CA2228825A1 - Front view vehicle mirror system - Google Patents

Front view vehicle mirror system Download PDF

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Publication number
CA2228825A1
CA2228825A1 CA 2228825 CA2228825A CA2228825A1 CA 2228825 A1 CA2228825 A1 CA 2228825A1 CA 2228825 CA2228825 CA 2228825 CA 2228825 A CA2228825 A CA 2228825A CA 2228825 A1 CA2228825 A1 CA 2228825A1
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
fvvms
vehicle
mounting base
view
fastening
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
CA 2228825
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Thuan Quang Vo
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to CA 2228825 priority Critical patent/CA2228825A1/en
Publication of CA2228825A1 publication Critical patent/CA2228825A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60RVEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R1/00Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
    • B60R1/006Side-view mirrors, e.g. V-shaped mirrors located at the front or rear part of the vehicle

Abstract

The front view vehicle mirror system (FVVMS) is a mirror assembly mounted on a vehicle to provide vehicle operators with an alternative view of objects ahead that are obstructed by some darken vehicles, such as a tinted car, van, truck, or trailer. The FVVMS includes a plastic or plastic-like case enclosing two periscopic mirrors, one is standard and the other is convex, a solid mounting base attached near a front corner of the vehicle to support and fasten the FVVMS to the vehicle. The FVVMS mounted at the front end on the driver side is particularly useful for the operator to make a safe left turn (in right hand-driving-rule countries) at intersections, and the FVVMS on the passenger side is helpful for the driver to view front objects or road condition ahead when he is trapped in traffic jams or on busy highways. That is, FVVMS provides drivers with an alternative way of observing front objects, while their direct line of sight is blocked by a view obstructing vehicle.

Description

O V EW V HI L M O YS E V S VIC
This invention relates to an auxiliary mirror system mounted externally an a vehicle. The invention is particularly useful in providing vehicle operators with an alternate front visual view as their direct line of sight is blocked by a darken object. More specifically, this invention is associated with mirror systems externally mounted on an automotive vehicle to provide drivers with an alternative enhanced forward view as their direct line of sight is obstructed by other darken vehicles, including vans, trucks, trailers, loaded station-wagons, and vehicles with tinted windows, situated on the direct line of sight of the driver of the vehicle.
Even though the disclosures of ideas similar to the present invention are relatively popular in patent offices, the practical znirrar systems for enhancing front visual field are not commonly available in the current market. In fact, the inventions of vehicle mirror systems to assist drivers for front viewing have been developed since i 920s, but the resulting products are not practically perfect due to related inconveniences. Most of the prior arts offering assistance for front viewing are not for independent minor systems; they are, however, for vehicle mirror systems that have to bind with other existing vehicle mirrors for support. If damage happens to the supporting mirror, the attached front view mirror system loses its standing base and becomes no longer useful to the vehicle , and it remauis unworkable until the damaged location is repaired or the crippled supporting mirror is replaced. The major inconvenience of the prior arts is that the vehicle operator has to give up his or her direct line of sight and turn his head or move his eyes to the left or right far forward viewing. Such uncomfortable movements could cost the driver an avoidable car accident because he lost his actual front view in seeking for images on mirror systems attached on the doors of his vehicle. The car accident can be even more likely happening in a long drive due to the weariness of the eye and neck muscles of the driver.
The listing disadvantages of the prior arts will be eliminated by introducing products of the new inventive idea, FVVMSs. The FVVMS is securely and independently mounted to front end body at comers of a vehicle. The mirror system is fastened to the vehicle by a mounting base which is solidly affixed to the hood of the vehicle .
The principal object of the present invention, FV VMS, is to assist drivers for an enhanced front visual field without losing the direct line of sight because the F'VVMS is situated just right in front of them, not on their left or right side.The analogy of the situation is the picture-in-picture feature in modern televisions.
Another object is to provide the existing vehicles with a beautiful new look as the FVVMS can be seen as a decorative device.
FIG. is a perspective view of 1 the FVVMS

FIG. is an exploded view of the 2 FVVMS.

