JP2007185987A - Collapsible rear-view mirror - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a collapsible rear-view mirror not damaging the appearance of a vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: The rear-view mirror 3 is turnably supported in a first direction a and a second direction b through a mirror support mechanism 13, and the mirror support mechanism 13 has a first to a third support members 15 to 17. The first support member 15 is fixed to a vehicle body, the second support member 16 is turnably connected to the first support member 15 in the first direction through a first hinge 20 provided on the one end part, the third support member 17 is turnably connected to the second support member 16 in the second direction b through a second hinge 21 provided on the other end part of the second support member 16, and the rear-view mirror 3 is supported on the third support member 17. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a rearview mirror of a vehicle such as a motorcycle, and more particularly to a retractable rearview mirror device that rotatably supports a rearview mirror.

Conventionally, a rearview mirror of a vehicle such as a motorcycle can usually finely adjust the angle of the mirror surface according to the physique of the driver. In addition, in order to save space when parked and stopped, there is known a retractable rearview mirror in which the left and right protrusions are reduced by retracting the rearview mirror toward the vehicle body side (for example, Patent Documents). 1). When such a retractable rearview mirror is employed in a motorcycle, it is conceivable to make the rearview mirror relatively large in order to achieve a design that has a sense of unity with the cowling.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-94491

  However, in the case of the above-described retractable rearview mirror, the rotation support shaft that becomes a hinge has a large diameter and is a single hinge. Therefore, when the rearview mirror is tilted forward and stored in the first retracted position, the outer surface of the cowling Since a part of the rearview mirror hits and cannot be overturned, it is necessary to provide a concave part into which the part of the rearview mirror enters the cowling, which impairs the appearance. Further, when the rearview mirror is tilted rearward to be stored in the second storage position, a part of the rearview mirror may interfere with the clutch lever or the brake lever of the handle portion.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the retractable rearview mirror apparatus which improves the external appearance of a vehicle.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, a retractable rearview mirror device according to the present invention is supported by a vehicle body so that a rearview mirror can rotate in a first direction and a second direction via a mirror support mechanism, and the mirror support The mechanism includes first to third support members, the first support member is fixed to the vehicle body, and the second support member is connected to the first support member via a first hinge provided at one end thereof. The third support member is rotatably connected to the second support member via the second hinge provided at the other end of the second support member, and is connected to the second support member. The said rearview mirror is supported by 3 support members. Here, the vehicle body includes a cowling as well as a vehicle body frame.

  According to this configuration, when an external force is applied to the rearview mirror in the first direction of the vehicle body, the second support member rotates in the first direction with the first hinge as a fulcrum, and is integrated with the second support member. The third support member rotates in the first direction. Since a rearview mirror is supported by the third support member, the rearview mirror is tilted in the first direction with respect to the vehicle body and stored in the first storage position. When an external force is applied to the rearview mirror in the second direction of the vehicle body, the third support member rotates in the second direction with the second hinge provided at the other end of the second support member as a fulcrum. 3. The rearview mirror supported by the support member is tilted in the second direction with respect to the vehicle body and stored in the second storage position. Thus, even when the rearview mirror is tilted in either the first direction or the second direction, the third support member is rotated by the link mechanism of the mirror support mechanism, and the rearview mirror is in the first direction. Unlike the case where the rearview mirror is pivotally supported on the vehicle body via a single hinge, the hinge is placed at a position that protrudes greatly to the side of the vehicle body. In addition, a part of the rearview mirror after storage can be prevented from coming into contact with the vehicle body, for example, the cowling. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a recess for housing a part of the rearview mirror in the vehicle body such as cowling, and the appearance is improved.

