Abstract:
A mirror mounting assembly for mounting a mirror on a vehicle bulkhead. The assembly includes a generally Z-shaped mirror mounting bracket configured for attachment to a structural portion of the vehicle inside an engine bay of the vehicle, and a support member connected to the mounting bracket. The mounting bracket includes a first flange and a second flange extending laterally in opposite directions from opposed edges of a connecting web. The first flange has two through-holes sized and positioned for connection to the structural portion inside engine bay by existing body panel mounting screws. The second flange and the connecting web are sized and configured so that the second flange extends out of the engine bay upon installation of the bracket. The support member carries a pivot element sized and configured to pivotally support a first support arm assembly for a rear view mirror unit and a second support arm assembly for a cross view mirror unit.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/737,238, filed Dec. 15, 2003 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,055,973 in the name of Benjamin Englander and entitled MIRROR MOUNTING ASSEMBLY, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a mounting assembly for mounting a mirror to a motor vehicle, and more particularly, in one aspect, to a low-vibration mounting assembly for both a rear view and separate cross-view mirror. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Side view mirrors which are used on buses and trucks are well known in the art as evidenced by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,395,883, 4,368,868, 4,500,063, 4,512,634, 5,106,049 and 5,316,257, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. 
     Particularly in the case of school busses, it is desirable for mirrors to be mounted so that the driver can see both in front of the vehicle, as well as toward the rear of the vehicle. This enables the driver to see and avoid injuring children passing in front of, or otherwise located in front of, the bus. Mirrors which provide such a front view, usually referred to as cross view mirrors, typically include elliptical convex reflective surfaces, and are typically disposed forward of a front-most portion of a bus. Mirrors which enable the driver to see to the rear, along the sides of the vehicle are known as side view mirrors, or sometimes as rear view mirrors. 
     Separate side view and cross view mirror assemblies can be provided, or, as in assignee&#39;s U.S. Pat. No. 6,398,375 can be provided in a single assembly. There are known advantages and disadvantages to both approaches. For example, in the case of the combined structure, the mirror assembly must be mounted as far forward on the vehicle as possible, as well as laterally projecting from the vehicle. This type of mounting of course requires elongated mounting arms which are often prone to vibration. Furthermore, in the prior art mirrors, the mounting arms are generally fixed to the body panels of the vehicle which also vibrate during operation of the vehicle and thus leads to an even greater vibration of the mirror. 
     Providing separate side view and cross view mirrors allows the rear view mirror assembly to be mounted more rearwardly using shorter arms and thus alleviates the vibration problem for the side view mirror to some degree. However, the second mounting assembly for the cross view mirror can still be subject to vibration for the reasons stated above. Also, two separate mounting assemblies are required. 
     The mirror mounting assembly are generally screwed or bolted to the vehicle body through holes in the body panels. These holes, especially those made in the fender of the vehicle in the vicinity of the wheel well, expose the bare metal of the body panel to moisture which leads to rust and corrosion developing in the area of the mounting hole. Due to the relatively thin metal used in constructing motor vehicles, in a very short period of time the area around the mounting hole becomes rusted and is no longer structurally sound and thus is no longer able to adequately hold the mounting assembly. This results in having to either repair the body panel and remount the mounting assembly or move the mounting assembly to another location which entails drilling new holes in the body panel. This in turn leaves the body panel in the area of the previously-drilled holes to further deteriorate. 
     Detachable mirrors are also known, as evidenced by U.S. Pat. No. 3,395,883. This mounting utilizes a clamp that engages around the lip of the wheel well of the vehicle and feet that contact the inner face of the fender edge forming the engine compartment. The feet are held in place by tension generated by a rubber element that extends between the feet at the engine compartment and the clamp at the wheel well. The problem with this type of device is that it is easily removed and is thus subject to theft. Furthermore, since the mounting arms are mounted to the body panel there is also the problem of vibrations being amplified by the mounting arms. 
