Abstract:
An inside mirror assembly of a vehicle, the assembly having an improved structure capable of implementing reflective surfaces of a day mode and a night mode according to light reflectivity. The mirror assembly has a simplified mechanism for operating a tilting reflective plate by adopting two pivot shafts to it. The tilting reflective plate is prevented from vibrating, and play is prevented using the tensile force of a spring.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2014-0143210, filed on Oct. 22, 2014, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    (a) Technical Field 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to an inside mirror assembly of a vehicle. More particularly, the invention relates to an inside mirror assembly of a vehicle having an improved structure capable of implementing reflective surfaces of a day mode and a night mode, selectively, according to light reflectivity. 
         [0004]    (b) Background Art 
         [0005]    In general, an inside mirror (also called a room mirror) of a vehicle is arranged to guarantee a view to a rear passenger seat and a rear side, and is mounted on the seal at the upper side of a boundary between a driver&#39;s seat and a front passenger seat such that an angle thereof is adjustable. 
         [0006]    The inside mirror assembly includes a housing assembled to the seal by a ball joint and a mirror glass mounted on the front side of the housing to reflect light. 
         [0007]    Since a majority of mirror glasses has a flat reflection side of a prescribed thickness, light emitted from headlamps (especially, high beams) of following vehicles is directly reflected so that the reflected light tends to blind the driver. To prevent this, a frameless inside mirror assembly is adopted to adjust light reflectivity. 
         [0008]    The existing frameless inside mirror assembly will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2  as follows. 
         [0009]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a reference numeral  10  indicates a housing  10  of the mirror assembly and a reference numeral  20  indicates a prism glass. 
         [0010]    A frameless prism glass  20  is fixed to a front opening of the housing  10 , while the prism glass  20  becomes gradually thinner extending down from the upper side. 
         [0011]    In this case, the housing  10  is mounted to adjust an angle thereof by a ball joint  12 , and a lever  14  is connected to the ball joint  12  to adjust an angle of the housing  10 . 
         [0012]    The front surface of the prism glass  20  is a first reflective surface  21  implementing a night reflection mode, and a rear surface thereof is a second reflective surface  22  coated with a reflective material implementing a day reflection mode. 
         [0013]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , in the day reflection mode, a rear side object and rear side light are reflected by the second reflective surface  22  of the prism glass  20  such that a driver may see the rear side object reflected from the second reflective surface  22 , and simultaneously light reflected from the second reflective surface  22  enters the driver&#39;s eyes. 
         [0014]    On the other hand, in the night reflection mode, when the lever  14  is manipulated to lower the light reflectivity and is moved downwardly about the ball joint  12  to tilt the housing  10  upward (about 3.5 degrees), the prism glass  20  is tilted at the same angle with the housing  10  and the rear side object and the rear side light are reflected from the first reflective surface  21  of the prism glass  20 . 
         [0015]    As such, the prism glass  20  is tilted to adjust a reflection angle in the night reflection mode so that the light entered from the rear side object (especially, the light of headlamps of following vehicles) is reflected by the first reflective surface  21  at a lowered reflectivity, preventing a driver&#39;s eyes from being blinded. 
         [0016]    However, the above-described existing inside mirror assembly has drawbacks as follows: 
         [0017]    First, when the rear side object is reflected from the first and second reflective surfaces of the prism glass when in the day reflection mode and the night reflection mode, since a condition in which a real image and a virtual image on the prism glass are overlapped arises due to a characteristic of the prism glass, a driver often recognizes the rear side object but experiences eye discomfort 
         [0018]    Second, there is inconvenience in that a driver normally does not recognize the inside mirror assembly as having been tilted during travelling when in a day reflection mode on the day after travelling in the night reflection mode (although a driver may recognize the changed position of the housing because of the tilted housing), and often uses the inside mirror assembly by adjusting the housing. However, he/she eventually recognizes the changed position of the lever during night travelling to again adjust the housing. 
         [0019]    To solve these drawbacks, this applicant previously filed Korean Patent Application 10-2014-0057030, that is, an “inside mirror assembly of a vehicle in which a fixed reflective plate fixed to a front opening of a housing and a tilting reflective plate disposed parallel to the rear side of the fixed reflective plate in a day reflection mode and tilted in the night reflection mode, wherein the fixed reflective plate and the tilting reflection plate are disposed before and after the housing such that the image overlapping in which a virtual image and a real image are overlapped with each other in the day reflection mode is reduced and in which a tilting trace for switching the day reflection mode into the night reflection mode and vise versa is always uniform, and in which a driver can recognize the reflection mode intuitively.” 
         [0020]    However, as shown in  FIG. 3  herein, a slot hole is adopted in a portion to which the tilting reflection plate and a tilting bracket are connected for a tilting trace, in particular, three more pivot shafts with different traces are used, and a linkage structure to which respective pivot shaft are connected is complex, resulting in play. 
       SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0021]    Accordingly, the present invention has been made in an effort to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an inside mirror assembly of a vehicle for simplifying an operating mechanism of a tilting reflective plate, and preventing the tilting reflective plate from vibrating and play from being generated. 
         [0022]    In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an inside mirror assembly of a vehicle including: a housing having an opening formed in its front side; a fixed reflective plate fixed in the opening of the housing; a tilting reflective plate tilted in the housing, disposed parallel to the rear side of the fixed reflective plate in a day reflection mode or disposed such that an upper end thereof is tilted rearward by an angle about the lower end to reduce light reflectivity in the night reflection mode; and a tilting mechanism connected to the tilting reflective plate and mounted inside and outside of the housing to adjust a tilting angle of the tilting reflective plate; 
         [0023]    wherein the tilting mechanism includes: a tilting plate bonded to the rear side of the tilting reflective plate; a tilting linkage having an upper end hinged to the upper side of the tilting plate and a lower end formed with a spring coupling unit; a spring engaged with the tilting linkage and pivotally supported by spring supporting ends formed in the housing; and a tilting lever moving the lower end of the tilting linkage forward and rearward. 
         [0024]    The inside mirror assembly of a vehicle according to the present invention has the following effects: 
         [0025]    First, an operating mechanism of a tilting reflective plate may be simplified by adopting two pivot shafts to tilt the tilting reflective plate; and 
         [0026]    second, the tilting reflective plate may be prevented from vibrating during tilting and play from being generated after operation, using the tensile force of a spring. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0027]    The above and other features of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof illustrated the accompanying drawings which are given hereinbelow by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein: 
           [0028]      FIGS. 1 and 2  are is sectional views showing an existing inside mirror assembly; 
           [0029]      FIG. 3  is a sectional view showing another existing inside mirror assembly; 
           [0030]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing an entire outer appearance of an inside mirror assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0031]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing a front outer appearance of the inside mirror assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention excluding a fixed reflective plate and a tilting reflective plate; 
           [0032]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view showing a rear outer appearance of the inside mirror assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0033]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  are partial perspective views showing operative states of the inside mirror assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention when in a day mode and in a night mode, respectively, and a coupling relationship among a tilting linkage, a spring, and a tiling lever of the inside mirror assembly, respectively; and 
           [0034]      FIGS. 8A and 8B  are sectional views during operative states of the inside mirror assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention when in a day mode and in a night mode, respectively. 
       
    
    
       [0035]    It should be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various preferred features illustrative of the basic principles of the invention. The specific design features of the present invention as disclosed herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes will be determined in part by the particular intended application and use environment. 
         [0036]    In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent parts of the present invention throughout the several figures of the drawing. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0037]    Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can easily carry out the present invention. 
         [0038]    The present invention, in accord with embodiments thereof, provides an inside mirror assembly for enabling only a real image of a rear side object to be seen from an inside mirror without a virtual image during day travelling, and for lowering reflectivity of light (for example, light from headlamps of following vehicles) entering from the rear side during night travelling to prevent a driver&#39;s eyes from being blinded. 
         [0039]    To this end, an inside mirror assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a fixed transparent reflective plate fixed to a front opening of a housing and a tilting reflective plate disposed parallel to the rear side of the fixed reflective plate when in a day reflection mode, or tilted from the rear side of the fixed reflective plate by an angle when in a night reflection mode. 
         [0040]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing an entire outer appearance of an inside mirror assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing a front outer appearance of the inside mirror assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention excluding a fixed reflective plate and a tilting reflective plate.  FIG. 6  is a perspective view showing a rear outer appearance of the inside mirror assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0041]    Reference numeral  100  of  FIGS. 4 to 6  indicates a mirror housing of the inside mirror assembly. 
         [0042]    The housing  100  is coupled on a seal above a boundary portion between a driver&#39;s seat and a front passenger seat by a ball joint, and has an opened front side. 
         [0043]    A transparent fixed reflective plate  110  is fixed in a front opening of the housing  100 . 
