Combined convex/flat mirror and wiper assembly with adjusters

• US 6,032,323 A
• Filed: 12/08/1997
• Issued: 03/07/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Darrel L. Smith, Donnie Knight
• Original Assignee: Darrel L. Smith, Donnie Knight
• Inventors: Knight, Donnie, Smith, Darrel L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Warden, Sr., Robert J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Olsen, Kaj K.
• Application Number:
  US08/987,113
• Time in Patent Office: 820 Days
• Field of Search: 15/250.003, 15/250.04, 15/250.24, 15/250.26, 15/250.29, 359/864, 359/872, 359/873, 359/877, 359/874, 359/876
• US Class Current: 15/250.003
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/0602 comprising means for cleaning or deicing
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3404 the wiper blades being moved substantially parallel with themselves

Abstract

An exterior rearview mirror assembly is provided for use on a vehicle which includes a rearview mirror, a wiper assembly and adjusters for the mirror. The wiper assembly includes a wiper arm base located behind the mirror assembly extending over the top of the mirror to attach to a resilient wiper arm having a wiper blade. The wiper arm base is attached to a threaded rod which, upon bi-directional rotation of the rod, causes the wiper arm base to laterally traverse across the mirror assembly, which in turn drives the wiper blade across the mirror. The adjusters are used to adjust the angular position of the mirror, or the entire mirror assembly, by utilizing spirally threaded rods which rotate bi-directionally to push or pull the mirror about certain pivot points.

Claims

1. An exterior rearview mirror assembly for use on a vehicle, comprising:

a) a rearview mirror;

b) a wiper assembly attached to said rearview mirror comprising a wiper arm base located substantially behind said mirror and extending over a top edge of said mirror to engage a top edge of a substantially resilient wiper arm having at least one flexible wiper blade alone the length thereof for wiping said rearview mirror, wherein a bottom edge of said wiper arm remains free;

c) a driver means for bidirectionally driving said wiper arm base which in turn drives said wiper blade across said mirror; and

d) a bidirectional moveable means, wherein said wiper arm base is attached to said bidirectional moveable means driven by said driver means, wherein said bidirectional moveable means comprises at least two rods inserted through two corresponding holes in said wiper arm base, whereby said rods provide vertical stability to said wiper arm base thereby vertically aligning said wiper arm with said mirror;

wherein at least one of said rods is a spirally threaded rod and its corresponding hole is counter-threaded.

2. The mirror assembly of claim 1 wherein said mirror comprises at least one flat reflective surface and at least one convex reflective surface;

said rearview mirror having a substantially flat exposed outer surface over said reflective surfaces and wherein said convex reflective surface and said flat reflective surface are made from a single piece of translucent material with a reflective coating applied to an underside thereof.

3. The mirror assembly of claim 1 wherein said mirror comprises at least one flat reflective surface and at least one convex reflective surface;

said rearview mirror having a substantially flat exposed outer surface over said reflective surfaces and wherein said convex reflective surface is mounted along the same plane as said flat reflective surface, and wherein a single piece of translucent material extends over said reflective surfaces to provide said substantially flat outer surface.

4. The mirror assembly of claim 1 wherein said bidirectional moveable means comprises at least one spirally threaded rod inserted through a counter-threaded hole within said wiper arm base, wherein said threaded rod meshes into a worm gear meshed to a worm of said driver means thereby translating bidirectional rotation of said worm to said rod, causing said wiper arm base to traverse across said rod.

5. The mirror assembly of claim 4 wherein a pair of contacts are mounted along said rod near each end of said rod such that upon said wiper arm base reaching either end while traversing said rod, one of said contacts is activated, causing said driver means to reverse direction of said gear means, thereby reversing rotational direction of said rod and reversing direction of said wiper arm base, periodically causing said blade attached thereto to traverse back and forth across said flat outer surface in a wiping manner.

6. The mirror assembly of claim 1 wherein said threaded rod meshes into a worm gear meshed to a worm of said driver means thereby translating bidirectional rotation of said worm to said rod, causing said wiper arm base to traverse across said rod.

7. An exterior rearview mirror assembly for use on a vehicle, comprising:

a rearview mirror;

a wiper assembly attached to said rearview mirror; and

mirror adjustment means for adjusting the angular position of the mirror comprising a pair of adjusters located at right angles from a pivot point to provide both horizontal angular movement and vertical angular movement from said pivot point, and wherein each of said adjusters comprises a spirally threaded rod inserted through a counter-threaded hole of a connector arm attached to said mirror;

a drive means attached to a stationary point of said mirror assembly to provide bidirectional rotational movement to said rod, such that said connector arm laterally traverses said rod upon rotation of said rod in opposing directions depending on the rotation direction of said rod, thereby pushing or pulling said mirror about said pivot point to change the angular position of said mirror, and wherein said drive means for each adjuster comprises a belt driven gear attached to a single bidirectional motor means to provide rotation to each drive means which in turn provide bidirectional rotation to said rods.

8. An exterior rearview mirror assembly for use on a vehicle, comprising:

a rearview mirror;

a wiper assembly attached to said rearview mirror; and

mirror adjustment means for adjusting the angular position of the mirror, wherein said mirror adjustment means comprises an adjuster mounted to one side of a pair of vertically aligned pivot connectors to provide vertical angular adjustment of said mirror and wherein said adjuster comprises a spirally threaded rod inserted through a counter-threaded hole of a connector arm attached to said mirror; and

a drive means attached to a stationary point of said mirror assembly, said drive means providing bi-directional rotational movement to said rod, such that said connector arm laterally traverses said rod upon rotation of said rod in opposing directions depending on the rotational direction of said rod, thereby pushing or pulling said mirror about said pivot connectors to change the angular position of said mirror.

9. An exterior rearview mirror assembly for use on a vehicle, comprising:

a rearview mirror;

a wiper assembly attached to said rearview mirror; and

mirror adjustment means for adjusting the angular position of the mirror, wherein said adjustment means comprises an adjuster attached to said mirror assembly and a connector arm attached to an external mount of said mirror assembly and a stationary pivot point at the point where said mirror assembly attaches to said external mount;

said adjuster comprising a spirally threaded rod inserted through a counter-threaded hole of said connector arm, said adjuster further comprising a drive means to provide bidirectional rotational movement to said rod, such that said connector arm laterally traverses said rod upon rotation of said rod in opposing directions depending on the rotational direction of said rod, thereby pushing or pulling the entire mirror assembly about said pivot point in said external mount to change the angular position of said mirror assembly.