GB2221883A

GB2221883A - Rear view mirror system

Info

Publication number: GB2221883A
Application number: GB8819641A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Bruce Harkness
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-08-18
Filing date: 1988-08-18
Publication date: 1990-02-21
Also published as: GB8819641D0

Abstract

A lorry includes a periscoped arrangement of mirrors (14 to 19, Figs. 4, 5) for viewing the blind spot directly behind the lorry. This periscoped arrangement includes an enclosed angled upper mirror (14) adjacent the rear of the driver's cab 10 and viewable via a central driving mirror 20 within the cab 10 and an angled lower mirror (15) in the line of vision of the upper mirror and just above the lorry chassis 11. The longitudinal chassis runner 12 of the lorry is hollow so that there is an unobstructed line of vision therealong to safely see what is directly behind the lorry. <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROVED VEHICLE The invention relates to a vehicle particularly a lorry, which is capable of enabling the driver to view a blind spot directly behind the lorry0 The construction of lorries and goods vans, means that a central rear view mirror cannot be used and although wing mirrors are of some help, there still remains a blind spot directly behind the lorry.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the aforesaid disadvantage0 According to the present invention a vehicle includes an upper and lower periscope arrangement of image media arranged and located so that a blind spot directly behind the vehicle can be seen from the driver's seat.

Preferably the image media are mirrors, the reverse periscope arrangement including an upper mirror viewable from the drivers seat and a lower mirror about chassis level, the vehicle being adapted to allow viewing of the rear blind spot via said upper and lower mirror Preferably also, the upper mirror is at the rear of the driver's seat and is viewable via a central driving mirror in front of the drivers seat.

Preferably also, the upper and lower mirrors are enclosed within a casing having respective upper and lower windows.

The vehicle may be any large vehicle whose use of a central rear view mirror is restricted, such as with a lorry or box van.

Preferably also, the vehicle is adapted to allow viewing of the rear blind spot by having a hollow longitudinal chassis runner which is mounted on the chassis to provide a longitudinal viewing space therebetween, and wherein the lower mirror is located adjacent this longitudinal viewing space and in the line of vision to the rear of the vehicle.

Preferably also, the rear portion at the longitudinal chassis runner is flared to provide a wider viewing range at the vehicle rear.

The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is a separated side elevation of a lorry incorporating a periscoped arrangement of mirrors; Fig. 2 is a rear view of the lorry; Fig. 3 is a section through X-X of Fig. 1 with the lorry tail-board shown thereabove; and Figs. 4 and 5 are rear and side sectional views of the reverse periscope arrangement of mirrors.

Referring to the drawings, a lorry comprises a driver's cab 10, a chassis 11, a longitudinal chassis runner 12 mountable on the chassis 11, transverse runner beams (not shown) mountable on the longitudinal chassis runner 12, and a goodsplatform 13 mountable on the transverse chassis runner 12,(see Fig. 1) In accordance with the present invention the lorry further comprises a reverse periscope arrangement of mirrors 14 to 19 (Fig0 5) for viewing a- blind spot directly behind the lorry; and the longitudinal chassis runner 12 is specifically designed for use with the reverse periscope arrangement 14 to 19.

The reverse periscope arrangement 14 to 19 (Figs.

4 and 5) is constructed as follows. Upper and lower communicating mirrors, angled at 450 and parallel to each other are enclosed at respective ends of a rectangular casing 16. This has respective opposed windows; that is a lower window 17 adjacent the lower mirror 15 and an upper window 18 with a flared mouth 19 adjacent the upper mirror 14. As shown in Fig. 1 this reverse periscope arrangement 14 to 19 is located adjacent the rear of the driver's cab 10 so that the upper mirror can be viewed firstly via a central rear-view driving mirror 20, and then via a rear cab window 24, (Fig. 2). The lower window 17 bordered b one end of the longitudinal chassis runner so that the lower mirror 15 is located just above chassis level (as will be further described hereinafter).

As shown in Fig. 3 the longitudinal chassis runner 12a, 12b is an inverted channel shape in cross section is partially wider than the chassis itself, and is fixed thereto by a plurality of right angled brackets 22 mounted along both length sides of the chassis 11 (Fig. 1). The lateral flanges 12a of the longitudinal chassis runner 12a, therefore space the supporting roof 12b thereof above the chassis (Fig. 3).

When the goods platform 13 is mounted in place (Fig. 2), a window 23 as wide as the chassis 11, and formed in a tail-board 24 at the rear of the platform 13, lies co-incident with the viewing space along between the longitudinal chassis runner 12a, and the chassis 11 thereby providing an un interrupted viewing line from the lower mirror 15 to the blind spot directly behind the lorry. A conventional chassis runner arrangement would obstruct the view line of view.

To further increase the viewing range, the longitudinal chassis runner 12a, could be flared outwards at its rear.

In use, therefore, a driverby looking in his central rear view mirror 20 has a reverse periscoped line of vision, as shown dotted in Fig. 5 which is unobstructed in the viewing space between the longitudinal chassis runner 12a, and the chassis, to safely see what is directly behind the lorry.

Other forms of image media could also be used in the invention such as optical fibe bundles, to obtain the reverse periscoped effect of the invention.

It will also be appreciated that numerous arrangements and numbers of mirrors could also be used, which would not neeessitate the mirrors being directly above one another, or being at the rear of the driver's seat.

Claims

CLtIMS

1. A vehicle including an upper and lower periscope arrangement of image media arranged and located so that a blind spot directly behind the vehicle can be seen from the driver's seat.

2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 wherein the image media are mirrors, the periscope arrangement including an upper mirror viewable from the driver's seat and a lower mirror about chassis level, the vehicle being adapted to allow viewing of a rear blind spot via said upper and lower mirror.

3. A vehicle as claimed in claim 2 wherein the upper mirror is at the rear of the drivers seat and is viewable via a central driving mirror in front of the driving seat.

4. A vehicle as claimed in claims 1 to 3 wherein the upper and lower image media are enclosed within a casing having respective upper and lower windows.

5. A vehicle as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, which is a lorry.

6. A vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 6 wherein the vehicle is adapted to allow viewing of the rear blind spot by having a hollow longitudinal chassis runner which is mounted on the chassis to provide a longitudinal viewing space therebetween, and wherein the lower mirror is located adjacent this longitudinal space and in the line of vision to the rear of the vehicle.

7. A vehicle as claimed in claim 6 wherein the longitudinal chassis runner is an inverted channel shape in cross-section.

8, A vehicle as claimed in claims 6 or 7 wherein the rear portion of the longitudinal chassis runner is flared to provide a wider viewing range at the vehicle rear.

9. A vehicle including a hollow longitudinal chassis runner which is mounted on the chassis to provide a longitudinal viewing space.

10. A vehicle as claimed in claim 9 wherein the longitudinal chassis runner is as further defined in claims 7 andlor 8.

11. A vehicle substantially as described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings