CN215513499U

CN215513499U - Driving mechanism of rearview system, rearview system and automobile

Info

Publication number: CN215513499U
Application number: CN202121434603.4U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 康新策
Original assignee: Great Wall Motor Co Ltd
Current assignee: Great Wall Motor Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-06-25
Filing date: 2021-06-25
Publication date: 2022-01-14
Anticipated expiration: 2031-06-25

Abstract

The utility model is suitable for the technical field of vehicles, and provides a driving mechanism of a rearview system, the rearview system and an automobile. The driving mechanism of the rearview system is positioned on the inner side of a vehicle body covering part or a vehicle body side wall and comprises a bracket, a rotary driving assembly, a screw rod assembly, a clutch assembly and a camera assembly. According to the driving mechanism of the rearview system, the rotary driving assembly and the lead screw assembly with the lead screw are additionally arranged, so that the camera assembly is driven to extend out of or retract into the outline of a vehicle body, and the collision of the camera assembly in a non-use state is reduced; meanwhile, the clutch assembly is arranged to transmit the power of the rotation driving assembly to the lead screw, and the power connection between the lead screw and the rotation driving assembly is disconnected when the lead screw rotates reversely, so that the camera assembly is prevented from being damaged by impact, and the rotation driving assembly is prevented from being damaged due to the reverse rotation of the lead screw.

Description

Driving mechanism of rearview system, rearview system and automobile

Technical Field

The utility model belongs to the technical field of vehicles, and particularly relates to a driving mechanism of a rearview system, the rearview system and an automobile.

Background

With the increasing living standard of human beings, automobile products become important parts of people's lives, and the requirements of people on automobiles are continuously increased, especially in the aspect of details. When purchasing a vehicle, not only the comfort, the dynamic performance, the controllability and the economical efficiency of the vehicle need to be considered, but also the practicability of the vehicle needs to be concerned.

The outer rearview mirrors are mounted on the left side and the right side of a common vehicle type, the mirror surfaces of the rearview mirrors are generally enlarged to enlarge the visual field area, and although the visual field area is enlarged, the wind resistance is increased, and the overall oil consumption is improved. Therefore, a product with a camera replacing a rearview mirror appears in the market, the visual field can be increased, the installation products of rearview mirror lenses, substrates and other lenses can be reduced, and the wind resistance and the oil consumption are reduced. However, such rear-view cameras are generally exposed and cannot be retracted within the outline of the vehicle body, so that the rear-view cameras influence the passing of pedestrians and can be damaged by collision when parking.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The utility model aims to provide a driving mechanism of a rearview system, and aims to solve or at least improve the technical problem that the existing rearview camera cannot retract into the range of the outline of a vehicle body to a certain extent.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts a technical solution that a driving mechanism of a rearview system is provided, which is located at the inner side of a vehicle body covering part or a vehicle body side wall, and comprises a bracket, a rotation driving assembly, a screw assembly, a clutch assembly and a camera assembly; wherein the content of the first and second substances,

the bracket is arranged on the vehicle body;

the rotation driving assembly is arranged on the bracket and is provided with a rotation output end;

the lead screw assembly comprises a lead screw which is rotatably arranged on the bracket and a nut which is in screw transmission with the lead screw, and the nut is in power connection with the camera assembly;

the clutch assembly is used for transmitting the power of the rotation output end to the lead screw so as to enable the lead screw to rotate forwards and disconnecting the power connection between the lead screw and the rotation output end when the camera assembly is impacted by external force and the lead screw rotates backwards;

the camera assembly is used for extending out of the preset opening of the automobile body covering part or the automobile body side wall or retracting to the inner side of the automobile body covering part or the automobile body side wall from the preset opening of the automobile body covering part or the automobile body side wall.

Furthermore, the camera assembly comprises a camera bearing cover and a camera arranged on the camera bearing cover, and the nut is connected with the camera bearing cover.

Furthermore, the camera assembly further comprises a guide optical axis fixed on the bracket, and a guide ring sleeved on the periphery of the guide optical axis and in sliding fit with the guide optical axis is fixedly arranged on the camera bearing cover.

