Patent Description:
Automobiles utilize stand alone exterior rear view assemblies in form of rear view mirrors attached to the door of the vehicle to improve viewing of potential hazards. Government safety regulations require passenger cars to have an exterior and, thus, outside mirror of unit magnification. Currently, drivers cannot legally remove the doors of a vehicle and drive on government highways or roads without installing an aftermarket mirror or reconfiguring the supplied exterior mirror being a door mirror to a vehicle mounted location. Both the aftermarket and the reconfigured original vehicle mirrors take additional time for installation after removing the vehicle doors and involve basic mechanical knowledge to become compliant with government regulations. The aftermarket and the reconfigured original vehicle mirror only provides for a field of view and do not allow for additional functions to be included in the mirror assembly such as a light module for turn light, spot lights, blind spot monitor or other lighting/safety modules. These stand alone exterior mirrors also do not offer any integration with the vehicle styling which can give an unattractive appearance to the vehicle when mounted.

<CIT> teaches a mirror assembly for a vehicle body according to the preamble of claim <NUM>, having a body panel and a door panel terminating in juxtaposed upright edges, a mirror supporting arm, a clamping member secured to the inner end of the arm and having a clamping portion adapted to embrace one of said edges, said member having a tongue projecting beyond the clamping portion in substantially the plane of the member and adapted to overlie and engage the other of said edges when the door is closed.

<CIT> refers to a bracket mounted on the front fascia and the pillar of the passenger side of a vehicle, said bracket for attaching the passenger side mirror thereon in which the driver of the vehicle would look through the windshield to view the mirror, said bracket comprising: a main mirror support bracket portion including a distal end and a proximal end, said distal end further including an outer side and an upper side, an angled bracket portion including a first side and a second side, a stabilizing bracket portion including a back side and a front side, said proximal end attached to said first side, said second side attached to the front fascia, said back side attached to the pillar, and said front side attached to said outer side, whereby the passenger side mirror is attached to said upper side of said distal end.

<CIT> comprises an accessory adapter comprising a vehicle side, attachable to one or more hinges of a vehicle, and an accessory side, wherein the accessory side is configured to accept an accessory.

<CIT> teaches an outer mirror comprising a mirror base attached on a side of an automobile and extending outward from said side of said automobile, and a mirror housing suspended underneath said mirror base in which an antenna unit is installed.

<CIT> refers to an accessory mount for a vehicle comprising: one or more hard mounting points, a body mount portion configured to connect to the vehicle, a lateral support portion extending between and connecting the one or more hard mounting points and the body mount portion, and a pivot portion connected to an extending from the lateral support portion, the pivot portion being configured to connect to a moving member of the vehicle; wherein the one or more hard mounting points are configured to accept an accessory bracket and the accessory bracket is configured to accept one or more accessories.

There is a growing trend for drivers to utilize removable vehicle doors for off road usage for a unique driving experience. Drivers wish to be compliant with government regulations without the inconvenience of having to add or reconfigure an external mirror.

For the foregoing reasons, there is a need to have an exterior rear view assembly which would be operational when the exterior doors are removed and provide functional integration for the assembly. Thus, the removal of the vehicle door shall be enabled while maintaining the original supplied rear view device with all included functionality, eliminating the need for an aftermarket accessory to meet federal motor vehicle safety standards (like FMVSS).

Thus, it is the object of the present invention to further develop the known exterior rear view assembly to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art.

The object of the present invention is achieved by the features of the characterizing part of claim <NUM>. Claims <NUM> to <NUM> describe preferred exterior rear view assemblies of the invention.

Generally, the present disclosure provides an exterior rear view assembly having an integrated mounting attachment for the vehicle cowl. Moving the rearview device to an integration with the vehicle cowl allows removal of the vehicle door and, in addition, desired styling and/or vehicle theme. Further, the present disclosure exterior rear view mirror assembly may provide accessory mounting connector points.

In detail, the present disclosure provides an exterior rear view assembly for mounting to a vehicle with a cowl, comprising: a base assembly adapted for attachment to the vehicle independent of whether the vehicle is provided with a vehicle door, wherein the base assembly is adapted for attachment to the cowl; and a head assembly coupled to the base assembly. The base assembly comprises a base frame and a base cover, with the base frame comprising a base frame upper and a base frame lower. The base cover may comprise an upper cover and a lower cover.

The base frame upper is adapted for attachment to the cowl. The upper cover may be adapted for attachment to the cowl, in particular via at least on clip, snap and/or latch connection and/or an overlap joint.

The base frame upper is provided with a first end for attachment with the cowl and/or a support area, in particular in form of a shoulder, for a secondary mounting location of the cowl, and the base frame upper connects to the base frame lower by providing at least one mounting element with a corresponding geometry to an upper end of the base frame lower.

