JP2009096430A - Inner mirror - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inner mirror allowing a user comparing a visual recognition range of a body-side mirror and that of a sub-mirror to immediately ascertain the range and direction viewed on the sub-mirror. <P>SOLUTION: The inner mirror 1A includes a stay 2 mountable inside a vehicle interior, a body-side housing 10 pivotally supported at a distal end of the stay 2 to be able to move in a tilting condition, a body-side mirror 3 held by the body-side housing 10, and the sub-mirror 4 mounted on the body-side housing 10, wherein the body-side mirror 3 and the sub-mirror 4 share the same lateral center position, the sub-mirror 4 is a convex mirror, and the visual recognition range of the sub-mirror 4 includes the entire visual recognition range of the body-side mirror 3 and its periphery. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an inner mirror provided in a vehicle, and more particularly to an inner mirror including a sub mirror for visually recognizing a rear side of a vehicle and a rear portion of the vehicle.

  As an inner mirror attached to the ceiling in the vicinity of the driver's seat of the vehicle or the inside of the front windscreen, a main body side housing attached to the inside of the car, a main body side mirror held in the main body side housing, and a lower part of the main body side housing And a sub-mirror attached to the. In such an inner mirror, the sub mirror is a convex mirror, and the viewing range on the rear side of the vehicle can be widened by the sub mirror (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-46353

The above-described conventional sub-mirror provided on the inner mirror is intended to widen the viewable range on the rear side of the vehicle, so that the entire viewable range of the body-side mirror can be viewed with the submirror. Absent.
And if the viewing range of the main body side mirror and the viewing range of the sub mirror are different, the relationship between the image reflected on the main body side mirror and the image reflected on the sub mirror is difficult to understand, and the driver looks at the sub mirror. There is a problem that the range and direction are difficult to understand.

  Therefore, in the present invention, an inner mirror that can solve the above-described problems and can immediately grasp the range and direction viewed by the sub-mirror when the viewing range of the main body side mirror and the viewing range of the sub-mirror are compared. The issue is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is an inner mirror, a stay attached to a vehicle, a main body side housing pivotally supported at the tip of the stay, and held by the main body side housing. A main body side mirror and a sub mirror attached to the main body side housing, the main body side mirror and the sub mirror have the same center position in the width direction, the sub mirror is a convex mirror, and the viewing range of the sub mirror is on the main body side It is characterized by including the entire visible range of the mirror and its periphery.

  In this configuration, since the entire viewing range of the main body side mirror is included in the viewing range of the sub mirror, the correspondence between the viewing range of the main body side mirror and the viewing range of the sub mirror becomes clear, and the viewing range of the main body side mirror and the sub mirror Compared with the viewing range of, the relationship between the image reflected on the mirror on the main unit and the image reflected on the sub-mirror is easy to understand, so the driver can immediately grasp the range and direction viewed on the sub-mirror. be able to. Therefore, the sub-mirror, which has a wider viewing range than the mirror on the main body side, allows the driver to accurately grasp the wide range on the rear side of the vehicle and to accurately determine the state of the rear part of the vehicle (such as passengers in the rear seat). I can grasp it.

  Moreover, the center position of the main body side mirror and the sub mirror coincide with each other in the width direction, and even if the orientation of the main body side housing changes, the correspondence between the main body side mirror viewing range and the sub mirror viewing range does not change. Because the entire viewing range of the mirror on the main unit is always included in the viewing range of the sub mirror, the driver can immediately grasp the viewing range and direction on the sub mirror even when the orientation of the main unit housing is changed. can do.

  As an example of the sub mirror, when the vertical dimension of the main body side mirror that is a plane mirror is about 60 mm and the horizontal dimension is 200 to 280 mm, the radius of curvature of the sub mirror that is a spherical mirror is 100 to 300 mm, the vertical dimension is 30 to 100 mm, By setting the lateral dimension to 100 to 280 mm, a visual recognition range of 40 degrees or more on the rear side of the vehicle can be secured.