Further, the rotation driving assembly comprises a rotation power device and a one-way transmission unit, the rotation power device is installed on the bracket, the one-way transmission unit comprises a first worm and a first worm wheel, the first worm is connected with the power of the rotation power device, the first worm wheel is in meshing transmission with the first worm, the first worm and the first worm wheel are rotatably arranged on the bracket, and the first worm wheel serves as the rotation output end.

Furthermore, the rotation driving assembly further comprises a second worm and a second worm wheel, wherein the second worm is connected with the power of the rotation power device, the second worm wheel is in meshing transmission with the second worm, the second worm and the second worm wheel are both rotatably arranged on the bracket, and the second worm wheel is connected with the first worm.

Further, the clutch assembly comprises a clutch plate connected with the power of the rotation output end and a clutch transmission piece connected with the lead screw, and the clutch transmission piece is provided with a tooth part which is abutted to the clutch plate and is in friction transmission with the clutch plate.

Furthermore, the clutch transmission part is provided with a gap part which enables the friction transmission between the tooth part and the clutch plate to be released when the camera assembly is impacted by external force and the screw rod rotates reversely.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a rear-view system, which includes the driving mechanism of the rear-view system, and a controller and a display mounted on a vehicle body, wherein the controller is electrically connected to the rotation driving assembly, and the display is electrically connected to the camera assembly.

Furthermore, the driving mechanisms of the rear view system are respectively provided with two driving mechanisms, the two driving mechanisms of the rear view system are respectively in one-to-one correspondence with the two fenders of the vehicle body, and the driving mechanisms of the rear view system are respectively positioned on the inner sides of the corresponding fenders.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automobile including a rearview system as described above.

Compared with the prior art, the driving mechanism of the rearview system provided by the utility model has the advantages that the rotary driving assembly and the lead screw assembly with the lead screw are additionally arranged, so that the camera assembly is driven to extend out of or retract into the outline of the vehicle body, and the collision of the camera assembly in a non-use state is reduced; meanwhile, the clutch assembly is arranged to transmit the power of the rotation driving assembly to the lead screw, and the power connection between the lead screw and the rotation driving assembly is disconnected when the lead screw rotates reversely, so that the camera assembly is prevented from being damaged by impact, and the rotation driving assembly is prevented from being damaged due to the reverse rotation of the lead screw.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is one of schematic diagrams of a driving mechanism of a rear view system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a second schematic view of a driving mechanism of a rear view system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a third schematic view of a driving mechanism of a rear view system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a fourth schematic view of a driving mechanism of a rear-view system according to an embodiment of the present invention in application (the camera module does not protrude from the predetermined opening);

fig. 5 is a fifth schematic view of a driving mechanism of a rear-view system according to an embodiment of the present invention in application (the camera assembly is extended from the predetermined opening);

FIG. 6 is one of the schematic views of the driving mechanism of the rearview system provided in the embodiment of the utility model;

FIG. 7 is a second schematic view of a driving mechanism of the rear-view system according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the clutch plate of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the clutch assembly, first worm gear, and lead screw of FIG. 6 in engagement.

In the figure: 1000. a drive mechanism for a rear view system; 1100. a bracket; 1200. a rotation drive assembly; 1210. a first worm; 1220. a first worm gear; 1230. a second worm; 1240. a second worm gear; 1250. a rotary power device; 1260. an overload protector; 1300. a lead screw assembly; 1310. a lead screw; 1320. a nut; 1400. a clutch assembly; 1410. a clutch plate; 1411. a gap part; 1420. a clutch transmission member; 1421. a tooth portion; 1422. a round sleeve; 1500. a camera assembly; 1510. a camera bearing cover; 1520. a camera; 1530. guiding the optical axis; 1540. a guide ring; 2000. a fender panel.

Detailed Description

In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and advantageous effects to be solved by the present invention more clearly apparent, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the utility model and are not intended to limit the utility model.

It should be noted that the terms "length," "width," "height," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "head," "tail," and the like, indicate orientations or positional relationships that are based on the orientations or positional relationships illustrated in the drawings, are used for convenience in describing the utility model and for simplicity in description, and do not indicate or imply that the referenced devices or elements must have a particular orientation, be constructed in a particular orientation, and be operated, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the utility model.

