Exterior rearview mirror

• US 6,685,324 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2001
• Issued: 02/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Reitter & Schefenacker GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Reitter & Schefenacker GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Apfelbeck, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Mark A.
• Application Number:
  US09/766,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20010009481A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 359/871, 359/872, 359/873, 359/874, 359/876, 359/877, 248/468, 248/475.1, 248/476, 248/477, 248/478, 248/491
• US Class Current: 359/872
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/072 for adjusting the mirror relative to its housing

Abstract

An exterior rearview mirror for vehicles has a mirror pane support and an adjusting device with a housing for adjusting the position of the mirror pane support. One or more spring elements for connecting the housing and the mirror pane support with one another are provided. The spring elements are part of the mirror pane support and/or the housing. One or more locking counter members interact with the spring elements to connect the housing and the mirror pane support with one another.

Claims

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

a mirror pane support;

an adjusting device comprising a housing and configured to adjust a position of said mirror pane support;

one or more spring elements configured to connect said housing and said mirror pane support with one another, wherein said one or more spring elements are part of at least one of said mirror pane support and said housing;

wherein said one or more spring elements comprise a U-shaped holding part

wherein said U-shaped holding part has a transverse stay curved toward said housing;

wherein said U-shaped holding part has legs connected to opposite ends of said transverse stay wherein said legs have U-shaped leg ends pointing away from said transverse stay and connected to said mirror pane support.

2. The rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein said one or more spring elements comprise holding stays connected with a first end to said legs and with a second end to said mirror pane support.

3. The rearview mirror according to claim 2, wherein said first end of said holding stays have a widened portion.

4. The rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein several of said spring elements are arranged on an imaginary circle.

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

a mirror pane support;

an adjusting device comprising a housing and configured to adjust a position of said mirror pane support;

one or more spring elements configured to connect said housing and said mirror pane support with one another, wherein said one or more spring elements are part of at least one of said mirror pane support and said housing;

wherein several of said spring elements are arranged on an imaginary circle;

further comprising one or more release levers engaging one or more of said spring elements.

6. The rearview mirror according to claim 5, further comprising one or more counter members configured to interact with said one or more spring elements to connect said housing and said mirror pane support with one another.

7. The rearview mirror according to claim 6, wherein said one or more spring elements are a monolithic part of said mirror pane support.

8. The rearview mirror according to claim 7, wherein said one or more counter members are connected to said housing and project radially from said housing.

9. The rearview mirror according to claim 8, wherein said housing has a circular rim and wherein said one or more counter members project radially past said rim.

10. The rearview mirror according to claim 8, wherein two or more of said counter members are successively arranged in a circumferential direction of said housing at a spacing to one another.

11. The rearview mirror according to claim 10, wherein said two or more counter members are narrow stays having a longitudinal extension oriented in said circumferential direction of said housing.

12. The rearview mirror according to claim 5, wherein said one or more spring elements comprise a U-shaped holding part.

13. The rearview mirror according to claim 12, wherein said U-shaped holding pad has a transverse stay curved toward said housing.

14. The rearview mirror according to claim 13, wherein said transverse stay has a slanted portion arranged approximately at half a length of said transverse stay.

15. The rearview mirror according to claim 5, wherein four of said spring elements are arranged on said imaginary circle.

16. The rearview mirror according to claim 5, wherein two of said release levers act on two of said spring elements positioned adjacent to one another.

17. The rearview mirror according to claim 5, wherein said one or more release levers are two-arm levers with two lever arms.

18. The rearview mirror according to claim 17, wherein one of said lever arms of said two arm-lever has a connecting stay engaging one of said spring elements.

19. The rearview mm-or according to claim 5, wherein said release lever and said spring element engaged by said release lever are formed as a monolithic part.

20. The rearview mirror according to claim 5, wherein said release lever comprises a connecting stay having a first end connected to said mirror pane support.

21. The rearview mirror according to claim 20, wherein said connecting stay has a second end adjoining a side of said release lever opposite said spring element at half a length of said release lever.

22. The rearview mirror according to claim 21, wherein said first end of said connecting stay is fork-shaped.

23. The rearview mirror according to claim 5, wherein said mirror pane support has cutouts and wherein at least one of said spring elements and said release levers is located above a cross-sectional plane of said cutouts.

24. The rearview mirror according to claim 5, wherein two of said release levers act on two of said spring elements positioned adjacent to one another, wherein said release levers are two-arm levers each having a lever arm configured to be locked in a pivoted position.

25. The rearview mirror according to claim 24, further comprising two noses configured to cooperate with said lever arms and locking said lever arms in said pivoted position.

26. The rearview mirror according to claim 25, wherein said two noses are connected to said mirror pane support.

27. The rearview mirror according to claim 5, wherein said spring elements and said release levers are positioned upright on said mirror pane support.

28. The rearview mirror according to claim 5, wherein said mirror pane support comprises securing stays arranged between neighboring ones of said spring elements.

29. The rearview mirror according to claim 28, wherein said securing stays are arranged in pairs.

30. The rearview mirror according to claim 29, wherein at least a first one of said pairs is oriented in a direction of a circumferential extension of said spring elements relative to said mirror pane support.

31. The rearview mirror according to claim 30, wherein said securing stays of said first one of said pairs are positioned at a first spacing from one another forming a gap and wherein said housing comprises at least one projection projecting into said gap.

32. The rearview mirror according to claim 31, wherein said securing stays of at least a second one of said pairs are positioned at a second spacing from one another that is smaller than said first spacing.

33. The rear-view mirror according to claim 32, wherein said housing rests against said second one of said pairs.