GB2402663A

GB2402663A - Wing mirror reflectors

Info

Publication number: GB2402663A
Application number: GB0320989A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Turner
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-06-11
Filing date: 2003-09-09
Publication date: 2004-12-15
Also published as: GB0313476D0; GB0320989D0

Abstract

A wing mirror unit 10 for a motor vehicle 11, including a forward facing light reflector 12 in an outer region of the unit 10, which reflects light from the headlights of an oncoming vehicle to the driver of that oncoming vehicle. The unit may be further provided with a corresponding rearward facing reflector 15 that is adapted to reflect light from the headlights of an overtaking or following vehicle to the driver of that vehicle. Each reflector is arranged adjacent the outermost edge 13 of the wing mirror unit 10 when mounted on a motor vehicle 11, and the forward facing light reflector 12 and/or the rearward facing reflector 15 may be elongate in shape. The reflectors 12,15 may be adapted to move relative to the unit 10 such that they remain at approximately the same distance from the side of the vehicle 11 when the wing mirror unit 10 is pivoted against the vehicle 11.

Description

À À . . À . À À À À À À À a À À À À - _ a ees *e À À a À À À À

.. 2402663 Wing Mirror Reflectors The present invention relates to light reflectors in vehicle wing mirrors and in particular to such reflectors adapted to reflect light from oncoming vehicles...DTD: When driving vehicles in low light conditions such as at night or in bad weather conditions it is essential to use headlights both to light the way and identify the presence of the vehicle to other drivers. However, to the drivers of other vehicles, especially those in oncoming or overtaking vehicles, such lights can make it hard to judge the edge of that vehicle thus making close manoeuvring dangerous. This is especially so on dark or unlit roads, where no other mechanism (e.g. cat's eyes or lane markers) can help to guide the motorists. When passing oncoming vehicles in such conditions one must repeatedly stare at their lights to judge where to pass them, and this can also cause eye strain, disorientation and distraction which are dangerous.

The present invention aims to provide a simple and cheap solution to this problem and to provide a mechanism by which the lateral edges of a vehicle can be more clearly defined in low light conditions to increase the safety of passing during head on and optionally overtaking manoeuvres.

Therefore according the present invention there is provided a wing mirror unit for a motor vehicle, said unit including a forward facing light reflector in an outer region of the unit, said reflector being adapted to reflect light from the headlights of an oncoming vehicle to the driver of that oncoming vehicle.

À À À ÀÀ ce À À e À À , À À À À À À À À - - ece ce c À . . À À À . ee. e Àe e e The term "outer region" when referring to the wing mirror unit indicates that part opposite to the side attached to the vehicle. This region extends from approximately the middle of the unit to the outermost edge.

The term wing mirror as used herein encompasses a mirror that extends from the side of a vehicle, usually to provide rear view to the driver. It may be situated at any appropriate location such as the door from the front wing or bonnet of the vehicle.

The problem of identifying the edge of a vehicle without excessive eyestrain is particularly acute in oncoming vehicles due to the brightness of headlights, but it is also advantageous to identify the extremity of the vehicle to overtaking vehicles. Therefore it is preferred that the wing mirror unit is further provided with a corresponding rearward facing reflector that is adapted to reflect light from the headlights of an overtaking or following vehicle to the driver of that overtaking or following vehicle.

The reflectors should indicate the extremity of the vehicle, and it is therefore preferred that the or each reflector is arranged adjacent to the outermost edge of the wing mirror unit when mounted on a motor vehicle.

The reflectors may take a variety of convenient shapes, but in order that they may be easily distinguished it is preferred that the forward facing light reflector and/or the rearward facing reflector have a distinctive shape.

Preferably they are elongate in shape, possibly formed as the arc of a circle.