It is also noted that, unless expressly stated or limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," "secured," "disposed," and the like are intended to be inclusive and mean, for example, that they may be fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally formed; can be mechanically or electrically connected; either directly or indirectly through intervening media, either internally or in any other relationship. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific situations.

Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. Further, "plurality" or "a plurality" means two or more unless specifically limited otherwise.

Referring to fig. 1 to 7, an embodiment of a driving mechanism 1000 of a rearview system provided by the present invention will now be described. The driving mechanism 1000 of the rear view system, as a main actuating mechanism of the rear view system, is located at the inner side of the vehicle body covering part or the vehicle body side wall. The vehicle body cover mainly refers to structures such as a vehicle door, a roof, a bonnet, a trunk lid and the like, the driving mechanism 1000 of the rearview system provided by the embodiment of the utility model is positioned on the inner side of the vehicle body cover or the side wall of the vehicle body, and the vehicle body cover or the side wall of the vehicle body is provided with a preset opening so that the camera assembly 1500 can extend out or retract into the outline range of the vehicle body.

The driving mechanism 1000 of the rear view system according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a bracket 1100, a rotational driving assembly 1200, a clutch assembly 1400, a lead screw assembly 1300, and a camera assembly 1500. The bracket 1100 is used as a carrier for other elements and is mounted on the vehicle body, and specifically, the bracket 1100 can be mounted and fixed on the vehicle body frame, the vehicle body covering part or the inner side of the vehicle body side wall. The rotational drive assembly 1200 is mounted on a carriage 1100, which has a rotational output.

The lead screw assembly 1300 includes a lead screw 1310 rotatably disposed on the bracket 1100 and a nut 1320 spirally driven with the lead screw 1310, the nut 1320 being in power connection with the camera assembly 1500. The clutch assembly 1400 is used for transmitting the power of the rotation output end of the rotation driving assembly 1200 to the lead screw 1310 so as to enable the lead screw 1310 to rotate forwards; meanwhile, if the camera assembly 1500 is impacted by external force to force the lead screw 1310 to rotate reversely, the clutch assembly 1400 can disconnect the power connection relationship between the lead screw 1310 and the rotation output end, so as to prevent the reverse rotation of the lead screw 1310 from being transmitted to the rotation driving assembly 1200. The clutch assembly 1400 is not limited in structure and may be a conventional clutch or the like.

The camera assembly 1500 is used for shooting road conditions around the vehicle body, and the road condition information can be transmitted to a display screen of the rearview system for the driver to refer to. When the camera assembly 1500 is needed, when the lead screw 1310 rotates forward, the camera assembly 1500 extends out (out of the outline of the vehicle body) from the preset opening of the vehicle body covering part or the side wall of the vehicle body under the driving of the screw 1320; when the camera assembly 1500 is not needed, the lead screw 1310 is rotated reversely, and the camera assembly 1500 is retracted into the vehicle body covering part or the inner side of the vehicle body side wall from the preset opening of the vehicle body covering part or the vehicle body side wall under the driving of the screw 1320 so as not to exceed the vehicle body contour. That is, a space for placing the driving mechanism of the rearview system provided by the embodiment of the utility model is arranged between the vehicle body covering part or the vehicle body side wall and the vehicle body frame or on the vehicle body frame, and the camera assembly 1500 can extend out of the vehicle body from the preset opening only when the camera assembly is needed to be used.

In addition, when the camera assembly 1500 is located outside the vehicle body for normal use, if a foreign object collides with the camera assembly 1500, the camera assembly 1500 can retract towards the inside of the vehicle body covering part or the side wall of the vehicle body (to avoid the camera assembly 1500 being damaged by impact), the retraction of the camera assembly 1500 drives the screw nut to retract, the lead screw 1310 rotates reversely, because the foreign object collides with the camera assembly 1500 in an emergency, the rotation driving assembly 1200 may not receive a command to rotate the lead screw 1310 reversely, so that the "self-propelled" reverse rotation of the lead screw 1310 may cause damage to (the power device in) the rotation driving assembly 1200 if the amplitude is too large. However, since the clutch assembly 1400 is provided, it can disconnect the power connection between the lead screw 1310 and the rotation output end when the lead screw 1310 rotates reversely "by itself", so that there is no influence on the rotation driving assembly 1200.

