GB2334935A

GB2334935A - A vanity mirror

Info

Publication number: GB2334935A
Application number: GB9804657A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Nicolas Clift
Original assignee: MG Rover Group Ltd
Current assignee: MG Rover Group Ltd
Priority date: 1998-03-05
Filing date: 1998-03-05
Publication date: 1999-09-08
Also published as: GB9804657D0

Abstract

A vanity mirror (7) is provided for central location between sun visors (5, 6) of a motor vehicle. The vanity mirror (7) is displaceable to allow use by the driver in a primary object position or a front seat passenger in a secondary object position. The mirror (7) is retractable into an inoperative position preferably consistent with the motor vehicle roof profile. The mirror (7) includes a reflective surface or mirror element (9) which achieves the necessary alignment with the primary or secondary object positions which through normal motor vehicle geometry are typically parallel with one another.

Description

A VANITY MIRROR The present invention relates to a vanity mirror and more particularly to a vanity mirror for use within a motor vehicle such that the mirror can be used by either the driver or a passenger of that motor vehicle.

The need for a vanity mirror in a driver's side sun visor in addition to the passenger sun visor has become a significant factor in motor vehicle trim specification. It will be appreciated that provision of a vanity mirror in both sun visors can be quite expensive and with regard to the driver's side can create rather than eliminate sun glare problems when deployed.

Furthermore, location of a vanity mirror within a sun visor generally precipitates the necessity to use a flat mirror whilst most vanity mirrors generally take a slight convexed or concave configuration to provide slight magnification.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a vanity mirror which substantially relieves the above-mentioned problems.

In accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention there is provided a vanity mirror for a motor vehicle, the mirror comprising a mirror element mounted upon a swivel element secured to a mounting, said mirror element being displaceable about said swivel element between a first reflective position and a second reflective position, respectively wherein said mirror element is operably aligned with a primary object position and a secondary object position, said primary object position and said secondary object position being substantially parallel with respect to each other.

In accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention there is provided a vanity mirror for a motor vehicle, the mirror comprising a mirror component coupled about a mounting, said mirror component having a first reflective surface and a second reflective surface arranged in a wedge configuration with said first reflective surface assuming a first reflective position and said second reflective surface assuming a second reflective position, said mirror component is operably aligned about said mounting so that said first reflective surface is substantially aligned with a primary object position and said second reflective surface is substantially aligned to a secondary object position, said primary object position and said secondary object position being substantially parallel with respect to each other.

The primary object position and the secondary object position may respectively be the driver and passenger seating within a motor vehicle.

The mounting may be located substantially centrally between the primary object position and the secondary object position.

The mirror may be pivotable about the mounting to retract from a deployed arrangement to a retracted arrangement within a recess which may incorporate the mounting.

The mirror element or said first reflective surface or said second reflective surface may be substantially flat or slightly concave or slightly convexed. The mirror element may be convexed.

The mounting within the motor vehicle may be arranged such that positions of the mirror element or the first or the second reflective surfaces are not allowed where the driver of the motor vehicle and the driver of any vehicles thereabout may be subjected to reflective glare.

The vanity mirror in accordance with the present invention may be associated with a light illumination element which may have a directional beam to facilitate usage.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Referring to the drawing illustrating a vanity mirror in accordance with the present invention in a schematic section from a motor vehicle. A motor vehicle roof panel 1 has a roof edge 2 to which a windscreen 3 is secured.

The windscreen 3 has a rear view mirror 4 secured to it. By its name, the rear view mirror 4 is used to provide the driver with a rear view during a journey and so should not be used for any other purpose, ie. as a vanity mirror. Also located about the edge 2 are respective driver 5 and passenger 6 sun visors. These sun visors 5, 6 are pivotable into a downward location in order to reduce sun glare to the respective passenger and driver. The rear side of sun visors 5, 6 can locate a vanity mirror but, as indicated above, such location requires the provision of two mirrors and can be relatively costly.

In accordance with the present invention, a vanity mirror 7 is located about a mounting 8 such that it may be displaced about the mounting 8 in the direction of arrow head A.

By such displacement pivoting (A) about the mounting 8, it will be appreciated that a mirror reflective surface element 9 can be brought into substantive alignment with a respective primary object position consistent with the driver location within the motor vehicle and a secondary object position consistent with the front passenger location within a motor vehicle.

Thus, the mirror element 9 is displaceable between a first reflective position and a second reflective position consistent with these primary and secondary object positions. It will also be understood that the mirror element 9 passes through other positions intermediate the primary and secondary object positions but these are not operable as neither the driver nor the passenger can conveniently view the reflection. However, if the mirror element 9 was made convexed it would be appreciated that a wider range of operative reflective positions could be achieved and that at certain configurations, a portion of the element 9 may provide a reflection to the primary object position whilst another portion of the mirror element 9 could provide a reflected image to the secondary object position. Similarly, the mirror element 9 could be constructed as a wedge with respective first and second reflective surfaces orientated towards the primary object position and the secondary object position such that reflected images are presented to both these primary and secondary positions. In such a wedge construction, the first and second reflective surfaces can be arranged to pivot about the junction therebetween to alter their relative geometry and so reflective alignment.

