Vehicle mirror apparatus

Abstract: An adjustable mounting for external side view mirrors on vehicles that can be used for both the "hand-set" and the remote control mirror type mechanisms, and which can also act as an anti-vibration device. The adjustable mounting comprises a fixed part (10) that is attached to the inside face of the rear wall of the housing (2), and a movable part (20) to which is attached a mirror plate (1). A "U" shaped connecting element (30) for the adjustment of the torque and vibration absorption comprises out turned ends (31) that are attached to a pair of hook shaped projections (23) which protrude from the movable part (20) of the adjustable mounting, and an arc shaped intermediary section (32) that is retained tightly to and is free to slide on a curved guide surface (12) that is attached to the fixed part (10). A greater force is required to move the movable part (20) and the attached mirror plate (1) around an axis "x" that is perpendicular to the connecting element (30) than is required to move the movable part and the attached mirror plate around an axis "y" which is deployed in the same direction as the connecting element.

Description: The invention relates to a vehicle mirror apparatus according the preamble of claim 1, particularly for external side view mirrors of motor vehicles. External side view mirrors on motor vehicles according the preamble of claim 1 are well known e.g. Fr 2 714 638. They comprise a mirror plate, an adjustable mounting, a housing for the mirror plate and the adjustable mounting, and a base for the housing where the base is attached to the body of a vehicle. The movable part of the adjustable mounting is attached to the rear face of the mirror plate and its fixed part is attached to the rear internal wall of the housing. Adjustable mirror plates are fitted in two main types of mechanisms. The mirror plate in one type of mechanism is manually adjusted by the driver of the vehicle with his hand. This is to be known henceforth as the "hand-set" type mechanism. The mirror plate in the other main type of mechanism is adjusted by remote control. The mechanism usually includes at least three cables, each of which is attached at one end to the movable part of the adjustable mounting and at the other end to an operating lever mounted on the inside face of the door of the vehicle. When this lever is moved, the attached cables cause the movable part of the adjustable mounting to move in relation to its fixed part, thus moving the mirror plate. This mechanism is to known henceforth as the remote control type mechanism. The two mechanisms each require a different adjustable mounting. The hand adjustable apparatus requires a mounting that is stiffer to move than the remote control apparatus. This complicates the manufacturing process, since not all the same tools can be used to make different mechanisms. This is undesirable from both technical and economic points of view. Another problem connected with both mechanisms is that when the vehicle is in use, it is not unusual for the mirror plate to vibrate, impairing the driver's view, and causing the position of the mirror to change. Factors causing such vibration include the geometry of the mirror, the level of vibrations generated by the operation of the vehicle, and the unevenness of the road surface. Studies are often conducted to detect the intensity and the direction of the vibration in order to solve this problem and many mirrors are equipped with anti-vibration devices. One anti-vibration device has pins projecting from the inside face of the mirror housing, deployed so that the free tips of the pins sustain the position of the mirror plate. Nevertheless, this type of solution complicates the manufacturing process, which is undesirable. The present invention consists in vehicle mirror apparatus for attachment to the body of a vehicle comprising a mirror plate, a multi-use adjustable mounting therefor, and a housing for the mirror plate and the mounting, wherein said adjustable mounting comprises a concave fixed part having a base attached to the housing, a movable part having a ring with a convex outer surface matching an inner surface of said fixed part whereby said ring fits tight to and slides within said fixed part, said movable part also having a hollow section open at one end that projects from and is concentric with said ring, the rear face of the mirror plate being attached to the base of said hollow section, and connecting means between said fixed part and said movable part for the adjustment of torque and/or vibration absorption where the torque required for a hand-set mirror type mechanism is greater than that required for a remote control mirror type mechanism. The fixed part preferably has a part-spherical inner surface, facing outwardly from an inside face of a forward housing wall, the movable part having a matching part-spherical outer surface that is tightly set and slides within the fixed part, and from which projects an inner truncated conical portion, on which is seated the mirror plate. In a preferred embodiment a U-shaped connecting element connects the fixed and moving parts and provides for torque setting and/or attenuation of vibration. In one embodiment the ends of the U-shaped element are turned outwards and attached to a pair of hook shaped projections protruding from the base of the inside portion of the movable part, so that the hook shaped projections and/or ends of the U-shaped element incorporate the means for adjusting between a tighter axial assembly that is suitable for the hand-set type mechanism and a looser axial assembly suitable for a remote control mechanism, and between the ends is an arc shaped middle portion that is retained more or less tightly against, but free to slide on, a curved guide surface which is secured to, or integral with, the fixed part of the mounting, the middle portion being chosen to determine the need for a greater force to move the mirror plate around a geometric axis "x" extending transversely to the connection element, than the force required to move it around a "y" axis that is in the same direction as the connecting element. Friction between the connecting element and the curved guide surface ensures that a greater amount of effort is required to move the connecting element of the movable part of the adjustable mounting, and hence the attached mirror plate around the "x" axis, than is necessary to move them around the "y" axis, as mentioned above, the adjustable mounting is assembled in a way that the connecting element remains perpendicular to the geometric axis around which the mirror plate would, in use, have the greater vibration, or, in other words, that the alleged geometric "x" axis coincides with the geometric axis around which the mirror plate vibrates. Therefore, in this manner the adjustable mounting besides its normal function, also acts to attenuate vibration. An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of the adjustable mounting viewed from the face that receives the rear face of the mirror plate; and Figure 2 is a split cross-section of Figure 1. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the apparatus comprises a mirror plate 1, an adjustable mounting, a housing 2 for the mirror plate 1 and the adjustable mounting, and a base (not shown) for the housing, which base is attachable to the body of a vehicle. The mirror is of the type in which the position of the mirror plate 1 is either manually adjusted by the driver of the vehicle with his hand or it is adjusted from inside the vehicle via a lever and cable remote control mechanism. The adjustable mounting comprises a bowl-shaped fixed part 10 with a flat base 11 that is attached to the inside face of the rear wall of the housing 2 and has a part-spherical inner surface. The movable part 20 of the adjustable mounting comprises a ring 21 whose outer surface is complementary to the inner surface of the fixed part 10 so that the ring 21 tightly fits inside it and is able to slide within it. A truncated cone 22 protrudes from the inside of the ring 21 and is concentric with it. The rear face of the mirror plate 1 is attached to the truncated end 24 of the cone 22. A "U" shaped connecting element 30 is provided for the setting of the torque, and for vibration absorption. The two ends 31 of this element are outwardly turned and are respectively attached to a pair of hook shaped projections 23 that protrude from the underside of the truncated end 24 of the cone 22 so that the hook projections 23 and/or the ends 31 of the "U" shaped element 30 incorporate the means for an axially "tighter" assembly of the adjustable mounting that is adequate for the "hand-set" type mechanism or an axially "loser" assembly that is adequate for the remote control type mechanism. The intermediate arched section 32 between the two ends 31 of the "U" shaped element 30 is retained tightly to and is free to slide on a curved guide surface 12 that is attached to the fixed part 10 of the adjustable mounting. Friction between the U-shaped element and the guide surface determines that a greater amount of force is required to move the movable part 20 of the adjustable mounting and consequently the mirror plate 1 attached to it, around an axis "x" that is perpendicular to the connecting element 30, and that a smaller amount of force is required to move the movable part 20 and mirror plate 1 around an axis "y", which is deployed in the same direction as the connecting element 30 since the hook projections allow the movable part 20 to rotate relative to the U-shaped element 30. The adjustable mounting is also an anti-vibration device for the mirror plate 1. The movable part 20 and the attached mirror plate 1 vibrates more about the "x" axis than around the "y" axis The "U" shaped connecting element 30 of the movable part 20 and the guide surface 12 of the fixed part 10, on which it slides are perpendicular to an axis "v" which is the same as axis "x" (see Figure 1), resisting the motion of the movable part 20 of the adjustable mounting and mirror plate 1, and thus eliminating or reducing the amount of vibration. There are apertures (not shown) in the base 11 of the fixed part 10 of the adjustable mounting to take fixing means that attach the mounting to the wall of the housing 2. The remote control type mechanism is similar to the "hand-set" type mechanism except that a second pair of hook shaped projections (not shown) are additionally deployed in a perpendicular alignment to the first pair 23, where the second pair receive the ends 31 of the connection element 30 in a loser manner, in order to provide less axial tightening and thus less torque in order to adjust the mirror plate 1. This is more suitable for the remote control type mechanism. The truncated end 24 of the cone 22 of the movable part 20 is provided with apertures 25 to receive the ends of the cables of the remote control mechanism. In another embodiment (not shown), the truncated end 24 of the cone 22 of the movable part 20 has a pair of hook shaped projections, and the ends 31 of the connection element 30 are turned outwardly and are staggered. This arrangement can therefore take thicker intermediate arched sections 32 determining a greater axial tightening, and requires a greater torque which is appropriate for the "hand-set" type mechanism and thinner intermediate arched sections 32 determining a lesser axial tightening and requires a lesser torque which is appropriate for remote control type mechanisms. Instead of the torque adjustment being determined by the hook shaped projections 23 of the movable part 20 of the adjustable mounting, and/or the ends 31 of the connection element 30, as described above, the torque can be determined by a helicoidal spring (not shown), assembled so as to operate by compression or traction between the central areas of the fixed and movable parts 10,20. This provides a lesser or greater axial tightening, between the fixed part 10 and the movable part 20 and therefore greater or lesser torque adjustments are required which are adequate for the "hand-set" and the remote control type mechanisms respectively. The helicoidal spring can also work in conjunction with the hook shaped projections 23 of the movable part 20 of the adjustable mounting and/or the ends 31 of the connection elements 30 in the determination of the adjustment torque between the fixed and movable parts 10,20 of the mounting. Parts of the intermediate section 32 of the connecting element 30 and the guide surface 12 of the fixed part 10 of the adjustable mounting that receives the intermediate section 32, may be determined by the type of mirror that the adjustable mounting is designed for and by the level of vibration to which the connecting element 30 is subjected to around the "v" axis so as to provide an adequate degree of friction to absorb the vibrations. The distance between the curved guide 12 of the fixed part 10 of the adjustable mounting and the pair of hook shaped projections 23 of the movable part 20 that receives the ends 31 of the "U" shaped connecting element 30 required for the "hand-set" type mechanism is slightly greater than the distance between the curved guide 12 and the pair of hook shaped projections 23 of the movable part 20 required for the remote control type mechanism. There can thus be provided an adjustable mounting that can be used in both the hand-set type mechanism and the remote control type mechanism and can act as an anti-vibration device. Although fulfilling the foregoing purposes, the described mounting is of a simple construction and is manufactured by a simple process that is both technically and economically acceptable.

