GB2271751A

GB2271751A - Front view mirror

Info

Publication number: GB2271751A
Application number: GB9321944A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Ashton Lister; John Arthur Williams; Denise Ann Edwards
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-10-23
Filing date: 1993-10-25
Publication date: 1994-04-27
Anticipated expiration: 2013-10-25
Also published as: GB9321944D0; GB2271751B

Abstract

A road safety device for enabling the driver of a right-hand drive or left-hand drive vehicle to view the road ahead of him from a location on the opposite side of the vehicle to that at which the driver drives the vehicle comprises a reflective surface 104 for directing light from objects ahead of the vehicle towards the driver of the vehicle, and attachment means 102 adapted to attach the reflective surface 104 to said opposite side of the vehicle in such a way as to enable the driver, while driving the vehicle, to view the road ahead of him from said opposite side of the vehicle. Use of such a device enables a right-hand drive or left-hand drive vehicle to safely overtake another vehicle when driven on the opposite side of the road to that for which the vehicle is designed. <IMAGE>

Description

"ImProvements in Road Safety" The invention relates to improvements in road safety.

Many road accidents are caused as a result of right-hand drive vehicles being driven in countries which drive on the right-hand side of the road, and as a result of left-hand drive vehicles being driven in countries which drive on the left-hand side of the road. A particularly dangerous situation can arise when the driver of the vehicle wishes to overtake another vehicle, since the driver often needs to move a considerable distance out towards the centre of the road before he can see around the vehicle in front of him. This can lead to very serious head-on collisions with oncoming vehicles.

In this specification, a "one-side vehicle" is defined to be a vehicle adapted to be driven by a driver located at one side of the vehicle. Thus, a motorcycle would not be a one-side vehicle, whereas a left-hand or right-hand drive car or lorry, for example, would be a one-side vehicle. A one-side vehicle is usually designed so that the driver is located at the farside of the vehicle, that is, the side of the vehicle nearer to the centre of the road, when the vehicle is driven along an ordinary two-way road. However, if the vehicle is used in a country which drives on the opposite side of the road to that for which the vehicle was designed, then the driver finds himself located at the nearside of the vehicle so that he cannot easily see around vehicles ahead of him.

The invention seeks to overcome the above difficulties, and hence reduce the chances of road accidents occurring.

According to the invention there is provided a road safety device for enabling the driver of a one-side vehicle to view the road ahead of him from a location on the opposite side of the vehicle to that at which the driver drives the vehicle, the device comprising a reflective surface for reflecting light from objects ahead of the vehicle directly towards the driver of the vehicle without being reflected from any other surface, and attachment means adapted to attach the reflective surface to said opposite side of the vehicle in such a way as to enable the driver, while driving the vehicle, to view the road ahead of him from said opposite side of the vehicle.

The invention also provides a road safety package comprising a reflective surface and a plurality of attachment means for attaching the reflective surface to the opposite side of a one side vehicle to that at which the driver drives the vehicle so as to reflect light from objects ahead of the vehicle directly towards the driver of the vehicle without being reflected from any other surface, so as to enable the driver, while driving the vehicle, to view the road ahead of him from said opposite side of the vehicle, each attachment means being releasably connectable to the reflective surface in order to allow the user to select the most appropriate attachment means for use with a particular vehicle.

The road safety package may contain any or all of the attachment means described above.

Conveniently, if the package contains attachment means comprising or requiring screws, the package also contains one or more screwdrivers.

