Exterior rearview mirror for vehicles, in particular, for motor vehicles

• US 6,422,707 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2001
• Issued: 07/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Reitter & Schefenacker GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Reitter & Schefenacker GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Secanu, Florin, Pirner, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): SIKDER, MOHAMMAD YUNUS
• Application Number:
  US09/849,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20020006002A1
• Time in Patent Office: 445 Days
• Field of Search: 359/872, 359/871, 359/873, 359/838, 359/849, 359/850, 359/876, 359/879, 359/841, 359/877, 248/549, 248/476, 248/477, 248/478, 248/479, 248/475.2, 248/483
• US Class Current: 359/872
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/076 yieldable to excessive external force and provided with an indexed use position B60R1/0617, B60R1/074 take precedence

Abstract

An exterior rearview mirror for vehicles has a mirror base and a mirror head connected to the mirror base so as to be pivotable in a travel direction of the vehicle and in a direction opposite to the travel direction. The mirror base has first and second bearings and the mirror head has first and second bearing elements engaging the first and second bearings, respectively. The first and second bearing elements are configured such that, when the mirror head pivots in the travel direction, the first bearing elements disengage the first bearings and the second bearing elements form a pivot axis within the second bearings and, when the mirror head pivots in the direction opposite the travel direction, the second bearing elements disengage the second bearings and the first bearing elements form a pivot axis within the first bearings.

Claims

1. An exterior rearview mirror for vehicles, said exterior rearview mirror comprising:

a mirror base (1, 1a, 1b);

a mirror head (2, 2a, 2b) connected to said mirror base (1, 1a, 1b) so as to be pivotable in a travel direction (F) of the vehicle and in a direction opposite to the travel direction (F);

wherein said mirror base (1, 1a, 1b) has first and second bearings (6, 7, 7a, 7b) and wherein said mirror head (2, 2a, 2b) has first and second bearing elements (21, 22, 27a, 27b) engaging said first and second bearings (6, 7, 7a, 7b), respectively;

wherein said first and second bearing elements (21, 22, 27a, 27b) are configured such that, when said mirror head (2, 2a, 2b) pivots in the travel direction, said first bearing elements disengage said first bearings and said second bearing elements form a pivot axis within said second bearings and, when said mirror head (2, 2a, 2b) pivots in the direction opposite the travel direction, said second bearing elements disengage said second bearings and said first bearing elements form a pivot axis within said first bearings.

2. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 1, comprising pivot brackets (4, 5, 5a, 5b), wherein said first and second bearings (6, 7, 7a, 7b) are provided on said pivot brackets (4, 5, 5a, 5b).

3. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 2, wherein said pivot brackets (4, 5, 5a, 5b) are arranged on said mirror base (1, 1a, 1b).

4. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 3, wherein said pivot brackets (4, 5, 5a, 5b) and said mirror base (1, 1a, 1b) are a monolithic part.

5. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 2, wherein said mirror base (2) has a mirror base plate (3) and wherein said pivot brackets (4, 5, 5a, 5b) project transversely from said mirror base plate (3).

6. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 2, wherein said pivot brackets (4, 5, 5a, 5b) have free ends and wherein said first and second bearings (6, 7, 7a, 7) are connected to said free ends of said pivot brackets (4, 5, 5a, 5b).

7. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 6, wherein said first and second bearings (6, 7, 7a, 7b) are receptacles provided on said free ends of said pivot brackets (4, 5, 5a, 5b).

8. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 7, wherein said first and second bearing elements (21, 22) are axles.

9. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 7, comprising bracket members (26, 27) having free ends, wherein said first and second bearing elements (21, 22) are provided on said free ends of said bracket members (26, 27).

10. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 9, wherein said mirror head (2) comprises a mirror carrier (23), wherein said bracket members (26, 27) are arranged on said mirror carrier (23) and project from said mirror carrier (23) toward said mirror base (1).

11. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 10, wherein said bracket members (27a, 27b) form said first and second bearing elements.

12. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 7, wherein said receptacles (6, 7, 7a, 7b) are bearing openings for said first and second bearing elements (21, 22, 27a, 27b).

13. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein said first and second bearings (6, 7, 7a, 7b) are oriented at a slant in the travel direction and in the direction opposite the travel direction, respectively.

14. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein said mirror head (2, 2a, 2b) carries out a stroke (32, 34) away from said mirror base (1,1a, 1b) when being pivoted in at least one of the travel direction (F) and the direction opposite the travel direction.

15. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 14, wherein said first and second bearing elements (21, 22, 27a, 27b) are configured to be slidable in said first and second bearings (6, 7, 7a, 7b), respectively, when said mirror head (2, 2a, 2b) is pivoted.

16. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein said first and second bearings (6, 7, 7a, 7b) have an insertion opening (14, 20).

17. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 16, wherein said insertion opening (14, 20) narrows in a direction toward said first and second bearings (6, 7, 7a, 7b), respectively.

18. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 16, wherein said first and second bearings (6, 7) have a nose (11, 17) partially covering a length of said first and second bearings (6, 7), respectively.

19. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 14, comprising pivot brackets (4, 5, 5a, 5b) having free ends, wherein said first and second bearings (6, 7, 7a, 7) are connected to said free ends of said pivot brackets (4, 5, 5a, 5b), wherein said first and second bearings (6, 7, 7a, 7b) are receptacles provided on said free ends of said pivot brackets (4, 5, 5a, 5b) and said receptacles (7a) are spherical sockets.

20. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 19, wherein said first and second elements (27a) have a spherical end engaging said receptacles (7a), respectively.

21. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 20, wherein said first and second bearing elements (27a) have at least one lifting element (36) configured to realize said stroke of said mirror head (2a).

22. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 21, wherein said mirror base (1a) has a counter surface configured to cooperate with said at least one lifting element (36).

23. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 14, comprising pivot brackets (4, 5, 5a, 5b) having free ends, wherein said first and second bearings (6, 7, 7a, 7) are connected to said free ends of said pivot brackets (4, 5, 5a, 5b), wherein said first and second bearings (6, 7, 7a, 7b) are receptacles provided on said free ends of said pivot brackets (4, 5, 5a, 5b) and said receptacles (7b) are guide sockets.

24. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 23, wherein said receptacles (7, 7b) have a bottom positioned at a slant relative to the travel direction, wherein said bottoms are slanted oppositely to one another.

25. The exterior rearview mirror according to claim 24, wherein said slant of said bottoms defines said stroke of said mirror head (2, 2b).