It is preferred that the forward facing light reflector is white in colour, i.e. that it reflects all light incident thereon. As in normal use the light reflected would originate from vehicle headlights, which are white, the reflection would also be in white. The rearward facing reflector could preferably be red in À a ee.

as e À À ÀÀ À _,) _ a a À ea À À a À a À Àe À Àe colour, i.e. be adapted to only reflect red light, and absorb any other colours incident thereon. This would correspond to the rear lights of the vehicle.

The present invention can be manufactured as wing mirror units on new vehicles, but is also adapted for retro-fitment to existing vehicles.

Therefore according to the present invention there is also provided a wing mirror attachment for connection to an existing wing mirror of a motor vehicle, which attachment comprises a forward facing light reflector adapted to reflect light from the headlights of an oncoming vehicle, and connection means for holding the attachment onto an outer region of the existing wing mirror.

As with the built in version, the wing mirror attachment may preferably be further provided with a corresponding rearward facing reflector that is adapted to reflect light from the headlights of an overtaking or following vehicle. Furthermore the forward facing light reflector and/or the rearward facing reflector may be elongate in shape, for example formed as the arc of a circle. Additionally the forward facing light reflector may be white in colour and the rearward facing reflector if present may be red in colour.

It is not necessary to provide reflectors according to the present invention on both sides of a vehicle. The reflector need only be provided on the offside as this is the part that would be closest to a vehicle passing in the opposite direction or an overtaking vehicle. However, it is preferred if the reflectors are provided on both sides.

The present invention will also serve to better mark parked or stationary vehicles such that the common problem of wing mirror clipping by passing vehicles is reduced. The passive reflectors will be illuminated by À c # e , # 4 c À 1 C À passing cars, whereas others may not, such that better separation by the passing car from the parked or stationary one can be maintained.

Many cars have wing mirrors that fold automatically or manually inwards when the car is parked. This would tend to remove one of the benefits of the present invention because when a car is parked, passing cars would not be able to see the reflector. Therefore the reflectors may be adapted such that they may remain extended when the wing mirror with which they are associated is folded. This may be achieved in a number of ways i which could include providing the reflector(s) on the free end of an arm, the other end of which is pivotally connected to the wing mirror. In this way the reflector may remain extended even when the wing mirror is folded back, but can lie in its normal position when the vehicle is driving. The positioning of the reflector(s) may be either automatic (i.e. movement of the wing mirror either leaves the reflector in place or causes it to pivot away therefrom) or manual (i.e. the reflector must be moved by hand either before or after folding of the wing mirror) and may be independent of or linked to the movement of the wing mirror. This means that whilst folded the wing mirror itself will be better protected, but that passing cars will still be able to judge better the edge of the parked car by means of the reflector.

The reflectors used in the present invention may take any suitable; form. The optimum type and position of the reflectors can be determined dependent on the type of vehicle to which they are fitted. More than one reflector may be provided in a forward or rearward facing attitude. Indeed, multiple reflectors can be used to create the impression of a single device.

À . À . À . . - 5 c In order that it may be better understood, but by way of example only, two embodiments of the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is front view of an embodiment of wing mirror unit; Figure 2 is a rear view of the wing mirror unit of Figure 1; ; Figure 3 is a plan view of two approaching cars fitted with a slightly different second embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a third embodiment of the present invention showing the front view of a wing mirror unit with a retrofitted wing mirror attachment according to the present invention; Figure 5 is an underside view of the embodiment of Figure 4; Figure 6 shows a front view of a different fourth embodiment of the retro fitted wing mirror attachment; and Figure 7 is an underside view of the wing mirror attachment of Figure 6; i Figure 8 shows a front view of a different fifth embodiment of the retro fitted wing mirror attachment; and Figure 9 is an underside view of the wing mirror attachment of Figure 8.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown a wing mirror unit generally indicated 10 which is attached to a vehicle (only part of which is shown numbered 11). It is common practice in cars for such units to be attached to (or adjacent) the front passenger and driver's doors such that it is visible by the driver. A crescent-shaped front reflector 12 is provided in the forward facing surface of the unit 10 and is position adjacent the outermost edge 13. As seen in Figure 2, the rearward facing part of the unit 10 is provided with a mirror 14 which is used in the normal way. Further, a 2:: . : :: - 6 e.: .. . rearward facing crescent-shaped rear reflector 15 is provided between the outermost edge of the mirror 14 and the outer edge 13 of the unit 10.

