Abstract:
An under view mirror apparatus includes a housing having an opening and a holding rib extending toward the opening and a frame fixed to the housing at the opening in the housing. The frame is provided with an opening and a projecting portion extending along the periphery of the opening in the frame. A holding clip extends from the frame. A mirror is mounted in the opening in the frame and is held against the projecting portion of the frame by the holding clip and the holding rib.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to a mirror apparatus, and more particularly to an under view mirror apparatus for a vehicle. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A conventional mirror apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 5-24603. This mirror apparatus comprises a housing having an exterior design portion, a frame fixed to the housing and provided with an opening, and a mirror disposed in the opening of the frame. In this conventional mirror apparatus, the mirror is supported between the edge of the opening and holding ribs formed in the housing. 
     The length of the ribs formed in the housing is restricted when the strength of the ribs is considered. Therefore the shape of the exterior design portion of the housing is restricted by the length of the holding ribs. This means that freedom with respect to exterior design is affected especially when the exterior design portion of the housing becomes a part of the exterior design portion of a deflector structure. 
     An under view mirror apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 6-72249. This under view mirror apparatus includes a deflector structure located at the rear of a vehicle, a mirror structure which can assume an unused state in which the mirror structure is retracted in the deflector structure and a used state in which the mirror structure sticks out of the deflector structure, and a sealing member disposed between the deflector structure and the mirror structure which touches the deflector structure and the mirror structure. 
     The mirror structure identified by a housing having an exterior design portion, a frame fixed to the housing and provided with an opening, and a mirror disposed in the opening of the frame. 
     The sealing member of this conventional under view mirror apparatus seals the space between the deflector structure and the mirror structure and defines the position of the mirror structure relative to the deflector structure. A flat attach portion is formed at the contact portion of the sealing member, with the contact portion touching the deflector structure and the mirror structure. The sealing member is attached along the edge of the mirror structure by the flat attach portion. 
     However, in this under view mirror apparatus, it is necessary to cut the sealing member into several segments in order to attach the sealing member along the edge of the mirror structure. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A need exists, therefore, for an under view mirror apparatus for a vehicle which addresses at least the forgoing drawbacks of the prior art. 
     According to one aspect of the present invention, an under view mirror apparatus includes a housing having an opening and a holding rib extending toward the opening, and a frame fixed to the opening of the housing. The frame has a projecting portion and a holding clip. A mirror is disposed in the frame and is held against the projecting portion of the frame by the holding clip and the holding rib. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, an under view mirror apparatus for a vehicle includes a housing member provided with an opening along one side and at least one holding rib that extends towards the opening in the housing member. The housing member also includes at least one holding clip and the periphery of the opening in the housing member is provided with a step portion. A mirror is mounted on the holding member and is held against the step portion of the housing member by the holding clip and the holding rib. 
     According to a still further aspect of the invention, an under view mirror apparatus for a vehicle includes a housing having provided with an opening, a frame fixed to the housing at the opening, a mirror mounted on the frame at an opening in the frame, and a seal member secured to either the frame or the housing. The seal member is disposed between the peripheral edge of the frame and the edge of the opening in the housing. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
     The foregoing and additional features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered with reference to the attached drawing figures in which like elements are designated by like reference numerals and wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rear of a vehicle illustrating the under view mirror apparatus according to the present invention in the retracted or non-use state; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rear of the vehicle illustrating the under view mirror apparatus of the present invention in the extended or use state; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line III--III in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line IV--IV in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the under view mirror apparatus according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a enlarged view of the position of the under view mirror apparatus identified by the detail VI in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 7 is a enlarged view of the position of the under view mirror apparatus identified by the detail VII in FIG. 5; and 
     FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line VIII--VIII in FIG. 7. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     As illustrated FIGS. 1 and 2, a deflector 2 is mounted on the rear portion of a vehicle, particularly the portion of the vehicle located above the rear windshield 1a. The deflector 2 controls the air stream generated by the movement of the vehicle 1 to decrease air resistance or to clean the rear windshield 1a by blowing wind on the rear windshield. A movable member 3 is movably supported on the deflector 2 by way of a conventional move mechanism 4 that is generally depicted in FIG. 2. With the help of the move mechanism 4, the movable member 3 moves between the non-use or stored state A shown in FIG. 1 in which the movable member 3 is retracted or stored in the deflector 2 in a retracted position and the use state B shown in FIG. 2 in which the movable member extends out from the deflector 2 in an extended position. 
     As illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the deflector 2 includes an attach side member 21 which is attached to the vehicle 1 and an exterior side member 22 which forms the externally appearing portion of the deflector 2. The attach side member 21 and the exterior side member 22 are bolted to each other so as to form a hollow interior. A concave portion or recess 23 is formed in the exterior portion 22a of the exterior side member 22 (i.e., the portion of the exterior side member 22 facing away from the vehicle). The movable member 3 is stored in the recess 23 when the movable member 3 is in the non-use state A. A flat portion 24 is formed along the topside and the opposite lateral sides of the concave portion or recess 23 and continuously extends from the concave portion 23 to the exterior design portion 22a. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1-5, the movable member 3 includes a mirror 31, a housing 32, and a frame 33. The housing 32 possesses a box-like shape to form an opening 32b. The housing 32 also includes an exterior design portion 32a that forms the exterior appearance portion of the housing 32 when the movable member is housed within the recess 23 in the deflector 2. As seen with reference to FIG. 4, the exterior design portion 32a of the housing 32 is generally aligned with the exterior design portion 22a of the exterior side member 22 of the deflector 2 when the movable member 3 is in the non-use state A. The housing 3 and the exterior side member 22 thus constitute the external appearance of the deflector 2 together as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. 