The base frame lower is provided for amounting the base frame upper, the head assembly, an accessory and/or a harness.

It is proposed that the accessory comprises a least one illumination device, at least one camera, at least one camera monitoring system, at least one sensor, at least one actuator, at least one heating system, at least one cooling system, at least one cleaning system for a camera and/or a windshield and/or an aftermarket accessory bracket.

In addition, it is proposed that the harness comprises at least one electrical cable to provide electrical power to one or more first modules, in particular comprising the accessory, a power-fold actuator, a telescoping actuator, a mirror adjustment actuator, an electrochromic mirror, and/or the harness comprises at least one fluid conduit for supplying a fluid to one or more second modules, in particular comprising the accessory, the at least one cooling system, the at least one cleaning system and/or the at least one cooling system.

Embodiments of the exterior rear view assembly can be further characterized in that the base frame comprises at least one connector point, preferably accessible through at least one aperture in the base frame cover, in particular the upper cover, and/or the cowl.

In this respect it is also proposed that the base frame upper provides the or each connector point, and/or the or each connector point is adapted for mounting an accessory.

Further exterior rear view assemblies according to the present disclosure may comprise a pivot joint between the base frame and the head assembly, and/or at least one mirror element provided by the head assembly.

The present disclosure also provides a vehicle with a cowl and at least one exterior rear view assembly of the present disclosure.

It is also disclosed that the cowl is assembled after the base frame upper is mounted to a base frame lower, and/or the cowl is a distinct part from the upper cover, or the cowl and the upper cover are combined to be a single integral part, and/or the cowl cooperates with the exterior rear view assembly to form a continuous cover appearance between the upper cover and the cowl.

Still further, it is proposed that the base frame lower is attached to an A-pillar, an A-pillar reinforcement, a cowl sheet metal upper, a cowl sheet metal lower and/or a hinge pillar.

A vehicle according to the present disclosure can be further described in that the upper cover and/or the cowl is/are adapted to mount at least one accessory, in particular by providing at least one aperture.

The vehicle of the present disclosure may further comprise at least one door, a hood and/or a side panel.

It should be noted that the features set out individually in the following description may be combined with each other in any technically advantageous manner and set out other forms of the present disclosure. The description further characterizes and specifies the present disclosure in particular in connection with the Figures.

As shown in <FIG>, an exterior rearview mirror assembly <NUM> is shown to be mounted on a vehicle <NUM> as a vehicle mirror assembly. The vehicle <NUM> includes an A-pillar <NUM>, a door <NUM>, a hood <NUM>, a cowl <NUM> and a side panel <NUM>. The exterior mirror assembly <NUM> shown by the dotted line includes a mirror head <NUM>, an upper cover <NUM> and a lower cover <NUM>. <FIG> illustrates an exploded view of the upper cover <NUM> and the cowl <NUM>. The upper cover <NUM> and the lower cover <NUM> act as the exterior covering for a base frame upper <NUM>.

The exterior mirror assembly <NUM> may provide at least one aperture <NUM> for access to a mounting point for various, not shown vehicle accessories such as a spotlight, position light, a camera, a camera monitoring system, at least one sensor such as radar, LIDAR or ultrasonic, a cleaning system for the camera, a windshield, or an aftermarket accessory bracket. The at least one aperture <NUM> may also be integrated into the cowl <NUM>. The at least one aperture <NUM> integrated in the cowl <NUM> may work independently or in cooperation with the at least one aperture <NUM> of the mirror assembly <NUM> to mount a vehicle accessory. It is within the scope of this disclosure to have a cowl mounted mirror assembly with no aperture <NUM> for exterior mounting of accessories. In <FIG>, the cowl <NUM> is a distinct part from the upper cover <NUM>. The cowl <NUM> in <FIG> is functionally attached to the upper cover <NUM>. In other variations, the cowl <NUM> and the upper cover <NUM> may be combined to be a single integral part and function within the scope of this disclosure.

A tool (not shown) can be inserted into the or each aperture <NUM> for dissembling for example the cover part <NUM> by detaching a clip, snap and/or latch connection. The tool can also be used to attach, tighten, release, untighten and the like of any accessory. For that purpose, the tool may be in form of a screw driver, a battery drill or the like.

