AU7096598A

AU7096598A - A rearview mirror shielding device

Info

Publication number: AU7096598A
Application number: AU70965/98A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Hian Seng Pang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-04-15
Filing date: 1998-04-14
Publication date: 1998-11-11
Also published as: NO994979L; CA2287480A1; WO1998046452A1; EP0975489A1; CN1252763A; NO994979D0; KR20010006383A; ZA983155B; SG60055A1; JP2001520598A

Description

WO 98/46452 PCT/SG98/00027 -1 A REARVIEW MIRROR SHIELDING DEVICE FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to shielding devices for external rearview mirrors mounted on vehicles. The shielding device of this invention is suitable for use 5 with rearview mirrors for various vehicles including cars, buses, trucks and boats. Although the invention will be described with reference to its particular application on a motor vehicle and more particularly a motor car it should be appreciated that it is applicable to any vehicle having an external rearview mirror positioned adjacent a window. 10 BACKGROUND ART During inclement weather it is often very difficult for the driver of a vehicle such as a motor car to have a clear view of the externally mounted rearvision 15 mirror. This is a consequence of the water or even snow that will necessarily accumulate on the outer surface of the vehicle window and upon the surface of the mirror itself. Dust can also accumulate on these surfaces especially if the surfaces are damp due to light rain or dew. These environmental contaminants can degrade the driver's vision of the image provided by the mirror to such an extent that the 20 mirror is of little or no value. External rearview mirrors are, of course, very important to the safe operation of the vehicle especially when changing lanes, reversing and parking the vehicle. Prior art attempts at overcoming this problem have been directed to providing 25 shrouds to protect the surface of the mirror and/or arrangements to direct an air flow onto the mirror surface. Whilst these approaches provide some improvement they do not address the problem of environmental contamination by rain or snow of the outside surface of the mirror through which the driver must view the mirror surface. 30 WO 98/46452 PCT/SG98/00027 -2 DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide a shielding device for an external rearview mirror which will overcome, or at least ameliorate, the foregoing 5 problem. Accordingly, in one aspect this invention provides a shielding device for a vehicle external rearview mirror mounted adjacent a side window of the vehicle, said device comprising a substantially transparent housing mounted to sealingly 10 enclose the mirror surface and abut a portion of the surface of said window so as to provide a substantially unobstructed view of the mirror surface from within the vehicle, said housing including a rear surface protected from the accumulation of environmental contaminants to provide a substantially unobstructed field of view to the rear of the vehicle from the mirror surface. 15 Preferably, an outer side surface of the housing is at least partially protected from the accumulation of environmental contaminants to provide a wider unobstructed field of view to the rear and side of the vehicle from the mirror surface. 20 The housing preferably includes an opening provided with a surrounding seal which abuts against the surface of the vehicle window to facilitate the unobstructed view of the mirror surface from within the vehicle. The seal is preferably able to allow the window to be moved in the usual manner without allowing environmental 25 contaminants to enter the housing. Preferably, the rear surface of the housing is arcuate in cross section with a concave surface presented rearwardly. It is also preferred that the rear surface is surrounded by the housing extending past the rear surface. In one form of the 30 invention the respective top, sides and bottom of the housing extend past the rear WO 98/46452 PCT/SG98/00027 -3 surface. The housing is preferably held in close abutment with the vehicle window by means of a projection which extends between the vehicle window and the door 5 panel. In the preferred form of the invention this projection can be selectively moved into and out of engagement. Preferably, the sides of the housing are angled inwardly from the top to the bottom of the housing. Preferably, a front surface of housing is convexly curved 10 to present an aerodynamic profile and the top of the housing is, in use, sloped downwardly toward the front surface to enhance aerodynamic properties of the housing. Preferably, the curved front surface presents a concave inner profile for accommodating therein at least a portion of the mirror. 15 Preferably a rib protrusion extends along the top of the housing, adjacent the outer side surface of the housing, remote from the vehicle window, to inhibit water or snow run-off from the tope flowing down the side of the housing. The housing is preferably hingedly mounted to a mounting portion 20 appropriately fixed to the vehicle. The remainder of the housing is able to be moved by virtue of its hinged mounting to expose the rearview mirror for cleaning and adjustment. The protection of the outer side surface from the accumulation of 25 environmental contaminants is preferably achieved by means of a forwardly located protuberance which shields the surface from the air flow. Alternatively, or additionally, the protection is facilitated by means of the abovedescribed protrusion along the top of the side of the housing or by virtue of the convexly curved front surface in combination with the angled sides of the housing. 30 WO 98/46452 PCT/SG98/00027 -4 The shielding device of this invention can be in the form of an after-market accessory for retrofitting to existing vehicles. Alternatively, it can be purpose manufactured for new vehicles in which case the rearview mirror would preferably form part of the structure of the housing. 5 One embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 10 Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a shielding device according to the invention; Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the shielding device in an open condition; 15 Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of the invention; Figure 4 is a partial plan view of the housing shown in Figure 3; and Figure 5 is a partial side view of the housing shown in Figure 3. 20 BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The drawings show a shielding device 10 for a vehicle external rearview mirror 11 mounted adjacent a side window (not shown) of a vehicle. The device comprises a generally rectangular transparent housing 12 which sealingly encloses 25 the surface 13 of mirror 11. A mounting plate or side wall 14 is secured to the vehicle by means of screws 15 extending into an appropriate part of the vehicle trim (not shown). The mounting plate extends along the window and includes a rectangular opening 16 defined by a surrounding rectangular portion 17. A seal (not shown) is provided between the rectangular portion 17 and the surface of the 30 vehicle window so as to prevent the ingress of any environmental contaminants.