     The frame 33 is disposed to cover the opening 32b in the housing 32 and is bolted to the housing 32. An opening 33a is formed in the frame 33, and the mirror 31 is disposed in the frame 33 so as to cover the opening 33a in the frame 33. The housing 32 and the frame together define a housing member. The mirror 31 is supported within the frame 33 or the housing member in the manner described below in more detail. 
     As depicted in FIGS. 3 and 5, several holding ribs 34, that can be generally cylindrical in shape, are formed on the inside surface of the exterior design portion 32a of the housing 32. The holding ribs 34 protrude towards the opening 33a in the frame 33. Connected to and located inside the frame 33 are several generally L-shaped holding clips 35 that are disposed substantially in parallel with the opening 33a in the frame 33 as seen in FIG. 3. A radially inwardly directed step or projecting portion 36 is formed along the periphery of the opening 33a of the frame 33. 
     The mirror 31 is mounted in the frame 33 such that the peripheral edge of the mirror 31 is located on the step portion 36. The mirror 31 is held in place by the holding clips 35 and the holding ribs 34. In this regard, an elastic member or elastic members 37 are attached to the back surface of the mirror 31 so that the holding clips 35 and the holding ribs 34 bear against the elastic member(s) 37. With this construction, the mirror 32 is sandwiched between the frame 33 and the housing 32 along its peripheral edge. 
     With reference to FIGS. 3-5, an elastic sealing member 5 is disposed along the topside and the opposite lateral sides of the frame 33. The elastic member 5 is comprised of a contact portion 51 having a circular cross-sectional shape and an elongated generally flat attach portion 52 extending from the contact portion 51. The elongated attach portion 52 extends generally radially outwardly from the outer peripheral surface of the hollow contact portion 51. The contact portion 51 and the attach portion 52 are formed unitarily as a single one-piece body. 
     As seen in FIG. 6, a step portion 33b is formed along the topside and the opposite lateral sides of the frame 33 of the movable member 3. The attach portion 52 of the elastic member 5 is attached to the step portion 33b at the inside surface of the frame 33 that faces towards the interior of the housing and frame. The attach portion 52 of the elastic member 5 is preferably attached to the step portion 33b by being glued with an adhesive 6. 
     The attach portion 52 of the elastic member 5 is sandwiched between the edge surface of the frame 33 and the inside surface along the edge of the opening 32b of the housing 32. With the elastic member 5 attached along the edge of the movable member 3, the contact portion 51 is twisted so that the attach portion 52 may be sandwiched between the edge surface of the frame 33 and the inside surface along the edge of the opening 32b of the housing 32 at any portion of the edge of the movable member 3. 
     The contact portion 51 of the elastic member 5 touches or contacts the flat portion 24 of the deflector 2 as well as the edge of the movable member 3 and thus seals the space between the movable member 3 and the deflector 2 to provide a water tight fit between the movable member 3 and the deflector 2. The elastic member 5 also defines the stop position of the movable member 3 against deflector 2 so that when the movable member 3 is in the stored position A shown in FIG. 1, the exterior design portion 32a of the housing 32 of the movable member 3 and the exterior design portion 22a of the exterior side member 22 of the deflector 2 appear as a generally continuous surface (i.e., they are generally planar). In short, the elastic member 5 functions as both a seal and a stopper between the movable member 3 and the deflector 2. 
     As depicted in FIGS. 7 and 8, the contact portion 51 of the elastic member 5 possesses a hollow interior 53 and is provided with a stopper 54 positioned in the hollow interior to stuff up or close off the hollow interior 53 of the elastic member 53 at both ends of the contact portion 51 of the elastic member 5. The stopper 54 can be made of rigid material. The stopper 54 also serves to improve the stopper function of the elastic member 5 at specified locations of the stopper. That is the stopper 54 tends to make the ends of the contact portion 51 a bit more rigid (i.e., less resilient) than other portions of the contact portion 51 so that such portions of the contact portion 51 are better able to stop the movement of the movable member 3 as the movable member 3 moves to the unused or retracted state shown in FIG. 1. 
     Ventilators or vent spaces 54a are also formed in the stopper 54 to vent the hollow interior 53 of the contact portion 51 and thereby prevent the stopper 54 from being forced out of the hollow interior due to internal pressure in the hollow interior 53. It is possible to fix the stopper 54 within the hollow interior 53 of the contact portion 51 by an engagement means such as glue or the like. It is also possible to do away with the ventilators 54a and replace them with foam members having many small holes. 
     By virtue of the mirror assembly of the present invention, the shape of the exterior appearance portion of the housing is not restricted by the holding ribs. Additionally, the mirror assembly of the present invention is quite advantageous in that it does not require that the sealing member be cut up into several pieces. 
     The principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the present invention have been described in the foregoing specification. However, the invention which is intended to be protected is not to be construed as limited to the particular embodiments disclosed. Further, the embodiments described herein are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Variations and changes may be made by others, and equivalents employed, without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, it is expressly intended that all such variations, changes and equivalents which fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the claims, be embraced thereby.