Patent Publication Number: US-2017349101-A1

Title: Vehicle door mirror

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a vehicle door mirror in which a mirror housing is formed by joining a plurality of cover members, made of a resin, to each other. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     An arrangement in which a mirror housing is formed by joining a plurality of cover members to each other, and an upper cover and a lower cover, which are a pair of cover members among the plurality of cover members, are joined to each other by means of resilient engagement of an engagement claw is already known from Patent Document 1. 
     RELATED ART DOCUMENTS 
     Patent Documents 
     Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-182286 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Problems to be Solved by the Invention 
     However, in the arrangement disclosed in Patent Document 1 above, when the mirror housing is subjected to an external force or vibration, the engagement claw flexes in the engagement release direction, and there is a possibility that the resilient engagement will be released. 
     The present invention has been accomplished in light of such circumstances, and it is an object thereof to provide a vehicle door mirror that can prevent cover members forming a mirror housing from coming apart from each other due to an external force or vibration. 
     Means for Solving the Problems 
     In order to attain the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle door mirror in which a mirror housing is formed by joining a plurality of cover members, made of a resin, to each other, characterized in that an engagement projection is projectingly provided integrally with one of a pair of cover members among the plurality of cover members, the engagement projection projecting inward from an inner face of the one cover member and having a first engagement claw on an extremity part thereof and a second engagement claw disposed further toward the inner face side of the one cover member than the first engagement claw, and a first latching part and a second latching part are provided integrally with the other of the pair of cover members, the first engagement claw being resiliently engaged with the first latching part, and the second engagement claw being resiliently engaged with the second latching part. 
     Further, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the first aspect, the second engagement claw is disposed at a position offset from the first engagement claw in a direction orthogonal to a flexing direction of the engagement projection and a projecting direction of the engagement projection from the one cover member. 
     Moreover, according to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the first or second aspect, the second engagement claw is formed integrally with the engagement projection so as to be spaced from the inner face of the one cover member. 
     Effects of the Invention 
     In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, even when an external force or vibration causes the engagement projection to flex toward the side on which resilient engagement of the first engagement claw on the extremity part is released, since the amount of flexure on the base end part side of the engagement projection is smaller than the amount of flexure of the extremity part, it is possible to prevent the resilient engagement of the second engagement claw, which is closer to the base end part of the engagement projection than the first engagement claw, from being released, thereby preventing the cover members from coming apart from each other due to the external force or vibration. 
     Furthermore, in accordance with the second aspect of the present invention, since the second engagement claw is disposed at a position offset from the first engagement claw in the direction orthogonal to the flexing direction of the engagement projection and the projecting direction of the engagement projection from one cover member, it is possible to simplify the structure of the first and second latching parts, with which the first and second engagement claws are engaged, thereby simplifying the structure of a die for molding the other of the cover members. 
     Moreover, in accordance with the third aspect of the present invention, due to the second engagement claw being spaced from the inner face of one of the cover members, it is possible to prevent a sink mark from occurring on the outer surface of the one cover member due to the presence of the second engagement claw. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a vehicle door mirror at a raised position when viewed obliquely from the rear. (first embodiment) 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the vehicle door mirror at the raised position when viewed obliquely from the front. (first embodiment) 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of a lower cover and an upper cover. (first embodiment) 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing a state in which first and second engagement claws of the upper cover resiliently engage with first and second latching parts of the lower cover. (first embodiment) 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional view along line  5 - 5  in  FIG. 4 . (first embodiment) 
         FIG. 6  is a view of part of the upper cover from the direction of arrow  6  in  FIG. 5 . (first embodiment) 
     
    
    
     EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS AND SYMBOLS 
     
         
           11  Door mirror 
           12  Mirror housing 
           13  Housing main body, which is a cover member 
           14  Lower cover, which is a cover member 
           15  Upper cover, which is a cover member 
           34  Engagement projection 
           35  First engagement claw 
           36  Second engagement claw 
           37  First latching part 
           38  Second latching part 
           46  Flexing direction 
           47  Projecting direction 
       