WO 98/46452 PCT/SG98/00027 -5 The seal is of a suitably soft and resilient material such as silicon rubber that will conform to the shape of the gap and provide a substantially moisture impervious seal. It will be apparent that a seal of this type allows the window to be wound up and down in the usual manner. The lower edge of rectangular portion 17 rests 5 against a ledge provided adjacent the vehicle window. The housing 12 is hingedly connected to mounting plate 14 by hinge 18 respectively secured to the plate 14 and housing 12. This hinge may be optional, if the user does not require the device or housing to be moved forward. The housing 12 comprises an upper surface 19 a lower surface 20 connected by a rear surface 21, outer side wall 22 10 a front wall 23, an outer side protruding portion 24 and a side wall extension 25. When the device 10 is in the use position shown in Figure 1 the housing 12 and mounting plate 14 sealingly enclose the mirror surface 13. The top sheet 19 and bottom sheet 20 extend past the rear surface 21 so as to enclose that surface. The bottom sheet 20 does not extend as far rearwardly as the top sheet 19. Similarly, 15 the outer side wall 22 extends past the rear surface 21 and has an inturned edge 26. A locking tab 27 is used to retain the housing 12 in the use position by engaging a crack (not shown) between the vehicle window and the door panel. Therefore, it can also be made at half the thickness of the side wall 14 for easy insertion or otherwise it will need to bend to the proper shape for inserting into the crack. For 20 the same function, it 27 can be replaced by some clips also. The hinged connection of the housing 12 with plate 14 allows the housing to be swung forward in the manner shown in Figure 2 to allow access to the mirror 11 for cleaning and adjustment. 25 Protruding portion 24 of housing 12 is provided to fit around mirror 11 and also provide protection of outer side wall 22 from to the air flow generated as a consequence of the movement of the vehicle. 30 In use, the protected position of arcuate rear surface 21 prevents the WO 98/46452 PCT/SG98/00027 -6 accumulation of environmental contaminants such as dust, water or even snow from adhering to the rear surface. The rectangular opening 16 provides a substantially unobstructed view of the mirror surface 13 from within the vehicle. Since the rear surface 21 is not obstructed, a substantially unobstructed field of 5 view to the rear of the vehicle is observed from within the vehicle. The protruding portion 24 of the housing 12 also prevents the accumulation of environmental contaminants along the outer side wall 22 and side wall extension 25. This provides a substantially unobstructed field of view from the mirror to the side of the vehicle. 10 It will accordingly be apparent that the shielding device of this invention allows a driver to see to the rear and the side of the vehicle in an improved manner even during quite inclement weather. The sealed nature of the device prevents contamination of the mirror surface or of the portion of the window through which 15 the mirror surface is viewed whilst the exterior design of the device prevents the accumulation of contaminants on surfaces providing at least some field of view to the rear and side of the vehicle. A further embodiment which is more aerodynamic and streamlined is shown 20 in Figures 3 to 5. This is generally similar to that shown in Figures 1 and 2 and like reference numerals are used to denote like parts. A significant difference, however, is that protrubrance 25 is dispensed with and in its place the front wall 23 is instead formed in a convexly curved configuration, as shown clearly in Figure 4. The side walls are also angled inwardly from the top sheet 19 to the 25 bottom sheet 20. Angling the outer side wall provides protection from rain and the like to maximise visibility through the housing whilst the inner wall is angled to match the angle of the car window, which is usually at about 200 or more with respect to the vertical. A rib protrusion 22A extends along the outer edge of the tope sheet 19, adjacent the outer side wall to further protect the side wall from 30 snow or rain run-off from the top sheet. To further assist the aerodynamic WO 98/46452 PCT/SG98/00027 -7 properties of the housing, and facilitate water and snow run-off, the top of the housing is sloped downwardly toward the front wall 23, as illustrated in Figure 5, while the rear end thereof tapers inwardly. 5 The front wall 23 preferably has a concave inner profile shaped to accommodate at least a portion of the mirror 11 to provide a seal therearound. The wall may, therefore, be substantially rigid or flexible and provided with means to adhere it to the mirror. 10 A further feature of the embodiment of Figures 3 to 5 is a side wall extension or lip 26 which is provided adjacent the open end 28 to deflect air-flow away from the opening and inhibit ingress of snow or rain which may otherwise be caused through forward motion of the vehicle. 15 It will be readily apparent that the shielding device according to this invention can be formed so as to be fitted to a vehicle as an after-market item. Alternatively, it can be manufactured with a mirror included for fitting to new vehicles in lieu of the standard external mirror. 20 It will also be apparent that the shielding device can be formed in any suitable shape that is capable of enclosing the external mirror and abutting the appropriate portion of the side window whilst presenting a generally streamlined profile to the air flow generated by movement of the vehicle. 25 The foregoing describes only one embodiment of the invention and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A shielding device for a vehicle external rearview mirror mounted adjacent a side window of the vehicle, said device comprising a substantially transparent 5 housing mounted to sealingly enclose the mirror surface and abut a portion of the surface of said window so as to provide a substantially unobstructed view of the mirror surface from within the vehicle, said housing including a rear surface protected from the accumulation of environmental contaminants to provide a substantially unobstructed field of view to the rear of the vehicle from the mirror 10 surface.

