CA1206359A - Pivot actuator for a vehicle mirror assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

PIVOT ACTUATOR FOR A VEHICLE MIRROR ASSEMBLY

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A day/night rearview mirror assembly for vehicles including a one-piece, molded, resinous mirror case having flexible, resilient portions and a substantially rigid pivot actuator which is biased by the case into either a day or night position. Movement of the actuator changes the position of the case and mirror element thereby changing the amount of light reflected. The actuator includes a pair of spaced axles, a rigid body holding the axles apart, at least one pivot limiting tab extending from the rigid body for limiting movement between day and night positions, pivot means for pivoting the actuator when mounted in a day/night mirror case, and mounting means for mounting a bracket for securing the actuator to a support.

Description

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THIS APPLICATION IS A DIVISIONAL APPLICATION OF APPLICATION

SERIAL NUM~ER 398,178, FILED MARCH 11, 1982 and entitled VEHICLE MIRROR ASSEMBLY, now Canadian Paten~ No 1,180,213.
PIVOT ACTUATOR FOR A VEHICLE MIRROR ASSEMBLY
This invention relates to mirror assemblies for vehicles, and more particularly, to an improved rearview mirror assembly for mounting within a vehicle. The assembly allows movement between a full light-reflectivity day position and a reduced light-reflec~ivity night position with a simplified, more reliable structure.
Rearview mirror assemblies allowing movement between day and night light-reflectivity positions have been used for many years. Governmental concern for strength, bending resistance, breakaway ability, and other safety requirements, a~ well as recent concern for weight and cost reduction in vehicles to provide energy savings, have dictated a re-examination of existing mirror assembly designs.
In the past, different day/night rearview mirror assemblies had been designed for different vehicles and the varying requirements of different countries in which automobiles or other vehicles are manufactured. In the United States, not only must the inside rearview mirror for a passenger car provide a predetermined field of view, but it must be mounted so that it is stably supported, is both horizontally and vertically adjustable, and can deflect, collapse or break away from its supported position without leaving sharp edges when subj~cted to a predetermined force in the forward direction within predetermined angular boundries.
In the European Economic Community, motor vehicle ~'~i ~A

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regulations require that a rearview mirror assembly be able to withstand a static load test i.ncluding the support of a 25 kilogram weight at one edge while any bracket support and . -la-i 63~i~
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1 the opposite edge are fixedly restrained for one minute.

The assembly must pass the test without breaking or, i the assembly does break, Wit]lOUt ~lass fragmen.ts being released.

Alternately, the mirror may be macle of safety glass.

Certain manufacturing difficulties have also been discovered wi~h prior known assemblies. For instance, in the manufacture of certain rearview mirror assemblies it is necessary to heat and form a rectilinear lip on a molded case into a rounded edge covering the pcriphery of the mirror elemen~ after its insertion within a case. Diffi-culty has been experienced in consistently obtaining uniform mirror retaining lips in such assemblies. In addition, it was ~esire~ to more easily obtain positive control of the day/night pivoting action of the mirror assembly, especially in varying weather and climatic conditions.

lYith respect to assemblies which include a sub-stantially rigid case with a pivot actuator including a flexible portion which provides resilience during pivoting, it was desired to obtain greater strength through the assembly area in which the pivot actuator was mounted.

Further, it is necessary that a mirror assembly meet minimum vibration standards so as to present a clear image when vie~ed by the driver of ~he vehicle, all while maintaining strength suficient to meet the above-noted governmental regulations. ~ reduction in the complexity of prior assemblies was also desired to both decrease costs and simpli~y manufacturing requirements without sacrificing functional features.

