GB1402902A - External rear view mirror assembly for a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

1402902 Rear-view mirrors Y J TALBOT 15 Sept 1972 42916/72 Heading B7J An external rear view mirror assembly comprises a mounting 3 adapted to be secured to the body 1 of a motor vehicle, a cranked arm 6 having one end portion supported by the mounting 3 to be rotatable about the axis D-D 1 of a hinge pin 5 and a mirror housing 8 articulatedly connected such as by a ball pin 7 to the other end of the arm 6 which has receiving means formed by the bore of an eye 13 for the pin 7, the axis of symmetry V-V 1 of the bore and pin intersecting the axis D-D 1 at a point. The portions of the axes D-D 1 and V-V 1 extending from this point towards the arm 6 include an acute angle α. The point of intersection and the housing 8 are on opposite sides of a plane which is perpendicular to axis D-D 1 and which extends through the mounting 3. The arm 6 is retained in its normal operative position, as shown in Fig. 1, by a detent arrangement comprising balls 9 and springs 10 urging the balls into recesses in the surface of mounting 3, but on receipt of an impact, the housing 8 and arm 6 are pivoted to positions 8<SP>1</SP> and 6<SP>1</SP> within the profile of the body 1. In order to reduce air resistance, an aerodynamically shaped housing 8 as in Fig. 6 may be employed, comprising at least two, three as shown, housing parts 8a, 8b and 8c each of roughly the cross-section of a sector of a circle. These housing parts may be telescoped together by pivoting about a common axis M against the resilient resistance of an elastic foam material filler 36 as shown, or of a compression spring. A flexible tension element 33, interconnecting a rubber buffer mount 34 on part 8c and a screw 32 adjacent the reflector glass 37 in part 8a, limits outward telescoping movement of the housing parts. Alternative forms are described including the use of a twopart coupling arm 6 having its parts (6a and 6b), Fig. 5 (not shown), connected by a hinge pin (39) perpendicular to axis D-D 1 ; and a convex mounting 3 engaged pivotally adjustably in a concave channel (16), Fig. 3 (not shown), of the vehicle body to allow variation of the angle α and preferably dipose the axis of ball joint pin 7 vertical. When mounted on the vehicle with axis V-V 1 vertical, the axis D-D 1 is inclined upwardly to extend towards the central vertical longitudinal plane of the vehicle.