     Thus, there is clearly still a need for a mounting assembly, particularly for separately mounted rear and cross view mirrors, which alleviates the vibration and mounting problems associated with the prior art devices. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved mounting assembly wherein a single mirror mount assembly is particularly useful for mounting thereon and firmly holding both the rear and cross view mirrors which alleviates the vibration and mounting problems associated with the prior art devices. 
     Pursuant to this object and others which will become apparent hereafter, one implementation of the present invention provides a mirror mounting bracket in which the mounting bracket has at least two arms that are mounted directly to the vehicle bulkhead. This mounting of the bracket arms to the bulkhead avoids the vibrations created in the body panel. The mounting bracket also does not require any holes to be drilled in the exterior of the body panel. These two arms of the bracket are configured at one end to be mountable at the engine bay at, preferably, the same points at which the fender is fastened to the vehicle bulkhead or frame. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a single mounting assembly to which the support arms for both a rear view and a separate cross view mirror can be attached, or which can be used to support a combined rear view and cross view mirror assembly. The mounting assembly includes a single mounting plate which is screwed or bolted to the engine compartment bulkhead or frame using the same mounting points used to secure the fender to the frame. The mounting plate may be substantially Z-shaped, and formed of a central connecting web portion and first and second legs or flanges extending laterally in opposite directions from opposite ends of the central portion. The first flange is designed to be mounted to the bulkhead, and is long enough to extend over two existing mounting holes of the bulkhead, used, for example, to secure a fender or similar body part. The second flange is substantially shorter. The connecting central web portion has a width that decreases from the wide leg to the narrow leg. When installed, the narrow second leg of the bracket extends from the engine compartment, and is attached to an external support member for pivotally supporting mounting arms for the two mirror assemblies. The external support member is substantially in the shape of an inverted L and is shaped to follow the contour of the vehicle fender so that it rests against the fender or other adjacent body panel. To avoid scratching the vehicle fender, a padding material may be provided between the support member and the fender. 
     A vertical pivot pin attached to the support member provides a common mounting point for the rear view and cross view mirror mounting arms, but can also serve as the mounting point for an arm assembly for a combined cross view and rear view mirror unit. 
     In either case, the pivot pin is anchored to the vehicle frame, and not to the sheet metal vehicle body, so the mirrors are less subject to vibration than in conventional installations. Also, the mounting bracket can be located such that the mirror arms can be shorter than in conventional installations, and do not have to project outwardly as far as in such installations, the are less prone to vibration for these reasons as well. 
     For a more complete understanding of the vehicle mounting assembly of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings in which the presently preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. That the invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, it is expressly understood that the drawings are for purposes of illustration and description only, and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. Throughout the following description and drawings, identical reference numbers refer to the same component throughout the several views. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the mirror mounting assembly of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a view showing the fastening of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  to the engine bay bulkhead; 
         FIG. 3  shows a second embodiment of the mirror mounting assembly of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  shows the embodiment of  FIG. 2  fastened to the engine bay bulkhead; 
         FIG. 5  shows a clip mounted to the wheel well lip; 
         FIG. 6  shows a bracket mounted in the wheel well; 
         FIG. 7  shows a third embodiment of the mirror mounting assembly used to support a combined rear view and cross view mirror assembly; 
         FIG. 8  shows the embodiment of  FIG. 7  mounted to the engine bay bulkhead; 
         FIG. 9  shows a third embodiment of the mirror mounting assembly used to support separate rear view and cross view mirror assemblies as mounted on a vehicle; and 
         FIG. 10  shows the embodiment of  FIG. 9  off the vehicle. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , a first embodiment of the inventive mirror mounting assembly has a mirror element  1  mounted to one end of a main support member  2 . In this embodiment, the main support member  2  has a substantially L-shape. The mirror  1  is attached to the free end of the long leg of the L-shaped support member  2 . The end of the short leg of the support member  2  is attachable to the vehicle. This end of the support member  2  can be attached either directly to the vehicle panel as shown in  FIG. 1 , or can be clipped around the edge of the wheel well by a bracket or clip  3  attached to the end of the support member  2  (see  FIG. 5 ). A support arm  4  extends between the free end of the long leg of the L-shaped support member  2  and the end of the short leg of the L-shaped support member  2 . The support arm  4  can be attached to the support member  2  in any one of a variety of ways, including clamping  5  or welding. Two additional support arms  6   a ,  6   b  extend from the short leg of the L-shaped support member in a region of the angled portion  7  of the support member  2  connecting the legs. The additional support arms  6   a ,  6   b  have a first end that is connected to the support member  2  by, for example, clamps. The second end of the support arms  6   a ,  6   b  is attached to a bracket  8  that is configured to be mounted to the bulkhead or frame of the vehicle in the vicinity of the engine compartment. This mounting can be better seen in  FIG. 2 . 
