GB2579055A

GB2579055A - An assembly for supporting a rear view mirror

Info

Publication number: GB2579055A
Application number: GB1818708.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Tudorel Chirea Silviu
Original assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Ltd
Current assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Ltd
Priority date: 2018-11-16
Filing date: 2018-11-16
Publication date: 2020-06-10
Anticipated expiration: 2038-11-16
Also published as: GB2579055B; GB201818708D0

Abstract

An assembly for supporting a rear view mirror of a vehicle comprises a first stem element 20 which is configured to be fixed to a support member of the vehicle, such as a windscreen, and a second stem element (30, figure 3) which is configured to support the rear view mirror (8, figure 2). The first stem element has a first engagement feature 26 and the second stem element has a second engagement feature 36. The engagement features are configured to engage with one another to provide a plurality of engagement configurations between the first and second stem elements, and the stem elements are able to be secured relative to one another. Each of the engagement features may comprise a plurality of teeth which engage with the corresponding part when in a first axial orientation, and which are disengaged when relatively rotated (figure 3). The engagement features may be secured in place by means of a screw (12, figure 5) inserted through holes 38 in the two parts. A stem element for such an assembly is also claimed in isolation.

Description

An Assembly For Supporting A Rear View Mirror

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an assembly for supporting a rear view mirror. Aspects of the invention relate to an assembly for supporting a rear view mirror, to a vehicle comprising an assembly for supporting a rear view mirror, to a stem element of an assembly for supporting a rear view mirror, and to a kit of parts for an assembly for supporting a rear view mirror.

BACKGROUND

It is known to provide road vehicles with an interior rear view mirror which to allow the driver of the vehicle to view the road behind the vehicle without having to turn around. Typically, rear view mirrors are mounted on a support which is attached to an upper portion of the front windscreen of the vehicle. The rear view mirror support may also be mounted from any other suitable position such as from a front portion of the roof of the vehicle.

There are a great many types of road vehicles, each having a different size, shape and configuration. In particular, the relative position between the driver's seat and the mounting point of the rear view mirror can vary considerably between vehicles. Even for the same vehicle manufacturer, the relative position between the driver's seat and the rear view mirror mounting position can vary significantly between models.

The majority of rear view mirrors in modern vehicles are mounted on a ball, in a ball and socket type arrangement. This allows the driver to make fine adjustments to the final position of the rear view mirror to suit their specific needs. In order to ensure that the mirror will meet stringent field of view requirements, it is vital that the centre point of the ball mount is well defined. This is achieved by designing and manufacturing bespoke rear view mirror supports for each vehicle model. This is time consuming and expensive.

The requirement for accurately located display positions is not only limited to the positioning of rear view mirrors. Other devices such as heads up displays and camera displays also require accurate positioning with respect to the driver. Currently, bespoke supports must also be provided for such devices.

It is an aim of the present invention to address one or more of the disadvantages associated

with the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects and embodiments of the invention provide an assembly for supporting a rear view mirror, a vehicle comprising an assembly for supporting a rear view mirror, a stem element of an assembly for supporting a rear view mirror, and a kit of parts for an assembly for supporting a rear view mirror as claimed in the appended claims.

According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided an assembly for supporting a rear view mirror of a vehicle, the assembly comprising a first stem element which is configured to be fixed to a support member of the vehicle, and a second stem element which is configured to support the rear view mirror, wherein the first stem element comprises a first engagement feature and wherein the second stem element comprises a second engagement feature, wherein the first and second engagement features are configured to engage with one another to provide a plurality of engagement configurations between the first stem element and the second stem element in which the first stem element and the second stem element are able to be secured relative to one another.

In an embodiment, the first and second engagement features are optionally configured so that they engage with one another to secure the first and second stem elements in the engagement configurations in a first axial orientation of the first stem element with respect to the second stem element.

In another embodiment, the first and second engagement features are optionally configured so that they permit axial movement of the first stem element with respect to the second stem element in a second axial orientation of the first stem element with respect to the second stem element.

