GB2315720A

GB2315720A - Side-viewing mirror unit for motor vehicles

Info

Publication number: GB2315720A
Application number: GB9616203A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Josef Petr Prokopius; Robert Jonasar; Orn Jonasar
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-08-01
Filing date: 1996-08-01
Publication date: 1998-02-11
Also published as: GB9616203D0

Abstract

A side-viewing mirror 2 for a vehicle 1 comprises one or more, plane or convex, mirror surfaces arranged in the vertical plane with the reflective surfaces 9,10 facing sideways at angles of about 45{ to allow the driver sideways viewing of approaching traffic 8 when entering a road 14 from a place with restricted sideways view. The mirror may be angularly adjusted, manually or remotely, and may retract into a recess. An aerodynamically shaped cover 11 may be provided.

Description

SIDE-VIEWING MIRROR UNIT FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

This invention relates to motor vehicles, in particular to improvements making vehicles safer in traffic in difficult driving situations.

At present motor vehicles have by law one or more mirrors situated on a motor vehicle for the driver's observation of traffic behind the vehicle. When such a vehicle has to enter transversely moving traffic from the place where a sideways view is obstructed by buildings, parked vehicles or crowded footways, a driver of such vehicle has to expose a substantial front part of such a vehicle into the path of the crosswise flowing traffic before being able to clearly see the approaching vehicles. In such a situation the vehicle is causing a disturbance in the crosswise traffic flow making vehicles to swerve to avoid the obstructing vehicle which often results in serious accidents.

This invention is a safety measure in such situations by providing one or more additional mirrors at the front part of the vehicle for sideways driver observation.

Near-vertical mirrors at the far front of the vehicle with their reflective surfaces at approx. 45 to the driver's view enables the driver to see transversely approaching traffic in such mirrors without the need of protruding a substantional front part of the vehicle into the crosswise traffic lane when joining or crossing the transverse road from a position with sideways obstructed view making such entry safer for all road users especially in towns and cities much obstructed by buildings, parked vehicles and crowded footways.

In accordance with this invention a motor vehicle is equipped with a mirror arrangement consisting of at least one additional mirror with at least one mirror reflective surface or preferably two additional mirrors, each with at least one mirror reflective surface. The mirror arrangement is situated at the far front of the motor vehicle for driver sideways viewing of crosswise approaching vehicles when entering or crossing in a motor vehicle a transverse road from a place in which the side view is obstructed by buildings, parked vehicles or crowded footways. The mirror reflective surfaces are arranged near--to vertically and at near-to 45 angles in the horisontal plane to the driver's forward view, so the two reflecting surfaces contain a near-to 90 angle thereby enabling the driver to view sideways in the mirror reflection and observe approaching vehicles in transverse traffic lanes thus protruding only a small proportion of the frontal part of the vehicle into the transverse traffic lane. The mirror reflecting surfaces may be angularly fixed in respect to each other containing the near-to 90 angle as one mirror component and such component may be adjustable in respect of the 45 angle to the driver's view. Alternatively each mirror may be independently mounted each having individual adjustment mechanism as to enable precise angular setting for various vehicles and drivers. Alternatively two reflecting surfaces containing near-to 90 angle may be mounted or applied directly to a component of the vehicle body without adjustment mechanism. An economical version may be constructed with one mirror reflecting surface which is set at near-to 45 to the direct forward view covering only one side viewing and may be constructed as to allow re-position for right or left hand side traffic viewing. The reflective surface of such mirrors may be plane, or curved, or in convex shape or of several combined shapes and sizes and may be applied on various materials such as glass, plastics or metals and permanently fixed or attached to backing material providing reinforcement and mounting means for such mirror.

Alternatively the mirror reflective surface may be applied directly to a component of the vehicle body where the reflecting surfaces may be in fixed or adjustable angular position.

The mirrors may be mounted to the vehicle through mounting means such as adhesive, magnetic, fastening clip arrangement or fasteners. The angular position of adjustable mirrors may be set directly manually or remotely from inside of the vehicle and accomplished by a manual or motorised or vacuum mechanism. The mirror arrangement may be protected by an aerodynamically shaped cover for reducing air resistance at high speed and may be constructed as an independent part and mounted as such or may be a component of the mirrors and mounting means and mounted to the motor vehicle by conventional methods such as welding, by fasteners, magnets or by adhesives or adhesive tapes. Alternatively the mirror mounting arrangement with the aerodynamic cover may be directly formed in manufacture in a forward part of the vehicle and the mirror reflective surface applied directly to surfaces of such formed permanent part of the vehicle in the angularly fixed or adjustable position and may provide also the mounting means for the mirrors.

Alternatively the whole mirror arrangement and aerodynamic cover may be permanently or removably fixed to the surface on the forward part of the vehicle, or may be hidden in a recess provided for it in some vehicle component and retracted under the surface or extended above the surface by a manual or vacuum or motorised arrangement. The one mirror arrangement with only one reflective surface may be re-positioned manually from outside or may be re-positioned from the inside of the vehicle manually or by vacuum or by motorised or solenoid mechanism.