Claims: Vehicle mirror apparatus for attachment to the body of a vehicle comprising a mirror plate (1), a multi-use adjustable mounting therefor, and a housing (2) for the mirror plate and the mounting, wherein said adjustable mounting comprises a concave fixed part (10) having a base (11) attached to the housing (2); a movable part (20) having a ring (21) with a convex outer surface matching an inner surface of said fixed part (10) whereby said ring (21) fits tight to and slides within said fixed part (10), and connecting means (30,31,32) between said fixed part and said movable part, characterised in that said movable part also has a hollow section (22) open at one end that projects from and is concentric with said ring, the rear face of the mirror plate (1) being attached to the base (24) of said hollow section ; and said connecting means (30, 31, 32) being adapted for the adjustment of torque and/or vibration absorption where the torque required for a "hand-set" mirror type mechanism is greater than that required for a remote control mirror type mechanism. Vehicle mirror apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said connecting means includes a "U" shaped connecting element (30) comprising out turned ends (31) that are attached to attaching means protruding from the base (24) of said hollow section (22); and an arcuate intermediate section (32) which is retained tightly to, but free to slide on, a curved guide surface (12) attached to or integral with said fixed part (10) of the adjustable mounting, whereby a greater amount of force is required to move the movable part (20) and consequently the mirror plate (1) around an axis "x" that is perpendicular to the connecting element (30) and the intermediate section (32), and a smaller amount of force is required to move the movable part (20) and the mirror plate (1) around an axis "y" deployed in the same direction as the connecting element (30). Vehicle mirror apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said adjustable mounting also acts as an anti-vibration device for the mirror plate (1), where said "U" shaped connecting element (30) that slides on said guide surface (12) of the fixed part (10) are perpendicular to an axis "v" around which the movable part (20) and the attached mirror plate (1) vibrate the most. Vehicle mirror apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the intermediate section (32) of the connecting element (30) and the guide surface (12) of the fixed part (10) of the adjustable mounting receiving said section (32), have parts that are determined by the type of mirror that the adjustable mounting is designed for and by the level of vibration to which the connecting element is subjected to around said "v" axis in order to provide an adequate level of friction to absorb the vibrations. Vehicle mirror apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the ends (31) of the connecting element (30) that are outwardly turned are staggered. Vehicle mirror apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein said attaching means comprise a pair of hook shaped projections (23). Vehicle mirror apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a second pair of hook shaped projections deployed in an alignment transverse to that of the first pair (33) receives the ends (31) of the connection element (30) in a less tight form than said first pair, to provide a reduced degree of friction suitable for remote control type mechanisms. Vehicle mirror apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said base (24) of the hollow section (22) of the movable part (20) includes at least one aperture (25) that receives at least one cable required for said remote control mirror type mechanism. Vehicle mirror apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the distance between the surface guide (12) of the fixed part (10) of the adjustable mounting and the pair of hook shaped projections (23) of the movable part (20) that receives the ends (31) of the "U" shaped connecting element (30) required for the "hand-set" type mechanism is slightly greater than the distance between the surface guide (12) and the pair of hook shaped projections (23) of the movable part (20) required for the remote control type mechanism. Vehicle mirror apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein said connecting means comprises an axial helicoidal spring, that is assembled to operate by compression or traction between said fixed part (10) and said movable part (20). Vehicle mirror apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said apparatus comprises an external side view mirror.

Inventors: CERMARK ROBERTO, OTENIO DEJAIL, CERMARK, ROBERTO, OTENIO, DEJAIL
Applicants: METAGAL IND & COMERCIO, METAGAL INDUSTRIA E COMERCIO LTDA.
Application year: 1998
Main classification: B60R1
IPC codes: B60R1