The forward facing reflector 12 is adapted to reflect white light, and therefore the light from the headlights of oncoming vehicles will reflect from the front reflector 12 back towards the driver of that oncoming vehicle. As such, the front reflector 12 will provide a bright indication of the extremity of the vehicle such that the driver of the oncoming vehicle has a clear indication of the edge thereof. The front reflector 12 is adapted to reflect white light, or in effect reflect all light incident thereon which as it is to reflect headlights would generally speaking be white as this is the colour of the majority of headlights used. However, the colour is not necessarily important as long as it is clearly visible and distinguishable from the headlights.

The rear reflector 15 is adapted to reflect the light from the headlights of a car (or cars) that are overtaking or following. Consequently, in this embodiment it is adapted to reflect only red light to give the appearance of a red colour to the driver of the vehicle behind as this in accordance with current regulations. Obviously the colour may be different without departing from the scope of the invention.

Clearly the front and rearward facing reflectors can be adapted to reflect light within a suitable range for their particular adaptation. For example, the forward facing reflector may be adapted to reflect light incident upon it from any position perpendicular to the direction of travel of the car to a point well past the direction of travel. Similarly, the rearward facing reflector may be adapted to reflect any light incident upon it in an arc from perpendicular to the direction of travel of the car around to the opposed side. À *

e a À aÀ 7 aa À ÀÀ / a a a c. I a À À a a Be, Àe À ce a The vertical range should be sufficient to accommodate normal height variation between headlights and driver eye levels in most, if not all, vehicles.

The embodiment shown herein comprises a wing mirror unit in which the front and rear reflectors are incorporated during manufacture. This is obviously appropriate for wing mirror units constructed for new vehicles, however the invention is equally applicable to retro-fitting in existing vehicles.

Such a retro-fitted unit could be provided with either simply the forward facing reflector or both the forward and rearward facing reflectors. It would require attachment means for connection to an existing wing mirror and this might take any suitable form, for example adhesive, mechanical fixtures, straps and the like.

Figure 3 shows a diagrammatic plan view of two cars 20, 21 approaching each other along a road 22 (which may or may not be provided with road markings). Each car has head lights 23 which project their beams forward in appropriate arcs. The cars each have an embodiment of wing mirror unit 25 according to the present invention fitted, said units having forward facing reflectors 26. As the cars approach each other the light from the headlights 23 of the first car 20 will be incident on at least the offside reflector 26 of the second car 21. The incident light will be reflected back to the eye of the driver of the first car 20 such that the reflector 26 appears illuminated. The path of this incident light is indicted by arrow 27. The same process happens with light from the second car's 21 headlights 23 which reflect of the offside reflector 26 of the first car 20. The path of this incident light is indicated by arrow 28.

e À eee.

À e r' c e e e - O À ace ce c e e e ee e e Figures 4 and 5 show how a third embodiment of the present invention, which comprises a retro-fitted reflective unit 30 that can be attached to an existing wing mirror unit 31. It is common to modern wing mirrors that they can be folded towards the car when stopped to protect them from impact I damage. This folding can occur automatically when the engine is turned off, or at the driver's discretion, and it can be manual or mechanically powered.

The wing mirror unit 31 is hingedly attached to the car body 33 and can move between a folded position and a use position. The reflective unit 30 is attached to the forward face of the wing mirror and it consists of a reflector 34, an arm 35 and a base 36. The reflector is attached to the arm 35 and the arm may or may not also be reflective. The arm 35 is pivotally attached to the base 36 by hinge means 37. The base 36 of the reflective unit is attached to the wing mirror unit 31 by suitable attachment means, which in the embodiment could be an adhesive, though obviously might take any suitable form, for example mechanical fixtures, straps and the like.