In a further embodiment, the first and second engagement features are optionally configured so that they inhibit axial movement of the first stem element with respect to the second stem element in the first axial orientation of the first stem element with respect to the second stem element.

In an embodiment, one of the first or second engagement features is optionally configured to be brought into and out of engagement with the other of the first or second engagement features by a relative axial rotation between the first stem element and the second stem element.

Optionally, one of the first or second engagement features comprises a stop to prevent the other of the first or second engagement features from rotating beyond the stop.

In another embodiment, the first or second engagement feature may comprise a pair of engagement features.

In a further embodiment, at least one of the first and second engagement features optionally comprises a securing feature for securing the first and second engagement features in at least one of the engagement configurations.

In an embodiment, wherein the securing feature is optionally a hole adapted to receive a securing element.

Optionally, the securing element is a screw or a pin.

In another embodiment, at least one of the first or second engagement features may comprise a plurality of securing features corresponding to the plurality of engagement configurations.

In a further embodiment, the second stem element is optionally configured to be received within an opening of the first stem element.

In an embodiment, one of the first and second engagement features optionally comprises a plurality of protrusions aligned, in use, axially with respect to the first and second stem elements.

Optionally, the other of the first and second engagement features comprises at least one aperture configured to receive, in use, at least one of the protrusions when the first and second engagement features are in an engagement configuration.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle comprising an assembly as recited above for supporting a rear view mirror of a vehicle.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a stem element of an assembly as recited above for supporting a rear view mirror of a vehicle, the stem element comprising at least one engagement feature, wherein the at least one engagement feature is configured to engage with an engagement feature of a further stem element of the assembly to provide a plurality of engagement configurations between the stem elements in which the stem elements are able to be secured relative to one another.

According to a still further aspect of the invention, there is provided a kit of parts for an assembly as recited above for supporting a rear view mirror of a vehicle, the kit of parts comprising the first stem element and the second stem element.

Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and/or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and/or features of any embodiment can be combined in any way and/or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and/or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows a rear view mirror attached to a support assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 shows a support assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the invention in a first orientation at a first axial position; Figure 4 shows the support assembly of Figure 3 in a second orientation; Figure 5 shows the support assembly of Figure 4 when fixed in the second orientation; and Figure 6 shows the support assembly of Figure 3 in a second axial position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is described herein with reference to the accompanying Figure 1.

Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a vehicle 1 having a front end 1 and a rear end 6. A front windscreen 4 is located towards the front end 5 of the vehicle 1 and a rear windscreen 7 is located towards the rear end 6 of the vehicle 1. A roof 2 extends between the front windscreen 4 and the rear windscreen 7.

A rear view mirror assembly 3 is mounted on the inner surface of the front windscreen 4 at a position substantially in the centre of the front windscreen 4 and towards the interface between the front windscreen 4 and the roof 2. In another example embodiment (not shown), the rear view mirror assembly 3 may be mounted on a lower side of the roof 2.

Figure 2 shows a rear view mirror assembly 3 comprising a rear view mirror 8 connected to a support assembly 11 via a ball and socket joint. The support assembly 11 comprises a first stem element ele20 having a distal end 22 which is configured to connect to a co-operating fixture (not shown) located on the inner surface of the windscreen 4, and a proximal end 24 comprising a hole 25 (see Figure 3) for receiving a second stem element 30. As will be described in greater detail below, screws 12 are provided to secure the first stem element 20 in position with respect to the second stem element 30.

As shown in Figure 3, the second stem element 30 comprises a ball connector 31 located at a distal end 32 thereof. In use, the ball connector 31 co-operates with a socket 9 located in the rear of the rear view mirror 8. The ball and socket connection 31, 9 allows the driver of the vehicle 1 to adjust the rear view mirror 8 to an orientation best suited to their particular requirements. The proximal end 34 of the second stem element 30 comprises a pair of keys 37. A substantially cylindrical portion 33 is disposed between the ball connector 31 and the keys 37.

