GB2217279A

GB2217279A - An external rear-view mirror assembly for a motor vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2217279A
Application number: GB8909139A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Adolfo Guirado Caballero
Original assignee: HOHE IBERICA
Current assignee: HOHE IBERICA
Priority date: 1988-04-21
Filing date: 1989-04-21
Publication date: 1989-10-25
Anticipated expiration: 2009-04-21
Also published as: DE3904567A1; GB8909139D0; FR2630379A1; GB2217279B; ES2006913A6; FR2630379B1

Description

1 1

DESCRIPTION "An external rear-view-mirror assembly with a folding attachment device, particularly for a motor vehicle"

The present invention relates to an external rear-viewmirror assembly for a motor vehicle, incorporating folding attachment device. More particularly the invention concerns a mirror assembly which can be fitted either to a front door or to a side bodywork part of a motor vehicle and to a folding attachment device incorporated in such an assembly.

Such rear-view-mirror assemblies include a fixed support or base which is attached directly to the vehicle in use and a casing connected to the base by a folding attachment device, the casing having an open side which frames the mirror per se. The casing houses mirror-support members, possibly including members for pivoting the mirror relative to the casing, while the casing itself is also pivotable relative to the base so as to prevent it from being damaged by small knocks. The casing may also pivot into a folded, parking position in which it projects to a lesser extent from the vehicle than in its normal, or rest, position of use in which it is viewed by the driver.

In addition to these facilities, it is also desirable for current rear view-mi rror assemblies to incorporate other features such as remote adjustability of the mirror, an ability of the mirror to return smoothly and automatically to its normal, rest position of use when it has been knocked accidentally in any direction, Gr a stable parking position.

It is also known that external rear-view-mirror 2ry r-1 2 assemblies offer considerable wind resistance during travel because of their positioning transverse the direction of travel and the high speeds reached by modern motor vehicles. They therefore cause small but significant problems during travel including vibration and noise and a slight but continuous loss of power with the inherent additional fuel consumption. In order to minimise these problems rear-view-mirror assemblies are usually formed with rounded shapes but this means that they are rather bulky.

The object of the present invention is to provide an external rear-view-mirror assembly for a motor vehicle which incorporates a folding attachment device for connecting the mirror casing to the base and which, in preferred embodiments of the invention, enables the assembly to be provided with a stable parking position while also allowing the assembly to return to its initial, rest position automatically when it has been displaced accidentally therefrom. It should be mentioned that no current model of rear-view-mirror assembly includes both the ability to return automatically to the rest position and a stable parking position. A reason for this is that, in current models, the casings of rear-view-mirror assemblies with stable parking positions have very narrow necks attaching them to the base and need a bellows of resilient material to cover and protect their articulating ball joints which would otherwise be exposed; models with automatic return, however, include very long tension springs and cannot be constructed with necks of the required width.

The present invention provides an external rear-view-mirror assembly for a motor vehicle, Z1 3 comprising a base for fixing to the vehicle, an open-sided casing for housing the mirror and a folding attachment device connecting the casing to the base such that, in a stable, rest position, the casing projects from the base and the mirror is viewable by the vehicle driver through the open side, in use, the casing being pivotable from the rest position in opposing senses about respective parallel axis, the folding attachment device comprising a support rod articulated at one end to the base about an axis parallel to said axes and extending slidably through a cooperating throughbore in a socket supported by the casing for pivoting about a further axis perpendicular to the throughbore and parallel to said axes, and resilient biasing means, such as a tension spring, acting between the casing and the base to bias the casing towards the rest position.

It will be appreciated that the folding attachment device of the rearview-mirror assembly of the invention enables the casing to be displaced from its normal, rest position of use, in either sense, so that the assembly is not damaged by slight knocks while the resilient means will return the casing to its rest position when the displacing force has been removed. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the casing can also be pivoted further in one sense into a folded, parking position and means are provided for retaining the casing in position. The assembly preferably also includes means for braking the pivoting movement of the casing to achieve safe and smooth operation.