The present invention was develoyecl as a simpli-fied, reliable, inside, day/night rearview mirror assembly for use in virtually all currently manufactured general use

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vehicles. The objective was to provide a mirror assemblyusQful in varying climatic conditions and which takes into account the governmental safety requirements for the major vehicular producing countries of the world. The present mirror assembly was thus designed and produced in recognition of the need for a simplified structure for retaining a mirror element within a case, the need to keep manufacturing rejection rates of the assemblies to a minimum, the need for simpler, more positive control of the day/night pivoting action while providing fewer overall parts, and the need to maintain strength, reduced weight, and resistance to vibration during use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention provides a simplified~ reliable, inside day/night rearview mirror assembly for vehicles which is adapted to provide easier assembly and smaller manufacturing rejection rates, simplified retention of the mirror element within the case, proper resistance to vibration during use, fewer overall parts, more positive control of da~/night positioning, and proper strength with reduced weight. In addition, the present invention provides the capability of use with a one-piece mirror support bracket as disclosed in commonly assigned Canadian Patent No. 1,180,212. Together with such bracket, the present rearview mirror assembly takes into account the governmental vehicle safety regulations in both the United States and the European Economic Community and provides easier, less costly manufacturing while maintaining the proper strength and vibration requirements, all with a minimal overall weight. The combination of the present rearview mirror assembly and the mirror support bracket is A

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disclosed and claimed in commonly assigned Canadian Patent No. 1,178,835.
. In one aspec~, the present invention provides a pivot actuator for a day/night rearview mirror assembly ~or vehicles including a pair of spaced pivot axles, rigid body means for holding the axles apart at a predetermined spacing and being substantially rigid and inflexible between the pivot supports and axles, and at least one pivot limiting tab e~tending from the rigid body means for limiting movement between at least a day and a night position; pivot means for pivoting the actuator when received in a day/night rearview mirror case; and moun~ing means for mounting a bracket for securing the actuator to a support.
In anothex aspect of the invention, the back o~
the case of the mirror assembly curves outwardly to an area of maximum overall case depth to facilitate flexing of the case during pivoting of the pivot means. Multifaceted pivot limiting stop tabs are provided on the pivot actuator for positive control of the pivotal case movement between day and night positions and to allow easier insertion o~ the actuator within the case. In addition, the mounting means on the pivot actuator may be either a socket ~or receiving a ball member from a support bracket or an outwardly extending ball member to be secured in a suitable support bracket.
In addition, the stop tabs allow easier insertion of the actuator within the case than with prior known actuators and provide more positive control of day/night pivotin~ afte.r assembly. The present assembly incorporates fewer overall parts while ma.intaining strength, vibratio.n resistance and minimal weight. In addition, the assembly is fully compatible with a support bracket such as that shown

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in Canadian Patent Nos. 1,178,~35 and 1,180,212 to allowproper use and operation in a wide range of vehicles as well as proper safety breakaway and adjustability features when so combined.
These and other objects, advantages, purposes and features of the invention will become more apparent from a study of the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
.
Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of the rearview mirror assembly of the p~esent invention together with a suitable, breakaway-type, mirror mounting bracket;
Fig. 2 is a rear view of the rearview mirror assembly of the present invention together with the mirror mounting bracket shown in Fig~ 1~
Fig. 3 is a front plan view of the molded mirror case of the present invention;
Fig~ 4 is a top sectional view of the mirrox case of Fig. 3 illustrating a glass mirror element mounted therein and taken along plane IV~IV of Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 is a side sectional view taken along plane V~V of Fig. 4;
Fig. 6 i5 a side sectional view of the mirror case and mirror element together with the pivot actua~or mounted therein similar to Fig. 5, Fig. 7 is a rear view of a first embodiment of the pivot actuator of the present invention;
Fig. 8 is a front view of the pivot actuator shown in Fig. 7;
Fig. 9 is a side sectional view of the pivot actuator taken along plane IX~IX of Fig. 8;

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Fig. 10 is a sectional view of the mirror caseshowing the mirror element as supported at the end of the case taken along plane X-X of Fig. 12;
Fiy. 11 is a side sectional view of the case during insertion of the pivot actuator of Figs. 7-9 into the case:
Fig. 12 is a front plan view of the case with the pivot actuator of Figs. 7-9 mounted therein;
Fig. 13 is a front view of a second embodiment of the pivot actuator of the present invention;
Fig. 14 is a rear view of the pivot actuator as shown in Fig. 13;
Fig. 15 is a side view of the pivot actuator shown in Figs-. 13 and 14;
Fig. 16 is a side sectional view of the pivot actuator taken along plane XVI-XVI of Fig~ 14; and Fig. 17 is a side sectional view of the actuator taken along plane XVII-XVII of Fig. 13.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Re~erring now to the drawings in greater detail, Figs. 1-6 illustrate a first embodiment of the inside rearview mirror assembly 10 including a molded, resinous mirror case 12 receiving a mirror element 14 and a rigid pivot actuator or toggle member 60 or 60'. Actuator 60 or 60' is pivotally mounted in -the case and preferably molded from resinous material as will be described more fully