The keys 37 are substantially rectilinear in form and are offset from one another such that they are located on either side of a plane which passes through the axis of the cylindrical portion 33 of the second stem element 30. Each key 37 comprises a plurality of regularly spaced teeth 36 which extend from approximately halfway through the depth of the keys 37 to an inwardly facing free edge 39 of the keys 37. Each space 35 between each tooth 36 has a screw hole 38 associated therewith. The screw holes 38 are located in the portion of the keys 37 between the row of teeth 36 and an outwardly facing edge 40 of the keys 37.

The first stem element 20 comprises a pair of lugs 27 which project inwardly from the walls of the hole 25. Each lug 27 has two locating teeth 26 which extend away from a circumferentially facing surface 23 of the lugs 27 relative to the hole 25. A hole 28 (see Figure 6) is provided in each of the lugs 27 positioned substantially in line with the space 29 defined between the locating teeth 26.

To assemble the support assembly 11, the proximal end 34 of the second stem element 30 is placed into the hole 25 in the proximal end of the first stem element 20 and slid to its desired position (Figure 3). Once in position, the second stem element 30 is rotated clockwise relative to the first stem element 20 so that the teeth 36 of the keys 37 engage with the teeth 26 of the lugs 27. The circumferentially facing surfaces 23 of the lugs 27 provide a stop to prevent the keys 37 from rotating too far. Once in this position the first stem element 30 can no longer slide with respect to the second stem element 20.

As shown in Figure 5, screws 12 are used to hold the keys 37 in place on the lugs 27. The screws 12 pass through the holes 28 in the lugs 27 and into an aligning hole 38 in the keys 37. The configuration of the teeth 36 of the keys 37 and the locating teeth 26 of the lugs 27 ensures that the holes 38 of the keys 37 align with the holes 28 of the lugs 27 for each incremental position of the second stem element 30 with respect to the first stem element 20.

A pin, or any other suitable fixing device, may be used instead of the screws 12.

Referring now to Figure 6, it can be seen that the extent to which the second stem element 30, and hence the centre point of the ball connector 31, projects from the first stem element 20 can be set by varying the extent to which the proximal end 34 of the second stem element extends into the hole 25 of the first stem 20. As a result, the support assembly 11 may be used in a number of vehicles, each having a different shape, size and configuration, as the centre of the ball connector 31 may be positioned at a plurality of different positions relative to the first stem 20 in dependence on the vehicle to which it is to be fitted.

As described above, the lugs 27 and keys 37 are configured so that they engage with one another to secure the first 20 and second 30 stem elements in an engagement configuration wherein the first stem element 20 is secured in a first axial orientation (about a longitudinal axis 21, illustrated in Figure 6, of the stem elements 20, 30) with respect to the second stem element 30 as shown in Figure 4. In this first axial orientation the lugs 27 and keys 37 are configured so that they inhibit axial movement (along the longitudinal axis 21 of the stem elements 20, 30) of the first stem element 20 with respect to the second stem element 30. The lugs 27 and keys 37 are also configured so that they permit axial movement of the first stem element 20 with respect to the second stem element 30 when the first stem element 20 is in a second axial orientation with respect to the second stem element 20 as shown in Figure 3.

It is not intended that the end user of a vehicle 1 would adjust the set position of the second stem element 30 with respect to the first stem element 20. Rather, the manufacturer of the support assembly 11 will fix the stem elements in position according to the requirements of the vehicle model to which the assembly 11 is to be fitted. A cover (not shown) is fitted over the assembly 11 to prevent an end user gaining access to the stem element fixings and altering their set up. It is envisaged that the manufacturer of the support assembly 11 will use a vehicle model specific jig to ensure that the second stem element 30 is set in the correct position with respect to the first stem element 20.

It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications can be made to the above described embodiment without departing from the scope of the present application. In particular, the assembly may be configured such that the first stem element 20 is length adjustable. This may be achieved, for example, by providing a two part first stem element 20 having a first part which is attachable at a distal end to the inner surface of the front windscreen 4, and which has a proximal end with substantially the same configuration as the proximal end 34 of the second stem element 30 described above, and a second part with two holes 25 and two pairs of lugs 27 to allow the first part of the first stem element 20 to be fixed in place at a desired extension, and to allow the second stem element 30 to be fixed in place at a desired extension as described above. In an alternative embodiment, only the first stem element 20 is extendable, with the second stem element 30 being fixed in place relative to the first stem element 20 or integrally formed therewith.