The invention also provides a method of making a one-side vehicle safer for use when driven on the opposite side of the road to that for which the vehicle is designed, the method comprising attaching a reflective surface to the opposite side of the vehicle to that at which the driver of the vehicle drives the vehicle, and orientating the reflective surface to reflect light from objects ahead of the vehicle directly towards the driver of the vehicle without being reflected from any other surface, so as to enable the driver, when driving the vehicle, to view the road ahead of him from a location on said opposite side of the vehicle.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, various embodiments of the invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of a two-way road, and three vehicles travelling along the road; Figures 2, 3 and 4 show various attachment devices for attaching a mirror to a vehicle in accordance with embodiments of the invention; Figure 5 shows a mirror for use with any of the attachment devices shown in Figures 2 to 4; Figure 6 is a view from inside a car, showing the mirror of Figure 5 attached to a side window of the car by means of the attachment device shown in Figure 4; Figure 7 is a view from inside a car, showing the mirror of Figure 5 attached to a pillar of the car by means of the attachment device shown in Figure 3;; Figure 8 shows a larger mirror attached to the outside of a lorry by means of two separate connecting devices in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention; and Figures 9 and 10 are respectively side and front views of a further embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 illustrates the difficulty which drivers of right-hand vehicles experience while driving in countries which drive on the right-hand side of the road.

A right-hand drive lorry 2 is shown travelling in the direction of arrow 6 along the right-hand side of a road 8. A further vehicle 4, also travelling in the direction of the arrow 6, obstructs the view of the driver of the lorry 2, so that the driver sees the portion of the road 8 which lies between the dotted lines 10 shown in Figure 1.

In the position shown in Figure 1, the driver is therefore unable to see an oncoming vehicle 14 travelling along the opposite side of the road 8 in the direction of arrow 12.

However, if a suitably orientated mirror 16 is attached to the left-hand side of the lorry 2, the driver of the lorry 2 is able to see the portion of the road 8 lying between the solid lines 18 shown in Figure 1. It will be appreciated that since the oncoming vehicle 4 lies within the area enclosed by the lines 18, the driver of the lorry 2 is able to see the oncoming vehicle 14. The driver is therefore in a better position to decide whether it is safe to move out towards the centre 20 of the road 8 in order to overtake the further vehicle 4.

Figure 2 shows a simple attachment device 22 for attaching the mirror 16, which is shown in Figure 5, to the dashboard of a vehicle. The attachment device 22 comprises a moulded plastics body portion 24 consisting of a generally circular base portion 26, a stem portion 28, and a ball 30 at the opposite end of the stem portion 28 to the base portion 26. The base portion 26 is provided with an adhesive layer 32 for fixing the base portion 26 to the dashboard. If necessary, self-tapping screws can also be passed through apertures 34 in the base portion 26, and into the dashboard, in order to ensure that the attachment device 22 is firmly secured to the dashboard.

The mirror 16 is attached to the attachment device 22 by snapping the ball 30 into a socket 36 provided at the rear of the mirror 16 (see Figure 5).

Figure 3 shows an alternative attachment device 38 for attaching the mirror 16 to a vehicle pillar. A vehicle pillar 40 of a car is shown in Figure 7, and it will be seen that the pillar 40 supports, and extends along, the left-hand side of the front windscreen 42 of the car. The attachment device 38 is formed from a sheet of metal which is folded through an angle of more than ninety degrees along a fold-line 44 which divides the sheet into a first portion 46 and a second portion 48.

The side of the first portion 46 opposite to the fold line 44 is bent so as to form a groove 50 for receiving a part of the pillar 40.

The pillar 40 in most cars is provided with a rubber sealing strip which extends along the length of the pillar 40 in order to seal the gap between the pillar 40 and the vehicle side door when the side door is closed.

In order to attach the attachment device 38 to the pillar 40, a portion of the sealing strip is first pulled away from the pillar 40, the groove 50 of the first portion 46 is then fitted around a part of the pillar 40, such as a flange running along the length of the pillar 40, and finally the sealing strip is pressed back onto the pillar 40 so that it covers the part of the first portion 46 which defines the groove 50. The attachment device 38 is thus held in position by means of the sealing strip.

The edge of the second portion 48 opposite the fold line 44 is covered by a rubber member 52 which rests against the windscreen 42 when the attachment device 38 is attached to the pillar 40 as described above.

The attachment device 38 is provided with a ball 54 adapted to snap into the socket 36 provided at the rear of the mirror 16. The ball 54 is located at one end of a threaded metal shaft 56 which passes through the second portion 48, and which is attached to the second portion 48 by means of two nuts 58 on opposite sides of the second portion 48. The distance of the ball 54 from the second portion 48 can be varied by adjustment of the nuts 58.