In one embodiment of the invention, the socket comprises a cylindrical body with an axial tang projecting from each end face, the tangs being elongate 4 in the direction of the throughbore and being f itted with slight clearance in corresponding circular housings in two flanges of a socket support fixed to the casing. The tangs are rotatable in their housings to guide the pivoting of the socket about its longitudinal axis. During this pivoting the support rod, which preferably has a polygonal cross-section, is slidable in the throughbore and pivotable about its end attached to the base, the sliding accommodating the eccentricity between the articulation axes of the rod one casing of the rear-view-mirror assembly and of the itself during pivoting of the casing about either of its axes. The pivoting of the casing is, in any case, of relatively small magnitude, preferably less than 90 0 and limited by appropriate stops.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the socket comprises a prismatic body with projecting end pins defining its pivot axis,the pins being captive in cooperating apertures in flanges of a socket support fixed to the casing. One f ace of the bo.dy through which the throughbore extends is formed with a groove which houses a spring clip which presses resiliently against at least one face of the slidable rod so as to provide frictional resistance to its sliding. The spring clip thus brakes the pivoting of the casing. In such an embodiment, the support rod may also have transverse grooves at points corresponding to the travel-limit positions of the relative sliding of the rod and socket, the resilient clip being accommodated in a respective such groove to define a stop limiting the said travel. The resilient clip thus helps to retain the casing in either of its folded positions.

1 The assembly of the invention preferably includes at least one main spring connected between the base and the casing for biasing the casing into its rest position. It is this main spring which is responsible for the degree of force and rapidity with which the casing returns to its rest position when displaced therefrom but, particularly when the assembly includes the additional resilient component constituted by the spring clip described above, its tension may be quite moderate.

In addition to the main tension spring which biases the casing into its rest position, the assembly may have additional means for retaining the casing in this position as well as means for retaining the casing in the parking position. In one embodiment the support rod for the casing has an enlarged, rounded head at its end articulated to the base, the head having two peripheral recesses engageable by a tooth carried by the base and resiliently biased towards the rod head such that it engages a respective recess in the rest position and in the folded, parking position of the casing. The tooth is preferably carried at the head end of a small rod housed for axial sliding movement in a cavity in the base and is acted upon by a secondary spring captive in the cavity. When the casing, and hence the rod, is in either the rest position or the parking position, the tooth engages in the respective one of the cavities to help retain the casing in the corresponding position, the rod being forced back into its cavity against the action of its biasing spring when a pivoting force is exerted on the casing above a predetermined value to pivot it out of either of its stable positions but, even during this pivoting, the pressure of the tooth on the head of the rod is 6 maintained and acts as a brake. Excellent damping of the movement of the casing is thus achieved whether into or out of the normal rest position or the folded parking position.

In a slight variant of this embodime;nt the retaining member comprising the rod slidable in its cavity in the base has,_instead of the toothed end, an enlarged head end with a concave surface which cooperates with the rounded, convex surface of the head of the support rod so as to provide greater frictional braking of the pivotal movement of the rod than is achieved by the tooth. In this embodiment..the rounded end of the rod has a larger recess for receiving the contact head of the retaining member in the folded, parking position of the casing but does not have a corresponding recess in the rest position. The braking achieved by this embodiment is of considerable benefit to the safety of the user of the rear-view-mirror assembly when he attempts to return the casing from its parking position to its normal rest position since it prevents the common and unpleasant accident of the user's fingers being caught between the casing and its support base as a result of the usual force and speed of return to this position.

In a simpler embodiment of the invention, the head end of the support rod is formed with two flat faces which meet at an angle and the retaining member is formed with a flat head which cooperates with one or other of these faces to help retain the rod, and hence the casing, in the rest position or in the parking position respectively. The technology of this embodiment is very simple, effective and cheap but it lacks the braking facility of the previous embodiments to control j 1 7 the magnitude of the return force on the casing. Although this is not the best solution to the problem, it does have a certain degree of usefulness in some situations.