Compared with the prior art, the driving mechanism of the rearview system provided by the embodiment of the utility model has the advantages that the rotary driving assembly and the lead screw assembly with the lead screw are additionally arranged, so that the camera assembly can be driven to extend out of or retract into the outline of the vehicle body, and the collision of the camera assembly in a non-use state is reduced; meanwhile, the clutch assembly is arranged to transmit the power of the rotation driving assembly to the lead screw, and the power connection between the lead screw and the rotation driving assembly is disconnected when the lead screw rotates reversely, so that the camera assembly is prevented from being damaged by impact, and the rotation driving assembly is prevented from being damaged due to the reverse rotation of the lead screw.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 1 to 7, as an implementation manner of the bracket 1100, the bracket 1100 may be a plate structure.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 4 to 7, as an implementation manner of the camera assembly 1500, the camera assembly 1500 includes a camera carrying cover 1510 and a camera 1520 installed on the camera carrying cover 1510, a nut 1320 is connected to the camera carrying cover 1510, and the movement of the nut 1320 drives the camera carrying cover 1510 and the camera 1520 to move.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 4-7, as an implementation of the camera head cover 1510, the camera head cover 1510 may be a square tube structure, and of course, one end of the square tube structure is open to facilitate the installation of the nut 1320 and the extension of the lead screw 1310 into the square tube structure. Optionally, the camera 1520 and the nut 1320 are both fixedly installed in the square tube structure, and of course, the square tube structure has to be provided with an opening to facilitate the camera 1520 to take a picture.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 4 to 7, on the basis that the camera assembly 1500 includes a camera carrying cover 1510 and a camera 1520, the camera assembly 1500 further includes a guiding optical axis 1530 fixed on the bracket 1100, and a guiding ring 1540 sleeved on the outer circumference of the guiding optical axis 1530 and slidably engaged with the guiding optical axis 1530 is fixed on the camera carrying cover 1510. Through the sliding fit of the guide ring 1540 and the guide optical axis 1530, the nut 1320 (i.e., the camera bearing cover 1510) can move in a translational manner when being spirally matched with the lead screw 1310, so that the nut 1320 (i.e., the camera bearing cover 1510) is prevented from rotating and advancing, and the shooting angle positioning of the camera 1520 extending out of the vehicle body covering part or the vehicle body side wall is facilitated.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 7, on the basis that the camera head assembly 1500 further includes two guide optical axes 1530 and two guide rings 1540, the two guide optical axes 1530 are arranged in parallel and spaced apart, two guide rings 1540 are respectively disposed on the corresponding camera head carrying cover 1510, each guide ring 1540 corresponds to each guide optical axis 1530 one by one, and the guide rings 1540 are in sliding fit with the corresponding guide optical axis 1530.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 4 to 7, the rotational driving assembly 1200 includes a rotational power device 1250 mounted on the bracket and a one-way transmission unit, and the rotational power device 1250 may be a motor or the like having a torque output structure. The one-way transmission unit includes a first worm gear 1210 power-connected to the rotary power unit 1250 and a first worm wheel 1220 mesh-driven with the first worm gear 1210. The unidirectional transmission unit means that the first worm 1210 can transmit kinetic energy to the first worm wheel 1220, and the first worm wheel 1220 cannot drive the first worm 1210 to move, that is, the first worm wheel 1220 cannot transmit the kinetic energy to the first worm 1210, which of course does not affect the forward and reverse rotation of the first worm 1210, and drives the first worm wheel 1220 to rotate forward and reverse correspondingly.