  In the inner mirror described above, the main body side housing and the sub mirror are connected via a rotation shaft extending in the width direction of the sub mirror, and the sub mirror can be configured to be tiltable about the rotation shaft. .

  In this configuration, when it is not necessary to view the rear side of the vehicle or the rear part in the vehicle with the sub mirror, the field of view in front of the vehicle can be expanded by tilting the sub mirror with respect to the main body side housing and folding it.

  In the inner mirror described above, at least a part of the main body side mirror is configured by a mirror liquid crystal display that can be switched between a mirror state and a transmission state, and the sub mirror is mounted in the main body side housing on the back side of the mirror liquid crystal display. Can be configured.

  In this configuration, the sub mirror is always housed in the main body side housing, and if necessary, the rear side of the vehicle and the rear part of the vehicle can be seen by the sub mirror by setting the mirror liquid crystal display to the transmissive state. The entire inner mirror can be reduced in size, and the field of view ahead of the vehicle can be expanded.

According to the inner mirror of the present invention, when the viewing range of the main body side mirror and the viewing range of the sub mirror are compared, the relationship between the image reflected on the main body side mirror and the image reflected on the sub mirror is easily understood. , You can immediately grasp the range and direction you are looking at in the submirror. Therefore, the driver can accurately grasp a wide range on the rear side of the vehicle and can accurately grasp the state of the rear portion in the vehicle by the sub mirror having a wider viewing range than the main body side mirror.
In addition, even if the orientation of the main body side housing is changed, the entire viewing range of the main body side mirror is always included in the viewing range of the sub mirror. You can immediately grasp the range and direction.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.
In the description of each embodiment, the same constituent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.
In the following description, the front / rear and left / right directions of the inner mirror are determined in correspondence with the traveling direction of the vehicle. The front-rear and left-right directions are directions set for convenience in describing the inner mirror, and do not limit the configuration of the inner mirror.

[First embodiment]
An inner mirror 1A of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is supported by a stay 2 attached to the ceiling near the driver's seat of an automobile (not shown) or the inside of the front windscreen, and the tip of the stay 2. The main body side housing 10 installed in the vehicle, the main body side mirror 3 held by the main body side housing 10, the sub mirror bracket 20 attached to the upper part of the main body side housing 10, and the sub mirror bracket. 20 and a sub-mirror 4 held by 20.

  The stay 2 shown in FIG. 3 (a) has an upper end fixed to the inside of the ceiling of the automobile (not shown) and the front windscreen, and a spherical joint (not shown) is formed at the lower end (tip). Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the main body side housing 10 is a hollow resin member that is formed on the front, bottom, left, and right front and back, and is wide in the left and right directions, and is formed on the front surface thereof as shown in FIG. A spherical joint (not shown) of the stay 2 fitted from an opening (not shown) is fixed inside the rear surface. Thereby, the main body side housing 10 can be tilted in the entire circumferential direction with respect to the lower end portion of the stay 2.

The main body side mirror 3 shown in FIG. 1 is a rectangular mirror that is wide in the left-right direction with the rear part (center pillar, belt line, rear glass, etc.) in the vehicle as a visible range. As shown in FIG. It is held on the rear surface of the housing 10.
In this embodiment, a prism mirror is used for the main body side mirror 3, and as shown in FIG. 3B, the main body side mirror 3 has a mirror surface arranged vertically and is in a normal state (high reflectivity state). By tilting the side mirror 3 upward, it can be switched to the anti-glare state (low reflectance state). In the present embodiment, the main body side mirror 3 is tilted in the vertical direction using a lever member (not shown) provided in the main body side housing 10 so that the main body side mirror 3 is in a normal state and an antiglare state. It is comprised so that it may become an angle.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the sub mirror bracket 20 includes a base member 21 that is fixed to the upper surface of the main body housing 10 and a panel member 22 that holds the sub mirror 4.

  The base member 21 is a plate-like resin member that is wide in the left-right direction (see FIG. 1), and is fixed to the upper surface of the main body side housing 10 using bolts (not shown). A notch 21 a is formed on the rear edge of the base member 21, leaving left and right ends.

