linear fashion with the arc length (L) on the horizontal line of reference (6, 6A) on the side-mirror section (3, 11), that the curvature of the clothoid spiral defining the curvature of the side-mirror section (3) on a driver'"'"'s side has a clothoid parameter A between 100 mm and 200 mm, and that the horizontal line of reference (6, 6A) extends in the center or above the center of the mirror center, approximately at the height of an apparent horizontal line (6A) for a normal viewer.

2. The rear-view mirror as defined by claim 1, characterized in that the clothoid spiral has a clothoid parameter of A=130 mm.

3. The rear-view mirror as defined by claim 2, characterized in that a torsion section (8) of the curved side-mirror section (3) that is defined by the transition line (4) and a vertical torsion end line (9) is oriented downward by approximately 3°

to 9°

around the horizontal line of reference (6) extending through the torsion section, and that the torsion section (8) is disposed to extend over approximately 1/4 of the curved side-mirror section (3).

4. The rear-view mirror as defined by claim 1, characterized in that a torsion section (8) of the curved side-mirror section (3) that is defined by the transition line (4) and a vertical torsion end line (9) is oriented downward by approximately 3°

to 9°

around the horizontal line of reference (6) extending through the torsion section, and that the torsion section (8) is disposed to extend over approximately 1/4 of the curved side-mirror section (3).

5. The rear-view mirror as defined by claim 4, characterized in that the lengths of the plane mirror section (2) and the side-mirror section (3) are in a ratio of approximately 2:

1, and that the length of the side-mirror section (3) is approximately 8 to 15 cm.

6. The rear-view mirror as defined by claim 5, characterized in that the length of the side-mirror section (3) is approximately 12 cm.

7. The rear-view mirror as defined by claim 4, characterized in that the rear-view mirror (1) is embodied in one piece.

8. The rear-view mirror as defined by claim 7, characterized in that at least the plane-mirror section (2) is adjustable by means of dimming tilt-lever (10).

9. The rear-view mirror as defined by claim 8, characterized in that a hinge (18) is disposed between the plane-mirror section (2) and the side-mirror section (3, 11).

10. The rear-view mirror as defined by claim 9, characterized in that the side-mirror section (23, 11) is provided with an anti-glare coating.

11. The rear-view mirror as defined by claim 9, characterized in that the clothoid spiral defining the curvature of the side-mirror section (11) disposed on a passenger'"'"'s side has a larger clothoid parameter A than the clothoid spiral defining the curvature of the side-mirror section (3) on the driver'"'"'s side.

12. The rear-view mirror as define by claim 9, characterized in that the side-mirror section (3, 11) is produced by means of hot bending of a flat glass plate.

13. The rear-view mirror as defined by claim 1, characterized in that the lengths of the plane-mirror section (2) and the side-mirror section (3) are in a ratio of approximately 2:

1, and that the length of the side-mirror section (3) is approximately 8 to 15 cm.

14. The rear-view mirror as defined by claim 13, characterized in that the length of the side-mirror section (3) is approximately 12 cm.

15. The rear-view mirror as defined by claim 1, characterized in that the rear-view mirror (1) is embodied in one piece.

16. The rear-view mirror as defined by claim 1, characterized in that at least the plane-mirror section (2) is adjustable by means of a dimming tilt-lever (10).

17. The rear-view mirror as defined by claim 1, characterized in that a hinge (18) is disposed between the plane-mirror section (2) and the side-mirror section (3, 11).

18. The rear-view mirror as defined by claim 1, characterized in that the side-mirror section (3, 11) is provided with an anti-glare coating.

19. The rear-view mirror as defined by claim 1, characterized in that the clothoid spiral defining the curvature of the side-mirror section (11) disposed on a passenger'"'"'s side has a larger clothoid parameter A than the clothoid spiral defining the curvature of the side-mirror section (3) on the driver'"'"'s side.

20. The rear-view mirror as defined by claim 1, characterized in that the side-mirror section (3, 11) is produced by means of hot bending of a flat glass plate.