The first worm 1210 and the first worm gear 1220 are both rotatably disposed on the bracket 1100, and the first worm gear 1220 is a rotation output end of the rotation driving assembly 1200.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 4 to 7, on the basis that the rotational driving assembly 1200 includes the rotational power device 1250 and the one-way transmission unit, the rotational driving assembly 1200 further includes a second worm 1230 in power connection with the rotational power device 1250 and a second worm wheel 1240 in mesh transmission with the second worm 1230. The second worm 1230 and the second worm wheel 1240 are both rotatably arranged on the bracket 1100, and the second worm wheel 1240 is (fixedly) connected with the first worm 1210, i.e., the second worm wheel 1240 transmits power to the first worm 1210. According to the transmission characteristics of the worm and worm gear, the axial directions of the second worm 1230 and the first worm 1210 are necessarily vertically arranged, so that the space on the bracket 1100 can be fully utilized by the two sets of worm and worm gear mechanisms.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 4-9, as an implementation of clutch assembly 1400, clutch assembly 1400 includes clutch plate 1410 in power communication with the rotational output (i.e., first worm gear 1220) and clutch transmission 1420 in communication with lead screw 1310. Clutch transmission 1420 has teeth 1421 that abut the clutch plates and frictionally transmit drive to clutch plate 1410. That is, during the process of transferring force from the rotary drive assembly 1200 to the lead screw assembly 1300, the rotary output end drives the clutch plate 1410 to rotate forward or backward, the clutch plate 1410 drives the tooth portion 1421 (i.e., the clutch transmission 1420) to rotate forward or backward by using friction, and the clutch transmission 1420 drives the lead screw 1310 to rotate forward or backward. When the camera head assembly 1500 is contracted by external impact, the nut 1320 retracts, causing the lead screw 1310 to rotate reversely, and the clutch transmission member 1420 connected to the lead screw 1310 to rotate reversely, i.e., the tooth portion 1421 rotates reversely with frictional resistance to the clutch plate 1410; at this time, the rotary actuator 1250 is not actuated, and the clutch plate 1410 is not reversed due to the friction of the teeth 1421 due to the unidirectional transmission of the unidirectional transmission unit, so that the rotary actuator 1250 is not damaged by the reverse rotation without the command of the controller.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 4 to 9, on the basis that the clutch assembly 1400 includes the clutch plate 1410 and the clutch transmission 1420, the clutch transmission 1420 is provided with a notch 1411 for releasing the friction transmission between the tooth 1421 and the clutch plate 1410 when the lead screw 1310 rotates reversely when the camera assembly 1500 is impacted by an external force. During the process of transferring force to the lead screw 1310 by the rotary power device 1250, the friction transmission between the tooth portion 1421 and the clutch plate 1410 is utilized, when the lead screw 1310 is reversely rotated due to the impact of external force on the camera head assembly 1500, the tooth portion 1421 may slightly (reversely) rub against the clutch plate 1410, and then the tooth portion 1421 slides to the notch portion 1411 relative to the clutch plate 1410, at this time, the friction of the clutch plate 1410 is released by the tooth portion 1421, so that the reversely rotated lead screw 1310 is less likely to transfer force to the rotary power device 1250.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 4 to 9, on the basis that clutch assembly 1400 includes clutch plate 1410 and clutch transmission 1420, and clutch transmission 1420 has cutout 1411, clutch transmission 1420 includes circular sleeve 1422, and circular sleeve 1422 is sleeved on lead screw 1310 and fixedly connected to lead screw 1310. The tooth 1421 protrudes from the outer circumference of the circular sleeve 1422 and is connected to the circular sleeve 1422, and the clutch plate 1410 is fixed to the inner circumference of the first worm gear 1220 and rotates along with the first worm gear 1220. Alternatively, the teeth 1421 are provided in plural numbers around the outer circumference of the circular sleeve 1422, and the cutouts 1411 are also provided in plural numbers around the clutch plate 1410. In the process of transmitting the force to the lead screw 1310 by the rotary power device 1250, the tooth portions 1421 and the notch portions 1411 are staggered along the outer circumference of the lead screw 1310, and when the lead screw 1310 rotates reversely due to the impact of an external force on the camera assembly 1500, the tooth portions 1421 will rotate reversely and slide to the corresponding notch portions 1411.