A same arrangement of the mirrors and their reflective surfaces may be made for crossways observation for same situations when reversing in which case the mirror is or mirrors are fitted at the far back of the vehicle in the same manner as described in above forward arrangement, where the driver is facing the mirror or mirrors bacwards in near-to 45 horisontal angle for backwards sideways viewing in the mirror reflective surface when reversing from a place with restricted sideways view to a transverse road.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: Fig. 1 shows a ground plan of a road-crossing and situation of vehicle positions; Fig. 2 shows the mirror arrangement with an aerodynamic cover in perspective; Fig. 3 shows the one mirror arrangement for re-positioning for left and right driver observation; Referring to the drawing the vehicle 1 has the mirror arrangement 2 fitted at the far front of the vehicle enabling the driver to observe traffic on the left side in view angle 3 and the right side in view angle 4 when approaching the crossroad from the road 15 in the situation of obstructed view by buildings 5 with walls and fences 6 and 7 when intending to cross the transverse road 14. The driver can view in the mirror 2 the approaching lorry 8 without needing to protrude a substantional part of the vehicle into the traffic lane on the road 14. The item 17 is the back sideways viewing mirror arrangement for reverse viewing fitted at the far back of the vehicle.

The mirror arrangement of two mirrors with the reflective surfaces 9 and 10 is set at near-to 90 angle in the horisontal plane X1 and X2 and in the near-to the vertical and in near-to 45 to the driver &commat;5 forward view. The mirrors form the back surface of the aerodynamic cover 11 for forward fitting to the front of the vehicle.

The single mirror arrangement for re-positioning to left and right side observation has the mirror 12 in aerodynamic cover 13 to be rotated near-to + 45 or -45 to the driver's forward view as required pivoting around the axis Y1 at the point 16.

Claims

CLAIMS.

1. Side-viewing mirror arrangement for motor vehicles consisting of at least one surface of mirror reflective means and at least one mounting means, the mirror reflecting means having at least one reflective surface, the mirror reflective means situated at the end part of the motor vehicle and mounted to the motor vehicle with the reflective surface positioned in a near-to vertical plane and in near-to 45 angle in respect of the side- direct driver's foward view in a horisontal plane, the reflective surface in such angular position enabling the driver of such a vehicle by sideways reflection in the mirror to view and monitor vehicles approaching in transverse traffic lanes thus needing to protrude only a small proportion of the frontal or backwads part of the vehicle into the transverse traffic lane when joining, crossing or reversing to the crossways road from a place with sideways obstructed view.

2. Side-viewing mirror arrangement for motor vehicles as claimed in Claim 1, where the said mirror reflecting means is consisting of one mirror having one reflective surface facing outwards at a near-to 45 angle to the line of the driver's direct foward view.

3. Side-viewing mirror arrangement for motor vehicles as claimed in Claim 1, where the said mirror reflecting means is consisting of a one-part component having two reflective surfaces facing outwards at near-to 45 angles to the mean line of the driver's direct foward view and where the reflecting surfaces are situated on one mirror component containing a near to 90 angle in the horisontal plane.

4. Side-viewing mirror arrangement for motor vehicles as claimed in Claim 1, where the said mirror reflecting means is consisting of two mirror components, each with a reflective surface facing outwards at a near-to 45 angle to the mean line of the driver's direct forward view and where the reflecting surfaces contain a near to 90 angle in the horisontal plane.

5. Side-viewing mirror arrangement for motor vehicles as claimed in any preceding Claim where the mirror reflective means is a mirror having the reflective surface plane.

6. Side-viewing mirror arrangement for motor vehicles as claimed in any preceding Claim where the mirror reflective means is a mirror having the reflective surface of curved shape.

7. Side-viewing mirror arrangement for motor vehicles as claimed in any preceding Claim where the mirror reflective means is a mirror having the reflective surface of convex shape.

8 Side-viewing mirror arrangement for motor vehicles as claimed in any preceding Claim where the mounting means of the mirror is of one fixed mirror position.

9. Side-viewing mirror arrangement for motor vehicles as claimed in Claim 4 where the mounting means of the mirror allows a manual angular adjustment.

10. Side-viewing mirror arrangement for motor vehicles as claimed in Claim 4 where the mounting means of the mirror has arrangement for a remote manual angular adjustment of the said mirrors.

11. Side-viewing mirror arrangement for motor vehicles as claimed in Claim 4 where the mounting means of the mirror has arrangement for a remote motorised angular adjustment of the mirrors.

12. Side-viewing mirror arrangement for motor vehicles as claimed in preceding Claims where the mirror arrangement is consisting of the mirrors, the mounting means and a cover.

13. Side-viewing mirror arrangement for motor vehicles as claimed in Claim 12 where the cover, the mounting means are of one part with the mirror.

14. Side-viewing mirror arrangement for motor vehicles as claimed in Claim 12 where the cover, the mirror and the mounting means are a part of the vehicle.

15. Side-viewing mirror arrangement for motor vehicles as claimed in Claim 12 where the cover is a detachable assembly consisting of the mirror, the mounting means and is mounted onto the vehicle body.

16. Side-viewing mirror arrangement for motor vehicles as claimed in Claim 12 where the cover is a detachable part mounted onto a part of the front of the vehicle.

17. Side-viewing mirror arrangement for motor vehicles as claimed in Claim 12 where the mounting means is a detachable assembly with the mirror mounted onto a forward or bacwards part of the vehicle.

18. Side-viewing mirror arrangement for motor vehicles as claimed in preceding Claims where the mirror unit is switchable to either left or right viewing.

19. Side-viewing mirror arrangement for motor vehicles as claimed in preceding Claims where the cover is of aerodynamic shape.

20. Side-viewing mirror arrangement for motor vehicles as claimed in preceding Claims where the cover, the mounting means and the mirrors is rectactable into a recess provided and retracted or extended into position when required by a manual, vacuum, solenoid or motorised mechanism.

21. Side-viewing mirror arrangement as described herein with reference to Figures 1-3 of the accompanying drawing.