GB1596631A

GB1596631A - Motor vehicle rear-view mirrors

Info

Publication number: GB1596631A
Application number: GB267077A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Desmo Ltd
Current assignee: Desmo Ltd
Priority date: 1977-01-22
Filing date: 1977-01-22
Publication date: 1981-08-26
Also published as: DE2802502A1; FR2377907B3; FR2377907A1

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLE REAR-VIEW MIRRORS (71) We : DESMO LIMITED, a British Company of North Court, Packington Park, near Meriden, Warwickshire, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a Patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to exterior rearview mirrors for motor vehicles of the kind in which the support for the reflective element of the mirror includes an attachment member to be secured to the vehicle and joint means between the reflective element and the attachment member.

In known mirrors the design of the mounting is complicated by aesthetic considerations and expensive surface finishing processes such as electro-plating are considered necessary. Hard surfaces, and particularly hard edges, of the mounting can cause personal injury even when the joint means is yieldable. An aim of the invention is to reduce these difficulties and dangers.

The present invention consists in an exterior rear view mirror for a motor vehicle comprising a reflective element, an attachment member adapted to be connected to the vehicle for mounting the mirror thereon, a body of elastic and flexible material having a head portion housing the reflective element, and joint means, comprising at least one joint adjacent the attachment member, for mounting the head portion together with the reflective element on the attachment member, the body having an extension which includes a flexible tubular gaiter which surrounds the joint means adjacent the attachment member.

As the gaiter extension surrounds the joint means the joint means is concealed so that restrictions on the functional design of the mounting are reduced and there is no need for expensive surface finishing. The gaiter extension particularly when moulded in foam plastics also provides protection against personal injury through contact with hard parts of the mounting.

So that the gaiter extension does not impede the action of the joint means it may be provided with formations, for example, of convoluted shape or like the folds of a concertina to enable it to collapse more readily.

The joint means may be of any suitable known form. It may be of the kind which allows the reflective element to deflect when struck and restores it to the operative position afterwards or it may merely allow the reflective element to move out of the way when struck after which it may be put back manually.

The gaiter extension may also enclose mechanical or electrical connections of remote control gear enabling the mirror to be adjusted from inside the vehicle.

The mirror head portion of the body may be moulded around a re-inforcing metal plate connected directly to the joint means.

The reflective element may be mounted directly in the body or be held in a fixed position with respect to the head portion of the moulding by a rigid mounting connected to the re-inforcing plate or it may be connected to the re-inforcing plate by an adjustable joint.

Embodiments of the invention are illustated in the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an illustration of one rear view mirror according to the invention as seen from the front of a motor vehicle to which it is fitted.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section through a modification.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectioned plan of another modification.

Figure 5 is an external view of the modification of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing the modification of Figure 4 in a deflected position.

In Figures 1 and 2 the mirror is housed in a body moulding 6, moulded in self-skinning polyurethane foam and which includes a mirror head portion 1 surrounding a reflective element 9. A re-inforcing metal plate 10 is moulded into the body to stiffen the major part of the back of the mirror head 1. The mirror head 1 is supported upon a yieldable joint 2 connected to an attachment member 3 shaped to be bolted or otherwise secured to a door or wing panel 4 of the vehicle body.

The foam plastics moulding 6 extends in the form of a tubular gaiter portion 5 around the yieldable joint 2. The gaiter portion is sufficiently flexible and elastic to be pulled back for access to the bolts or other means that secure the attachment member 3 to the vehicle body. When the gaiter portion 5 is afterwards released it regains its position around the attachment member 3 and stops just short of the panel 4 (as shown) or may bear on the panel 4. The flexibility of the gaiter portion 5 avoids interference with the action of the yieldable joint 2 when the mirror head is struck. As the yieldable joint 2 and attachment member 3 are completely covered by the gaiter portion in normal service, they can be purely functional in design and do not need elaborate surface finishing for the sake of appearance.

The foam plastics moulding 6 includes a ledge 7 and a rim 8 which support and locate the reflective element 9. A socket 12 is secured by a rivet 11 or other means to the plate 10. A ball 13 formed on the end of the arm 14 is received in the socket 12. The socket 12 and ball 13 together form a universally adjustable joint 15.

For the yieldable joint 2 the other end of the arm 14 is formed with a spigot 16 having on its end face locating formations which are spring loaded into engagement with complementary formations in a recess in the attachment member 3.

The attachment member 3 has a mounting face 17, which abuts and is secured to the body panel 4 of the vehicle.

The tubular gaiter portion 5 of the moulding 6 extends around those parts of the mounting not already covered by the moulding, and protects them and conceals them from view. As shown. the gaiter portion 5 stops just short of the surface of the panel 4, leaving a gap 18 so that the moulding 6 does not tend to rub the paintwork of the panel 4, at least when the mirror head 1 is adjusted to its nominal central position.

Assembly of the various parts of the mirror is quite simply carried out. The arm 14 is secured to the attachment member 3 before insertion into the moulding 6. The socket 12 engages the ball 13 as the arm 14 is inserted through the gaiter portion 5. The ball 13 and socket 14 may be more easily engaged before the reflective element 9 is fitted. The gaiter portion 5 is flexible enough to be pushed back for easier access during assembly.

In Figure 3, a metal plate 19 is secured to the back of the reflective element 9 by adhesive and extends over the full area of the reflective element (especially where this is of glass) as an additional support if the reflective element should break. The plate 19 is connected to the arm 14 by a universally adjustable joint 15 of known type. The yieldable joint 2 illustrated by way of example is of the kind described in Patent Specification 803 995 in which a spring loaded face cam tends to return the mirror head to its initial position after displacement due to a blow.

