Enhanced vehicle side view mirror assembly

A side view mirror assembly for use by an operator of an vehicle including a mirror housing mounted to an outer surface of the vehicle, a side view mirror including a reflective surface, the side view mirror being mounted in the mirror housing so that the side view mirror reflects items disposed rearwardly of the vehicle, wherein the side view mirror is configured for adjustment with respect to the mirror housing so that an angle of the mirror with respect to the mirror housing is selectively changeable, and a first marking that is visible on the reflective surface of the side view mirror so that a reflection of a portion of the vehicle falls within a first portion of the reflective surface that is defined by the first marking.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to motor vehicles. More particularly, the present invention relates to driving assistance equipment, such as side mirror assemblies, for use on vehicles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

With the ever increasing populations around the world, it is not surprising that roadways are experiencing greater traffic from motor vehicles than ever before. Typically, increased traffic leads to increased commute times, increased fuel costs, and decreased efficiencies as workers spend increased amounts of time commuting. As well, increased costs of shipping items due to both time delays and fuel costs may lead to increased prices. These costs are exacerbated by vehicle accidents which cause further time delays and increased costs due to damaged vehicles, not to mention the increased potential for harm to individuals.

Vehicle accidents can occur for many reasons, and the inability for drivers to properly view their surroundings while operating their vehicles is of primary concern. Even in ideal driving conditions, mis-positioned side view mirrors can lead to drivers being unable to detect other vehicles/individuals they should otherwise be able to see, as shown inFIGS. 1A and 1B. Existing side view mirrors can be difficult to properly position in that the driver often merely adjusts them until they feel comfortable with what they can view in the mirrors. However, just because a driver is comfortable with the position of a mirror does not mean the position is proper. Improperly positioned mirrors can lead to “blind spots” in the driver's field of view meaning that the driver may not be able to view a vehicle in the in the mirror although it is nearby.

For example, referring now toFIG. 1A, if the operator10of a lead vehicle12positions the side view mirrors14of the vehicle12inwardly too much, the field of view16is also angled inwardly more than desired. As such, a “blind spot”18is formed which may lead to a nearby vehicle20falling outside the operator's field of view16. Herein, a “blind spot” is defined as an area near a first vehicle12in which a second vehicle20may not be detected in the side view mirrors by the first vehicle's operator. Referring additionally toFIG. 1B, a blind spot18may also be created by angling the side view mirrors14outwardly more than is needed.

As such, various organizations and vehicle manufacturers sometimes offer guidelines on how to best position vehicle side mirrors. However, many drivers are not aware of this fact and, even if they are, it can still be a daunting task to position the mirrors. Therefore, it is desirable that improved apparatus and methodologies be developed to assist drivers in positioning their vehicle's side mirrors.

The present invention recognizes and addresses considerations of prior art constructions and methods.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment of the present invention provides a side view mirror assembly for use by an operator of an vehicle, including a mirror housing mounted to an outer surface of the vehicle, a side view mirror including a reflective surface, the side view mirror being mounted in the mirror housing so that the side view mirror reflects items disposed rearwardly of the vehicle, wherein the side view mirror is configured for adjustment with respect to the mirror housing so that an angle of the mirror with respect to the housing is selectively changeable. A first marking is visible on the reflective surface of the side view mirror so that a reflection of a portion of the vehicle falls within a first portion of the reflective surface that is defined by the first marking.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method of adjusting an angle of a side view mirror of an vehicle in accordance with a position of an operator of the vehicle, including the steps of providing a sensor that is operatively engaged with a portion of the operator of the vehicle, determining a position of the portion of the operator of the vehicle, producing an electrical signal that is indicative of the position of the portion of the operator of the vehicle with respect to the side view mirror, and adjusting the angle of the side view mirror with respect to the vehicle based on the electrical signal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown inFIGS. 2, 3A and 3B, a side view mirror assembly104ain accordance with the present invention preferably includes a mirror housing106aand a side view mirror108athat is mounted within the mirror housing106aby an adjustment mechanism (not shown). As best seen inFIG. 2, and additionally referring toFIG. 8, side view mirror assemblies104aare mounted to an outer surface of a vehicle100in a position that allows an operator101of the vehicle100to view objects that are disposed rearwardly of the operator's position within the vehicle. For example, as shown inFIG. 2, the side view mirror assembly104athat is disposed on the passenger side of the vehicle100allows the operator101to view both a first vehicle111and a second vehicle113. The side view mirror assembly104a, when adjusted properly, allows the operator's field of view130to include portions of both the first vehicle111and the second vehicle113. Properly adjusting the side view mirror assemblies104aminimizes any blind spot132that may exist near the vehicle100.

