JP2008110641A - Vehicular rear-view mirror of wide visual field - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem that a conventional vehicular side mirror is problematic in a so-called dead angle at which an image disappears, regarding the vehicle in a lateral/back direction traveling on an adjacent lane of the vehicle together and a problem that this is because a portion where a visual field of a rear-view mirror is lacked in the lateral/back direction of a driver exists. <P>SOLUTION: By providing a sub-mirror surface 2 of a convex surface close to a vehicle body in the mirror surface 1 of the rear-view mirror, the visual field in the lateral/back direction of the driver is enlarged and visual confirmation of the vehicle traveling on the adjacent lane of the driver is facilitated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle side mirror that is devised to facilitate visual confirmation of other vehicles in the lateral rear direction traveling in the adjacent lane and to enhance the safety of vehicle driving.
[Background]

Side mirrors (including fender mirrors and door mirrors) are provided on both right and left sides of the vehicle body to allow the vehicle driver to observe the rear and lateral directions of the vehicle. In this side mirror, it is important for the safety of vehicle driving to secure the driver's driving field of view and to make it possible to visually check other vehicles traveling in the adjacent lane. Has been made. The main ones are those that divide the mirror surface of the side mirror of the vehicle into upper and lower parts and change the respective mounting angles to widen the field of view (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2), and deform part of the side mirror mirror surface Widening the field of view (see, for example, Patent Documents 3 and 4), providing a convex mirror surface on the surface of the mirror main body to widen the field of view (for example, see Patent Document 5), In other words, there are known ones that increase the field of view by providing curvature (see, for example, Patent Document 6).
Patent Publication 2001-277742 Patent Publication 2003-312362 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-198012 Patent Publication 9-164848 Patent Publication 2006-1520 (P2006-1520A) Patent Publication 2004-268613

In the vehicle side mirror, visual confirmation in the lateral rear direction of the vehicle is important for driving safety, so various devices have been conventionally devised to expand the field of view of the vehicle side mirror as shown in the previous section. However, the functionality of the vehicle side mirror, which is inherent in the rear view, is partially sacrificed (Patent Documents 1 and 2), and the driver's line of sight is widened (Patent Documents 3 and 4). The image of other vehicles in the field of view is deformed and the driving is hindered (Patent Documents 5 and 6).

The side mirror of the vehicle allows the vehicle driver to visually check other vehicles traveling backward, as well as to easily visually check other vehicles approaching the adjacent lane from behind or traveling in parallel, especially other vehicles entering the so-called blind spot. It is extremely important to have a function to ensure safe driving of the vehicle. However, it is important for driving safety that the images of other vehicles in the adjacent lanes can be easily confirmed and that the driver's line of sight can be greatly deviated.

Conventional vehicle side mirrors have been used as mirror surfaces with a slight curvature through the accumulation of years of experience so that the driver can easily secure the rear view. When driving in a conventional manner, a driver makes a comprehensive decision on the driving conditions of other vehicles around the vehicle while looking at the balance between the rear view in the rear view mirror and the lateral rear view in the side mirror. I am driving. Therefore, even in the idea of improving the vehicle side mirror to add the function of widening the field of view, the conventional function of securing the field of view behind the vehicle, which the conventional vehicle side mirror originally has, remains as it is. It is a necessary and important requirement for a driver's safe driving to have a wider function.

The present invention aims to realize a vehicle side mirror that can visually confirm the lateral rearward field of view of the host vehicle, taking into account the above-described problems, and has a curvature of the main mirror surface on the main mirror surface. It is a device for obtaining a wide field of view by providing a small mirror having a convex surface with a higher curvature as a secondary mirror surface.

The mounting location of the secondary mirror surface is the part of the side mirror that is relatively unusable as a driving field of view in the side mirror (generally, the side surface of the vehicle body This is the part that reflects

The area occupied by the primary mirror surface of the secondary mirror is designed so that the ratio of the secondary mirror surface area to the primary mirror surface does not exceed 2/5 so that the original function of the vehicle side mirror is not affected. is there.

The shape of the sub-mirror surface allows a wide visual field in the lateral rear direction of the host vehicle to be visually confirmed, and the curved surface of the sub-mirror surface is a part of the ellipsoidal curved surface in order to make the image of other vehicles in the field of view large and easy to see. It is a device characterized by a curved surface formed or a curved surface similar thereto.

The vehicle side mirrors are provided on both the left and right sides of the vehicle body, but the description of the left side mirror is omitted on the same principle as the right side mirror, and the right side mirror of the right-hand drive vehicle will be described with reference to FIG.