The attachment member 3 has a flat mounting face surrounding a screwthreaded spigot which, in use, extends through a hole in the panel 4 on the vehicle (in this instance usually a vehicle wing) and is secured by a nut on the underside. The spigot and nut are hidded below the panel when the mirror is fitted to the vehcicle and there is no need for the gaiter portion 5 to extend beyond the mounting face of the attachment member 3.

The reflective element and all the parts of its mounting are assembled together outside the moulding 6. The assembly is inserted through the opening in the moulding 6 for the reflective element and the adjustable joint 2 and arm 14 guided into the gaiter portion. The rim 8 of the moulding 6 is then slipped over the edge of the reflector element 9 which thus locates the moulding 6.

The moulding 6.acts merely as a cover and the reflective element and its mounting does not depend upon it for support.

The modification of Figure 4 is particularly for use when the rear view mirror is to be mounted on a substantially upright part of the vehicle, such as the small triangular plate 4', occupying the forward bottom corner of the window of a passenger car front door. The assembly extends in a generally horizontal position but the yieldable joint 2 allows angular movement about both vertical and horizontal axes. The gaiter portion 5 is formed with fins 20 which form concertina-like folds and enable the gaiter portion 5 to collapse more easily when the yieldable joint 2 pivots. In the free state the gaiter portion 5 extends beyond the mounting face of the attachment member 3. When the mirror is fitted to the vehicle the end of the gaiter portion 5 bears on the panel 4.

Figure 5 shows the external appearance of the gaiter portion 5 with the fins 20 on both its forward and rearwardly facing surfaces and extending until they nearly meet at the top and bottom of the gaiter portion 5. The fins 20 being hollow allow the gaiter portion considerable flexibility as indicated in Figure 6 so that it can collapse readily in either of the directions permitted by the yieldable joint when the mirror head is struck.

As an alternative, the forward facing side of the gaiter portion 5 may be plain, the fins 20 only being present on the rearwardly facing side.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. An exterior rear view mirror for a motor vehicle comprising a reflective element, an attachment member adapted to be connected to the vehicle for mounting the mirror thereon, a body of elastic and flexible material having a head portion housing the reflective element, and joint means, comprising at least one joint adjacent the attachment member, for mounting the head portion together with the reflective element on the attachment member, the body having an extension which includes a flexible tubu lar gaiter which surrounds the joint means adjacent the attachment member.

2. An exterior rear view mirror as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the head portion and the gaiter extension are moulded in one single piece.

3. An exterior rear view mirror as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the material of the gaiter extension has a wall which is thinner than that of the head portion.

4. An exterior rear view mirror as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the gaiter extension is provided with yield able formations.

5. An exterior rear view mirror as claimed in Claim 4 wherein the yieldable formations are of convoluted shape.

6. An exterior rear view mirror as claimed in Claim 4 wherein the yieldable formations are concertina - like folds.

7. An exterior rear view mirror as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the gaiter extension in the free state extends beyond a mounting face of the attachment member so that in use the gaiter extension bears on a surface surrounding a part of the vehicle body which the mounting face engages.

8. An exterior rear view mirror as claimed in any one of preceding Claims 1 to 6 wherein the gaiter extension in the free state extends just short of a mounting face of the attachment member so that in use the gaiter extension is just clear of a surface surrounding the part of the vehicle which the mounting face engages.

9. An exterior rear view mirror as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the portion of the body behind that receiving the reflective element is moulded around a metal re-inforcing plate.

10. An exterior rear view mirror as claimed in Claim 9 wherein the reflective element is mounted directly in the body moulding and the joint means is connected to the re-inforcing plate by a universally adjustable joint.

11. An exterior rear view mirror as claimed in any one of preceding Claims 1 to 9 wherein the reflective element is supported directly from the joint means without reliance on the body which serves merely as a cover.

12. An exterior rear view mirror as claimed in Claim 11 wherein the head portion is held in place by locating formations which receive the rim of the reflective element.

13. An exterior rear view mirror as claimed in Claims 10 and 11 wherein the body moulding is secured to the remainder of the mirror by connection to the reinforcing plate.

14. An exterior rear view mirror as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the body is a moulding in polyurethane foam plastics.

15. An exterior rear view mirror as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the movable joint is constructed and arranged to be yieldable so as to enable the mirror to be displaced when struck.

16. An exterior rear view mirror for a motor vehicle substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated by Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

17. An exterior rear view mirror for a motor vehicle substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated by Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.

18. An exterior rear view mirror for a motor vehicle substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated by Figures 4 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. its forward and rearwardly facing surfaces and extending until they nearly meet at the top and bottom of the gaiter portion 5. The fins 20 being hollow allow the gaiter portion considerable flexibility as indicated in Figure 6 so that it can collapse readily in either of the directions permitted by the yieldable joint when the mirror head is struck. As an alternative, the forward facing side of the gaiter portion 5 may be plain, the fins 20 only being present on the rearwardly facing side. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. An exterior rear view mirror for a motor vehicle comprising a reflective element, an attachment member adapted to be connected to the vehicle for mounting the mirror thereon, a body of elastic and flexible material having a head portion housing the reflective element, and joint means, comprising at least one joint adjacent the attachment member, for mounting the head portion together with the reflective element on the attachment member, the body having an extension which includes a flexible tubu lar gaiter which surrounds the joint means adjacent the attachment member.