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1 hereinafter. Mirror element 14 is a prism of transparent glass, Plexiglas (trademark), plastic or other transparent, rigid material having a layer of reflective material 16 ~Fig. 5) placed on its rear surface. Preferably, element 14 is a glass prism having a taper of 3 35' + 0 10' and a maximum thickness of 0.218 + .015 inches. The overall element is 9.27 ~ .015 inches by 2.265 + .015 inches with rounded corners, slightly curved edges, and a frosted non-glare edge all around. Such re1ective layer may be coated with a protective primer paint layer followed by a flexible resilient polyvinyl chloride plastisol layer 18 or a cover~
ing of tape for safety reasons to prevent scattering of glass fragments should the mirror be broken.
In the preferred embodiment, layer 18 has a thick-ness of approximately 0.015 to 0.045 inches which thickness tapers and becomes less adjacent the edges of the mirror element 14 (see Figs. 5 and 6). The reflective layer 16 is normally covered with a protective layer of primer paint over which the plastisol layer 18 is applied. The primer paint is preferably a heat sensitive adhesive and includes a pigment or hiding the reflecti~e layer on the mirror.
Acceptable products include Daubond* DC-8660 by Daubert Chemical Co. of Oakbrook, Illinois or product No. A 1103 B, by B. F. Goodrich Chemical Company, of Cleveland, Ohio.
Both have adhesive bonding qualities when heated.
After application of these various layers, the mirror element and layers are cured by heating to a tempera-ture of approxima~ely 175-200 F. At this approximate temperature, the PVC plastisol 18 is chemically converted to polyvinyl chloride. Sufficient plastisizer is originally included in the plastisol to leave the cured layer 18 trademark ~2V63S9 1 inherently resilient, flexible and impressionable at all ~emperatures to wllich vehicles including such mirrors are normally subjected, namely, a range of~40 F. to 190 F.
Althou~h ap?lication of the PVC layer 18 is prefera~ly ~one is plastisol form, the PVC in non-plastisol form may be injection molded onto the back of the mirror.
W}len P~C is injection-molded on the mirror back, it has been found that an additional layer of bondillg agent or adhesive beneath the plastisol layer, ~hich securely bonds the plastisol layer to the mirror element, is preferred.
Such suitable heat sensitive adhesive is product No.
J 1199-B, produced by ~rmstrong Cork Company, of Cincinnati, O]lio. Other materials llaving the above characteristics of resiliency and flexibility over a wide temperAture range, which may also be used for layer 18~ include polyvinyl acetate, polyurethane and silicone sealants.
As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the planar front s~lrface and planar rear surface of mirror element 14 are not parallel thereby definin~ the prism and enabling adjustment of tlle mirror assembly for day and night use ~o reduce the overall intensity of the light reflected from the mirror.
Tl)us, when tlle assembly is pivoted (Fig. 6) such that the case positions the mirror element witll incident li~ht reflected off the coated rear surface 16, substantially all, approximately 8~ percellt of the light hitting that surface will be reflectetl. I!o~ever, ~hen the case is pivoted Suc]
that ligl!t is reflected off the front, uncoated surface, only approximately 4 percent of the incident light will be reflected. Glare ill t}le eyes of the driver viewing the mirror is thereby reduced.
As noted above, the rearview mirror assembly 10 is ~2~

designed to be used with a support bracket 15 of the type disclosed in either Canadian Pat~nt Nos. 1,178,835 and 1,180,212~ Bracket 15 enables the mounting and adjustment of assembly 10 on a support which is typically secured on a windshield of a vehicle to provide proper adjustment for all sizes of drivers for such a vehicle. Bracket 15, which forms no part of the present in~ention, is alsG described and claimed in combination with the present rearview mirror assembly in Canaclian Patent No~ 1,17~,835 noted above.
As is best seen in Figs~ 3-6, molded mirror case 12 includes a contoured, curved back 20 and a continuous peripheral side wall 22 which extends around the entirety of the case outllning the periphery of mirror element 14 when received thereinO Side wall 22 defines top 22a, bottom ?2b, and ends 22c and 22d. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6 t the thickness of the case back 20 is substantially uniform and preferably 2.5 mm while peripheral side wall 22 tapers outwardly to an increased thickness, preferably 3.0 mm, toward the front of the case where it merges with a continuous, inwardly ex-tending mirror element retaining lip 24. Lip 24 extends around the entirety of side wall 22 and has a curved outer shape ending at inner edge 26 and an inclined under surfa~e 28 adapted to face the mirror element 14. Inclined surface 28 prevents the lip from catching on the corner of the glass when the case flexes~ The curved outer surface of the lip 24 cooperates with the bevel 19 on the rear surface of mirror element 14 when the mirror element is snapped into the case 12 by camming the lip and peripheral side wall combination outwardly in the manner shown in Fig. 10. Lip 24 extends inwardly over the entire peripheral ~dge ~2~)~3S9 1 of the mirror element a predetermine~l distance, 2.5 mm in the preferred embodiment, and is calculated to mask any edge defects in the glass or other mirror element and also to retain the mirror element in I)lace evcn wllen the case flexes during pivoting of the day/night pivot actuator as set forth below.
As shown in ~igs. Z and 5 9 the c~se back curves outwardly to an area of maximum tllickness approximately at the central portion of the case as deined by a contour line 30 whicll extends from points 3Z, 33 adjacent the upper corners at ei~her end of the case do~n~ardly in a gentle curve toward the middle of the case intermediate upper and lo-~er corner apertures 34 and 36 but immediately adjacent the bottom portion of'tl-e uppermost aperture 34. Contour line 30 not only defines an increased depth for ~he overall case, but also facilitates flexure of side walls 22 l~hen the pivot actuator is pivoted within the case and/or the mirror element 14 is snapped in place during assembly of the mirror assembly. Along with ribs 5~, 52, thc contour of the case ~0 also increases longitu~inal bendin~ resistance or stiffness hclping to meet ~overnmental re~ulations This contour provides a some~hat bulbous shape to the mirror assembly as sllo~Yn in Figs. 4-6, 10 and 11.
As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, mirror case 12 also includes pairs of alignedj parallel, upstanding mirror supports 38, 40 on the intcrior of opposite ends 22c, 22d of the case. ~s shown i,n lig. 5, tl~ese upstandin~ supports e~tend different distances to support the varying thic~ness of the prismatic mirror element 14 wllen retained in case 12 beneath inclined surface 28 of lip 24. lYhen snapped in pl~ce, lip 24 tigl~tly retains the mirror element ag~inst' 3~