FIG. is a perspective view of 3 an adjusting knob FIG. is a bottom view of the FVVMS.
FIG. S is a sectional view of mounting base without a clamping adaptor.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the clamping adaptor.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the mounting base with the clamping adaptar fasten to the hood of a vehicle.
FIG. 8 is a new look of the vehicle with the FVVMSs As used in this description and in the appended claims, the word "groove"
means a gap formed between a side body and the hood covering on top of the engine chamber of the vehicle.
Referring to the drawing of the exploded view of FVVMS in fig.2, the plastic or plastic-like case 10 contains two mirrors 17 and 40 placed in periscopic positions. The first mirror 17, or object image receiving mirror, is convex and movable relative to the case 10 to cover a broad visual field and reflected to a second mirror. The first mirror 17 is pivotably attached to the case wall 16 by two universal pivots 28 and 30 located near the ends of the imaginary horizontal line bisecting the convex mirror. The adjustment of the convex mirror 17 is made possible by manually turning the knob 20, which, as shown in fine details in fig.3 has an extending arm 22 with a long threaded screw hole 23 accommodating a holding screw 26, and a coiled spring 24 wrapping around the extending arm 22 to firnlly hold the convex mirror 17 in desired positions. Contrary to the features of the convex mirror 17, the second mirror 40, or object image viewing mirror, is flat arid immovable. The flat mirror 40 is fixedly mounted side-by-side to the second case wall 18, which is opposite to the first case wall 16 retaining the convex mirror 17. The viewing flat mirror 40 is not absolutely upright, but rather it is tilted back at a small angle with respect to the perfectly vertical plane and faces slightly upward so as to direct the line of sight to the eyes of the driver, which are higher than the level of the FVVMS.
The case supporting unit comprises 3 components: one central support pivot ball 7ti, one pivot ball cover 86, and one L-shaped mounting base 91. T'he central support pivot: ball 76, which may be made of metal or durable plastic, bears the total weight of the case unit, the case and its contents.
The spherical top of the pivot ball 76 is inserted in the dome-shaped socket located near the center of the case bottom 11 and is kept in place by a pivot ball cover 86 holding and wrapping around the middle body of pivot ball 76, As shown in Fig 2, the cylindrical part 75 of the pivot ball 76 is provided with a cylindrically threaded cavity 89 providing access to a fastening screw 88 to firmly fix the pivot ball 76 to the supporting arm 90 of the L-shaped mounting base 91. The pivot ball cover 86, which is preferably made of metal to parkicipate in solidly supporting role, is provided with three screw holes 87 providing access to two locking screws 82 and one adjusting screw 84, as shown in fg.5. Surrounding the middle body of the pivot ball 76, the pivot ball cover 86 aIiows the pivot ball 76 to have some linvted movement within the spherical hollow formed by the dome-shaped socket 78 and a cup-shaped central hole 85 of the pivot ball cover 86 when the adjusting screw is loosened, but immovably grips the pivot ball 76 as the adjusting screw 84 is tightened.

By means of the combination of the pivot ball 76 in the socket 78 and the pivot ball cover 86, a vehicle operator can easily manipulate the case unit, the case and its contents, and set it at any desired position by tightening or loosening the adjustable screw 84 to obtain the best front picture of the road condition while keeping the L-shaped mounting base 91 stationary on the vehicle.
The cylindrical part 75 of the central support pivot ball 76 is solidly mounted on anc; end of the mounting base 9I, the supporting arm 90, by a fastening screw 88, as shown in fig. 5. The other end of the Irshaped mounting base 91, the connecting, arm 92, which is perpendicular to the supporting arm 90, is provided with two bolt holes 93 providing access to two fastening strong bolts 94, which firmly secure the L-shaped mounting base 91, together with the case unit 10, to the vertical rim 101 of the hood 100 covering on top of the engine chamber of the vehicle.
As mounted on the vehicle the connecting arm 92 is inserted into a groove near a front end of the vehicle and is tightly affixed to the hood 100 by two fastening strong bolts 94 and two thick washers, ar cushions, 97 placed between the connecting arm 92 and the vertical rim l0I to enhance the fastening, as also shown in fig.5.
T'he direct binding of the L-shaped mounting unit, along with the case unit 10, to the hood 100 not only brings the extending portion of FV VMS inside, reducing chances of damage caused by hard objects hitting the FVVMS when the vehicle enters narrow pathways, but also enables a vehicle operator or an auto mechanic to easily open and close the hood without adjusting position or direction of the FVV11r1S, eliminating all possible inconveniences as the FVVMS is mounted on the vehicle.
For vehicles that are not conveniently equipped with the vertical rim 101 for easy 1"WMS installation, a fastening adaptor i02 shown in fig. 6 and 7 proves useful when it is fzrst clamped to the side border of the hood at either front end of the vehicle, providing access to two fastening strong bolts 94 to attach the FVVMS
on the vehicle.
The fastening adaptor 102 comprises a long thin piece of hard metal shaped into a hook configuration shaven in ftg.6. The horizontal flat bottom i 02b of the fastening adaptor 102 is provided with two screw holes 115 providing access to two fastening screws 114 for unshakably affxing the adaptor 102 to the back bone of the hook I00, and the vertical side 102s, with bolt holes 95 providing access to two fastening bolts 94, which immovably tighten the L-shaped mounting base 91 and a durable plastic-like cushion bar 96 to the fastening adapter 102.
As also shown in fig.6 and 7,the top side 1021 of the fastening adaptor I02 is shaped into a small square hollow compartment 102c to accommodate two clamping bolts 116, which are inserted into the fastening adaptor compartment through two bolt hales I0S and fastened to the fastening adaptor 102 by two clamping bolt nuts 116n.
As the clamping bolts 116 tighten, pushing the bottom side 102d of the adapter square compartment 102c against the hood 100, and against the cushion her 96, the fastening adaptor 102 works as a vise clamping itself to the side border of the hood 100 and functions as a vertical rim served to hold up the FVVMS on the vehicle.