         [0044]    More specifically, the fixed reflective plate  110  is made of a transparent plastic of a prescribed thickness and has four edges bent curved backward. 
         [0045]    In this case, the four edges of the fixed reflective plate  110  are integrally bonded to the front opening of the housing  100  to form a frameless structure. 
         [0046]    A tilting reflective plate  120  is mounted in the housing  100  and is tilted by a tilting mechanism  200 . 
         [0047]    Particularly, the tilting reflective plate  120  is made of a plastic material, a front side of which is coated with a reflective material, having a prescribed thickness, and enables a driver to see a rear side object clearly. 
         [0048]    By doing so, the tilting mechanism  200  is manipulated such that the tilting reflective plate  120  is disposed parallel to the rear side of the fixed reflective plate when in a day reflection mode, and an upper end is tilted about a lower end rearward by an angle to reduce the light reflectivity when in a night reflection mode. 
         [0049]    Configuration of the tilting mechanism will be described with reference to  FIGS. 5, 7A and 7B . 
         [0050]    The tilting mechanism  200  is connected to the tilting reflective plate  120  and is mounted to the inside and the outside of the housing  100  to adjust a tilting angle of the tilting reflective plate  120 . 
         [0051]    To this end, a tilting reflective plate  120  of the tilting mechanism  200  is integrally bonded to a rear side of the tilting reflective plate  120 , and simultaneously the tilting reflective plate  120  is tilted by the same angle during the tilting of the tilting reflective plate  120 . 
         [0052]    Hinge pins  212  are formed at both lateral sides of the lower end of the tilting reflective plate  120 , and are hinged to hinge ends  108  formed on the bottom of the housing  100  so that the upper end of the tilting reflective plate  120  pivots about the hinge pins  212  at the lower ends. 
         [0053]    Moreover, a tilting linkage  220  is connected to the rear side of the tilting reflective plate  120  to pivot the tilting reflective plate  120  by an angle. 
         [0054]    The upper end of the tilting linkage  220  is hinged by a pivot shaft  222  of the rear upper side of the tilting reflective plate  120 , and the lower end thereof is movable forward and rearward by a prescribed distance to move the center of the pivot shaft  222 . 
         [0055]    More specifically, guide ends  103 , upwardly inclined in the front direction, are integrally formed on the bottom of the housing  100  such that the tilting linkage  220  is lifted during the forward movement of the tiling linkage  220  and lowered during the rearward movement of the tilting linkage  220 . Thus, the lower ends of the tilting linkage  220  are movable forward and rearward along the guide ends  103  by a prescribed distance to shift the center of the pivot shaft  222 . 
         [0056]    In this case, locking steps  104  are further integrally formed on the upper sides of the guide ends  103  to provide to a user an operative feeling when the user manipulates the tilting linkage  220  forward and rearward. 
         [0057]    The curved lower end of the tilting linkage  220  passes over the locking steps  104  and provides to a user the feeling of pivoting during the forward and rearward movements along the guide ends  103 . 
         [0058]    A spring coupling slot  224  is formed in the lower side of the tilting linkage  220 , a spring  230  is inserted into the spring coupling slot  224 , and both ends of the spring  230  are pivotally supported by spring supporting ends  102  formed on the wall of the housing  100 . 
         [0059]    The spring  230  is divided into a linear rod  232  coupled with a lever  240  to pivot the tilting linkage  220  and supported rods  234  bent twice at both ends of the linear rod  232  and pivotally supported by the spring supporting ends integrally formed on the wall of the housing  100 . 
         [0060]    The tilting lever  240  is a lever to pivot the tilting linkage  220  and includes a coupling recess  244 , into which the spring  230  is inserted, formed in the upper side of the tilting lever  240 , lever hinges  242  integrally protruding from the upper end of the spring  230 , and a handle  246  extending outwards through the bottom of the housing  100  from the lower side of the spring  230 . The coupling recess  244 , the lever hinges  242 , and the lever handle  246  are integrally formed with each other. 
         [0061]    The housing  100  includes lever hinge supporting ends  106 , into which the lever hinges  242  of the tilting lever  240  are inserted, integrally formed on the bottom of the housing  100 . The lever hinges  242  serve as a pivoting center of the tilting lever  240 . 
         [0062]    Using modes of the inside mirror assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will now be described. 
       Day reflection mode 
       [0063]      FIGS. 7A and 8A  are partial perspective views showing operative state of the inside mirror assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention when in a day mode. 
