Inside rearview mirror apparatus for vehicle

• US 6,843,575 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2002
• Issued: 01/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ichikoh Industries Limited (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Ichikoh Industries Limited (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Wachi, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Audrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Curtis, Craig
• Application Number:
  US10/292,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20030112536A1
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• Field of Search: 359/606, 359/841, 359/865, 359/866, 359/872, 359/874, 359/876, 359/838, 248/288.1, 248/481, 248/549, 248/900, 280/727
• US Class Current: 359/876
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/04 mounted inside vehicle B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/90 Movable or disengageable on impact or overload

Abstract

Even when a stay is mounted to a mounting surface with tilting angle different according to types of vehicles, a predetermined or more tilting range of the mirror assembly can be obtained, thereby securing a rear field of view. As a result, since an inside mirror can be for general-purpose use of types of vehicles having a mounting surface with different tilting angles, the inside mirror does not have to be designed and manufactured according to each type of vehicles, thereby lowering the cost of the inside mirror.

Claims

1. An inside rearview mirror apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a mirror assembly having a mirror, a bracket with an opening formed at the back of the mirror and provided with an edge, and a spherical concave portion inside the opening, the edge of the opening being provided with a tilting range limiter; and

a stay having a first end and a second end, the first end having a mounting unit for mounting the stay to a mounting surface which is one of an inner surface of a windshield or an inner surface of a front roof panel and the second end including a one-pivot type mechanism having an axial portion and a spherical portion provided at an end of the axial portion, wherein

the axial portion is configured such that an angle formed between a horizontal line and an axis of the axial portion is within 10 degrees upward or 10 degrees downward, under a condition where the mounting surface has a tilting angle of 20 to 40 degrees, and the stay is attached to the mounting surface via the mounting unit,

the spherical portion of the stay is inserted in the opening of the bracket and coupled with the spherical concave portion so that the mirror assembly is located under the mounting unit under the condition where the stay is mounted to the mounting surface having a tilting angle of 20 to 40 degrees,

the tilting range limiter limits the tilting range of the axial portion of the stay thereby controlling a tilting range of the mirror assembly, and

the tilting range limiter has a configuration capable of adjusting the tilting range of the mirror assembly enough to obtain a view of the rear side of the vehicle under the condition where the mounting surface has a tilting angle of 20 to 40 degrees.

2. The inside rearview mirror apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tilting range limiter tilts so that its inner diameter becomes larger from an inside to an outside on the side of the spherical concave portion.

3. The inside rearview mirror apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one end of the stay in mounted to the mounting surface so as to be capable of dropping via a mounting unit having a drop mechanism.

4. The inside rearview mirror apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the one end of the stay is mounted to the mounting surface with an average tilting angle, a drop supporting point of the drop mechanism at the time of dropping is positioned outside the range of a conical shape having a generating angle of 55°

in which a center of the spherical portion is an apex, the normal of the reflecting surface of the mirror assembly is an axial line and a bottom surface is a rear side.

5. An inside rearview mirror apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a mirror assembly having a mirror, a bracket with an opening formed at the back of the mirror and provided with an edge, and a spherical concave portion inside the opening, the edge of the opening being provided with a tilting range limiter; and

a stay having a first end and a second end, the first end having a mounting unit for mounting the stay to a mounting surface which is one of an inner surface of a windshield or an inner surface of a front roof panel and the second end including a one-pivot type mechanism having an axial portion and a spherical portion provided at an end of the axial portion, wherein

the axial portion is configured such that an angle formed between a horizontal line and an axis of the axial portion is within 10 degrees upward or 10 degrees downward, under a condition where the mounting surface has a tilting angle of 20 to 40 degrees, and the stay is attached to the mounting surface via the mounting unit,

the spherical portion of the stay is inserted in the opening of the bracket and coupled with the spherical concave portion so that the mirror assembly is located under the mounting unit under the condition where the stay is mounted to the mounting surface having a tilting angle of 20 to 40 degrees,

the tilting range limiter limits the tilting range of the axial portion of the stay thereby controlling a tilting range of the mirror assembly, and

the tilting range limiter has a configuration capable of adjusting the tilting range of the mirror assembly enough to obtain a view of the rear side of the vehicle under the condition where the mounting surface has a tilting angle of 20 to 40 degrees,

the stay is structured so that when its first end is mounted to the mounting surface with an average tilting angle, an axis of the axial portion passes through a center of the spherical portion and the axis is parallel to the horizontal line, and

the tilting range of the mirror assembly is such that a normal of a reflecting surface of the mirror assembly tilts 22°

to 32°

upward and 25°

to 35°

downward with respect to the horizontal line.

6. An inside rearview mirror apparatus for a vehicle having a windshield and a front roof panel, comprising:

a mirror assembly having a mirror, a bracket with an opening formed at the back of the mirror and provided with an edge, and a spherical concave portion inside the opening, the edge of the opening being provided with a tilting range limiter; and

a stay having a first end and a second end, the first end having a mounting unit for mounting the stay to a mounting surface which is one of an inner surface of the windshield or an inner surface of the front roof panel and the second end including a one-pivot type mechanism having an axial portion and a spherical portion provided at an end of the axial portion, wherein

the axial portion is configured such that an angle formed between a horizontal line and an axis of the axial portion is within 10 degrees upward or 10 degrees downward, under a condition where the mounting surface has a tilting angle of 20 to 40 degrees, and the stay is attached to the mounting surface via the mounting unit,

the spherical portion of the stay is inserted in the opening of the bracket and coupled with the spherical concave portion so that the mirror assembly is located under the mounting unit under the condition where the stay is mounted to the mounting surface having a tilting angle of 20 to 40 degrees,

the tilting range limiter limits the tilting range of the axial portion of the stay thereby controlling a tilting range of the mirror assembly, and

the tilting range limiter has a configuration capable of adjusting the tilting range of the mirror assembly enough to obtain a view of the rear side of the vehicle under the condition where the mounting surface has a tilting angle of 20 to 40 degrees,

the bracket of the mirror has an other opening opposite to the opening into which the spherical portion of the stay is inserted, the other opening having an edge,

the edge of the other opening of the bracket and the spherical portion of the stay are provided with auxiliary tilting range limiters that limit the tilting range of the mirror assembly, respectively.

7. The inside rearview mirror apparatus according to claim 6, wherein an inner diameter of the other opening is smaller than an inner diameter of the opening into which the spherical portion of the stay is inserted.