Any suitable means may be used to provide the relative positioning between the first stem element 20 and the second stem element 30. For example, a continuously variable machine screw thread may be used. A plurality of holes may be provided along the length of the machine screw, and a hole may be provided in the female connection of the machine screw fixing so that a screw 12 or pin may be inserted in order to fix the relative positions of the first 20 and second 30 stem elements.

In the embodiment described above with respect to Figures 3 to 6, the second stem element 30 is rotated clockwise in order to engage the keys 37 with the lugs 27 of the first stem element 20. It will be appreciated that this arrangement may be reversed such that the second stem element 30 must be rotated anti-clockwise in order to bring the keys 37 into engagement with the lugs 27. It may be beneficial to alter the direction in which the stem elements engage with one another. For example, during a collision the driver's head may hit the rear view mirror assembly 3. The connection between the first 20 and second 30 stems may be orientated so that the connection breaks in the event of a driver's head hitting the rear view mirror 8. If desired, the keys 37 and/or lugs 27 may be provided with a frangible feature which is designed to fail in the event of a collision.

As mentioned above, the support assembly 11 described herein may be used with any suitable device such as a camera display or a heads up display.

Claims

CLAIMS1. An assembly for supporting a rear view mirror of a vehicle, the assembly comprising a first stem element which is configured to be fixed to a support member of the vehicle, and a second stem element which is configured to support the rear view mirror, wherein the first stem element comprises a first engagement feature and wherein the second stem element comprises a second engagement feature, wherein the first and second engagement features are configured to engage with one another to provide a plurality of engagement configurations between the first stem element and the second stem element in which the first stem element and the second stem element are able to be secured relative to one another.
2. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first and second engagement features are configured so that they engage with one another to secure the first and second stem elements in the engagement configurations in a first axial orientation of the first stem element with respect to the second stem element.
3. An assembly according to claim 2, wherein the first and second engagement features are configured so that they permit axial movement of the first stem element with respect to the second stem element in a second axial orientation of the first stem element with respect to the second stem element.
4. An assembly according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the first and second engagement features are configured so that they inhibit axial movement of the first stem element with respect to the second stem element in the first axial orientation of the first stem element with respect to the second stem element.
5. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein one of the first or second engagement features is configured to be brought into and out of engagement with the other of the first or second engagement features by a relative axial rotation between the first stem element and the second stem element.
6. An assembly according to claim 5, wherein one of the first or second engagement features comprises a stop to prevent the other of the first or second engagement features from rotating beyond the stop.
7. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the first or second engagement feature comprises a pair of engagement features.
8. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein at least one of the first and second engagement features comprises a securing feature for securing the first and second engagement features in at least one of the engagement configurations.
9. An assembly according to claim 8, wherein the securing feature is a hole adapted to receive a securing element.
10. An assembly according to claim 9, wherein the securing element is a screw or a pin.
11. An assembly according to any one of claim 8 to claim 10, wherein at least one of the first or second engagement features comprises a plurality of securing features corresponding to the plurality of engagement configurations.
12. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the second stem element is configured to be received within an opening of the first stem element.
13. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein one of the first and second engagement features comprises a plurality of protrusions aligned, in use, axially with respect to the first and second stem elements.
14. An assembly according to claim 13, wherein the other of the first and second engagement features comprises at least one aperture configured to receive, in use, at least one of the protrusions when the first and second engagement features are in an engagement 25 configuration.
15. A vehicle comprising an assembly according to any one of the preceding claims.
16. A stem element of an assembly for supporting a rear view mirror of a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 14, the stem element comprising at least one engagement feature, wherein the at least one engagement feature is configured to engage with an engagement feature of a further stem element of the assembly to provide a plurality of engagement configurations between the stem elements in which the stem elements are able to be secured relative to one another.
17. A kit of parts for an assembly for supporting a rear view mirror of a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 14, the kit of parts comprising the first stem element and the second stem element.