By providing a convex secondary mirror surface (hereinafter referred to as secondary mirror surface) 3 having a curvature higher than the curvature of the primary mirror surface in the primary mirror surface (hereinafter referred to as primary mirror surface) 2 of the vehicle side mirror, It facilitates visual confirmation of other vehicles in the direction, particularly vehicles in a so-called blind spot.

The installation location of the secondary mirror surface is the part of the primary mirror surface that is closer to the vehicle body, and the area of the secondary mirror surface that occupies the primary mirror surface is in the range that does not exceed 2/5 of the primary mirror surface area. Thus, the original function of the main mirror surface for visually confirming the rear of the vehicle is not hindered.

The shape of the secondary mirror surface is a vertically long curved surface forming a part of the curved surface of the ellipsoid, or a curved surface similar to this, so that the image of the other vehicle in the lateral rear direction of the driver's next lane is large and easy to visually confirm. .

The ellipsoidal shape that is the curved surface of the secondary mirror surface has a ratio (ellipticity α) in which the major axis A parallel to the main mirror surface is the denominator and the minor axis B is the numerator (ellipticity α), and is also a surface perpendicular to the main mirror surface. It is appropriate to use a vertically long ellipsoid having a ratio (ellipticity β) of about 05 with the horizontal axis B as the denominator and the vertical axis C as the numerator. However, it is possible to select the ellipticity α between 1.0 and ∞ and the ellipticity β between 1.0 and 0.1 depending on the structure of the vehicle.

When the ellipticity α of the ellipsoid forming the curved surface of the secondary mirror surface is 1.0, a circular spherical surface (FIG. 6) is obtained, and when the ellipticity α is ∞, a linear curved surface (FIG. 7) is obtained. In both of these forms, the driver can visually check the other vehicle image in the lateral rear direction of the adjacent lane. However, in the case of a general vehicle, the former case (ellipticity 1.0) is vertically long. The image of the other vehicle appears smaller than the case of the ellipsoidal curved surface, and in the latter case (ellipticity ∞), the image of the other vehicle appears longer and narrower than the case of the vertically long ellipsoidal curved surface, which is inferior in visibility. As for the ellipticity β, when the ellipticity β is 1.0, a wide field of view can be obtained, but the secondary mirror surface rises higher than the surface of the main mirror surface. Further, when the ellipticity β is 0.1, there is a problem such as a flat curved surface and low functionality as a side mirror, but in either case, the range can be selected according to the structure of the vehicle.

The direction of the major axis of the ellipsoid that forms the curved surface of the secondary mirror surface is the direction in which the major axis is tilted approximately 40 degrees to the left with respect to the vertical axis. Excellent in. However, depending on the structure of the vehicle, it is possible to select the inclination of the long axis to be inclined in the range of 0 to 90 degrees to the left with respect to the vertical axis. When the inclination direction is set to 0 degree, the secondary mirror surface is disposed in the longitudinal direction with respect to the main mirror surface, which is highly practical. Further, when the inclination direction is 90 degrees, the arrangement is in the landscape direction, but can be selected when a curved surface close to a circular spherical surface is selected.

The structure of the secondary mirror surface is preferably manufactured by integrating the primary mirror surface part and the secondary mirror surface into a side mirror housing, but the secondary mirror surface having a structure separated from the primary mirror surface is manufactured as a separate part. There is a method of attaching to an existing vehicle side mirror with an adhesive or the like. The former method is desirable for the manufacture of new vehicles, and the latter method is desirable for existing vehicles.

The above-described vehicle side mirror of the present invention enables visual confirmation of other vehicles in the lateral rearward direction of the adjacent lane, in particular, other vehicles hidden in a so-called blind spot portion without greatly diverting the driver's line of sight. Contributes to safe driving. At the same time, the image of the area around the rear wheel of the vehicle reflected in the lower part of the sub-mirror is useful for preventing accidents caused by rolling-in driving during left / right turn and for checking for obstacles around the rear wheel of the vehicle.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 for a right side mirror of a right-hand drive vehicle. The left side mirror will not be described with respect to the same principle as the right side mirror.

A sub mirror surface 3 is provided on the lower side of the side mirror main mirror surface 2 in FIG.

The main mirror surface and the sub mirror surface are formed of a material such as ABS resin, polyamide resin, or glass like the conventional side mirror, and the inner surface is processed into a mirror surface with metal or resin so as to reflect light rays from the surface.

The optimum shape of the secondary mirror surface is selected depending on the type of vehicle, and FIG. 5 shows an example of practical use in the case of an ordinary passenger car.