2. A shielding device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said housing further comprises an outer side surface remote from the abutment with said window and at lest partially protected from the cumulation of environmental contaminants to 15 provide a wider unobstructed field of view to the rear and side of the vehicle from the mirror surface.

3. A shielding device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said outer side surface is protected from the accumulation of environmental contaminants by a forwardly 20 located protuberance which shields the surface from the air flow.

4. A shielding device as claimed in claim 3 wherein said protuberance is provided by a portion of said housing accommodating said mirror. 25

5. A shielding device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein said housing includes an opening provided with a surrounding seal which abuts against the surface of the vehicle window to facilitate said substantially unobstructed view of the mirror surface from within the vehicle. 30

6. A shielding device as claimed in claim 5 wherein said surrounding seal allows WO 98/46452 PCT/SG98/00027 -9 the window to be moved without allowing environmental contaminants to enter the casing.

7. A shielding device as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6 wherein said opening is 5 generally rectangular.

8. A shielding device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein said rear surface is arcuate in cross-section with a concave surface presented rearwardly. 10

9. A shielding device as claimed in claim 8 wherein the housing surrounds the rear surface by extending past the rear surface.

10. A shielding device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein said housing is held in close abutment until the vehicle window by a projection 15 selectively operable to extend between the vehicle window and an adjacent door panel.

11. A shielding device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10 further comprising a mounting portion adapted to be fixed to the vehicle and wherein the housing is 20 hingedly mounted to the mounting portion so as to be moveable to an open position to allow access to the mirror.

12. A shielding device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11 wherein said rearview mirror is mounted directly to the vehicle independently of said shielding 25 device.

13. A shielding device as claimed in any one of claims I to 11 wherein said mirror is mounted to the shielding device. 30

14. A shielding device as claimed in claim 1, wherein sides of the housing are WO 98/46452 PCT/SG98/00027 - 10 angled inwardly from a top to a bottom of the housing.

15. A shielding device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a front surface of the housing is convexly curved to present an aerodynamic profile and the top of the 5 housing is, in use, sloped downwardly toward the front surface to enhance aerodynamic properties of the housing.

16. A device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the curved front surface presents a concave inner profile for accommodating therein at least a portion of the mirror. 10

17. A device as claimed in any one of claim 14 to 16, wherein a rib protrusion extends along the top of the housing, adjacent an outer side of the housing, remote from the vehicle window, to inhibit water or snow run-off from the top flowing down the side of the housing. 15