  Preferably, at least one axis of the first and second hinges is inclined with respect to the vertical direction. For example, when the axis of the first hinge is tilted rearward, the second support member rotates obliquely forward and upward, so that the rearview mirror faces the upper part of the front side of the vehicle body (for example, cowling), that is, the narrow part. Since it rotates, it is easy to avoid a rearview mirror contacting a vehicle body. Depending on the shape of the vehicle body, it may be easy to avoid contact between the rearview mirror and the vehicle body by tilting the axis of the first hinge forward. When the axis of the second hinge is tilted forward or rearward, the rearview mirror is tilted rearwardly upward (first direction) or rearward even when the rearview mirror is disposed in front of the handle portion to prevent wind from the handle portion. Since it rotates diagonally downward (second direction), interference with the handle portion can be avoided.

  In a preferred aspect of the present invention, a cowling is provided at the front portion of the vehicle body, and the first support member is located in contact with or close to the outer surface of the cowling.

  According to this configuration, for example, a shape like a dorsal fin of the dolphin can be realized smoothly connected from the cowling to the rearview mirror. 3. By rotating the support member in the second direction, interference between the vehicle body and the rearview mirror can be avoided when the rearview mirror is tilted and stored in the first direction or the second direction.

  According to the retractable rearview mirror device according to the present invention, even if the rearview mirror is tilted in either the first direction or the second direction, the third support member is provided by the link mechanism of the mirror support mechanism. Since the rearview mirror is tilted in the first direction or the second direction and stored together with the second support member or alone, avoid contact of the rearview mirror after storage with the vehicle body. Can do.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a motorcycle including a retractable rearview mirror device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The motorcycle shown in the figure is a motorcycle provided with a cowling as a part of the vehicle body, and is a portion from the front of the handle portion 1 at the front of the vehicle body to the front portion of the front wheel 8 and the side of the front portion of the vehicle body. A resin cowling 2 is mounted on a vehicle body frame (not shown), and rear mirrors 3 are arranged on the left and right sides of the cowling 2. A fuel tank 4 is arranged at the center of the vehicle body, and a seat 5 is arranged on the rear side. Mufflers 7 connected to an exhaust pipe 6 for leading exhaust gas from an engine (not shown) are arranged on both sides of the rear part of the vehicle body.

  The rearview mirror 3 is provided with a mirror surface 3b on the back side of the body 3a. As is apparent from the rear view shown in FIG. 2, the rearview mirror 3 has a handle for the purpose of reducing wind contact with the handle portion 1 during traveling. It is provided at substantially the same height as the height of the portion 1, and the dimension (front area) seen from the front-rear direction is set larger than that of the handle portion 1. Here, in FIG. 1, the handle portion 1 includes a grip, a brake lever 1a, and a clutch lever 1b, which are related to the rider's operation.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a rear-view mirror on the right side of the vehicle body as viewed from a rider riding on the motorcycle as a representative, with the rear-view mirror attached to the vehicle body. As shown in the figure, a stay 10 for mounting and supporting a cowling 2, an instrument panel (not shown) and the like is connected to a head pipe at the front end of a vehicle body frame (not shown) by a connecting tool such as a bolt. A connecting member 12 is connected to 10 by a connecting tool 11 such as a bolt. The connecting member 12 is composed of two pipe members 12a and 12b. Each pipe member 12a and 12b extends to the outside through a slit 2a provided in the cowling 2, and a mirror support mechanism 13 is attached to the tip thereof. The rearview mirror 3 is attached to the mirror support mechanism 13. The connecting member 12 may be formed of a plate material or a rod-like body in addition to the illustrated pipe material, and the shape thereof is not limited.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the mirror support mechanism for the rear-view mirror on the right side of the vehicle body as viewed obliquely from the rear right. As shown in the figure, the mirror support mechanism 13 includes a first support member 15 fixed to a connecting member 12 on the vehicle body side, and a first hinge 20 provided at one end 15a of the first support member 15. A third support member 16 rotatably connected to the second support member 16 via a second support member 16 rotatably connected to the second support member 16 and a second hinge 21 provided at the other end of the second support member 16. And a support member 17. The first support member 15, the second support member 16, and the third support member 17 are each made of a substantially rectangular plate material. The first support member 15 is disposed substantially horizontally, the vicinity of the front end portion 15a is connected to the pipe member 12a of the mirror support mechanism 13, and the vicinity of the rear end portion 15b is connected to the pipe member 12b by welding. It is fixed. The axial centers C1 and C2 of the first hinge 20 and the second hinge 21 are substantially parallel to each other and extend in a substantially vertical direction. The body 3 a of the rearview mirror 3 is supported by the third support member 17 via the mirror connecting member 18.