         [0064]    In the day reflection mode, the tilting reflective plate  120  is disposed parallel to the rear side of the transparent fixed reflective plate  110  fixed in the front opening of the housing  100  to make a real image of the rear side object appear on the tilting reflective plate  120  without a virtual image, so that a driver may be provided with a clean rear side view. 
         [0065]    To this end, when the tilting lever  240  positioned at the night reflection mode is pushed to the rear side of the housing  100  (in a direction where a windshield glass is located), the spring  230  coupled in the coupling recess  244  of the tilting lever  240  pivots forward by about 90 degrees about the both ends supported by the spring supporting ends  102 . 
         [0066]    At the same time, as shown in  FIG. 7A , since the spring  230  is inserted into the spring coupling slot  224  formed in the lower end of the tilting linkage  220 , the lower end of the tilting linkage  220  is gradually lifted forward along the guide ends  103  upwardly inclined in the front direction due to the forward pivoting of the spring  230 . 
         [0067]    The lower end of the tilting linkage  220  is lifted along the guide ends  103  and passes over the locking steps  104  to provide an operative feeling to a user. 
         [0068]    As the lower end of the tilting linkage  220  is gradually lifted forward along the upwardly inclined guide ends  103 , the upper end of the tilting linkage  220  moves upwardly and pushes the tilting reflective plate  120  forward. 
         [0069]    More specifically, when the upper end of the tilting linkage  220  moves upwardly, the upper end of the tilting reflective plate  120  connected by the tilting linkage  220  and the pivot shaft  222  pivots forward by an angle about the hinge pins  212  in the lower end due to the pushing force of the tilting linkage  220 . 
         [0070]    Thus, as shown in  FIG. 8A , the tilting reflective plate  120  bonded to the tilting reflective plate  120  is disposed parallel to the rear side of the fixed reflective plate  110 . 
         [0071]    As such, the tilting reflective plate  120  is disposed parallel to the rear side of the transparent fixed reflective plate  110  fixed in the front opening of the housing  100  in the day reflection mode, and a real image of the rear side object appears on the tilting reflective plate  120  without a virtual image and is reflected by the tilting reflective plate  120 , so that a driver may see the rear side object clearly. 
       Night reflection mode 
       [0072]      FIGS. 7B and 8B  are sectional views showing operated states of the inside mirror assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention in a night mode. 
         [0073]    The tilting reflective plate is adjusted to tilt rearward by an angle from the fixed reflective plate in the night reflection mode, reflectivity of light (for example, light from the headlamps of following vehicles) entering the tilting reflective plate so that a driver may be prevented from being blinded. 
         [0074]    To this end, if the tilting lever  240  located in the day reflection mode is pulled forward (inward of the vehicle), the spring  230  coupled in the coupling recess  244  of the tilting lever  240  pivots rearward about both ends supported by the spring supporting ends  102 . 
         [0075]    At the same time, since the spring  230  is inserted into the spring coupling slot  224  formed in the lower end of the tilting linkage  220 , the lower end of the tiling linkage  220  is gradually lowered rearward along the downwardly inclined guide ends  103  by rearward pivoting of the spring  230 . 
         [0076]    In this case, the lower end of the tilting linkage  220  is lowered along the guide ends  103  and passes over the locking steps  104  to provide to a user an operative feeling. 
         [0077]    Next, as shown in  FIG. 7B , the lower end of the tilting linkage  220  is gradually lowered rearward along the rearward downwardly inclined guide ends  103 , the upper end of the tilting linkage  220  descends and the upper end of the tilting reflective plate  120  is pushed rearward. 
         [0078]    More specifically, when the upper end of the tilting linkage  220  descends, the upper end of the tilting reflective plate  120  connected by the tilting linkage  220  and the pivot shaft  222  pivots rearward about the lower hinge pins  212 . 
         [0079]    Thus, as shown in  FIG. 8B , the tilting reflective plate  120 , bonded to the tilting reflective plate  120 , is tilted from the rear side of the fixed reflective plate  110  and lowers the reflectivity of light entering from the rear side. 
         [0080]    As such, since the rear side object (for example, a following vehicle) entering from the rear side passes through the transparent fixed plate  110  is focused on the tilting reflective plate  120  tilted rearward, and at the same time reflectivity of the rear light (for example, light from headlamps of the following vehicles) entering the tilting reflective plate  120  from the rear side is lowered, a driver may be prevented from being blinded during night driving. 
         [0081]    Although the present invention has been described in detail until now, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the description but various modifications made by those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present invention defined by the claims also fall within the scope of the present invention.