REAR VIEW APPARATUS

Abstract: Apparatus (10) for providing a rear view for a user comprising a mirror (12), a spacer element (14) for spacing the mirror from the user's head and a connector (16) for connecting the spacer (14) element to the user's head wherein the mirror (12) is so constructed and arranged to provide a field of view behind and/or to one side of the user.

Description: REAR VIEW APPARATUS The invention relates to a rear view apparatus that is particularly, but not exclusively for cyclists. More particularly, rear view apparatus can be connected to the user's head and is so constructed to provide a field of view behind and to one or each side of the user. Rear view mirrors are known. They are provided so that a user is not required to turn his head and body to view behind. This action is undesirable because, for example, if a cyclist is required to turn around whilst cycling, then it can de-stabilise him. Commonly, rear view mirrors are attached to the vehicle. One example, US 5,563,742, shows a rear view mirror mounted to a cross bar of a bicycle and the mirror is angled to reflect the field of view through the users legs. If the mirror is mounted to the bicycle it may be subjected to vibration in certain conditions thereby distorting the reflected image. Further, the cyclist is required to view the mirror at a certain position in order for the rear view to be correctly reflected. Thus, the cyclist may be required to move to this particular position during cycling, which is undesirable. If the cyclist changes his riding position or another cyclist uses the bicycle then the mirror angle would need to be changed. An alternative approach is illustrated in US 3,594,069, which shows a motorcycle helmet with an integral rear view mirror that is positioned below the user's eyes and is spaced by sufficient distance to meet the required focal length, thereby to reduce eye- strain. The mirror is planar. However, the field of view in such a device is limited because the user is required to turn his head to alter the field of view to cover the areas behind and to each side of the user. When a user turns his head this can de-stabilise the user. More recent examples of rear view mirrors in US 5 076 701, US 4 934 806, US 4 651 357 and US 4 349 246 are directed to reflecting an image into only one of the user's eyes. Again the field of view is limited and a cyclist is still required to turn his head to achieve a field of view behind and to each side of the user. The present invention and its preferred embodiments seek to overcome or at least mitigate the problems of the prior art. According to one aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus for providing a rear view for a user comprising a mirror, a spacer element for spacing the mirror from a user's head and a connector for connecting the spacer element to the user's head. The mirror is so constructed and arranged to provide a field of view behind and/or to one side of the user. In a preferred embodiment, the mirror may be spaced from one of the user's eyes and is angled outwardly so that the user can view through each eye a different portion of said field of view. According to an optional feature of this aspect of the invention the mirror may comprise first and second adjacent mirror surfaces. The first and second mirror surfaces may diverge outwardly away from the user so that they are adapted to provide a field of view behind and to both sides of the user. According to another optional feature of this aspect of the invention, the second mirror surface is spaced from the other one of the user's eyes and is angled outwardly so that the user can view through each eye a different portion of said second field of view. Preferably, the first and, as the case may be the second mirror surfaces are angled from a notional plane parallel to the user's eyes in the range of 10 to 30 degrees. Optionally, the first mirror surface and/or the second mirror surface is inclined to the vertical plane. According to another aspect of the invention, the spacer element may space the mirror from the user's eyes by a distance in the range of 5cm to 13cm. Preferably, the spacing distance is 8cm. Optionally, the connector is a helmet and the visor is integral with the helmet. Alternatively, the connector is a helmet and the spacer element is detachably connected to the helmet. A second aspect of the invention provides a helmet incorporating a rear view apparatus for a user comprising a pair of adjacent mirrors diverging outwardly from the user and a spacer element for spacing the pair of mirrors from the user, wherein each mirror is spaced from the user's eyes the user can view through each eye a different portion of the field of view reflected through each mirror. According to an optional feature of either aspect of the invention, the spacer element may be provided by a visor extending forward from a position above the user's eyes. The mirror may be attached to the inner surface of the visor. Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE 1 illustrates a side elevation of a helmet incorporating rear view apparatus of one preferred embodiment of the invention; FIGURE 2 is an underside plan view of the preferred embodiment shown in FIGURE i; FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of showing the orientation of the mirror of the preferred embodiment with respect to the user; FIGURE 4 is a side elevation of the user and mirror of the rear view apparatus shown in FIGURE 3; FIGURE 5 is a perspective view from below and to one side of the preferred apparatus of the invention; FIGURE 6 is a plan view of a rear view apparatus according to a second embodiment of the invention; FIGURE 7 is a perspective view from below and to one side of the second embodiment shown in Figure 6; and FIGURE 8 is a top plan view showing the orientation of the mirrors of the second embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 7. Referring to the drawings and in particular Figures 1, 2 and 5, there is illustrated a rear view apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus 10 comprises a reflecting surface, for example a mirror 12, a spacer element 14 for spacing the mirror from a user's head U (Figure 3) and a connector 16 for connecting the spacer element 14 to the user's head. The mirror 12 is so constructed and arranged to provide a field of view behind and/or to one or both sides of the user. The mirror 12 is provided by one or more mirror surfaces. The embodiments described below show a mirror with a pair of mirror surfaces, although it is envisaged that only one mirror surface could be used. In the first embodiment, the mirror 12 is provided with first and second mirror surfaces 18, 20 that are positioned in front of, and preferably above, the user's eyes, in use. Each mirror surface is angled outwardly away from the user such that they are positioned in diverging planes. Figure 2 shows one example of the arrangement of mirror surfaces in which each surface is offset with respect to a notional plane X-X by an angle β. Preferably the angle β is in the range of 60 to 80 degrees. Optionally, the first mirror surface 18 is spaced from the second mirror surface in Figure 2 so that each mirror surface is placed in front of each one of the user's eyes. An important aspect to the effective operation of the invention in reflecting the desired view is the position of the mirror with respect to the user's eyes. This is achieved by using a spacer element 14 connected to the mirror to space the mirror by a suitable distance 'd', shown in Figure 3. The distance ' 'd' should be near enough so that the focal length of the user's eyes is beyond the position of the mirror and yet far enough for a reflection from the mirror to be viewed by both eyes. In other words, the distance between the user's eyes and the first and second mirror surfaces 16, 18 should be such as to enable the user to view different parts of the field of view through each eye. In this specification, the term 'focal length' refers to the distance of the mirror from the user's eyes so that the user can focus with both eyes on an image reflected by the mirror. Figure 3 illustrates this aspect in more detail. The left eye views the reflected portion A of the field of view and the right eye views a different reflected portion B of the field because the angle of incidence differs for each eye. Of course, in some embodiments portions A an B may partially overlap. Thus, an object appearing in the field of view will be viewed through the left or right eyes or both eyes if the object is particularly close. Similarly, in those embodiments with two mirror surfaces the user is able to view both sides and the rear, whereby the left eye can see those parts of the field of view designated A and A' in Figure 8 and the right eye can see those parts designated by B and B'. In this embodiment, the distance d is in the range of about 5 cm to 13 cm, but the preferred distance is about 8 cm, although other distances would be suitable without departing from the scope of invention. By adopting other distances or other positions, the field of view and/or the view of each eye can be altered according to user requirements. In this embodiment, the spacer element 14 is provided by a visor 22, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. It will be seen that the mirror 12 is preferably mounted to the inner surface of the visor 22. One advantage of this arrangement is that the prospect of direct sunlight being reflected into the user's eyes is reduced. A suitable connector 16, for example a helmet 24, is provided to connect the spacer element 14 to the user's head U. The visor 22 shown in Figure 1 is detachably connected to a helmet 24 by a suitable fastener, for example by a hook and barb fastener, glue or mechanical means, known in the art. In other embodiments, the visor 22 is fixedly mounted to the helmet 24 to provide an integral unit. It is envisaged that the invention can be supplied as an integral part of a helmet 24 or as a separate visor to be applied to a helmet on a retrofit basis. It is envisaged that the connector 16 could be provided by an elasticated band sized to fit around the user's head to retain the visor 22. In other embodiments, the visor 22 is connected to a motorcycle helmet. The spacer element 14 may further include one or more apertures or recessed portions 38 to improve the air-flow around the mirror surfaces, thereby to reduce the risk of condensation formation in certain conditions. For some applications, for example cycling, the mirror surfaces are inclined with respect to a notional vertical plane so that in use the mirror enables a user to see the desired view R (Figure 4) behind. In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the preferred angle of incline ø is about 10 degrees although the incline angle is not important as it depends upon the particular application. To assist with minor adjustment of the incline angle, the mirrors can be mounted to the visor by suitable pivot means, for example a ball and socket, or a cam arrangement, as is well known. The mirror surfaces may be convex if it is desired to broaden the field of