    
     MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the present invention is explained below by reference to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 6 . 
     First Embodiment 
     First, in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , a mirror housing  12  of a door mirror  11  retractably supported on a side door on the passenger seat side of a four wheel passenger vehicle is formed by joining a plurality of cover members, made of a resin, to each other, and in this embodiment the mirror housing  12  is formed from a housing main body  13  as a first cover member having a mirror housing recess  17  in which a mirror  16  is housed, a lower cover  14  as a second cover member covering a lower part of the housing main body  13  from below, and an upper cover  15  as a third cover member covering the housing main body  13  from the opposite direction to the mirror  16 . 
     The housing main body  13  is supported on a base member  18  mounted on the side door, and a base cover  19  covering a lower part of the base member  18  is mounted on the lower part of the base member  18 . Moreover, the mirror housing  12  pivots between a raised position at which it projects sideways from the side door and a retracted position at which it is retracted to the side door side. 
     Mounted on the lower cover  14  is a vision assistance mirror  20 , the vision assistance mirror  20  facing forward when the mirror housing  12  is at the raised position. This vision assistance mirror  20  is for viewing the side of the vehicle in front of the side door on the passenger seat side, the driver being able to view the side of the vehicle in front of the side door on the passenger seat side by means of a mirror disposed in a front part within a vehicle compartment and the vision assistance mirror  20 . 
     Furthermore, provided in the upper cover  15  is an opening  21  that opens toward the side and the rear when the mirror housing  12  is at the raised position, a side turn lamp  22  facing the opening  21  being mounted on an inner face of the upper cover  15 . 
     In  FIG. 3 , projectingly provided integrally with an upper part of the lower cover  14  so as to overlap an inner face of a lower part of the upper cover  15  are first, second, third, fourth, and fifth positioning parts  24 ,  25 ,  26 ,  27 , and  28  spaced in sequence from the base member  18  side while each forming rectangular positioning holes  24   a ,  25   a ,  26   a ,  27   a , and  28   a . On the other hand, projectingly provided integrally with the inner face of the lower part of the upper cover  15  are first, second, third, and fourth positioning projections  29 ,  30 ,  31 , and  32  so as to be inserted into the positioning holes  24   a  to  27   a  of the first to fourth positioning parts  24  to  27 , and a fifth positioning projection (not illustrated) so as to be inserted into the positioning hole  28   a  of the fifth positioning part  28 . 
     Referring in addition to  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5 , a pair of cover members among the plurality of cover members forming the mirror housing  12  are joined to each other in accordance with the present invention, and in this embodiment among the housing main body  13 , the lower cover  14  and the upper cover  15 , which form the mirror housing  12 , the lower cover  14  and the upper cover  15  are joined in accordance with the present invention. 
     Projectingly provided integrally with the upper cover  15 , which is one of the lower cover  14  and the upper cover  15 , is an engagement projection  34  projecting inward from the inner face of the upper cover  15  so as to have a first engagement claw  35  on the extremity part thereof and a pair of second engagement claws  36  disposed further toward the inner face side of the upper cover  15  than the first engagement claw  35 , and provided integrally with the lower cover  14 , which is the other of the lower cover  14  and the upper cover  15 , are a first latching part  37  with which the first engagement claw  35  is resiliently engaged and a pair of second latching parts  38  with which the second engagement claws  36  are resiliently engaged. 
     Referring in addition to  FIG. 6 , the engagement projection  34  is formed into a trapezoidal shape in which its width narrows in going toward the extremity while it projects inward from the inner face of the lower part of the upper cover  15  so as to be disposed between the first and second positioning projections  29  and  30 , the first engagement claw  35  is formed so as to bend downward through right angles from the extremity of the engagement projection  34 , and the second engagement claws  36  are formed so as to project downward from opposite sides of the engagement projection  34  further toward the inner face side of the upper cover  15  than the first engagement claw  35 . 
     On the other hand, the first latching part  37  is projectingly provided integrally with an inner face of the upper part of the lower cover  14  while having a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape opening downward, and the first engagement claw  35  can resiliently engage with a projecting end of the first latching part  37 . The second latching parts  38  are projectingly provided integrally with the inner face of the upper part of the lower cover  14  so as to extend toward opposite sides from the base end part of the first latching part  37 . 
