Racing mirror

A racing mirror apparatus having a plurality of markings on the reflecting surface of the mirror which correspond to estimated sizes of the reflection of a vehicle which is trailing the racing vehicle at a plurality of predetermined distances. The racing mirror is disposed in an opening in the lower panel portion of a side door. The mirror apparatus is adjustable to various angular positions which provide reflections of a trailing vehicle at a location corresponding to an estimated position of the trailing vehicle at a predetermined time or place in a bracket race. The racing mirror apparatus allows the driver of a slower vehicle in a bracket race to determine whether he needs to speed up, slow down, or maintain his present speed in the race.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates generally to a racing mirror and, more 
particularly, to a racing mirror for use in a bracket racing vehicle for 
estimating a distance at which a trailing vehicle is located. 
2. Description of the Background Art 
As is known, rearview mirrors are used in vehicles for determining where 
other trailing vehicles are located on the road. Commonly known mirrors 
include mirrors which are located on the exterior of the vehicle towards 
the front of the driver and passenger side windows. It is also known to 
have a rear view mirror mounted to the center portion of the front 
windshield. Drivers use these mirrors for determining when it is safe for 
changing lanes. However, these known mirrors are insufficient for 
providing an accurate estimation of the location of a trailing vehicle. 
In the sport of bracket racing it is common for a slower vehicle to be 
matched in a race against a quicker vehicle. The quicker vehicle is 
handicapped by allowing the slower vehicle to have a head start by a 
predetermined amount of time. The predetermined amount of time is 
determined based upon the minimum elapsed time that each vehicle driver 
must estimate and submit to race officials prior to the race. The handicap 
is determined based upon these estimated minimum elapsed times so that if 
each vehicle obtains their exact estimated minimum elapsed time both 
vehicles would cross the finish line simultaneously. In bracket racing, 
the object is to come closer to your estimated minimum elapsed time than 
your opponent without finishing in less than your estimated minimum 
elapsed time. Thus, for the driver of a slower vehicle it is very 
important to know where the opposing vehicle is located as both vehicles 
approach the finish line. In order to avoid coming in below the minimum 
elapsed time, a driver who knows that the opposing vehicle has had a poor 
start can ease up slightly on the accelerator in order to insure that he 
will come within his estimated minimum elapsed time. Likewise, a driver 
who knows that he should finish at a time close to his minimum elapsed 
time, because he feels he had a good start, and who sees that the opposing 
vehicle is closer than a predetermined distance, then he will know that 
the opposing vehicle is likely to finish ahead of it's estimated minimum 
elapsed time. In which case, the driver knows that he should allow the 
opposing driver to pass him by with the hope that the opposing vehicle 
will finish ahead of its minimum elapsed time. 
On the other hand, when the driver feels he may have had a poor start, and 
the opposing vehicle is closer than the predetermined distance, then, the 
vehicle driver knows that he probably needs to increase the speed of his 
vehicle in order to prevent the opposing vehicle from passing him. 
As seen from the above described scenarios, there is great demand in the 
field of bracket racing for a racing mirror which allows the driver of a 
slower vehicle to accurately determine the location of a trailing vehicle. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a 
unique arrangement for a racing mirror that allows the driver of a slower 
vehicle in a bracket race to determine with considerable certainty the 
trailing distance of the opposing vehicle. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a racing mirror 
which is adjustable in angular orientation depending upon an approximate 
location of an opposing vehicle when the vehicles are approaching the 
finish line. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a racing mirror 
with at least one set of markings on a reflecting surface thereof which 
estimates an approximate size of a reflection of a trailing vehicle at one 
or more predetermined distances. 
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a combination 
racing vehicle and racing mirror with a mirror mounting location which 
does not greatly reduce the aerodynamic performance of the racing vehicle. 
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a racing 
mirror apparatus with an indicator device which notifies the driver of a 
vehicle when he is a predetermined dimension from the finish line. 