The curved surface of the secondary mirror surface uses a partial curved surface of the surface of the ellipsoid as a mirror surface in order to facilitate visual confirmation of other vehicles in the field of view.

The following notation is used to display an ellipsoid used as a curved surface of the secondary mirror surface.

An ellipsoid used as a curved surface of the secondary mirror surface is an ellipsoid surrounded by a long axis A, a short axis B (parallel to the main mirror surface), and a short axis C (perpendicular to the main mirror surface) intersecting each other at 90 degrees. Described as an ellipsoid Z, then the intersection of the surface of this ellipsoid Z with the A axis is denoted as point a and point a ', and the intersection with the B axis is also point b and point b', also C axis The point of intersection with each other is denoted as point c and point c ', and any point on the meridian connecting point b and point a' is denoted as point d, and then any point on the meridian connecting point a and point b ' Are denoted as point e. Further, a plane formed by the major axis A and the minor axis B is expressed as a plane X, a plane passing through the points d and e and perpendicular to the plane X is expressed as a plane Y, and an ellipsoidal curved surface used as a curved surface of the secondary mirror surface is expressed by Is displayed as shown in FIG. (Fig. 5)

The curved surface of the secondary mirror surface is located slightly below the main mirror surface on the vehicle body side in an ellipsoid Z (axis A 100 mm, axis B 50 mm, axis C 25 mm) with the long axis A in the vertical direction. In the state of being inclined by about 40 degrees (θ), the front half portion of the semi-ellipsoid obtained by cutting along the plane X is further pointd from the point b to the point a ′ by a point d closer to 10 mm and from the point a. The convex surface on the right side of the curved surface obtained by cutting along a surface Y passing through a point e near 20 mm toward b ′ is the curved surface of the secondary mirror surface. The secondary mirror surface has a convex curvature in the outward direction of the vehicle on the curved surface on the right side of the points a and d, and has a downward convex curvature around the points a and e.

In a conventional vehicle side mirror, if another vehicle in the adjacent lane approaches from the rear, or if the other vehicle is more than about 10 meters behind when viewed from the own vehicle, the other vehicle is within the field of view of the side mirror of the own vehicle. However, as the distance between vehicles approaches, the image of other vehicles gradually moves to the right in the side mirror, and eventually the other vehicle approaches to the rear of the vehicle. The image will be removed from the side mirror, and the driver will not be able to see the presence of other vehicles on the image. Enter the so-called blind spot.

In the conventional general vehicle side mirror, a slight curvature (for example, 1000R) is given to widen the field of view as much as possible, but the field of view is in the range of about 160 to 180 degrees rearward with respect to the vehicle traveling direction. A blind spot appears in the rear side of the right side of the driver. In order to cover this blind spot, improvement can be achieved by providing a secondary mirror surface with a wide field of view in the main mirror surface.

By making the sub-mirror surface into a vertically long ellipsoid, the driver's field of view is enlarged by approximately 50 degrees to cover the blind spot portion and to visually recognize the image of the other vehicle to be visually recognized.

The structure of the vehicle side mirror equipped with the secondary mirror surface is desirable to make the primary mirror surface and secondary mirror surface as an integral mirror surface, but the secondary mirror surface is manufactured as a single part and bonded to the primary mirror surface of an existing vehicle, etc. There is a separation structure to be joined by this method.
When an existing vehicle side mirror is equipped with a secondary mirror surface, a method of adhering a single part of the secondary mirror surface with a separation structure to the primary mirror surface with an adhesive or the like is effective.

Hereinafter, the utility by the expansion of the viewing angle by the vehicle side mirror equipped with the secondary mirror surface will be described.
When traveling in a vehicle, the driver performs the traveling state of other vehicles around the vehicle while confirming the traveling state of the vehicle on the rear and side mirrors for safety of traveling. Eventually, when another vehicle approaches the adjacent lane from the rear at a higher speed, it is first visually recognized by the image of the other vehicle in the mirror of the rear mirror of the own vehicle and the side mirror. Eventually, as the distance between you and other vehicles approaches, the image of the other vehicle gradually flows to the right from the rear mirror, and further from the center of the mirror surface of the side mirror. The existence of is lost.
In such a case, the image of the other vehicle is still displayed on the secondary mirror surface of the present invention, and the driver visually confirms the image of the other vehicle reflected on the secondary mirror surface and there is another vehicle in the adjacent lane. Can recognize and travel. As other vehicles run side by side with their own vehicle and further overtake, the image of the other vehicle that appears on the secondary mirror surface gradually flows to the right side of the secondary mirror surface and goes out of sight. In other words, the position of the other vehicle is already in the position directly in the lateral direction of the own vehicle driver, and is within the range of the visual field in the lateral direction of the own vehicle driver.
[Possibility of industrial use]

In vehicle travel, the driver's tension used to identify whether there is another vehicle in the blind spot of the adjacent lane is high, so improvement of this problem is important in ensuring the safety of travel. The present invention contributes to preventing traffic accidents such as contact accidents, not only by mounting as standard equipment for new car manufacturing, but also by adhering and using a secondary mirror surface part with a separation structure on the side mirror of an existing car. Is.