Still referring toFIGS. 3A and 3B, the side view mirror assembly104aadditionally includes a first marking110and a second marking120that are visible on the side view mirror108a. As shown, the first marking110is disposed adjacent the inward end of the side view mirror108a(proximal from the vehicle) thereby defining a first portion112aof the reflective surface of the side view mirror108a, and the second marking120is disposed adjacent the outer end of the side view mirror108a(distal from the vehicle) thereby defining a second portion122aof the reflective surface of the side view mirror108a. Referring specifically toFIG. 3B, when the side view mirror108ais properly positioned, so that any potential blind spots132are minimized, a portion of the vehicle100is reflected in the first portion112aof the side view mirror108a. As shown inFIG. 2, when the side view mirror108ais properly positioned, the operator101of the vehicle100should be able to see the reflection of the outermost portion of the rear bumper118on the passenger side of the vehicle100in the first portion112aof the side view mirror108a. In other embodiments, alternate portions of the vehicle100may be reflected by the first portion112aof the side view mirror108a, such as a rear door handle, when the side view mirror108ais properly positioned.

Referring additionally toFIG. 9, in order to ensure that the desired portion of the vehicle100is reflected within the first portion112aof the side view mirror108a, the disclosed side view mirror assembly104aincludes a sensor140and a programmable logic controller142(processor) that automatically position the side view mirror108abased upon a position of the head and/or eyes of the operator (FIG. 8), as discussed in greater detail below. Preferably, the programmable logic controller142uses one or both of face recognition software and lens focusing software to determine the position of head and/or eyes of the operator. Some examples of this software are, but not limited to, Google Face Recognition, Microsoft Cognitive Services, Luxroit Face Recognition, Tyco Facial Recognition, Reikan FoCal, and Datacolor Spyder Lenscal. Note, the second portion122aof the side view mirror108arepresents the outermost portion of the operator's field of view130when the side view mirror is properly positioned.

Referring additionally toFIG. 10, the operation of an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed side view mirror assembly104ais discussed. Preferably, the side view mirror assembly104ais automatically adjusted at all times the corresponding vehicle100is being operated, i.e, when the engine is running. The automatic adjustment sequence of the side view mirror assembly104ais initiated by the operator101starting the vehicle100(Step200). Upon initiation of operation, the sensor140determines a position of a portion of the operator101(head, eyes, etc.) and sends a corresponding input signal (i.e., an electrical signal) to the programmable logic controller142(Step202). If the position of the operator101is not detected, the sensor140will continue to monitor until it is, or in the alternative, until the vehicle100is turned off. Upon receiving the input signal from the sensor140, the programmable logic controller142provides a control signal (i.e., an electrical signal) based thereon that is sent to side view mirror assembly104a(Step204). Upon receiving the control signal from the programmable logic controller142, the side view mirror assembly104autilizes the internal adjustment mechanism to change the position of the side view mirror108awith respect to the mirror housing106until the reflection of the desired portion of the vehicle100, such as outer portion of the rear bumper118, as shown inFIG. 3B, is disposed within the first portion112aof the side view mirror108a. If, at Step206, the programmable logical controller142determines that the position of the operator101is constant, the position of the side view mirror108ais maintained (Step208). If, however, the position of the operator101is not constant, based upon the input signals provided by the sensor140, the programmable logic controller142will provide the necessary control signals to automatically adjust the position of the side view mirror.

Referring again toFIGS. 3A and 3B, in a first embodiment of the side view mirror assembly104a, the first marking110aand the second marking120aare formed by solid lines. As shown inFIG. 4, in an alternate embodiment of the side view mirror assembly104b, the first marking110band the second marking120bare formed by dashed lines. As shown inFIG. 5, in yet another alternate embodiment of a side view mirror assembly104c, the first portion112cand the second portion122cof the side view mirror108care defined by shaded or color variation portions in the glass and/or the reflective coating inside the side view mirror108c. Referring toFIGS. 6 and 7, alternate patterns for shading the first portion112dand112e, and the second portions122dand122e, are shown for additional alternate embodiments of the side view mirror assembly104dand104e, respectively. As well, in further alternate embodiments, the first marking110and the second marking120may be formed by stickers that are applied to the outer surface of the mirrors, they may be formed on the reflective layer that is disposed below the transparent layer of the mirror, or they may be etched into the outer surface of the mirror.

While one or more preferred embodiments of the invention are described above, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope and spirit thereof. It is intended that the present invention cover such modifications and variations as come within the scope and spirit of the appended claims and their equivalents.