A base frame upper <NUM> is provided with at least one mounting connector point <NUM> which is accessible through the at least one apertures <NUM>, see <FIG>. The lower cover <NUM> is attached to base frame upper <NUM> by the use of known fastener systems such as clips or screws when attaching the lower cover <NUM> to the base frame upper <NUM>. The upper cover <NUM> attaches to the lower cover <NUM> with at least one clip <NUM>. Known fastener systems in the art could also replace the at least one clip <NUM> in attaching the upper cover <NUM> to the lower cover <NUM>. The upper cover <NUM> may also be fastened to the base frame upper <NUM> to provide additional restraint for the upper cover <NUM>.

The lower cover <NUM> and the upper cover <NUM> may be made of a suitable polymer such as ABS plastic. The upper and lower covers <NUM>, <NUM> cooperate to form a class A surface enclosing the base frame upper <NUM> when assembled. The upper and lower covers <NUM>, <NUM> and the mirror head <NUM> may also be coated with a protective layer and/or a decorative layer such as chrome or paint.

The functional attachment of the cowl <NUM> to the upper cover <NUM> in line with <FIG> may be a structural connection such as a clip or just an overlap joint between the cowl <NUM> and the upper cover <NUM>. In one form, the cowl <NUM> engages with a base frame upper first end <NUM>, as best seen in <FIG>) This engagement may be a structural attachment for mounting the cowl <NUM> such as a clip, or other fastener system known to one skilled in the art. The cowl <NUM> may also include a secondary mounting location to the base frame upper first end (not shown). The base frame upper <NUM> may also provide a support area to the cowl <NUM> such as a shoulder area to improve stability, reduce vibration, and assist assembly for the cowl <NUM> when the cowl <NUM> is assembled. In the form of <FIG>, the cowl <NUM> is assembled after the base frame upper <NUM> is mounted to a base frame lower <NUM>. The cowl <NUM> cooperates with the mirror assembly <NUM> to form a continuous cover appearance between the upper cover <NUM> and the cowl <NUM>.

In detail, <FIG> illustrates an isometric, exploded view of a mounting of the cowl mounted exterior mirror. The base frame lower <NUM> is provided for mounting the base frame upper <NUM> and the mirror assembly <NUM>. The base frame lower <NUM> is configured for engage the base frame upper <NUM>. The base frame lower <NUM> may also be configured to mount the cowl <NUM> and any accessories such as a camera, spotlight or tie down straps. The base frame upper <NUM> connects to an upper end <NUM> of the base frame lower <NUM>. The base frame upper <NUM> contains a mounting element <NUM> with a corresponding geometry to the upper end <NUM> of the base frame lower. In this form, a corresponding geometry of the mounting element <NUM> couples with a geometry at the upper end <NUM> of the base frame lower. Known fasteners by one skilled in the art such as screws, clips or bolts may be used attach the base frame upper <NUM> to the base frame lower <NUM>. In another form, the coupling between the base frame upper <NUM> and the base frame lower <NUM> could be a locking configuration between the matching geometries of the base frame lower <NUM> and the base frame upper <NUM>.

A wiring harness <NUM> is routed through the base frame upper <NUM> to the mirror head <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. The wiring harness <NUM> provides electrical power for the mirror assembly <NUM>. The mirror assembly <NUM> may include modules requiring electrical power such as a camera, a sensor, a power-fold actuator, a telescoping actuator, a mirror adjustment actuator, at least one illumination device <NUM> shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, a blind spot indicator, an electrochromic mirror assembly, and/or a heating and/or cooling system for the camera and/or mirror. The wiring harness <NUM> may also include a conduit for supplying a fluid to the mirror assembly <NUM> for cleaning of a camera or at least one mirror element <NUM> as indicated in <FIG>.

<FIG> and <FIG> illustrate one example of the mounting of the base frame lower <NUM> to the A-pillar <NUM>, and the base frame lower <NUM> may also be mounted to a hinge pillar <NUM> in line with <FIG> and to a cowl sheet metal <NUM> in line with <FIG>. The mounting of the base frame lower <NUM> to any combination of the A-pillar, hinge pillar, and cowl sheet metal lies within the scope of this disclosure. The base frame upper <NUM> and the base frame lower <NUM> could also be combined into a single base frame or provide rotational capability between the base frame upper <NUM> and the base frame lower <NUM> for mounting the mirror assembly <NUM>.