  The panel member 22 is a plate-shaped resin member that is wide in the left-right direction (see FIG. 1), and is used in a state slightly inclined toward the rear (about 5 degrees) with respect to the base member 21. At the lower end edge of the panel member 22 in use, a turning portion 22a protruding forward is formed, and a through hole 22b is formed in the turning portion 22a in the left-right direction.

  A rotation shaft 23 is inserted into the through hole 22b of the rotation portion 22a, and both left and right end portions of the rotation shaft 23 are supported by the left and right side surfaces of the notch portion 21a of the base member 21. The rotation shaft 23 inserted through the through hole 22b extends in the left-right width direction, and is arranged in parallel with the left-right width direction of the mirror surface of the main body side mirror 3. Thus, the base member 21 and the panel member 22 are connected via the rotation shaft 23, and the panel member 22 is tiltable around the rotation shaft 23 extending in the left-right width direction. .

  Further, a protrusion 22c protruding rearward is formed at the lower end edge of the panel member 22 in the use state. The protrusion 22c is formed along the lower edge of the panel member 22 (see FIG. 1). When the panel member 22 is in the upright state (the state shown in FIG. 3B), By contacting the upper surface, the panel member 22 serves as a stopper so as not to fall backward.

  In the present embodiment, in a state where the protrusion 22c is in contact with the upper surface of the main body side housing 10, the panel member 22 is slightly inclined rearward with respect to the upper surface of the main body side housing 10 (base member 21) (about 5 degrees). Thus, even when the main body side housing 10 is tilted upward in order to switch the main body side mirror 3 from the normal state to the anti-glare state by slightly inclining the panel member 22 rearward at the normal time, The rear surface of the panel member 22 is configured not to incline upward.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG.2 and FIG.3 (a), the protrusion part 22c protrudes upwards in the state which tilted the panel member 22 toward the front and folded. In this state, the driver pulls the protrusion 22c backward with a finger and tilts the panel member 22 backward, so that the panel member 22 is moved as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3B. Can stand.

The sub-mirror 4 is a spherical mirror that is wide in the left-right direction to secure a visible range on the rear side of the vehicle in order to reduce the blind spot of the door mirror attached to the side of the vehicle, as shown in FIG. Further, it is held on the rear surface of the panel member 22 of the sub mirror bracket 20.
As the sub mirror 4, a chrome mirror or an aluminum mirror can be used, and its configuration is not limited. Further, the sub mirror 4 may be an aspherical mirror as long as it is a convex mirror. Further, by combining a plane mirror and a convex mirror, the sub mirror 4 is configured so as to project an image with less distortion while ensuring a visible range on the rear side of the vehicle. Also good.
Since the sub mirror 4 is intended to widen the visible range on the rear side of the vehicle, it is desirable to make the curvature radius in the vertical height direction smaller than the curvature radius in the horizontal width direction.

In the inner mirror 1 </ b> A, as shown in FIG. 4, the sub mirror bracket 20 is attached to the main body side housing 10 so that the center positions of the main body side mirror 3 and the sub mirror 4 in the left-right width direction coincide.
Further, the viewing range of the sub mirror 4 includes the entire viewing range of the main body side mirror 3 and the periphery thereof. That is, an image of the rear part (rear glass or the like) that is visible on the main body side mirror 3 is shown in the central area A of the sub mirror 4, and further, an area B around the central area A is displayed on the main body side mirror 3. The rear side of the vehicle can be seen widely by reflecting a wider range (a range that cannot be seen by the main body side mirror 3) than the visible rear image.
Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the panel member 22 is slightly inclined toward the rear with respect to the upper surface of the main body side housing 10 at the normal time, and the main body side mirror 3 is changed from the normal state to the anti-glare state. Since the rear surface of the panel member 22 does not face upward even when the main body housing 10 is tilted upward for switching, the sub mirror 4 has the main body side mirror 3 in the normal state and the anti-glare state. In any case, the viewing range can be ensured.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, when the main body side mirror 3 that is a plane mirror has a vertical dimension of about 60 mm and a horizontal dimension of 200 to 280 mm, the curvature radius of the sub mirror 4 that is a spherical mirror is 100 to 300 mm, By setting the dimensions to 30 to 100 mm and the lateral dimensions to 100 to 280 mm, as shown in FIG. 5, a visual recognition range of 40 degrees or more on the rear side of the vehicle can be secured. FIG. 5 shows a visible range of the rear side of the vehicle by the sub mirror 4 (see FIG. 4). Reference symbol C indicates a range that cannot be seen by the center pillar of the vehicle, and reference symbol D indicates a rear portion in the vehicle. This is a range where it is difficult to see the rear side of the vehicle. Although FIG. 5 shows the left rear side of the vehicle, the same applies to the right rear side.