only supports 38, 40 to prevent any vibration or movement of the mirror element within the case. The mirror element is not supported by any other portions of the case.
As is best seen in Figs. 3 6, the central, interior portion of case 12 includes a support area for pivot actuator or toggle member 60~ The support area includes rectilinear, parallel, support walls 42, 44 each of which includes a free, rectilinear top edge which is spaced behind layer 18 of mirror element 14 when received in case 12, and is generally parallel to coated rear surface 16 as shown in Fig. 5. Each of the support walls 42, 44 includes a cutout or opening 46, 48, respectively, having nonparallel top and bottom edge surfaces which converge toward top wall 22a. Openings 46~ 48 are bounded by an area of increased thickness 47, 49 on the interior surface of each wall 42l 44, respectively, to strengthen the wall around the opening.
Openings 46, 48 are designed to receive the pivot limiting stop tabs from pivot actuator 60 as described hereinafter.
In order to strengthen the support area and case in its central section, a pair of upstanding, molded sùpport ribs 50, 52 extend generally rectilineaxly and parallel to one another but are spaced slightly apart across the area bètween walls 42, 44. Rib 50 is generally aligned with the contour line 30 defining the area of maximum depth of the case in the area between walls 42, 44 immediately under aperture 34.
Molded integrally and extending inwardly from the inside surfaces of support walls 42, 44 are aligned pairs of pivot supports 54a, 54b and 56a, 56b which support the top and bottom pivot axles of *he pivot actuator or toggle member 60 respectively. Pivot supports 54a, 54b each 35~
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1 include an axle support wall 55 (Fig. 5) having an inside surface contour including cylin~rical surfaces of two different radii joined by a planar surface 53 designed to match tlle exterior contour of the upper pivot axles stubs on the pivot actuator 60. Axle suppor~ walls 55 are, in turn, supported by ribs 57 cxtending betwe~n the upper sicles of the walls 55 and the upper side wall 22a of the case.
Similarly, lower pivot supports 56a, 56b inclu(le axle support walls 58 sup})ortetl by additional rib 59 ex-tendin~ between the axle support and bottom side wal~
portion 22bA Axle support 58 includes an inner, partially cylindrical uniform raclius surface opening generally toward an opposed, ali~ne~ one of the upper pivot supports 54a, 5~b. As will be more fully describe~ below, pivo~ actuator 60 is designed to be snapped in l)lace be~ween the sets of pivot supports 54, 56 and between support walls 42, 44 after molding of the case and prior to insertion of the mirror element 14.
Referring now to ~igs. 7-9, a first embodiment 60 of the pivot actuator or to~le member is shown. Actuator 60 inclucles a pair of spaced pivot axles 62, 64 designed to be received in supports 54a an~ b, 56a and b, respectively, a rigid bocly 66 including a series of stren~thenin~ ribs or braces 67, a pair of opposed pivot limiting stop tabs 68a, 68b on opposite sides of the body 66, a mounting soc~et 70 extendillg olltwardly from the upper pivot a~le 62, and a pivot mcmber inclllcling lowcr pivot axlc 64 adapted to cnable pivotal movement of the actuator between at least two positions, i;e., the forward or day and the rcarwarcl or night position whell mountecl withill ~he case.
Up~)er pivot axle 62 inclucles a pair of stub axles ~ `
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1 62a, 62b extending parallel to one another and in opposite directions from the upper side edges of the body 66 of actuator 60. Stub axles 62a, 62b have cylindrical surfaces of different radii joined by a planar surface in the same fashion as the inside surfaces of axle supports 55 on pivot supports S4a and b in case 12. The larger cylindrical surface extencls ap~roximately one thircl to one ~uarter of the way arouncl tlle pivot axle, the increased raclii providin~
the stub axle with greater strengtll. Ilowever, the smaller cylindrical radius.portion enables the actuator to be more easily fitted in pivot su~ports 54a and b. Rigid body portion 66 includes a pair of diverging legs which are chanrlel-shaped in section extendin~ between the pivot ~xles.
These legs provide a general V-sllape for the body section as best seen in ~ig. 8. The challnel-shal)e ~rovicles weigllt reduction wilile the cross braces, such as those shown at 67 in Figs. 7 and 9, both within tlle side wall of aach di-verging leg and bet-~een tl-e legs themselves, provide sig-nificantly increasecl strength and rigidity for the body portion without ad~ing signifîcant ~eight. The ront s~lrfaces 65 of the diverging legs G6 lie in a common plane sligl~tly offset from t]~e center lines of the pivot axles 62, 6~. .
At the lower eclges of the legs of the actuator pivot axle 64 is joined by a flexible, integrally molded living hinge 72. ~rojectin~ clownwarclly from tilC bottom of pivot axle 64 is a I-ivot or fin~er tal) 74 llavillg inte~ral ribs molclecl thereon for ease in gri~ping. Living hinge 72, tab 7~ an~ pivot axle 64 togetller form an over-center hinge assembly in com~inatioll ~ith the rigid bocly 66 which operates as more ~ully describecl hereinafter.
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Pivot limi~ing s-top tabs 68a, 68b, which ex~end from the opposite side surfaces of the rigid body 66, each include multiple facets or planar surfaces intersecting one another as shown in Figs. 6-8 and 11. The front surfaces 76 of stop tabs 68 are designed to engage the upper edge of cutout apertures 46, 48 in support walls 42, 44 to limit the pivotal movement of the actuator to its day position (Fig.
11)~ On the opposite side of each stop member, facets 73 provide a stop surface limiting pivotal movement of the actuator 60 to its night position (Fig. 11). Inclined facets 80 provide camming surfaces helping insertion of the actuator between the support walls 42, 44 when it is assembled within the case.
As shown in Fig. 9, the molded socket 70 has a central axis "A" which extends outwardly at an obtuse angle with respect to the plane of front surfaces 65 of legs 66.
Socket 70 has a slightly elongated or egg shape and is not perfectly spherical such that a ball member from a support bracket does not touch socket wall 71 at all places ~Fig~
9). Socket wall 71 has a substantially uniform thickness adapted to provide sufficient support or a ball member but allow ins~rtion of such a ball without fracturing. Wall 71 is strengthened by braces 69. Inclined, conical lead-in surface 82 facili-tates snap-in insertion of a spherical ball membe- from a mounting bracket or the like to be received in the socket as described in Canadian Patent No. 1,178,835.
Aperture 84 results from removal of a mold pin during manufacture. When received in case 12, socke-t 70 is adapted to project through upper corner aperture 34, while pivot tab 74 extends through lower corner aperture 36 as shown in Fig.
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~f -1 Alternately, as sllown in ~igs. 13-17, a revised form 60' of-the pivot actuator i5 shown wherein like numerals indicate li~e parts to those sho~n in embodiment 60. Actua-tor G0' includes an out-~ardly extending ball mcmber 86 in place of socket 70. Ball mcmber 86 is molded into support area 85 at the apex of the diverging legs ~hich form body 66 SUCh ~11at it extends outwar~ly from upper pivot axle 62.
Ball member 8(1 preferably includes a zinc die cast or other metallic s~herical ball 37 nec~ 88 and a base including parallel circular members ~9 and 90 abou~ which is molde(l support area 85. Ball portion 87 is designed for receipt in a syherical cup or other receiving member in a mountin~
bracket extending between the pivot actuator and a support such as a metallic button on the windshield of a vehicle.
The central axis of ball member 86 extends at the same an~le as does the axis A of socket 70 ~ith respect to the planar surfaces of diverging legs 65 and thus extends through upper corner aperture 34 l~hen received in case 12. Accord-ingly, del~ending on t~hether actuator 60 or 60' is chosen the assem~led rearview mirror may be used Wit]l varying support brackets wllile continuing to provide complete ~djustability for viewing by varying sizes of (lrivers.
. Preferably, both case 12 and actuators 60 or 60' are molded in one piece from resinous, tilermoplastic material such as a homopolymer or copolymer of polypropylene. SUC11 material has been found to have the necessary strength and rigiclity for forming tlle actuators 60, 60'. Yet in the configuration of tlle case 12, these ma~erials have tlle necessary flexil~ility antl resiliency to function as in-tended. Preferably, actuators 60, 60 are molded from a homol)olymer of polypropylene such as Hercules*6523 macle * trademark 6i3~

