GB1031115A - Vehicle rear view mirrors - Google Patents

Abstract

1,031,115. Mirrors; mountings. CHRYSLER CORPORATION. November 30,1962,No.45448/62. Heading G2J. [Also in Division B7] A vehicle anti-dazzle rear-view mirror Figs. 1 and 2, comprises a mirror assembly 22 carried by a part-spherical section 16 and a hub 14 from a bracket 12 securable to the vehicle, the assembly 22 including an enclosure or chamber 21 containing an optically dense light attenuating liquid 29, a transparent glass window 26 and a plate of glass 34 within the chamber 21 and having a highly reflective surface 36, the plate 34 being movable to a position in which it is in substantial abutment with the window with only a thin layer of liquid squeezed there-between, by means of radial spring fingers 40 on an annular metal member 38 and being movable away from the window by an electromagnet 44 so that a masking layer of liquid is formed between the window and reflective surface which substantially cuts out the reflections from the surface 36 so that only weak reflections from the outer surface of the window 26 can be seen by the driver of the vehicle. The electromagnetic 44 coacts with an armature disc 45 secured to the plate 34 and is energized through wires 50. Liquid can move from one side of the plate 34 to the other via an annular gap 42. In other embodiments the plate 34 is positively indexed into substantially parallel abutting relationship with the window e.g. by thin wafer stop members secured by cementing to window or the reflector plate. In an embodiment described with reference to Fig. 9 (not shown) the plate 34 is movable by an electric solenoid away from the window and by a coil spring towards the window. According to the embodiment of Fig. 12 the liquid is retained by an elastomeric diaphragm 190 so that changes in volume due to wide differences in temperature are catered for. The central portion of the diaphragm is secured at 212 to the reflector plate and the outer periphery to the casing 186, the rear wall 192 being provided with three depression sions to receive the expansion of the diaphragm. The mirror assembly 180 in this case is universally mounted in a housing 182 on a spring-urged pin 238 and remotely controllable by three flexible cables (only 250 and 252 are shown) in known manner. The reflector plate 33 is movable away from the window by a flexible cable 224 and urged against the window by a spring 244. Other means permitting expansion of the liquid are described with reference to Figs. 14, 15 and 16 (not shown). The liquid preferably has a refractive index in the order of that of the window 26.