Abstract:
An outside mirror system for a vehicle such as a car or truck comprising a mirror housing unit having a pair of reflective element rotatably mounted from a central point and rotatable between a position exposing a nighttime mirror and a position exposing a daytime mirror. The mirrors are attached in an I-beam configuration with a connecting beam provided between the two mirrors at a right angle.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to the field of vehicle accessories, and more particularly to a outside mirror system for day and night use. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,542,455; 3,836,235; 3,924,938; 4,031,772; and 4,371,235 the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse vehicle mirror systems. 
     While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical outside mirror for day and night vision. 
     As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need for a new and improved dual outside mirror system and the provision of such a construction is a stated objective of the present invention. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Briefly stated, the present invention provides an outside mirror system for a vehicle such as a car or truck comprising a mirror housing unit having a pair of reflective element rotatably mounted from a central point and rotatable between a position exposing a nighttime mirror and a position exposing a daytime mirror. The mirrors are attached in an I-beam configuration with a connecting beam provided between the two mirrors at a right angle. The outer half of the perimeter of the mirror housing carries a row of LED&#39;s that operate in conjunction with the vehicle turn signals. If desired, a sensor can be provided on the mirror housing and an electric motor provided so that day and nighttime conditions can be detected and the suitable mirrors automatically exposed. In another preferred embodiment a thermometer is provided on the exterior of the housing of the driver&#39;s side and a small video camera is provided on the passenger side mirror which provides a signal to a dash mounted monitor. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other attributes of the invention will become more clear upon a thorough study of the following description of the best mode for carrying out the invention, particularly when reviewed in conjunction with the drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a rear elevational view of a vehicle using the outside mirror system of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged front elevational view of the outside mirror system with the daytime mirror positioned in the housing to be viewed by the user; 
     FIG. 3 is a side elevational view thereof; 
     FIG. 4 is a front elevational view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the mirror system as it is being rotated from use with the daytime mirror to use with the nighttime mirror; 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevation view thereof; 
     FIG. 6 is a greatly enlarged side elevational view illustrating the motor driven electrical cam control; 
     FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the mirror control that is positioned within the passenger compartment of the vehicle; and 
     FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the slide switch assembly of the mirror central. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As can be seen by reference to the drawings, and in particularly to FIG. 1, the outside mirror system that forms the basis of the present invention is designated generally by the reference number  10 . 
     The mirror system  10  includes a housing  20  attached by an arm  22  to the exterior of the vehicle  1  with a control  50  mounted at a convenient location within the passenger compartment  3 , such as the dashboard. The housing  20  rotatably supports an I-beam bracket  22  that carries two mirrors  30 ,  40 . The bracket  22  rotates to allow one mirror  30  to be used for daytime driving, while the other mirror  40  is used for nighttime driving. 
     The bracket  22  is attached to a motor  23  that allows the assembly to rotate or “flip over” so that one mirror  30  is available for daytime driving, and the other mirror  40  is available for nighttime driving. The nighttime mirror  40  features a dark tinted coating to greatly reduce the intensity of reflected headlights from behind, preventing the driver from being blinded. A dashboard mounted control panel  50  allows left and right mirror systems  10  to be individually adjusted and selected for either daytime or nighttime use. The outer half of the perimeter of the housing  22  features a row of LED&#39;s  60  that operate in conjunction with the vehicle turn signals, to provide enhanced safety when making turns. As an option, the outside mirror system  10  could feature a sensor that would detect day or night conditions and automatically flip the system  10  to the applicable position. In addition, the driver&#39;s side mirror system  10  could incorporate a small corner mounted thermometer, and the passenger side mirror system  10  could feature a miniature video camera to provide a view of the vehicle&#39;s blind spot on a small dash-mounted monitor. 
     FIG. 6 illustrates a DC motor  23  driving an electrical control cam  24  that drives or rotates the system  10  from day to night mode. The drive motor  23  has a drive gear  25  on its shaft  27  that makes connection with a much larger driven gear  26  that attaches to the end of the shaft  27 . The motor  23  turns the shaft  27  and is controlled by the cam-controlled micro-switch  28 , which turns power to the drive motor  23  off whenever one of the two low spots on the cam  24  causes the micro-switch  28  to disconnect power from the drive motor. The indexing cam  24  is designed to always keep one of the two mirrors  30 ,  40  facing in the proper direction as described previously. 
     FIG. 7 shows the control  50  and FIG. 8 shows the switch  70  that lends itself to activate the left and right mirror systems  10  day over night positions. The lever portion  71  of the switch has a plastic knob  72 , a pivot point  73  and an insulator  74  that attaches the metal contact portion  75  of the switch to the lever  71 . The metal contact portion  75  of the lever  71  aligns itself over two switch contacts  76  in order to function as a switch. There are two sets of “fixed” contacts  76  that make face-to-face contact with the moving metal contact  75  attached to the end of the lever  71 , providing the necessary described functions of the mirror system  10 . 
     In use, the user, when driving in the dark, would simply flip the dash mounted switch  70  to “night” and enjoy the benefit of being able to drive without the annoying and dangerous glare from the headlights of cars behind blinding them as they drive. The tinted coating eliminates most of the glare, while still allowing the driver to clearly see the vehicles in the mirror. During daytime hours, the switch  70  is positioned in the “day” position, allowing maximum daytime rearview vision for the driver. The incorporated turn signals  60  blink with the vehicle&#39;s normal turn signals when making a turn, providing greater visibility of the driver&#39;s intention to the other vehicles on the road. Use of the mirror system  10  provides a very practical and easy to use method of solving he problem of being blinded by the lights of trailing vehicles while driving at night. 
     Although only an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the following claims.