The mirror assembly <NUM> includes the at least one illumination device <NUM> shown in <FIG> and <FIG>. The at least one illumination device <NUM> could be an external light module, an internal light module, a front light, a back light, a fog light, a brake light, an acceleration light, a turn signal, a logo lamp, a front area illumination light, a ground illumination light, a puddle light, a flash light, a navigation light, a position light, an emergency light, a spotlight, a green light, a red light, a warning light, a turn signal light module, an approach light, a search light, an information light, a display and/or any combination thereof. The at least one illumination device <NUM> can be a combination of the functions above in a single device or may be multiple illumination devices having their own function. The at least one illumination device <NUM> is shown on the mirror head <NUM> in <FIG> and <FIG>. The at least one illumination device <NUM> may be located in any area of the mirror assembly <NUM> such as incorporated in a bezel <NUM> shown in <FIG>, integrated in the base frame upper <NUM>, the upper cover <NUM>, the lower cover <NUM> without departing from the scope of this disclosure. The at least one illumination device <NUM> may also be integrated in the mirror head <NUM> for use behind the at least one mirror element <NUM> shown in <FIG> as a warning indicator or to be displayed through a coating such as a partially transparent chromium or chromium based coating. An example of a partially transparent chromium based coating for polymeric substrates such as the mirror head <NUM> is described in <CIT> for COATED POLYMERIC SUBSTRATES and in <CIT> for DECORATIVE COATINGS FOR PLASTIC SUBSTRATES, which are all hereby incorporated herein by reference.

The mirror head <NUM> has a rotational attachment at a pivot joint <NUM> with the base frame upper <NUM> and lower cover <NUM>, see <FIG>. This rotational attachment allows the mirror head <NUM> to rotate in relation to the vehicle <NUM> and to the cowl <NUM> with at least one defined pivot position. The rotation of the mirror head <NUM> about the pivot joint <NUM> may be achieved manually or with the use of a power-fold actuator (not shown). One example of a rear view element folding device for a motor vehicle for approaching at least one pivot position of an element housing relative to an element foot that can be mounted on the motor vehicle, and for locking or unlocking at least one resting position of the element housing relative to the element foot as well as a method for triggering such a rear view element folding device are disclosed in <CIT> for REAR VIEW ELEMENT FOLDING DEVICE and <CIT> for RÜCKBLICKELEMENT-KLAPPVORRICHTUNG, both claiming priority to <CIT>, which are all hereby incorporated herein by reference.

<FIG> illustrates a top view of the exterior mirror assembly <NUM>. The at least one connector point <NUM> is shown in the base frame upper <NUM>. The or rather each connector point <NUM> can be used for mounting integral original manufacturer supplied accessories or aftermarket accessories to the base frame upper <NUM>. The connector point <NUM> is accessible through the at least one aperture <NUM> in the upper cover <NUM> and the cowl <NUM>. The at least one mirror element <NUM> may include a secondary reflective surface known as a spotter mirror (not shown). The spotter mirror consists of an integrated spherical convex blind zone mirror inset within a larger planar mirror. The at least one mirror element <NUM> may also be or comprise a camera viewing assembly for capturing and displaying images to a driver. The at least one mirror element <NUM> may also be an electrochromic mirror. The electrochromic mirror may be controlled by glare sensors in the mirror or elsewhere on the vehicle. The electrochromic mirror may operate in tandem with other electrochromic mirrors in the vehicle or independently.

In <FIG>, the mounting of the base frame lower <NUM> is further illustrated. The base frame lower <NUM> is attached to an A-pillar reinforcement <NUM>. In this form, the mounted bracket is also fastened to the A-pillar <NUM>, a cowl sheet metal upper <NUM>, a cowl sheet metal lower <NUM>, and the hinge pillar <NUM>. The base frame lower <NUM> is attached to the vehicle independent of the door <NUM>. This allows for the vehicle door <NUM> to be removed while the mirror assembly <NUM> remains attached to the vehicle.

The advantages of the rear view assembly of the present disclosure in particular are as follows:.

Claim 1:
An exterior rear view assembly for mounting to a vehicle (<NUM>) with a cowl (<NUM>), comprising:
a base assembly adapted for attachment to the vehicle (<NUM>) independent of whether the vehicle (<NUM>) is provided with a vehicle door (<NUM>), wherein the base assembly is adapted for attachment to the cowl (<NUM>); and
a head assembly (<NUM>) coupled to the base assembly,
wherein
the base assembly comprises a base frame (<NUM>, <NUM>) and a base cover (<NUM>, <NUM>),
characterized in that
the base frame comprises a base frame upper (<NUM>) mountable to a base frame lower (<NUM>),
wherein
the base frame upper (<NUM>) connects to the base frame lower (<NUM>) by providing at least one mounting element (<NUM>) with a corresponding geometry to an upper end (<NUM>) of the base frame lower (<NUM>),
the base frame upper (<NUM>) is provided with a first end (<NUM>) for attachment to the cowl (<NUM>) and/or a support area for a secondary mounting location of the cowl (<NUM>), and
the base frame lower (<NUM>) is provided for mounting the base frame upper (<NUM>) and
the head assembly (<NUM>), and at least one accessory and/or a harness (<NUM>).