Several variants of a rear-view-mirror assembly according to the invention will now be more particularly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a horizontal cross-section through a-rear viewmirror assembly according to the invention in its normal, rest position of use; Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the casing of the device in its folded, parking position, on a reduced scale; Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the casing of the device in a position in which it is pivoted in an opposite sense from the parking position, on a reduced scale; Figures 4 and 5 are exploded perspective views of part of the assembly of Figure 1, on an enlarged scale; Figure 6 is a side-elevational view of a part similar to that shown in Figures 4 and 5 but showing a variant thereof; and Figures 7 and 8 show two variants of another part of the assembly of Figure 1, on a smaller scale.

With reference to Figures 1 to 5 of the drawings, a motor-vehicle, external rear-view-mirror assembly is 8 shown including a support base 5 for fixing to the vehicle door or bodywork and a casing 12 for housing the mirror (not shown) and working parts of the assembly. The casing 12 is aerodynamically shaped and defines two generally-rectangular apertures. one of these apertures, indicated 34, is closed by the abutment of the casing 12 with the base 5 in the normal, or rest, position of use of the casing shown in Figure 1. The other aperture, 12a, is substantially closed by the mirror per se, in use. The working parts of the assembly include a folding attachment device for articulating the casing 12 to the base 5. The device includes (Figure 1) a support rod 1 which is articulated at an enlarged, rounded end 2 on a pin 3 supported at its end by flanges 4 of the base 5 such that the rod can pivot about a vertical axis in the normal orientation of the assembly shown.

The support rod 1 extends from the pin 3 transversely through a general ly-cyl indrica 1 socket 6 also arranged with its axis vertical and supported for rotation about this axis by a support ll.fixed within the casing 12 by means of crews 13a, 13b. The rod 1 has a polygonal cross section and extends through a cooperating throughbore 7 in the socket 6 perpendicular to its axis. This arrangement allows the rod 1 and the socket 6 to pivot about their mutual ly-parallel axes while sliding relative to each other but prevents rotation of the rod 1 in the socket 6.

As best seen in Figures 4 and 5, the socket 6 is supported between two parallel flanges 10a, 10b projecting from the support 11, the socket having two diametral ly-e longa te tangs 9a, 9b projecting from its end faces 8a, 8b respectively into circular apertures C 9 14a, 14b respectively in the flanges 10a, 10b. The tangs 9a, 9b extend parallel to the throughbore 7 and serve as guides for the rotation of the socket 6 about its axis.

In order to facilitate assembly of the socket 6 between the flanges 10a, 10b, the apertures 14a, 14b open into the ends of the flanges 10a, 10b through passages 15a, 15b respectively through which the tangs 9a, 9b can be inserted into the apertures 14a, 14b. Once the socket 6 has been inserted between the flanges 10a, 10b, in the direction shown by the arrows F1 in Figure 4, it is pivoted in the sense shown by the arrow F2 to move the tangs 9a, 9b out of alignment with the passages 15a, 15b, so that the socket is held captive. It is arranged that the socket 6 pivots through less than 90 0 in use, so that it cannot accidentally be released from its support 11. once the socket 6 is assembled in its support 11, the rod 1 can be inserted in the throughbore 7 as shown.

As best seen in Figure 1, the support 11 is elongate, the flanges 10a, 10b being at its end nearest the base 5, and at its opposite end has an anchorage 23. Two tension springs 22, one on either side of the rod 1, extend from the anchorage 23 to a further anchorage 24 on the base 5. The anchorages 23, 24 are so located that the springs 22 extend substantially parallel to the rod 1 in its normal rest position shown in Figure 1. The springs 22 are also so arranged that, if the casing is pivoted away from the rest position towards the position shown in Figure 2 or Figure 3, the springs 22 act as resilient biasing means to urge the casing back to its rest position. It will be appreciated that the rod and socket articulation articulates the casing 12 to the base 5 so that it can pivot either about a forward vertical axis defined by a front line of contact, indicated 37a, between front mating edges of the easing 12 and the base 5 or about a rearward vertical axis defined by a rear line of contact, indicated 37b, between the rear edges of the casing 12 and the base 5: in the first case the casing can pivot to the forward folded, or parking, position shown in Figure 2 whereas in the latter case it can pivot to the position shown in Figure 3.

