Patent Publication Number: US-2004052084-A1

Title: Car rearview mirror assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0002] The invention relates to a rearview mirror assembly for a car. More specifically, the invention relates to a rearview mirror assembly with a light-emitting element that aids a car driver to keep a safe distance from other cars, which prevents traffic accidents.  
       [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art  
       [0004]FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a conventional rearview mirror assembly. The rearview mirror assembly  1   a  has a casing  10   a  provided with an opening  11   a . The opening  11   a  receives a mirror  12   a  thereon. An adjustment portion  13   a  is arranged inside the casing  10   a  for adjusting the mirror  12   a . A connection element  14   a  corresponding to the adjustment portion  13   a  is attached to a rear surface of the mirror  12   a . The connection element  14   a  has a plurality of hooks  15   a  along a periphery thereof to respectively engage with a plurality of protrusions  16   a , so that the connection element  14   a  is connected to the adjustment portion  13   a  inside the casing  10   a.    
       [0005] In the above conventional rearview mirror assembly, a slot is formed on a side surface of the casing  10   a  for mounting a transparent lighting case  17   a . A lighting device and its circuit are mounted in the casing  10   a  to indicate in which direction the car is heading. However, it is not easy for the car driver to see other cars behind his/her car, especially in dark conditions. Therefore, traffic accidents may occur.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006] It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide a rearview mirror assembly with a light-emitting element that aids a car driver in keeping a safe distance from other cars, which prevents traffic accidents.  
       [0007] To accomplish the above and other objectives, a rearview mirror assembly for a car comprises a casing, a mirror, and a light-emitting element. The casing has an opening at one end thereof. The mirror engages with edges of the opening. The light-emitting element comprises a light-remitting body formed along a periphery of the mirror, and a transparent strip encapsulating the light-emitting body and the periphery of the mirror. By means of the light-emitting element of the rearview mirror assembly, a car driver is aided in evaluating the distance between his/her car and other cars by looking at the mirror. Traffic accidents are thereby prevented, and driving safety is improved.  
       [0008] To provide a further understanding of the invention, the following detailed description illustrates embodiments and examples of the invention, this detailed description being provided only for illustration of the invention. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0009] The drawings included herein provide a further understanding of the invention. A brief introduction of the drawings is as follows:  
     [0010]FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a conventional rearview mirror assembly;  
     [0011]FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a rearview mirror assembly according to one embodiment of the invention;  
     [0012]FIG. 3 is a partially exploded view of a rearview mirror assembly according to one embodiment of the invention;  
     [0013]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a rearview mirror assembly according to one embodiment of the invention;  
     [0014]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a light-emitting element of a rearview mirror assembly according to one embodiment of the invention; and  
     [0015]FIG. 6 is a schematic rear view of a car that is provided with a rearview mirror assembly according to an embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS  
     [0016] Wherever possible in the following description, like reference numerals will refer to like elements and parts unless otherwise illustrated.  
     [0017]FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a rearview mirror assembly according to one embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a partially exploded view of a rearview mirror assembly according to one embodiment of the invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a rearview mirror assembly according to one embodiment of the invention. The rearview mirror assembly  1  includes a casing  10 , a mirror  11  and a light-emitting element  12 .  
     [0018] The casing  10  includes an accommodating space therein for accommodating a light-emitting element and a circuit therefor (not shown). The light-emitting element and its circuit indicate in which direction the car is heading. A slot is formed on an external surface of the casing  10  for engaging a transparent case  100 . The casing  10  has an opening  101  at one end thereof.  
     [0019] The mirror  11  for reflecting situations behind or beside the car is engaged with edges of the opening  101 . A circular connection element  110  having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface is provided. The first surface of the circular connection element  110  is attached to a rear surface of the mirror  11 . A plurality of hooks  111  is formed along a periphery of the second surface of the circular connection element  110 . An adjustment portion  102  is arranged in the accommodating space inside the casing  10 . A plurality of protrusions  103 , respectively corresponding to the hooks  111 , are formed along a periphery of the adjustment portion  102  so that the hooks  111  respectively engage with the protrusions  103 . Thereby, the mirror  11  can be adjusted by operation of the adjustment portion  102 .  
     [0020] The light-emitting element  12  includes a light-emitting body  120  formed along a periphery of the mirror  11 , and a transparent strip  121  encapsulating the light-emitting body  120  and the periphery of the mirror  11 , as shown in FIG. 5. The light-emitting body  120  is, for example, a luminescent tube or a neon light. The circuit for the light-emitting body  120  is electrically connected to an electric system of the car. The rearview mirror of the invention is thereby accomplished.  
     [0021]FIG. 6 is a schematic rear view of a car that is provided with a rearview mirror assembly according to an embodiment of the invention. By means of the light-emitting element  12  of the rearview mirror assembly  1 , the driver is aided in evaluating the distance between his/her car and the neighbor cars by looking at the mirror  1 , especially in dark conditions. Therefore, traffic accidents are prevented and driving safety can be improved.  
     [0022] It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above description is only illustrative of specific embodiments and examples of the invention. The invention should therefore cover various modifications and variations made to the herein-described structure and operations of the invention, provided they fall within the scope of the invention as defined in the following appended claims.