     The brackets  8  are folded members having a central portion  8   a  and two end flanges  8   b ,  8   c  which extend laterally from the central portion  8   a  in opposite directions. The end flange  8   b  is connectable to the bulkhead or frame, preferably by the same bolt which mounts the fender body panel to the frame. The angle between the flange  8   b  and the main portion  8   a  of the bracket is such that the main portion  8   a  follows the surface of the fender forming the perimeter of the engine compartment. The central portion  8   a  of the bracket has a thickness so as to permit the vehicle hood to open and close without interference. The other flange  8   c  of the bracket provides a mounting point for the support arm  6   a ,  6   b.    
     In order to further stabilize the mirror, a further support arm  9  has one end connected to the bracket  8   a  on which the support arm  6   b  is mounted. The other end of the support arm  9  is connected to the end of the long leg of the L-shaped support member  2 . 
     The unique construction of the brackets and support arms allows the mounting assembly to be fixed to the bulkhead of the vehicle thereby reducing vibration of the mirror. 
     The end of the short leg of the support member  2  can be mounted to the body panel of the vehicle by a conventional bracket as shown in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 5  illustrates the clip  3  which permits the support member  2  to be mounted to the wheel well thereby avoiding the necessity for drilling holes in the exterior of the body side panel. An alternative mounting is shown in  FIG. 6 . In this embodiment, a bracket  10  is mounted to the inside of the wheel well and preferably is connected through the wheel well to the bulkhead. The bracket  10  follows the contour of the wheel well so as to avoid interference with the wheel  12  of the vehicle and projects from the wheel well to a position where is it connected to the support member  2 . 
     This embodiment completely avoids the necessity of drilling holes in the exterior body panel and therefore avoids the problems encountered and presented by such holes. 
     The end of the support member  2  to which the mirror element  1  is mounted is curved upwardly and has a through hole for mounting the mirror element  1  in a conventional manner which allows pivoting the mirror element  1 . 
       FIG. 3  shows and alternative embodiment of the invention in which the mirror element  1  is mounted to one end of a main support member  2 ′. The main support member  2 ′ is bent at an angle also as to form two legs. The mirror element  1  is mounted to one of the legs while the other of the legs is mounted at its free end to a bracket  8 ′ which is connectable to the bulkhead of the vehicle in the engine compartment as discussed above in connection with the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . A further support arm  10  extends between another bracket  8 ′ connected to the bulkhead and a region of the main support member  2 ′ near the bend therein. 
     A support arm  11   a  has one end connected to the main support member  2 ′ at a position between the end of the support member  2 ′ connected to the bracket  8 ′ and the angled region of the support member  2 ′. The second end of the support arm  11   a  is connectable to the vehicle in a manner similar to the short leg of the support member  2  discussed above in connection with the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . In other words, the second end of the support arm can be attached either by a conventional bracket or by the brackets as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . Yet another support arm  11   b  has one end attached to the support member  2 ′ adjacent the mirror element  1 , and another end that is attachable to the vehicle in a manner similar to the support arm  11   a.    