These and other objects of the present invention are obtained by providing 
a racing mirror apparatus for use in a racing vehicle, comprising: a 
reflecting surface having at least one set of markings thereon which 
corresponds to an estimated size of a reflection of a vehicle which is 
trailing the race vehicle at a predetermined distance; support means for 
pivotally supporting the mirror; adjustment means for adjusting an angular 
position of the mirror with respect to the support means; and indicator 
means for indicating when the racing vehicle is a predetermined dimension 
from a beginning of a race. 
Additional objects of the present invention are obtained by providing in 
combination a bracket racing vehicle having a racing mirror, said 
combination comprising: a racing vehicle having a driver's compartment 
provided with at least one side door panel including an upper window 
opening portion and a lower wall portion, said lower wall portion having 
an opening therein; and a racing mirror including a reflecting surface and 
support means for supporting said reflecting surface adjacent to said 
opening in said lower wall portion of said at least one door panel. 
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become 
apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it 
should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, 
while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention are given by way 
of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the 
spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in 
the art from this detailed description.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The present invention will now be generally described with reference to 
FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2. In FIGS. 1A and 1B, a racing vehicle 100 is shown 
which includes front wheels 102 and rear wheels 104. The racing vehicle 
100 includes a side door 50. In FIGS. 1A and 1B the passenger side door is 
shown. However, it is noted that the principles of the preferred 
embodiment of the present invention can also be applied to the driver's 
side door of a racing vehicle. The side door 50 has an upper window 
portion 52 and a lower panel portion 51. An opening 54 is provided in the 
lower panel portion 51 of the side door 50, as shown in FIG. 1B. A 
laterally extending housing portion 56 is disposed forward of the opening 
54. A reflecting surface 10 is disposed in the opening 54. A recessed 
portion 58 is provided in the lower panel portion 51 of the side door 50 
in a location rearward of the opening 54. 
With specific reference to FIG. 2, the interior of the driver's compartment 
is shown. The reflecting surface 10 of the mirror apparatus is shown 
disposed partially within a cavity 57 which is defined by the laterally 
extending housing portion 56. Inside the vehicle compartment are shown the 
passenger side door 50 having an upper window portion 52. A passenger seat 
60 is optionally provided. A shifting lever 62 is provided in a console 
64. The vehicle dashboard 66 extends across the front of the driver's 
compartment, while a steering wheel 68 is provided on the driver's side of 
the vehicle compartment. Safety bars 80 and 82 are provided on the 
passenger side door 50. 
The mirror apparatus will now be described in detail with respect to FIG. 2 
and with specific reference to FIG. 3. The reflecting surface 10 of the 
mirror apparatus is supported by a shaft 12. The shaft 12 has upper and 
lower mounting portions 14, 16 which are supported by brackets 40, 42. The 
shaft 12 is allowed to pivot with respect to the brackets 40, 42. An angle 
adjusting shaft 18 is connected to the mirror apparatus. The angle 
adjusting shaft 18 is received in a slot 34 of a transparent plate 30. The 
transparent plate 30 is mounted to the door 50 as shown in FIG. 2, by a 
plurality of screws 32. A plurality of numerical position indicators 36 
are provided above the slot 34 in the transparent plate 30. The numerical 
indicators 36 correspond to angular positions of the reflecting surface 
10. Each numerical indicator can correspond to different estimated minimum 
elapsed times of the opposing vehicles. 
The reflecting surface 10 of the mirror apparatus is connected to the 
support shaft 12 by mounting brackets 20, 22 as best shown in FIG. 4B. 
The transparent plate 30 is separately shown in FIG. 5 having a plurality 
of holes 31 at each corner, through which the screws 32 are inserted to 
fasten the transparent plate 30 to the door 50. 
In FIG. 3, an indicator light 44 is shown adjacent to the mirror apparatus. 
Alternatively, in FIG. 2 the indicator light 44 is shown attached to the 
dashboard 66 of the vehicle driver compartment. 