There may be a necessity for the wing mirrors to be folded inwardly, for instance to avoid impact damage if the car is being parked on a narrow road.

The first two embodiments of the present invention would, when the mirror unit is thus folded not be in a suitable position, to reflect headlights such that it would prevent them having a beneficial effect when not driving. To counter this, the reflector in the third embodiment of the present invention is adapted to remain perpendicular to the car body when the mirror to which it is attached is folded. In this way it remains visible to passing cars. Of course the reflective attachment is still at risk of being struck by a passing car. To counter this problem, the present invention may have built-in shock-absorbing e ece e. e e e e e n e e e e e;:7 e e e ese e I e e e e À e ee. e ee e e means 39 which would allow the arm to absorb the force of an impact by a passing vehicle. This shock-absorbing means may take the form of a spring or some other resiliently flexible material that would return the arm to its previous position once the force dissipates. I In normal operation, when the wing mirror unit 31 is perpendicular to the car body 33, the reflective unit 30 will lie adjacent (essentially parallel) to the front face of the wing mirror, and the reflector 34 will face forwards such that it is visible from in front of the car. Obviously a rear reflector can also be provided on the reverse face of the device from the reflector 34, and to ensure it remains visible from behind the car, the arm 35 is long enough to ensure it extends beyond the outer edge of the wing mirror unit 31 In some modern cars, when the engines are switched off, the wing mirrors 31 automatically fold back toward the driver and lie flat against the body of the car 33. Alternatively the driver will selectively fold back the wing mirror 31, either by hand or using a powered mechanism. It is a preferred feature of this invention that the reflective unit 30 can remain independently folded out so it is still perpendicular to the car body. This will ensure that the advantage of the present invention on parked cars is not removed by folding the wing mirrors to protect them.

By means of the hinge 37 the arm 35, which is normally held in place I by a simple catch 40, may be rotated 90 until the reflector unit 30 remains perpendicular to the car body even when the wing mirror is folded against the car as shown in Fig 5. If said reflector and/or arm were to be struck by a passing vehicle the impact would be absorbed by the shock absorbing means 39, and the unit would then spring back into place. Alternatively even if 1 À À ^ e e IN e ea. I a c e e. e damaged the cost of replacing the reflector unit is far less than replacing the entire wing mirror.

Figures 6 and 7 show a fourth embodiment of the present invention that is a different retro-fitted reflector unit to that described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. In this embodiment a generally curved arm 44 is connected to the bottom of the wing mirror unit 41 by means of a rotating base 43. The rotating base permits rotation of the arm through approximately 90 between the normal driving position shown in Fig 6 and the parked position in Figure 7.

The arm 44 has been designed so that it can extend around the outer rim of most wing mirrors, but clearly specific designs for different makes of car can also be manufactured. Attached to this arm is a reflector 45, which faces forward, and a rear-facing reflector may be provided on the opposed side of the arm.

When the wing mirror is folded in, the arm 44 can be rotated on the base 43 by 90 so that the reflective unit is again perpendicular to the car body. Shock absorbing means may be built into either the arm or base such that should the reflector be struck by a passing vehicle, the force will be dissipated.

Figures 8 and 9 show a fifth embodiment of the present invention which iS a different reflector unit to that described with reference to Figures 4 and 5, and 6 and 7 this embodiment is intended for new construction rather than retro-fitment, but offers the same advantages as the previous embodiments.

In this embodiment a generally curved arm 47 is connected to the car body beneath the wing mirror unit 46 by means 48 that could be mechanical or otherwise. The arm 47 has been designed so that it can extend snugly À À e cee e e ee.e e e À e e e - I I _ e a.e e e e e e À around the outer rim of the wing mirror with which it is associated. Clearly specific designs for different shapes of mirror can also be provided. Attached to this arm is a reflector 50, which faces forward, and a rear-facing reflector may be provided on the opposed side of the arm.