by Hercules,* Inc. of Wilmington, Delaware, or equivalent.
Hercules 6523 has the following properties:
Flexural modulus (ASTM D790B)--250,000 psi;
Hardness ~ASTM D 785A)--99 (Rockwell R scale);
Deflection temperature (ASTM D648)--212 F. (66 psi);
Notched Izod impact strength (ASTM D 256A)--0.8 ft.-lbs./in (at 73F.) A preferred polypropylene copolymer for case 12 is Hercules 7523 or equivalent. Hercules*~523 has the following pro-perties:
Flexural modulus (ASTM D790B)--185,000 psi;
Hardness (ASTM D785A)--80 (Rockwell R scale);
Deflection temperature (ASTM D648)--81 F. (at 66 psi);
Notched Izod impact strength (ASTM D256A)--2.5 ft.-lbs.~in (at 73 P~) It has been found that the actuator, mirror element and case can be best assembled within a predeter-mined time period after completion of the molding of the case so as to utilize the case while its temperature remains above a predetermined level at which the case has a greater flexibility and lesser resiliency which facilitates assembly.
Initially, the cylindrical surfaçes of pivot supports 56a, 56b are coated with a suitable lubricant such as a grease sold as Lubriplate ~trademark) 930-2 by Firske Bros. Refinery, Newark, New Jersey. The grease provides consistency in the pivot torque for movement between day and night positions. One of the actuators 60 or 60' lS then inserted as shown in Fig.
11 such that socket 70 or ball member 86 projects through aperture 34 while pivot tab 74 and pivot axle 64 are * trade~arks 0~3~
, 1 r3tated such that pivot tab 74 extends througll lo~er corner aperture 36. Inclined surfaces gO of pivot limiting stop tabs 68a, 68b are brought into engagement with the recti-linear upper edge surfaces of support walls 42, 44 while pivot stub axles 62a, 62b are ~ein~ pushed into and seated within the cylindrical surfaces of pivot supports 54a, 54b all as s~lown in Fig. -11. Thereafter, sufficicnt force is applied in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 11 to forcc actuator 60 downwardly between support walls 42, 44 sucll tllat inclined~cammitlg surfaces 80 on the pivot limitin~ stop t~bs 68a, 68b force walls 42, 44 to bul~e outwardly allowing the pivot stop tabs to pass between them and into apertures 46, 48. Since case lZ is at an elevated temperature, the sup~ort walls 42, 44 have a greater degree of flexibility and lesser resiliency than after a longer period of cooling, thereby facilitating the above insertion process. lYhen stop tabs 68a, 6Bb are received within apertures 46, 48, the lower pivot axle 64 is seated in pivot supports 56a, 56b as shown in Fig. 6.
Inasmuch as actuators 60, 60' include rigid bodies 66 which maintain a predetermined spacing between axles 62, 64, an interference fit is provided bet~een the pivot axles of the actuator and the pivot supports of case 12 by making the distance Y (Fig. 7) between the outside surfaces of the pivot axles slightly greater than the distance X (Fig. 5), the greatest distance between the cylin~rical surfaces of thc pivot supports. ~ccordill~ly; wllen actuator 60, 60' is snappe~ into place as ~escribed above, this ;nterference, W]lic]l is .030 inches in tile prefcrred embo~iment, flexes the side walls 22 and a portion of the case bac~ 20 outwarclly in ~he manner sllown in phantom in Fi~. 11. This provides a L2~JÇi3~