With specific reference to FIG. 6, the angle adjusting shaft 18 of the 
mirror apparatus is shown extending through the slot 34 in the transparent 
plate 30. An adjustable wing nut 70 is shown threaded onto the angle 
adjusting shaft 18. Inner and outer follower members 72, 74 are disposed 
on the front and rear surfaces of the transparent plate 30, respectively, 
in order to hold the reflecting surface in a fixed angular position with 
respect to the transparent plate 30. 
In FIG. 7, the visual image "I" of a trailing vehicle is shown as a 
reflection in the reflecting surface 10. A plurality of rectangular boxes 
11a-11d are shown on the surface of the reflecting surface 10 which 
indicate the sizes of a reflection of a trailing vehicle at predetermined 
distances behind the vehicle. The rectangular boxes 11a-11d can 
alternatively be displayed as circles, ellipses, or any other marking 
means for corresponding to estimated sizes of reflections of the vehicle 
which is trailing the racing vehicle at a plurality of predetermined 
distances. 
In operation, at the beginning of a race a driver would adjust the angular 
position of the reflecting surface 10 according to an estimated location 
of the opposing vehicle at a predetermined time or distance from the end 
of the race, for example, one second from the end of the race. The angular 
position of the mirror can be determined from the driver's experience with 
respect to estimated minimum elapsed times of opponents' cars, or can be 
charted so that the driver would know to set the angular position to one 
of the numeral indicators 36 which are provided on the transparent plate 
30. As shown in FIG. 6, the wing nut 70 would be rotated on the angle 
adjusting shaft in order to loosen and retighten the fastener to adjust 
the angle, or, alternatively, the angular position of the reflecting 
surface 10 can be adjusted by a cable actuating member 90 as illustrated 
in FIGS. 2 and 8 where a cable 92 is connected between the actuator 90 and 
the shaft 18 of the mirror apparatus. As another alternative, a motorized 
mirror pivoting device could be utilized for adjusting the angular 
position of the reflecting surface 10. 
The driver would then set the time for the indicator means 44. A flow chart 
of the operation of the indicator means is shown in FIG. 9. In FIG. 9, 
step S200 requires the driver to set the timer. The timer would be set for 
approximately one second prior to the driver's vehicle reaching the finish 
line. Alternatively, a distance from the starting line or the finish line 
may be used to determine when the indicator means 44 is activated. Thus, 
either dimension, time or distance, may be used for determining when to 
activate the indicator means. In addition, the indicator means 44 can also 
deliver an audible signal as opposed to a visual signal. 
In step S202 the control system asks if the petal is depressed beyond a 
predetermined position. In other words, at the start of a race the 
accelerator pedal is almost always immediately depressed to a position of 
at least, for example, 80%. Thus, the predetermined amount would be set to 
be 80% so that when the pedal is depressed beyond that point the system 
would know to begin the timer as shown in step S204. The control system 
would then ask if the predetermined time which was set in step S200 has 
been reached, as shown in step S208. If the predetermined time has been 
reached, the control system sends the signal to turn the indicator light 
"on" as shown in step S210. When the indicator light 44 is illuminated, 
the driver knows that he is, for example, one second away from the finish 
line at which time he can note the reflection of the trailing vehicle in 
the reflecting surface 10 of the mirror apparatus, and make a 
determination, based upon the size of the reflection with respect to the 
markings 11a-11d, of whether he needs to speed up, slow down, or maintain 
his present speed. This determination would be based upon the driver's 
experience and his belief as to whether he himself has had a good start or 
a bad start and whether he considers that the opposing vehicle is going 
too fast to finish within its estimated minimum elapsed time. 
The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be 
varied in many ways. For example, the mirror apparatus may be mounted on 
the exterior of the doors in the typical location of a mirror on a 
standard vehicle, with the mirror having a plurality of markings thereon 
which correspond to estimated sizes of a reflection of a vehicle which is 
trailing the vehicle at a plurality of predetermined distances. Such 
variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope 
of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one 
skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the 
following claims.