Claims (4)

1. A Front View Vehicle Mirror System (FVVMS), which is mounted on an outer surface, near front corners, of a vehicle, comprising:
*a FVVMS case having two openings, one facing the front side and the other facing the back side of said case;
* a system of mirrors having a convex mirror to receive front object images and reflect them to a flat mirror, which is placed in periscopic position to the convex mirror and, therefore, reflects said images to a driver of said vehicle;
* means for pivotally mounting said FVVMS case on a mounting base;
* means for fastening said mounting base to the hood of said vehicle;
* means for coupling said mounting base to a fastening adaptor; and * means for clamping said fastening adaptor to the hood of said vehicle;
thereby a driver's view of road condition ahead is not lost due to image reflecting twice through said periscopic system of mirrors of said FVVMS, even though his or her direct view is blocked by a darken vehicle.
2 A FVVMS in accordance with claim 1, wherein said means for pivotally mounting said FVVMS case on said mounting base comprises a socket at the bottom of said case, a pivot ball cover, a mounting screw hole on said mounting base, and a pivot ball inserted in said socket and kept on said mounting base by a screw inserted through a hole at the bottom of said pivot ball;
thereby said FVVMS case is provided with a number of different orientations and of flexible positions that prevent FVVMS from being damaged by hitting objects on the roads and ensure the driver of said vehicle with a front view brought in by said FVVMS.
3 A FVVMS in accordance with claim 1, wherein said mounting base comprises an durable L-shaped body having two arms, a supporting arm with a bolt hole providing access to a bolt for connecting said pivot ball to said supporting arm, and a mounting arm with at least two fastening screw holes;
thereby said mounting base can be fastened to side rims of said hood of said vehicle.
4 A FVVMS in accordance with claim 1, wherein said fastening adaptor comprises a hook-shaped thin body having means for affixing said fastening adaptor to said hood of said vehicle, wherein said hook-shaped body is clamped to a side border of said vehicle and a L-shaped mounting base is coupled to said fastening adaptor; thereby said FVVMS can be mounted on any vehicle that has front hood and groove.
A FVVMS in accordance with claim 1, wherein said convex mirror is adjustable to obtain a broad front field of view.
CA 2228825 1998-04-15 1998-04-15 Front view vehicle mirror system Abandoned CA2228825A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2228825 CA2228825A1 (en) 1998-04-15 1998-04-15 Front view vehicle mirror system

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2228825 CA2228825A1 (en) 1998-04-15 1998-04-15 Front view vehicle mirror system

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2228825A1 true CA2228825A1 (en) 1999-10-15

Family

ID=29409223

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA 2228825 Abandoned CA2228825A1 (en) 1998-04-15 1998-04-15 Front view vehicle mirror system

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA2228825A1 (en)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2004071812A1 (en) * 2003-02-13 2004-08-26 Craig Hart Macdougall Forward view apparatus for motor vehicles
CN100366463C (en) * 2003-02-13 2008-02-06 克雷格·哈特·麦克杜格尔 Forward view apparatus for motor vehicles
AU2004210715B2 (en) * 2003-02-13 2009-01-08 Craig Hart Macdougall Forward view apparatus for motor vehicles

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2004071812A1 (en) * 2003-02-13 2004-08-26 Craig Hart Macdougall Forward view apparatus for motor vehicles
CN100366463C (en) * 2003-02-13 2008-02-06 克雷格·哈特·麦克杜格尔 Forward view apparatus for motor vehicles
US7344258B2 (en) 2003-02-13 2008-03-18 Macdougall Craig Hart Forward view apparatus for motor vehicles
AU2004210715B2 (en) * 2003-02-13 2009-01-08 Craig Hart Macdougall Forward view apparatus for motor vehicles
KR100987684B1 (en) 2003-02-13 2010-10-13 크래이크 하트 맥도걸 Forward view apparatus for motor vehicles

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