1 prestressed condition which causes the lower axle 64 to bow slightly intermediate the supports 56a, 56b as shown in- Fig.
12. After the assembled case and actuator have cooled sufficiently to ambient, normal temperatures, the resiliency of the resinous 9 thermoplastic ma-terial at those temper-atures constantly biases the over-center pivot assembly on the ac.tuator into one or the other o~ its two positions as limited by tl~e stop tabs within apertures 46, 4~. Accord-lngly, the case itsel~ acts as a spring member urging the pivot actuator to either its day or night position and maintaining the actuator in that position. ~he preferred flip angle of movement between the day and night positions of actuator 6~ or 60' is 5 29- ~ 0 3~)' using the pivot limiting stop tabs 68 and apertures 46, 48.
~efore tlle case has cooled to ambient temper-atures, however, the increased flexibility and reduced resiliency of the contlnuous side IYalls 22 o~ the case 1 facilitates insertion of the prism mirror element 14 by snapping it into position as shown in Fig. lU. Such in-Z sertion is facilitated by bevel 19 on the rear edge corner of the mirror element camming a~ainst the rounded suriace of lip ~4 adjacent edge 26 such that the top 9 bottom and end surfaces of the case are flexed outwardly ~Fig. lU). rhis allows inward movement of.the mirror element to a position under lip 24 and agalnst suppor.ts 38, 40. Thereafter, the continuous lip flexes inwardly from its expanded position to retain the edge of the mirror element un~er the lip ~4.
It has been iound that, with the preferred ma-terials noted above, the insertion of hoth the actuator 60 or 6U' and the mirror element 14 is best achieved within one to three minutes after removal of the case from the mold so . - 18 -;3~