Figure 9 shows the relative position of the arm 47 when the wing mirror 46 is folded down but the arm is still extended. It also shows the position of the mirror folded out for normal use (as indicated by dotted line 49). As with previous embodiments, shock absorbing means may be built into the arm.

It may also be necessary to provide an embodiment of the invention for wing mirrors which are taller than they are wide, for instance on a lorry. In this case the attachment may be hingedly attached to the wing mirror such that it will rotate outwards on a vertical plane so that it is perpendicular to the mirror when it is folded against the lorry. This ensures that a sufficient extension from the vehicle is maintained, despite the relatively narrow mirror. i When the present invention is incorporated into a newly constructed wing mirror unit the reflector can be adapted to remain extended even if the i mirror is folded. This can clearly be achieved in a variety of ways without departing from the scope of the present invention. À

Claims

À À À À À À A e À 6 À À À 1' Claims 1. A wing mirror unit for a motor

vehicle, said unit including a forward facing light reflector in an outer region of the unit, said reflector being adapted to reflect light from the headlights of an oncoming vehicle to the driver of that oncoming vehicle.
2. A wing mirror unit as claimed in claim 1, which is further provided with a corresponding rearward facing reflector that is adapted to reflect light from the headlights of an overtaking or following vehicle to the driver of that overtaking or following vehicle.
3. A wing mirror unit as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the or each reflector is arranged adjacent the outermost edge of the wing mirror unit when mounted on a motor vehicle.
4. A wing mirror unit as claimed in any other preceding claims in which i the forward facing light reflector and/or the rearward facing reflector are elongate in shape. i
5. A wing mirror unit as claimed in claim 4, wherein the or each reflector is formed as the arc of a circle.
6. A wing mirror unit as claimed in as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the forward facing light reflector is white in colour and the rearward facing reflector if present is red in colour.
7. A wing mirror unit as claimed in as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the unit is adapted to pivot to a position against the motor vehicle and wherein the reflector is adapted to move relative to the remaining À c. e. À c

. .. . - 1 À À ea. À c e À À C À part of the unit such that it remains at approximately the same distance from the side of the vehicle when the wing mirror unit is pivoted against the vehicle.
8. A wing mirror attachment for connection to the existing wing mirror of a motor vehicle, which attachment comprises a forward facing light reflector I adapted to reflect light from the headlights of an oncoming vehicle, and connection means for holding the attachment onto an outer region of the existing wing mirror. I
9. A wing mirror attachment as claimed in claim 8, which is further provided with a corresponding rearward facing reflector that is adapted to reflect light from the headlights of an overtaking or following vehicle.
10. A wing mirror attachment as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9, in which the I forward facing light reflector and/or the rearward facing reflector are elongate in shape.
11. A wing mirror attachment as claimed in claim 10, wherein the or each reflector are formed as the arc of a circle.
12. A wing mirror attachment as claimed in as claimed in any of claims 8 to 11 which is adapted for connection to a wing mirror that pivots to a position I against the motor vehicle to which it is attached, the attachment being further provided with means to permit the reflector to move relative to the wing mirror unit such that it remains at approximately the same distance from the side of I the vehicle when the wing mirror unit is pivoted against the vehicle I
13. A wing mirror attachment as claimed in claim 12 wherein the connection means include a pivoting arm one end of which is attached to the I or each reflector and the other end of which is hingedly attached to the wing mirror.

À c e À À À A . . - 1 - e À Àe e. À
14. A wing mirror attachment as claimed in any of claims 8 to 13 wherein! the forward facing light reflector is white in colour and the rearward facing reflector if present is red in colour. '
15. A wing mirror unit as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as herein I described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
16. A wing mirror attachment as claimed in claim 8 and substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying I drawings.