       FIG. 4  shows the mounting brackets  8 ′. In this embodiment, the flanges of the bracket are not at a 90° angle to the main portion of the bracket. The angle is selected so as to correspond to the side wall of the engine compartment opening so as to permit opening and closing of the vehicle hood. 
       FIG. 7  shows another embodiment of the invention in which the mirror element  1  is mounted to one end of a main support member  2 ″. The main support member  2 ″ is bent at an angle so as to form two legs. The mirror element  1  is mounted to one of the legs while the other of the legs is mounted at its free end to a support member  11 . The support member  11  is configured on an inner side to substantially conform to the shape of the vehicle fender. Essentially, the support member  11  is L-shaped, with a short leg of the L resting on the top of the fender adjacent the engine compartment opening, and the longer leg extending downwardly along the fender of the vehicle. As shown in  FIG. 8 , the short leg of the support member  11  is attached to a mounting bracket  8 ″ that differs from the brackets  8  and  8  ′ in that the flange of the bracket  8 ″ which is mounted to the bulkhead or frame is of a width sufficient to be connected to the bulkhead by two bolts. The other flange of the bracket  8 ″ which projects laterally from the engine compartment is smaller than the flange mounted to the bulkhead. The web connecting the two flanges is tapered from one flange to the other. The support member  11  is anchored to the smaller flange of the bracket  8 ″. This can be accomplished in a number of ways, including by screws  20  as illustrated in  FIG. 8 , or by gluing, snap fitting, or by integrally connecting with each other, etc. The wide dimension of the bracket flange mounted to the bulkhead provides stability for the mirror in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The main support member  2 ″ is connected to the support member  11  by a pin  13  so that the mirror and the support member can pivot about a vertical axis. A further support arm  12  is connected between the pin  13  and the leg of the support member  2 ″ to which the mirror is connected. The arm  12  provides lateral stability to the mirror. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the support member  11  has its upper distal end  11   a  positioned adjacent the location on the vehicle where the fender meets the hood, with the web of the bracket extending vertically in the space between the fender and the hood. The two flanges and the web can, however, be of the same size, which is similar to the width of the support member  11 . The support member  11  is connected to the fender panel by screws in a conventional manner. 
     In order to prevent scratching of the fender, it is possible to provide a barrier member such as a rubber or fabric layer between the support member  11  and the vehicle fender. The barrier member can be mounted to the surface of the support member  11  facing the fender. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates use of the mounting assembly of  FIGS. 7 and 8  to separately mount a rear view mirror unit  22  and a cross view mirror unit  24  at a common pivot  26  which is essentially the same as pivot  13  in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . Here, the mounting arm for rear view mirror unit  22  may be the same as in  FIG. 7 , with a main support member  28 , and a second support  30  which provides lateral stability. Additional rigidity can be provided by a connecting strut  32  between support members  28  and  30 . 
     The support assembly  34  for cross view mirror unit  24  includes a main support arm  36  and a second stabilizing arm  38  respectively attached to the lower and upper ends of pivot pin  26 . Additional stability can be provided by a further support member  40  connecting the outer end of main support  36  to the body of the bus, and/or by a connecting strut  42  as illustrated in  FIG. 10 . To provide additional rigidity, the lower end of support member  11  can be secured to the fender panel, as by screws  44  ( FIG. 9 ). In  FIG. 10 , note the support- 11 , the web  16 , the flange  14  and the upper portion  18  of the L-shaped support  11 . 
     While the mirror mounting assembly has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the disclosure herein. It is intended that the meets and bounds of the invention be determined by the appended claims rather than by the language of the above specification, and that all such alternatives, modifications and variations which form a function or co-jointly or cooperative equivalent are intended to be included within he spirit and scope of these claims.