1 as to take a~vantage of the greater 1exibility and lesser resiliency of the case at an elevated temperature. There-after, the case cools ~o retain mirror element and actuators in position and to l)rovide the pres~ressed, biasing force described above.
During use of the mirror assembly described above, it will be noted that, as shown in Fig. 6, pivotal movement of the tab 74 bett~een its (lay and night position incrcascs the distance between axles 62, 64 wllen tab 74 and llinges 72 are generally parallel to tl-e fron~ surface 65 of rigid body 66 and until the actuator is over-center toward one position or the other. Such increased distance flexes the continuous side walls and a l~ortion of case back 20 outwardly (Fi~s. 10 and ll) a~ainst tne natural resiliency of the case providing a pre~etermined force level W]liC]l must be overcome by a pivoting torque or force appliecl against pivot tab 74. Once such force is applied and the pivot tab is moved ovcr center, the biasing force of the case will snap the actuator into its opposite position as limited by the surfaces on pivot limiting stol) tabs 68 within apertures 46, 48. ~e-pending on the magnitude of the interferellce it bet~een actuator 60 or 60' and supports 547 56, and the stiffness and resiliency of the case and ac~uator, ~hicl) can be varied by the amount of case set or coolîng allowe~ before actuator insertion, such pivoting ~orce w.ill preferably be between about one and three pounds. This is sufficient to allow movement between day and night p.ositions wllile provi~ing goo~ feel an~ kecping the actuator in one of its positions after movemcnt in accord with desircd dcsigll objectives.
In addition, pivot limiting sto~. tabs 68 ~rovide positive assurance against prematur.e removal of the pivot actuator or ~ 3L;~C~63~

1 toggle assembly from pivot supports 54, 56 such as could occur by a sharp force applied against the mirror assembly tending to move the pivo~ actuator forwardly to~ards the mirror element when mounted in a vehicle. l'he closed aper-tures 46, 48 which limit movement of the pivot stop tabs 68 effectively prevent such removal of the actuator after assembly.
~ccordingly, tlle ~resen~ invention provides a simplified, highly reliable rearvie~ mirror assembly l~hich provides requisite strength t~ith lightness, fewer overall parts compared to prior known mirror assemblies, simplified assembly procedures coupled with consequent rcduction in rejection rates for the assemblies~ and more posi,tive control of tl-e day/night pivotin~ action. In addition~ the assembly is adapted to meet safety requirements for major vehicle producin~ countries.
~ ilc several forms of tl~e invention llave been sho~n and described, other forms ~ill now be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it will be un~erstood that tlle embodiments shown in the dra~ings and described above are merely for illustrative ~urposes, and are not intended to limit the scopc of the invention wllicll is defincd by the clnims wllicll follow.

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Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS;

A pivot actuator for day/night rearview mirror assemblies for vehicles comprising a pair of spaced pivot axles, rigid body means for holding said axles apart at a predetermined spacing and being substantially rigid and inflexible between said pivot axles, and at least one pivot limiting tab extending from said rigid body means for limiting movement between at least a day and a night position; pivot means for pivoting said actuator when received in a day/night rearview mirror case; and mounting means for mounting a bracket for securing said actuator to a support.

The pivot actuator of claim 1 wherein said rigid body means is V-shaped and includes a pair of diverging legs extending between said pair of pivot axles.

The pivot actuator of claim 2 wherein each of said diverging legs is channel-shaped in cross section and includes a series of braces extending between the side walls of the channel; said actuator also including a brace member extending between said diverging legs.

The pivot actuator of claim 3 wherein said diverging legs lie in a common plane including one of said pivot axles: said mounting means extending at an angle to said plane of said diverging legs.

The pivot actuator of claim 4 wherein said actuator is molded from resinous material; said mounting means including a socket adapted to receive a ball member for attaching said assembly to a support, said socket being molded integrally with said one pivot axle and said rigid body means.

The pivot actuator of claim 4 wherein said mounting means include a ball member extending outwardly from said rigid body means.

The pivot actuator of claim 1 wherein said pivot means includes over-center hinge means having one of said pair of pivot axles, flexible connection means for pivotally connecting said one pivot axle to said rigid body means, and a pivot tab fixedly connected to said one pivot axle for pivoting said one pivot axle, and thus, said entire pivot actuator.

The pivot actuator of claim 1 including a pair of said pivot limiting tabs, one tab on each side of said rigid body means; each of said tabs including a plurality of facets extending at different angles; one of said facets providing an inclined surface facilitating assembly of said pivot actuator in said support means; another pair of said facets providing spaced, pivot limiting abutment surfaces.