Patent ID: 7374299

Claim:
A hinge actuator for a wing mirror unit, comprising: a base plate for mounting on a motor vehicle, the base plate including a base shaft having a mirror support that is pivotally arranged around the base shaft, the base plate and mirror support further including cooperating stops for defining a folded-out position of the mirror support relative to the base plate; an output part of a drive arranged on the mirror support; a coupling ring rotatably disposed circumferentially around the base shaft so as to be axially movable under a spring action; and a gear wheel affanged around the base shaft so as to be rotatable and axially movable under the spring action, the gear wheel cooperates with the output part of the drive on the mirror support, and further cooperates via coupling element with the coupling ring; wherein the coupling ring is a separate component from the base plate and the gear wheel, and the coupling ring is arranged so as to be rotatable with limited travel about the base of the shaft between a first angle α 1 , which corresponds to the folded-out position, and a second angle α 2 , and further wherein the coupling ring can cooperate with the mirror support via a first set of cooperating stops, and can cooperate with the base plate via a second set of cooperating stops, such that in the first angle α 1 of the coupling ring, the spring force is transmitted, through cooperation of the first set of stops, via the mirror support to the base plate, and that in the second angle α 2 of the coupling ring, the spring force, through cooperation of the second set of stops, while leaving the mirror support clear, is transmitted to the base plate.