The front view of the side mirror for vehicles of the present invention. HH sectional view taken on the line in FIG. Practical image of a vehicle side mirror according to an embodiment of the present invention 3D view of the vehicle side mirror of the present invention Explanation of secondary mirror surface Reference diagram of secondary mirror surface ellipticity α = 1.0 Reference diagram of ellipticity α = ∞ of secondary mirror surface

Explanation of symbols

1 Side mirror
1 'Side mirror housing
2 Main mirror surface
3 Secondary mirror surface 4 Road lane line 5 Video of own vehicle (in the main mirror surface and in the secondary mirror surface)
6 Other vehicle image in the so-called blind spot running side by side Z Ellipsoid including sub mirror surface A Long axis A of ellipsoid Z
B Short axis B of ellipsoid Z (parallel to main mirror surface)
C Short axis C of ellipsoid Z (perpendicular to main mirror surface)
a, intersection of surface of a 'ellipsoid Z and axis A
b, b 'intersection of surface of ellipsoid Z and axis B
c, intersection point of c 'ellipsoid Z surface and axis C
d, e Any point on the meridian of the ellipsoid Z θ Inclination angle between the major axis A of the ellipsoid Z and the vertical axis
X A plane including axes A and B Y A plane perpendicular to plane X and passing through points d and e N Vertical axis

In the vehicle side mirror, visual confirmation in the lateral rear direction of the vehicle is important for driving safety, so various devices have been conventionally devised to expand the field of view of the vehicle side mirror as shown in the previous section. However, the functionality of the vehicle side mirror is essentially sacrificed (Patent Documents 1 and 2), and the driver's line of sight is widened (Patent Documents 3 and 4) . The image of the other vehicle in the inside field of view is deformed and the driving is hindered (Patent Documents 5 and 6).

The present invention, in terms of incorporating the above-described problems, the realization of the side mirrors for vehicles lateral rear direction of the field of view of the vehicle can be widely visual check provided for the purpose, on the main mirror, the primary mirror The invention provides a wide field of view by providing, as a secondary mirror surface, a convex small mirror having a curvature higher than the curvature.

The mounting location of the secondary mirror surface is the part of the side mirror that is relatively unusable as a driving field of view in the side mirror (generally, the side surface of the vehicle body This is an invention in which the part is projected).

Area occupied in the main mirror of the sub-surface mirror, so as not to interfere with the original function of the vehicle side mirror, the ratio of the area occupied by the main mirror of the sub-mirror, in the invention in the range not exceeding 2/5 is there.

The shape of the sub-mirror surface allows a wide visual field in the lateral rear direction of the host vehicle to be visually confirmed, and the curved surface of the sub-mirror surface is a part of the ellipsoidal curved surface in order to make the image of other vehicles in the field of view large and easy to see. It is an invention characterized by a curved surface formed or a curved surface similar thereto.

Sub mirror mounting location, the vehicle body side of the portion in the main mirror, the area occupied in the secondary mirror of the main mirror, as a range of the area not exceeding 2/5 of the area of the main mirror, the mounting of the sub-mirror Thus, the original function of the main mirror surface for visually confirming the rear of the vehicle is not hindered.

The ellipsoidal shape that is the curved surface of the secondary mirror surface has a ratio (ellipticity α) in which the major axis A parallel to the main mirror surface is the denominator and the minor axis B is the numerator (ellipticity α), and is also a surface perpendicular to the main mirror surface. , The ratio (ellipticity β) in which the horizontal axis B is the denominator and the vertical axis C is the numerator is approximately 0 . A vertically long ellipsoid of 5 is appropriate. However, it is possible to select the ellipticity α between 1.0 and ∞ and the ellipticity β between 1.0 and 0.1 depending on the structure of the vehicle.