Figure 4 shows a further attachment device 60 for attaching the mirror 16 to the side window of a vehicle. The attachment device 60 is formed from a sheet of metal which is folded along fold lines 62, 64 and 66 so as to form a foot portion 68, a bottom portion 69, a projecting portion 70 and an upper portion 72. The upper edge of the upper portion 72 is folded over so as to form a hook portion 74 which defines a groove 76 for receiving the top of a side window of a vehicle.

Figure 6 shows a side window 80 of a car with the hook portion 74 hooked over the top 78 of the side window 80, and the mirror 16 in position. In use, the hook portion 74 is hooked over the top 78 of the side window 80 when the side window 80 is in a lowered position, and the side window 80 is then raised so as to trap the hook portion 74 between the top 78 of the side window 80 and the upper frame 84 of the side window 80.

The foot portion 68 rests against the side window 80 below the upper portion 72. The hook portion 74 is coated with a rubber layer 82, as is the foot portion 68, in order to avoid damage to the side window 80.

As in the embodiment of Figure 3, a ball 86 is provided for engagement with the socket 36 provided on the rear of the mirror 16. The ball 86 is connected to the bottom portion 69 in the same manner as the ball 54 is connected to the second portion 48 of the attachment device 38 shown in Figure 3.

It will be appreciated that the mirror 16 can be used with any of the attachment devices 22, 38 and 60 shown in Figures 2 to 4, and the attachment devices can therefore be combined with the mirror 16 to form a single road safety package, thus enabling the user to select the most appropriate attachment device for attaching the mirror 16 to a particular vehicle. The road safety package could also contain a screwdriver and/or other tools for enabling the attachment devices to be fitted.

Figures 9 and 10 show respectively side and front views of an attachment device 102 for attaching a mirror 104 to the inside of a vehicle windscreen. In this case the attachment device 102 comprises a moulded plastics body portion 106 having a generally circular base portion 108, a stem portion 110 and a ball 112 integral with the stem portion 110. In addition the attachment device 102 is provided with an elastically deformable suction cup 114 by means of which the attachment device 102 is attachable to the windscreen by suction.

Although not shown in detail in Figures 9 and 10, the suction is preferably mechanically assisted by virtue of the fact that the suction cup 114 is mounted on an extension of the stem portion 110 which passes through an aperture in the base portion 108 and is movable with respect thereto in order to draw the suction cup 114 into a cup-shaped hollow provided in the base portion 108 with a view to applying the required suction pressure to attach the suction cup 114 to the windscreen.Although other arrangements are possible, one possible arrangement is to provide a rotatable sleeve (not shown) surrounding a part of the base portion 108 and provided with an integral actuating lever 116 which, when rotated, results in movement of the base portion 108 relative to the surrounding sleeve, by interengagement of a projection within a track, so that the circular periphery of the base portion 108 bears against the outer periphery of the suction cup 114 to cause the required suction pressure to be applied.

The ball 112 engages within a socket 118 provided in an upper mounting part 120 of a moulded plastics frame portion 122 of the mirror 104, the mounting part 120 being in the vicinity of the centre of gravity so as to minimise any tendency for the mirror to tilt to one side.

All of the attachment devices described above enable the mirror to be fitted inside the vehicle where it is protected from corrosion, and also from vandalism and theft. Furthermore, the balls 30, 54 and 112 provide sufficient friction with the socket 36 or 118 to ensure that the mirror remains in a fixed position once it has been adjusted. In more expensive embodiments, remote control means may be provided for enabling the orientation of the mirror to be adjusted from the driver's side of the vehicle.

Figure 8 shows a larger mirror 88 provided with two sockets 90 at its rear. The mirror 88 is attached to a vertical bar 94 attached to the outside of a lorry. Two removable clamps 96 are attached to the vertical bar 94, and each clamp 96 is provided with a respective socket 98.