     The engagement projection  34  can flex in the vertical direction when it engages with the first latching part  37  and when the engagement with the first latching part  37  is released, and since the second engagement claws  36  are formed integrally with opposite sides of the engagement projection  34 , which has a trapezoidal shape whose width narrows in going toward the extremity, so as to be disposed further toward the inner face side of the upper cover  15  than the first engagement claw  35 , the second engagement claws  36  are disposed at a position offset from the first engagement claw  35  in a direction orthogonal to a flexing direction  46  of the engagement projection  34  and a projecting direction  47  of the engagement projection  34  from the upper cover  15 . 
     Moreover, the second engagement claw  36  is formed integrally with the engagement projection  34  so as to be spaced from the inner face of the upper cover  15 . 
     Referring again to  FIG. 3 , projectingly provided integrally with the inner face of the lower part of the upper cover  15  so as to project inward are a third engagement claw  39  disposed between the third positioning projection  31  and the fourth positioning projection  32 , and a fourth engagement claw  40  disposed at a position such that it sandwiches the fourth positioning projection  32  between itself and the third engagement claw  39 . 
     On the other hand, projectingly provided integrally with the inner face of the upper part of the lower cover  14  are a third latching part  41  having an engagement hole  42  with which the third engagement claw  39  is resilient engaged and a fourth latching part  43  having an engagement hole  44  with which the fourth engagement claw  40  is resilient engaged. 
     Peripheral edges of the lower cover  14  and the upper cover  15 , which are joined to each other, are resiliently engaged with the peripheral edge of the housing main body  13 , thereby forming the mirror housing  12 . 
     A door mirror of a side door on the driver&#39;s seat side is formed in basically the same way as for the door mirror  11  described above except that the vision assistance mirror  20  is not provided. 
     The operation of this embodiment is now explained. The engagement projection  34  projecting inward from the inner face of the upper cover  15  is projectingly provided integrally with the upper cover  15 , which is one of the lower cover  14  and the upper cover  15  among the housing main body  13 , the lower cover  14 , and the upper cover  15  forming the mirror housing  12 . The engagement projection  34  has the first engagement claw  35  on the extremity part thereof and the pair of second engagement claws  36  disposed further toward the inner face side of the upper cover  15  than the first engagement claw  35 . The first latching part  37 , with which the first engagement claw  35  is resiliently engaged, and the second latching parts  38 , with which the second engagement claws  36  are resiliently engaged, are provided integrally with the lower cover  14 , which is the other of the lower cover  14  and the upper cover  15 . Therefore, even if, due to an external force or vibration, the engagement projection  34  flexes toward the side on which resilient engagement of its extremity part with the first engagement claw  35  is released, as shown by the chain line in  FIG. 5 , since the amount of flexure on the base end part side of the engagement projection  34  is less than the amount of flexure of the extremity part, it is possible, by preventing the resilient engagement with the second latching part  38  of the second engagement claw  36 , which is closer to the base end part of the engagement projection  34  than the first engagement claw  35 , from being released, to prevent the lower cover  14  and the upper cover  15  from coming apart from each other due to external force or vibration. 
     Furthermore, since the second engagement claws  36  are disposed at positions that are offset from the first engagement claw  35  in the direction orthogonal to the flexing direction  46  of the engagement projection  34  and the projecting direction  47  of the engagement projection  34  from the upper cover  15 , it is possible to simplify the structure of the first and second latching parts  37  and  38 , with which the first and second engagement claws  35  and  36  are engaged, thereby simplifying the structure of a die for molding the lower cover  14 . 
     Moreover, since the second engagement claw  36  is formed integrally with the engagement projection  34  so as to be spaced from the inner face of the upper cover  15 , it is possible to prevent a sink mark from occurring on an outer surface of the upper cover  16  due to the presence of the second engagement claw  36 . 
     An embodiment of the present invention is explained above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and may be modified in a variety of ways as long as the modifications do not depart from the spirit and scope thereof. 
     For example, in the above embodiment a case in which the present invention is applied to a structure via which the lower cover  14  and the upper cover  15  are joined is explained, but the present invention may be applied to a structure via which the housing main body  13  and the lower cover  14  are joined or a structure via which the housing main body  13  and the upper cover  15  are joined.