Since the cross-section of the rod 1 is essentially non-circular, as can be seen in Figures 4, 6, the pair of springs 22 may be replaced by a single spring which achieves the same mechanical effectiveness in spite of the f act that it exerts a force on the casing 12 which is eccentric relative to the movable members of the folding device.

In order to stabilise the casing 12 of the rear-viewmirror assembly in its rest position, shown in Figure 1, the rounded head end 2 of the support rod 1 is formed with a small recess 25a engageable by a cooperating rounded tooth 28 formed on the head 26 of a pin 27 slidably housed in a cavity 29 in the base 5. The tooth 28 is urged into engagement with the rod head 2 by means of a compression spring 30 housed in the cavity 29 coaxially around the pin 27 and acting between the base of the cavity and the head 26. The rounded head 2 of the rod 1 also has a further recess 25b spaced from the recess 25a and engageable by the tooth 28 in the folded, parking position of the assembly casing, shown in Figure 2, to stabilise the easing in this position. It will be appreciated that the resili ent biasing of the spring 30 which urges the c 11 tooth 28 into engagement with either one of the recesses 25a or 25b, resists the pivoting of the rod 1 away from the respective position but if sufficient force is exerted on the casing 1 to pivot the rod 1 and displace its head 2 from engagement with the tooth 28, then the resilient biasing of the main springs 22 will act to return the casing 1 to the rest position of Figure 1. This return is, however, resisted and damped by the friction between the tooth 28 and the head 2 against which the tooth is still urged by the spring 30.

With reference to Figure 6 of the drawings, a variant of the socket 6 and its support flanges 10a, 10b is shown. In this embodiment, the socket, indicated 16, is prismatic in shape and mounted between the flanges 10a, 10b by means of axial ly-proj ecting pins 17a, 17b which are captive in cooperating apertures in the flanges 10a, 10b and are rotatable therein. The rod 1 again passes through a throughbore in the socket 16 and in this case both the rod 1 and the throughbore are rectangular in section.

One face of the socket 16 into which the throughbore opens is indicated 19 and is formed with a groove which houses a resilient clip 20 which partially surrounds the rod 1, pressing resiliently thereon. The clip 20 serves to exert a frictional force on the rod 1 when it slides in the socket 16 and thus damps the movement of the rod 1 relative to the socket 16, reducing the force and speed with which the casing 12 returns to its rest,position when displaced therefrom.

The clip 20 is also arranged to cooperate with transverse grooves (not shown) in the rod 1 at positions corresponding to the travel limit positions of the socket 16 along the rod 1. The clip 20 thus also provides a stop for limiting the pivotal movement of the casing 12 relative to the base 5 in either sense from the rest position.

Although Figure 6 shows a clip 20 which is effectively a double clip, partially surrounding the rod 1, a simpler, single clip could alternatively be provided for the same purpose, with obvious economic advantages.

With reference to Figure 7 of the drawings, a variant of the cooperating head 2 and spring-biased pin 27 of the assembly is shown. In this embodiment, the pin 27 has a head 26a with a concave end 31 which cooperates with the convex curvature of the head 2a of the rod 1 so as to achieve considerable frictional braking of any pivoting movement of the head 2a relative to the end 31. This consequently provides additional damping for the pivotal movement of the casing 12 relative to the base 5.

In this embodiment the stability of the rest position of the casing 12 is achieved solely by the main biasing springs 22, but the head 2a of the rod 1 has a recess 32 engageable by the head 26a of the pin 27 in the folded, parking position of the casing 1 to ensure the stability of the casing 1 in this position.

Figure 8 shows a further variant of the engagement between the rod head, here indicated 2b, and the head of the pin 27 which is here indicated 26b. In this embodiment the head 2b has two flat faces 33a, 33b which meet at an angle to each other and the cooperating end surface of the head 26b of the rod 27 W t 13 is also f lat. The surfaces 33a, 33b are so arranged that the head 26b engages one surface, 33a, when the rod 1, and hence the casing 12, are in their rest positions and engages the other surface 33b when the rod 1 and hence the casing 12 are in the parking position; the stability of these two positions is thus achieved.