view, although it is preferred to use a planar mirror because it provides a clear and undistorted reflection of the image behind or to one side of the user. The second embodiment illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 is similar to the first embodiment with like features designated by the same reference numerals but prefixed with the numeral T. Therefore only the differences will be described in any greater detail. It will be seen that the mirror surfaces 118 and 120 are arranged to intersect. Preferably, the point of intersection is in a central region, although it is envisaged that it could be positioned to one side if desired. Beneficially, this arrangement provides a continuous reflected view across the two mirror surfaces so the user's eyes are not required to re- focus when moving from one mirror surface to the other surface separated by part of the visor, as is the case with the first embodiment. In those embodiments that are required to provide a field of view directly behind the user, an additional mirror can be attached to the visor by a clip or a known fixing means. The additional mirror is positioned from the user's eyes to reflect the view directly behind. Of course in the embodiments illustrated in Figures 1 or 7, the user is merely required to move his head very slightly, to one side or the other, to see directly behind him. In trials, it has been found that the embodiments of the invention, shown in Figures 1 or 7, provide a rear view apparatus that is effective at allowing a user to view behind and to each side without any noticeable eyestrain. This is because the user can use the apparatus to detect the presence of a reflected image, say a vehicle, to serve as a warning signal, rather than necessarily determining precisely what the reflected image is (e.g. make of car). Furthermore the user is not required to turn his head to view objects behind, which leads to improved safety. In contrast with prior art systems that space the mirror by sufficient distance to view the same field through both eyes i.e. beyond the focal length of the eyes, the preferred embodiment of this invention has spaced the mirror from the eyes by a suitable distance so that each eye views a different portion of the field. Beneficially, this approach results in a broader field of view. It will, of course, be appreciated that the above description has been given by way of example only and that modifications in detail may be made within the scope of the present invention. While the embodiment of the present invention is generally described in relation to an apparatus and helmet, the arrangement and spacing of the or each mirror is universal in application. For example it can be applied to a visor, an eye shield, goggles, glasses or a face shield without departing from the scope of invention.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Apparatus for providing a rear view for a user comprising a mirror, a spacer element for spacing the mirror from the user's head and a connector for connecting the spacer element to the user's head wherein the mirror is so constructed and arranged to provide a field of view behind and/or to one side of the user characterised in that the mirror is spaced from one of the user's eyes such that the user can view through each eye a different portion of said field of view. 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mirror comprises first and second adjacent mirror surfaces, the first and second mirror surfaces diverge outwardly away from the user so that they are adapted to provide a field of view behind and to both sides of the user. 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the first and second mirrors are angled from a notional plane parallel to the user's eyes in the range of 10 to 30 degrees. 4. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 wherein the mirror is so positioned as to be inclined to a vertical plane. 5. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5 wherein the spacer element spaces the mirror from the user's eyes by a distance in the range of 5cm to 13cm. 6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the spacing distance is 8cm. 7. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6 wherein the spacer element is provided by a visor extending forward beyond and above the user's eyes. 8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the mirror is attached to the inner surface of the visor. 9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 or claim 8 wherein the connector is a helmet and the visor is integral with the helmet. 10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 or claim 8 wherein the connector is a helmet and the spacer element is detachably connected to the helmet. 11. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8 wherein the connector is a band to be attached to the user's head. 12. A helmet incorporating a rear view apparatus for a user comprising a pair of adjacent mirrors diverging outwardly away from the user and a spacer element for spacing the pair of mirrors from the user, characterised in that each mirror is spaced from the user's eyes so that the user can see through each eye a different portion of the field of view reflected through each mirror. 13. A helmet according to claim 12 wherein the spacer element is provided by a visor extending forward from a position above the user's eyes.

Inventors: WHITTINGDALE MICHAEL ROBIN, WHITTINGDALE, MICHAEL, ROBIN
Applicants: WHITTINGDALE MICHAEL ROBIN, WHITTINGDALE, MICHAEL, ROBIN
Application year: 2000
Main classification: A42B3
IPC codes: A42B3, G02C7