Two connecting members 100, each provided with a ball 102 at each of its ends, are used to connect the mirror 88 to the vertical bar 94. The balls 102 can be simply snapped into the sockets 90 and 98, and the ball and socket joints thus formed provide sufficient friction to enable the mirror 88 to remain in a given orientation once it has been adjusted. As with the other embodiments described above, the mirror 88 can be used to enable the driver of the lorry, while driving the lorry, to view the road ahead from the opposite side of the lorry to the driver's side.

Claims

1. A road safety device for enabling the driver of a one-side vehicle to view the road ahead of him from a location on the opposite side of the vehicle to that at which the driver drives the vehicle, the device comprising a reflective surface for reflecting light from objects ahead of the vehicle directly towards the driver of the vehicle without being reflected from any other surface, and attachment means adapted to attach the reflective surface to said opposite side of the vehicle in such a way as to enable the driver, while driving the vehicle, to view the road ahead of him from said opposite side of the vehicle.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the attachment means comprises a suction cup adapted to engage the vehicle windscreen.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein the attachment means includes suction-applying means for mechanically applying suction to attach the suction cup to the vehicle windscreen.

4. A device according to claim 1, wherein the attachment means comprises a pillar-engaging portion adapted to engage with a vehicle pillar which lies adjacent the front window of the vehicle, and adapted to be held to the pillar by being trapped between the pillar and a seal which extends along the pillar for sealing the gap between the pillar and a side door of the vehicle when the side door is closed.

5. A device according to claim 4, wherein the attachment means comprises a sheet-like portion which is folded so as to form a groove adapted to receive a portion of the pillar.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein the attachment means comprises a window-engaging portion adapted to hook onto the top of a vehicle side window.

7. A device according to claim 6, wherein the window-engaging portion is adapted to secure the reflective surface firmly to the side window when the side window is raised to its fully closed position so that the window-engaging portion is trapped between the top of the side window and the upper frame of the side window.

8. A device according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the attachment means includes a resilient foot portion adapted to rest against a window of the vehicle so as to support the reflective surface at a distance from the window.

9. A device according to claim 1, wherein the attachment means comprises an adhesive surface adapted to fix the attachment means to a part of the vehicle on said opposite side of the vehicle.

10. A device according to claim 1 or 9, wherein the attachment means comprises one or more apertures, and one or more screw-threaded members, adapted to pass through the apertures in order to screw the attachment means to a part of the vehicle on said opposite side of the vehicle.

11. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the attachment means is adapted to attach the reflective surface to the vehicle at a location inside the vehicle.

12. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the reflective surface is angularly adjustable with respect to the attachment means so as to allow the orientation of the reflective surface to be adjusted.

13. A device according to claim 12, wherein the reflective surface is connected to the attachment means by means of a ball and socket joint.

14. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the reflective surface is releasably connectable to the attachment means.

15, A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the reflective surface is attached to the attachment means by means of two separate adjustable connectors.

16. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the attachment means is attached to an upper portion of the reflective surface in the vicinity of its centre of gravity.

17. A road safety package comprising a reflective surface and a plurality of attachment means for attaching the reflective surface to the opposite side of a one-side vehicle to that at which the driver drives the vehicle so as to reflect light from objects ahead of the vehicle directly towards the driver of the vehicle without being reflected from any other surface, so as to enable the driver, while driving the vehicle, to view the road ahead of him from said opposite side of the vehicle, each attachment means being releasably connectable to the reflective surface in order to allow the user to select the most appropriate attachment means for use with a particular vehicle.

18. A method of making a one-side vehicle safer for use when driven on the opposite side of the road to that for which the vehicle is designed, the method comprising attaching a reflective surface to the opposite side of the vehicle to that at which the driver of the vehicle drives the vehicle, and orientating the reflective surface to reflect light from objects ahead of the vehicle directly towards the driver of the vehicle without being reflected from any other surface, so as to enable the driver, when driving the vehicle, to view the road ahead of him from a location on said opposite side of the vehicle.

19. A road safety device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

20. A method of making a one-sided vehicle safer for use, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.