  A pair of upper and lower first locking members 23 for detachably locking the second support member 16 is attached to the first support member 15, and the second support member 16 is detachably attached to the third support member 17. A pair of upper and lower second locking members 24 to be locked are attached. The 1st latching member 23 latches the 2nd support member 16 by the nail | claw 23a. Similarly, the second locking member 24 includes a claw 24 a that locks the second locking member 16. The first locking member 23 and the second locking member 24 are formed of an elastic spring material or resin material. The first locking member 23 is far away from the first hinge 20 that is the pivot point of the second support member 16. Similarly, the second latch member 23 is the pivot point of the third support member 17. It is attached at a position far away from the second hinge 21. Thus, by providing the first locking member 23 and the second locking member 24 at positions away from the first hinge 20 and the second hinge 21, respectively, the second and third supports in the locked state. Since the wobbling of the members 16 and 17 with respect to the first and second members 15 and 16 can be prevented, the dimensional accuracy of the first locking member 23 and the second locking member 24 that are required to be attached and detached can be lowered. Easy to manufacture. In the figure, the third support member 17 rotates in a direction away from the second support member 16 and the rearview mirror 3 is slightly inclined rearward.

  5A is a longitudinal sectional view of the first locking member 23, and FIG. 5B is a longitudinal sectional view of the second locking member 24. The second support member 16 in FIG. 5A is locked by the claw 23 a of the first locking member 23 and is superposed on the first support member 15. An inclined guide surface 23aa is formed on the outside of the claw 23a. When the second support member 16 is locked to the first locking member 23 and superposed on the first support member 15, the second support member 16 is pressed against the guide surface 23aa as indicated by a two-dot chain line. The nail | claw 23a is changed outside and the 2nd supporting member 16 is put into the inside of the nail | claw 23a. When a constant external force is forcibly applied after locking, the second support member 16 is detached from the claw 23a. The second locking member 24 shown in FIG. 5B has a similar shape, and has a guide surface 24aa on the outside of the claw 24a, so that the second support member 16 and the third support member 17 can be easily overlapped. I have to.

  FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a standard state of the rear-view mirror on the right side of the vehicle body. In the figure, the mirror support mechanism 13 is housed in the recess 28 of the cowling 2 to suppress air resistance during travel. The pipe members 12 a and 12 b to which the first support member 15 is welded are inserted into a slit 2 a that is provided in the recess 28 and opens rearward. Normally, the mirror support mechanism 13 is in a standard state in which it is folded, the second support member 16 is locked to the first support member 15 by the first locking member 23, and the third support member 17 is The second locking member 24 is locked to the second support member 16.

  Next, the forward and backward tilting of the rearview mirror will be described with reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B which are plan views. First, as shown in FIG. 7A, when an external force is applied to the rearview mirror 3 in the first direction (front) a, the first locking member 23 is unlocked and the first support member 15 The second support member 16 and the third support member 17 rotate in the first direction a with the first hinge 20 as a fulcrum. Thereby, the impact to the rearview mirror 3 by the said external force is relieve | moderated. FIG. 7A shows a state in which the rotation angle θ1 of the second support member 16 with respect to the first support member 15 is 40 °. When the first rotation angle θ1 is set to a limit angle (for example, 80 °), the rearview mirror 3 is stored in the first storage position indicated by the two-dot chain line.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7B, when an external force is applied to the rearview mirror 3 in the second direction (rear) b, the second support member 16 is first supported by the first locking member 23. The third support member 17 rotates in the second direction b with the second hinge 21 of the second support member 16 as a fulcrum in a state of being locked to the member 15. Thereby, the impact on the rearview mirror 3 due to the external force is also alleviated. When the second rotation angle θ2 of the third support member 17 with respect to the second support member 16 is set to a limit angle (for example, 80 °), the rearview mirror 3 is housed in the second storage position indicated by a two-dot chain line.

  Thus, even when the rearview mirror 3 is tilted in either the first direction or the second direction, the mirror support mechanism 13 is stored away from the cowling 2 that is a part of the vehicle body. The rearview mirror 3 does not contact the cowling 2. Therefore, since it is not necessary to provide a large recess for storing in the cowling 2, the appearance of the motorcycle is improved. Further, since the first support member 15 of the mirror support mechanism 13 is in contact with the outer surface of the cowling 2, a natural feeling that the back mirror 3 protrudes smoothly from the cowling 2 like a dolphin dorsal fin. Can be given. The first support member 15 may be in a close position slightly away from the outer surface of the cowling 2.

  FIG. 8 is an enlarged left side view of the front portion of the motorcycle. The rearview mirror 3 in the figure is in a standard state (initial position) during traveling shown in FIG. In this state, the rearview mirror 3 is supported by the mirror support mechanism 13 so as to protrude sideways so as to ensure a rear view as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 10 shows a state in which the rearview mirror 3 is rotated from the standard state indicated by the broken line to the limit angle in the first direction “a” around the axis C1 and tilted forward. In this state, the mirror surface 3b faces outward. As shown in FIG. 11, the protruding width of the rearview mirror 3 from the vehicle body, that is, from the cowling 2 to the outside is smaller than the standard state indicated by the broken line by W1.

  FIG. 12 shows a state in which the rearview mirror 3 is rotated from the standard state indicated by a broken line to the limit angle in the second direction, which is rearward about the axis C2, and tilted rearward. In this state, a mirror surface (not shown) faces inward. As shown in FIG. 13, the protrusion width of the rearview mirror 3 from the vehicle body, that is, from the cowling 2 to the outside is smaller than the standard state indicated by the broken line by W2.

  FIG. 14 shows the second embodiment, and the rearview mirror 3 is in a standard state (initial position). The axis C1 of the first hinge 20 and the axis C2 of the second hinge 21 of the mirror support mechanism 13 are substantially parallel to each other and inclined rearward. In this example, the inclination angle α from the vertical direction of the axis C1 is set to approximately 45 °. FIG. 15 shows a state in which the rearview mirror 3 is tilted in the first direction to a limit angle (for example, 80 °). In this case, the rearview mirror 3 is rotated about the first hinge 20 as a fulcrum, and is tilted forward and stored in an upward direction. The rearview mirror 3 approaches the windshield 25 mounted on the upper part of the cowling 2, but since the upper part of the windshield 25 is narrower than the cowling 2, the gap between the rearview mirror 3 and the rearview mirror 3 is large. The forward angle of rotation θ1 (FIG. 7A) can be increased, and the lateral protrusion width of the rearview mirror 3 can be further reduced.

  FIG. 16 shows a state in which the rearview mirror 3 is rotated to the limit angle in the second direction b and tilted backward. In this case, the rearview mirror 3 rotates about the second hinge 21 as a fulcrum, is tilted rearward and downward, and is stored in the second storage position. In this state, the rearview mirror 3 is positioned obliquely rearward and is greatly separated downward from the handle portion 1, so that the rearview mirror 3 can be prevented from interfering with the handle portion 1.

  FIG. 17 shows the third embodiment, and the rearview mirror 3 shows a standard state in which the motorcycle is running. The mirror support mechanism 13 is bent in a substantially inverted V shape when viewed from the side. The mirror support mechanism 13 includes a substantially horizontal front half part and a rear half part extending obliquely rearwardly downward from the front half part, and has a vertical axis C1 in the front half part. The first hinge 20 is provided with a second hinge 21 having an axis C2 inclined rearward in the rear half. In this example, the tilt angle B with respect to the vertical direction of the axis C2 is approximately 45 °.