The present invention is a vehicle in which the above-mentioned problem is incorporated, and the field of view of the rear side of the vehicle can be visually confirmed without sacrificing the original function of the main mirror surface, and the vehicle can also be visually recognized around the rear wheel of the vehicle. This is an invention for obtaining a wide field of view by providing, as a secondary mirror surface, a convex small mirror having a curvature higher than the curvature of the main mirror surface on the main mirror surface.

The ellipsoidal shape that is the curved surface of the secondary mirror surface has a ratio (ellipticity α) in which the major axis A parallel to the main mirror surface is the denominator and the minor axis B is the numerator (ellipticity α), and is also a surface perpendicular to the main mirror surface. Is suitably a vertically long ellipsoid having a ratio (ellipticity β) with the horizontal axis B as the denominator and the vertical axis C as the numerator (approximately 0.5). However, it is possible to select the ellipticity α between 1.0 and ∞ and the ellipticity β between 1.0 and 0.1 depending on the structure of the vehicle. And by making the secondary mirror surface into an ellipsoid as described above and placing it in the lower part near the vehicle body of the primary mirror surface with low visibility, the side surface that becomes the blind spot of the primary mirror surface on the secondary mirror surface is arranged. In addition to projecting an image, it is possible to project an image around the rear wheel of the own vehicle separately from the image of the own vehicle displayed on the main mirror surface in the lower part of the sub-mirror surface. The blind spot is covered with two images projected on the secondary mirror surface, and the original function of the vehicle side mirror (main mirror surface) is not sacrificed.

Form of ellipsoid that the sub mirror surface curved, and approximately 0.5 ratio (the ellipticity alpha) to the molecular length of the minor axis B as the denominator the length of the major axis A running parallel to the main mirror, also For the plane perpendicular to the main mirror surface, it is appropriate to use a vertically long ellipsoid having a ratio (ellipticity β) in which the length of the horizontal axis B is the denominator and the length of the vertical axis C is the numerator (ellipticity β) is approximately 0.5. is there. However, it is possible to select the ellipticity α between 1.0 and 1 / ∞ and the ellipticity β between 1.0 and 0.1 depending on the structure of the vehicle. And by making the secondary mirror surface into an ellipsoid as described above and placing it in the lower part near the vehicle body of the primary mirror surface with low visibility, the side surface that becomes the blind spot of the primary mirror surface on the secondary mirror surface is arranged. In addition to projecting an image, it is possible to project an image around the rear wheel of the own vehicle separately from the image of the own vehicle displayed on the main mirror surface in the lower part of the sub-mirror surface. The blind spot is covered with two images projected on the secondary mirror surface, and the original function of the vehicle side mirror (main mirror surface) is not sacrificed.

When the ellipticity α of the ellipsoid forming the curved surface of the secondary mirror surface is 1.0, a circular spherical surface (FIG. 6) is obtained, and when the ellipticity α is 1 / ∞ , a linear curved surface (FIG. 7) is obtained. In both of these forms, the driver can visually check the other vehicle image in the lateral rear direction of the adjacent lane. However, in the case of a general vehicle, the former case (ellipticity 1.0) is vertically long. The image of the other vehicle appears smaller than the case of the ellipsoidal curved surface, and in the latter case ( ellipticity 1 / ∞) , the image of the other vehicle appears in a slender shape and inferior in visibility compared to the case of the vertically long ellipsoidal curved surface. . As for the ellipticity β, when the ellipticity β is 1.0, a wide field of view can be obtained, but the secondary mirror surface rises higher than the surface of the main mirror surface. Further, when the ellipticity β is 0.1, there is a problem such as a flat curved surface and low functionality as a side mirror, but in either case, the range can be selected according to the structure of the vehicle.

Front view of a vehicle side mirror of the present invention HH sectional view taken on the line in FIG. Practical image of a vehicle side mirror according to an embodiment of the present invention 3D view of the vehicle side mirror of the present invention Explanation of secondary mirror surface Reference diagram of ellipticity α of sub-mirror surface = 1.0 Reference diagram of secondary mirror surface ellipticity α = 1 / ∞

Claims (3)

A convex secondary mirror surface with a curvature higher than the curvature of the main mirror surface is provided in a portion of the main mirror surface of the vehicle side mirror that is closer to the vehicle body and does not exceed 2/5 of the area of the main mirror surface. Vehicle side mirror. The auxiliary mirror surface of the vehicle side mirror according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the auxiliary mirror surface is a part of a curved surface of an ellipsoid or a part of a curved surface similar to the curved surface of an ellipsoid. In addition, a side mirror for a vehicle that makes it easy to see images of other vehicles. 3. The vehicle side mirror according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the main mirror surface and the sub mirror surface are integrated or separated.

Images