The mirror 7 is generally located centrally above the rear view mirror 4 in order to provide the most convenient and accessible position for both driver and front passenger operation. Thus, the vanity mirror 7 is located between the sun visors 5, 6 in a recess 10. This recess 10 allows the mirror 7 to be pivoted about the mounting 8 from an operational position as depicted in the drawing to a retracted position where the mirror element does not reflect an image to either the primary driver object position or the secondary passenger object position. Thus, the mirror 7 pivots about the mounting 8 in the direction of arrow head B.

It will be appreciated that by provision of the vanity mirror 7 within a motor vehicle, it is not necessary to provide respective vanity mirror on reverse sides of the sun visors 5, 6. The vanity mirror 7 can be used by either the driver or the passenger. If a substantially flat mirror element 9 is used and the mirror 7 must be displaced to the appropriate object position whilst, with the wedge or convexed mirror element/component, respective first and second reflective surfaces can be provided substantially aligned with respect to said secondary passenger and primary driver positions.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the reflective surfaces or said mirror element can be substantially flat or slightly convexed or slightly concaved in order to provide a degree of magnification or concentration of the driver/passenger image.

The vanity mirror 7 may be associated with an illumination device to further enhance image clarity. This illumination device may project a beam towards the passenger and/or driver in operation. If the illumination device projects a beam it will be appreciated that this beam should preferably track the mirror in order to be incident upon the object aligned with the reflective surface or mirror element. This could be achieved by mounting the illumination arrangement about the same mounting 8 as the mirror 7.

The mounting 8 for the mirror element 7 could be a suitably robust ball joint to allow the swivel displacement necessary between the first object position and second object position whilst allowing upward pivoting of the mirror into the recess 10 from the operable to the retracted orientation of the mirror 7. Similarly, the mirror element 9 or reflective surfaces could be arranged to tilt about a coupling (not shown) between the mounting and the mirror 7 such that the reflective surface could be more accurately aligned to the passenger or driver object area to be reflected, ie. the face.

It will be appreciated that when in the retracted position the mirror 7 may become a consistent element within the roof profile of the motor vehicle or a cover element could be located about the mirror 7 to provide a more aesthetically pleasing consistent profile for the motor vehicle roof.

An integrated vanity lamp illumination arrangement could be provided about the edges of the reflective element or the reflective surfaces of the mirror 7 or as wing elements thereto. Thus, the vanity lamp illumination by implication would be correctly orientated with the mirror as it is swivelled about the mounting 8. Such an integral arrangement would ensure that the vanity lamp does not provide glare illumination for the motor vehicle driver.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A vanity mirror for a motor vehicle, the mirror comprising a mirror element mounted on a swivel element secured to a mounting, said mirror element being displaceable about said swivel element between a first reflective position and a second reflective position respectively wherein said mirror element is operably aligned with a primary object position and a secondary object position, said primary object position and said secondary object position being substantially parallel with respect to each other.
2. A vanity mirror for a motor vehicle, the mirror comprising a mirror component coupled about a mounting, said mirror element having a first reflective surface and a second reflective surface arranged in a wedge configuration with said first reflective surface assuming a first reflective position and said second reflective surface assuming a second reflective position so that said mirror element is operably aligned about said mounting so that said first reflective position is substantially aligned with a primary object position and a second reflective position is substantially aligned with a secondary object position, said primary object position and said secondary object position being substantially parallel with respect to each other.
3. A vanity mirror as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein said first primary object position is that assumed by a driver of a motor vehicle and said secondary object position is that assumed by a passenger within a motor vehicle.
4. A vanity mirror as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said mounting is located centrally between said primary object position and said secondary object position.
5. A vanity mirror as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said mirror is pivotable about the mounting to be displaced from an operational position to a retracted position wherein the mirror is unable to reflect an image to either said primary object position or said secondary object position.
6. A vanity mirror as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said mirror element has a substantially flat or concave or convexed configuration.
7. A vanity mirror as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said mirror is associated with an illumination element to project light towards said primary or said secondary object position.
8. A vanity mirror as claimed in Claim 7, wherein said illumination arrangement is arranged to be displaceable about said mounting to illuminate only said primary object position or said secondary object position as required.
9. A vanity mirror as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said mirror element may tilt relative to said primary or secondary object position.
10. A vanity mirror as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the mirror element is pivotable about the wedge junction between said first and said second reflective surfaces.