Other parts of the rear-view-mirror assembly, such as the control mechanism for orienting the mirror itself from inside the vehicle, which do not form part of the invention are not shown in the drawings and will not be described here.

14

Claims

1 An external rear-view-mirror assembly for a motor vehicle, comprising a base for fixing to the vehicle, an open-sided casing for housing the mirror and a folding attachment device connecting the casing to the base such that, in a stable, rest position, the casing projects from the base and the mirror is viewable by the vehicle driver through the open side, in use, the casing being pivotable from the rest position in opposing senses about respective parallel axes, the folding attachment device comprising a support rod articulated at one end to the base about an axis parallel to said axes and extending slidably through a cooperating throughbore in a socket supported by the casing for pivoting about a further axis perpendicular to the throughbore and parallel to said axes, and resilient biasing means acting between the casing and the base to bias the casing towards the rest position.

2. An external rear-view-mirror assembly according to Claim 1, in which the resilient biasing means comprise or include at least one tension spring connected at its ends to anchorages on the casing and the base respectively.

3. An external rear-view-mirror assembly according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, further including brake means for braking the pivoting movement of the casing.

4. An external rear-view-mirror assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, further including means for retaining the casing in a folded, parking position to which it is pivotable from the rest-position.

1 is

5. An external rear-view-mirror assembly according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, in which the support rod has a polygonal cross-section.

6. An external rear-view-mirror assembly according to Claim 3 or Claim 4, in which the socket comprises a prismatic body one face whereof, which is intersected by the throughbore, is formed with a groove which houses a resilient clip which presses directly against at least one face of the support rod to oppose the relative sliding of the rod and the socket and hence to brake the pivoting of the casing.

7. An external rear-view-mirror assembly according to Claim 6, in which the rod has transverse grooves at points corresponding to the travellimit positions of the relative sliding of the socket and the rod and the resilient clip can be housed in a respective one of said grooves in said positions to limit the sliding movement.

8. An external rear-view-mirror assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, in which that end of the support rod which is articulated to the base has an enlarged, rounded head with two peripheral recesses engageable by a tooth carried by the base and resiliently-biased towards the rod head such that the tooth engages a respective recess in the rest position and in the parking position of the casing.

9. An external rear-view-mirror assembly according to Claim 8, in which the tooth is formed at the head end of a rod which is guided for axial sliding in tubular cavity in the base, the biasing means comprising a helical compression spring coaxially surrounding the 16 rod and acting between the bottom of the cavity and rod head.

10. An external rear-view-mirror assembly according to any one of Claims 3 to 7, in which the brake means comprise or include a brake rod guided for axial sliding in a cavity in the base and resiliently biased towards the articulated end of the support rod, the brake rod having a concave end surface which contacts a cooperatingly-rounded head of the support rod to provide frictional braking during relative pivoting of the head and the contact surface, the support-rod head also having a recess which is engageable by the end of the brake rod when the support rod, and hence the casing, is in the folded parking position.

11. An external rear-view-mirror assembly according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, in which that end of the support rod which is articulated to the base has a head with two flat faces which meet at an angle and a retaining rod with a flat head is guided. for axial sliding in a cavity in the base and is resiliently biased towards the support-rod head such that the flat head engages one or other of the flat faces of the support- rod head to retain the support rod, and hence the casing, in the rest position or in the parking position respectively.

12. An external rear-view-mirror assembly for a motor vehicle incorporating a folding attachment device connecting the assembly casing to the assembly base, substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

13. A folding attachment device for a motor-vehicle, t n external rear-view-mirror assembly of the type having a base for fixing to the vehicle and an open-sided casing for housing the mirror and in which the folding attachment device connects the casing to the base such that, in a stable, rest position, the casing projects from the base and the mirror is viewable by the vehicle driver through the open side, in use, and the casing is pivotable from the rest position in opposing senses about respective parallel axes, the folding attachment device comprising a support rod which can be articulated at one end to the base about an axis parallel to said axes and which extends slidably through a cooperating throughbore in a socket adapted to be supported by the casing for pivoting about a further axis perpendicular to the throughbore and parallel to said axes, and resilient biasing means for acting between the casing and the base to bias the casing towards the rest position.

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