Based on the same inventive concept, the embodiment of the present application further provides a rear view system, which includes the driving mechanism 1000 of the rear view system in the above embodiments, and a controller and a display mounted on the vehicle body, wherein the controller is electrically connected to the rotation driving assembly 1200 (i.e., the rotation power device 1250), and the display is electrically connected to the camera assembly 1500 (i.e., the camera 1520). The rear view system provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes the driving mechanism 1000 of the rear view system in the above embodiment, and therefore, has all the advantages of the driving mechanism 1000 of the rear view system.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 6, the rotary driving assembly 1200 further includes an overload protector (i.e., an overload protection circuit board) 1260, and the rotary driving device 1250 is electrically connected to the controller through the overload protector 1260.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 1 to 5, the driving mechanisms 1000 of the rear view systems respectively have two driving mechanisms, and the driving mechanisms 1000 of the two rear view systems respectively correspond to the two fender panels 2000 of the vehicle body one by one, and the driving mechanism 1000 of each rear view system is located inside the corresponding fender panel 2000. A preset opening is formed in the fender 2000, the camera assembly 1500 can be protruded out of the vehicle body through the preset opening, and the camera 1520 can photograph the rear side of the vehicle body, so that the driver can obtain the vehicle condition information of the rear side of the vehicle body.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 1-5, the camera cover 1510 has a top surface that fits over the outer surface of the fender 2000, such that after the camera assembly 1500 is retracted inside the fender 2000, the top surface of the camera cover 1510 has just been left free of openings in the outer surface of the fender 2000, which is more aesthetically pleasing and reduces wind noise.

Based on the same inventive concept, the embodiment of the application further provides an automobile which comprises the rearview system in the embodiment. The automobile provided by the embodiment of the utility model comprises the rearview system in the embodiment, so that the automobile has all the beneficial effects of the rearview system.

The above description is only for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiments of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting the utility model, and any modifications, equivalents and improvements made within the spirit and principle of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A driving mechanism of a rearview system is characterized in that the driving mechanism is positioned on the inner side of a vehicle body covering part or a vehicle body side wall and comprises a bracket, a rotary driving assembly, a screw rod assembly, a clutch assembly and a camera assembly; wherein the content of the first and second substances,

the bracket is arranged on the vehicle body;

2. The drive mechanism for a rearview system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said camera assembly includes a camera carrying cover and a camera mounted on said camera carrying cover, said nut being connected to said camera carrying cover.

3. The driving mechanism of a rear-view system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the camera assembly further includes a guiding optical axis fixed on the bracket, and a guiding ring sleeved on the periphery of the guiding optical axis and slidably engaged with the guiding optical axis is fixedly disposed on the camera bearing cover.

4. The drive mechanism of a rearview system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said rotary drive assembly includes a rotary actuator mounted on said bracket and a one-way transmission unit including a first worm power-connected to said rotary actuator and a first worm wheel in meshing transmission with said first worm, said first worm and said first worm wheel being rotatably mounted on said bracket, said first worm wheel serving as said rotary output.

5. The rearview drive mechanism of claim 4 wherein said rotary drive assembly further includes a second worm in powered communication with said rotary actuator and a second worm gear in meshing communication with said second worm, said second worm and said second worm gear both being rotatably disposed on said bracket, said second worm gear being in communication with said first worm.

6. The rearview system drive mechanism of claim 4, wherein said clutch assembly includes a clutch plate in powered communication with said rotational output and a clutch drive member in communication with said lead screw, said clutch drive member having a toothed portion in abutment with said clutch plate and in frictional communication with said clutch plate.

7. The drive mechanism for a rearview system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said clutch transmission member is provided with a notch portion for releasing frictional transmission between said tooth portion and said clutch plate when said camera head assembly is impacted by an external force and said lead screw is reversely rotated.

8. A rearview system comprising a drive mechanism for a rearview system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, and a controller and a display mounted on the vehicle body, the controller being electrically connected to the rotary drive assembly and the display being electrically connected to the camera assembly.

9. A rearview system as claimed in claim 8 wherein said drive mechanisms of said rearview system are each two in number and wherein the drive mechanisms of said rearview system are each one-to-one associated with two fenders of the vehicle body, the drive mechanism of each said rearview system being located inboard of the associated fender.

10. A vehicle comprising a rearview system as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9.