GB2291386A

GB2291386A - Combined mirror and indicator

Info

Publication number: GB2291386A
Application number: GB9414635A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Terence John Allsop
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-07-15
Filing date: 1994-07-15
Publication date: 1996-01-24
Also published as: GB9414635D0

Abstract

A car door mirror has a mirror, casing 20 and a bracket 10. The casing basically provides protection for the back of the mirror. The position of the mirror casing being central of the cars height, facing oncoming traffic and away from dazzling white head lights lends itself to being the ideal location for a flashing amber indicator device 50 to be positioned. In this position the indication will easily be spotted, and give caution to other drivers. The door mirror structure is ideal and can be modified easily to house the device and provide means of sealed wiring into the cars circuitry by adapting the door mirror bracket 10. <IMAGE>

Description

COMB I N MI RROR I EtEtO ND I CATOS.

This invention relates to the addition of ; or re-location of indicator lights.

The current design of the standard every day motor car seems to be striving towards an optimum road safety level, balancing expense of manufacture against the increasing demand for a safer car.

Car indicators are commonly found along side the head lamp at the front of the car, more recently a smaller indicator has been positioned at a point mid centre of the wing. However, it is apparent that a number of accidents occur during wet, dark conditions. This problem may possibly be caused by the failure of an indicator light being seen. A discussion to describe this would be that, During night driving, drivers tend to divert their field of vision to the left, AWAY from the glare of the many on coming headlights (dipped or not, The obvious problem then being that one of those cars is indicating right, and intends to turn across the path of oncoming traffic. This signal therefore goes unseen, basically for two reasons, 1 It is very difficult to see a flashing AMBER light along side a brilliant white head light.

2 Drivers often find themselves straining their eyes to look away from a stream of bright lights.

The new location of the indicators requires a simple modification and does not essentially require specialized parts. The current system of operating the indicators will be used. However, The signal will not only be indicated alongside the headlight, (where it can not be seen.) An additional wiring circuit will be run from the main fuse board towards the wings on each side of the car.

The circuit will be completed in the back of the door mirrors found on the doors of the car.The wires simply being connected to the terminals of the indicator bulb, Which is fitted into the back of each door mirror. With the usual standard amber indicator casing as a cover.

A product design specification will now be described for the assembly of such an indicator on cars currently in use. The discussion will also include a method of assembly to be used When manufacturing future cars.

-During this discussion reference will be made to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 Illustrates the general lay out of a modified hinged door mirror.

(The mirror is designed to fold backwards onto the car if knocked).

Figure 2 Shows how a common 'Ball and socket' hinged mirror could be converted. (Assembly drawing) Referring to the drawings, the door mirror comprises of standard components; it is fixed on to the car door using the mounting plate or bracket 10. and the mirror is housed by the casing 20. (The actual mirrors have been omitted from the drawings for clarity , so too have the mechanical components from fig. 1. As they have no part in this discussion and only serve to manoeuvre the mirror.) To assemble the indicator a hole 60 is cut in the casing 20 to a size determined by the indicator fittings. A second hole 70 is also required to provide access of the wiring from the fuse board to the indicator contacts.

An indicator bulb 50 mounted on a flange is fitted into the casing 20 such that the bulb will be seen from behind the casing through the hole 60.

An electrical wire is then threaded through the hole 70 and attached to the contacts of the bulb 50. The indicator reflector casing 40 is then fastened to the mirror casing 20, covering the bulb.

An additional hole into the top of door panel will be required so that the wiring may be run from the door mirror down into the door, across the door hinge into the dash or wing of the car. From here there are a choice of routes, the destination of them being the fuse board where the wires are connected into the existing indicator circuitry.

Deviations.

Fig 1 shows the hole 70 as an elongated slot this is essential as the design of this particular mirror allows the mirror to push backwards onto the car in the event of a collision with another object. The wire will therefore be allowed to move freely on such an occasion. It would be desirable to have; the then exposed wire, protected by a rubber sleeve from the casing 20 to the mounting bracket 10.

Fig 2 shows the hole 70 as a hollow bolt,this will provide access of the wiring from the bulb through the bracket 10, as the bolt passes through the ball and socket joint, into the mounting plate and arm 10. Again the wiring will enter the door at a point, pre-determined, by the design of the mounting plate 10.

In this specification only two examples have been described; This invention may take many different forms; However in general these two types are commonly found,and so have been used to illustrate this application, although ALL door mirrors can be modified.

Current manufacture of motor cars include wing mirrors on both doors .Often electric windows are fitted as standard, some cars have central locking systems. Becoming more popular is the facility of positioning the door mirrors (electrically) from inside the car door. All of these facilities involve cables being placed inside the door.

This point has been discussed simply to point out the easy of modification and the feasibility of the modification.

Claims

CLAI MS ,

1 A door mirror comprising a mirror, a body in the form of a case housing the mirror, means of securing the mirror to a car door, wherein the mirror casing is adapted such that an indicator device may be mounted onto it, the door mirror having an indicator of standard componentry assembled inside the casing, the arm or bracket of the door mirror being adapted to allow access of the wiring to the indicator contacts from the fuse board terminals.

2 A combined mirror indicator as claimed in claim 1, wherein weather or impact guards are provided on the main body of the casing of the mirror surrounding the indicator lens.

3 A combined mirror indicator as claimed in any preceding claim wherein, the body is provided with at least one indicator bulb, assembled on the casing of the back of the door mirror.

4 A combined indicator substantially as described herein with reference to figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1 A door mirror comprising a mirror, a body in the form of a case housing the mirror, means of securing the mirror to a car door, wherein the mirror casing is adapted such that an indicator device may be mounted onto it, the door mirror having casing, the arm or bracket of the door mirror being adapted to allow access of the wiring to the indicator contacts from the fuse board terminals.

2 A combined mirror as claimed in claim 1, wherein weather or impact guards are provided on the main body of the casing of the mirror surrounding the indicator lens.

3 A combined mirror as claimed in any preceding claim wherein, the body is provided with at least 1 bulb, assembled on the casing in the back of the door mirror.

4 A door mirror of any description assembled with any of the fixtures claimed in the preceding claims above, including the assembly technique of any type, either D.I.Y or dedicated case/part manufacture.

5 A combined mirror substantially as described herein with reference to figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.