  FIG. 18 shows a state where the rearview mirror 3 is retracted to the limit angle in the first direction a. In this case, since the axial center C1 of the first hinge 20 is set substantially in the vertical direction, the rearview mirror 3 has the first hinge 20 as a fulcrum and is substantially changed from the standard position indicated by the broken line to the first storage position indicated by the solid line. It turns forward in the horizontal plane and enters a retracted state along the cowling 2.

  FIG. 19 shows a state in which the rearview mirror 3 is tilted in the second direction b. In this case, the rearview mirror 3 rotates from the position indicated by the broken line to the second storage position indicated by the solid line with the second hinge 21 as a fulcrum, and is stored obliquely downward and rearward. Also in this case, as in the second embodiment, the rearview mirror 3 is largely separated downward from the handle portion 1, so that interference of the rearview mirror 3 with the handle portion 1 can be avoided.

  In the above embodiment, one locking member is provided on the first support member 15 and one locking member is provided on the third support member 17, but one locking member is provided on each end of the second support member 16. However, there are substantially the same effects as the above embodiment.

  In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the mirror support mechanism 13 of the rearview mirror 3 is connected to the vehicle body stay 10 via the connection member 12, but the mirror support mechanism 13 is connected to the cowling 2. May be.

  The present invention can be applied to various vehicles such as a three-wheeled vehicle and a four-wheeled vehicle in addition to the motorcycle shown in the above embodiment. Furthermore, configurations can be added, deleted, and changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and such configurations are also included in the scope of the present invention.

1 is a plan view of a motorcycle including a retractable rearview mirror device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the motorcycle. It is a perspective view which shows the attachment state of the rear-view mirror of the vehicle body right side. It is a perspective view which shows the mirror support mechanism of the rear-view mirror of the vehicle body right side. (A) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the 1st locking member of a mirror support mechanism, (B) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows a 2nd locking member. It is a top view which shows the standard state of the rear-view mirror of the vehicle body right side seeing from the rider who got on the motorcycle. (A) is a top view which shows the tilting state to the 1st direction of a back mirror, (B) is a top view which shows the tilting state to the 2nd direction of a back mirror. Fig. 3 is an enlarged left side view showing a front portion of the motorcycle. Fig. 2 is a partially cutaway front view showing an enlarged front part of the motorcycle. It is a side view which shows the state which fell the rear-view mirror shown in FIG. 8 in the 1st direction. It is a partially notched front view which shows the state which fell the back mirror to the 1st direction. It is a side view which shows the state which fell the back mirror to the 2nd direction. It is the partially cutaway front view which shows the state which fell the back mirror to the 2nd direction. It is a side view of a motorcycle showing a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a side view showing a state in which the rearview mirror of FIG. 14 is tilted in the first direction. It is a side view which shows the state which fell the back mirror to the 2nd direction. FIG. 6 is a side view of a motorcycle showing a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 18 is a side view showing a state in which the rearview mirror of FIG. 17 is tilted in the first direction. It is a side view which shows the state which fell the back mirror to the 2nd direction.

Explanation of symbols

1 Handle 2 Cowling (part of the car body)
3 Rearview mirror 13 Mirror support mechanism 15 1st support member 16 2nd support member 17 3rd support member 20 1st hinge 21 2nd hinge a 1st direction b 2nd direction C1 Axis center of 1st hinge C2 2nd hinge Axis

Claims (3)

The rearview mirror is supported on the vehicle body via a mirror support mechanism so as to be rotatable in the first direction and the second direction,
The mirror support mechanism includes first to third support members, the first support member is fixed to the vehicle body, and the second support member is provided via a first hinge provided at one end thereof. The third support member is connected to the second support member via the second hinge provided at the other end of the second support member so as to be rotatable in the second direction. A retractable rearview mirror device in which the rearview mirror is supported by the third support member.   The retractable rearview mirror device according to claim 1, wherein at least one axis of the first and second hinges is inclined with respect to a vertical direction. 3. The retractable rearview mirror device according to claim 1, wherein a cowling is provided at a front portion of the vehicle body, and the first support member is located in contact with or close to an outer surface of the cowling.

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