  In such an inner mirror 1 </ b> A (see FIG. 1), the entire viewing range of the main body side mirror 3 is included in the viewing range of the sub mirror 4, so that the viewing range of the main body side mirror 3 and the viewing range of the sub mirror 4 are matched. Since the relationship becomes clear and the viewing range of the main body side mirror 3 and the viewing range of the sub mirror 4 are compared, the relationship between the image shown on the main body side mirror 3 and the image shown on the sub mirror 4 becomes easy to understand. The driver can immediately grasp the range and direction viewed by the sub mirror 4. Therefore, the sub-mirror 4 having a wider viewing range than the main body side mirror 3 allows the driver to accurately grasp the wide range on the rear side of the vehicle, and the state of the rear part in the vehicle (passengers in the rear seat, etc.) It can be accurately grasped.

  Further, the body side mirror 3 and the sub mirror 4 have the same center position in the width direction, and the correspondence between the viewing range of the body side mirror 3 and the viewing range of the sub mirror 4 even if the orientation of the body side housing 10 changes. The relationship does not change, and the entire viewing range of the main body side mirror 3 is always included in the viewing range of the sub mirror 4. Therefore, in order to adjust the main body side mirror 3 in accordance with the driver's eyes, or to switch the main body side mirror 3 between the normal state (high reflectance state) and the antiglare state (low reflectance state), Even when the direction of the side housing 10 is changed, the driver can immediately grasp the range and direction viewed by the sub mirror 4.

  Further, since the panel member 22 holding the sub mirror 4 is tiltable about the rotation shaft 23, when there is no need to see the rear side of the vehicle or the rear part in the vehicle with the sub mirror 4, FIG. As shown in a), the field of view in front of the vehicle can be expanded by tilting and folding the panel member 22 (sub mirror 4) with respect to the main body side housing 10.

  Although the first embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the first embodiment, and can be appropriately changed in design without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the present embodiment, a prism mirror is used for the main body side mirror 3, and the main body side housing 10 is tilted in the vertical direction to switch between the normal state and the antiglare state of the main body side mirror 3. ing. Accordingly, in consideration of the tilt of the sub-mirror 4 (about 5 degrees) as the main body-side housing 10 is tilted, the viewing range of the sub-mirror 4 is set wide. Since the main body housing 10 is not tilted and the direction of the sub mirror 4 does not change, the viewing range of the sub mirror 4 can be made narrower than when a prism mirror is used for the main body side mirror 3. 4 can be reduced.

Moreover, the sub mirror 4 can be reduced in weight by comprising the sub mirror 4 using the resin-made mirror which gave the resin board the plating process by chromium or aluminum.
Moreover, the inner mirror 1A can be reduced in weight by plating the front surface of the panel member 22 (see FIG. 3B) with chromium or aluminum to create a mirror surface.

Further, when the sub mirror 4 is constituted by a half mirror and the sub mirror 4 is fitted in the opening formed in the panel member 22, the rear view and the front view can be reflected on the sub mirror 4. You can check the signals and signs.
Furthermore, a light source such as an LED illuminant that blinks a pictograph in conjunction with a vehicle direction indicator is provided on the back side (front side) of the sub mirror 4 that is a half mirror, and the pictograph projected on the sub mirror 4 allows the driver to The direction to be confirmed can be indicated.

  Moreover, the spring member is interposed between the base member 21 and the panel member 22 of the sub mirror bracket 20 shown in FIG. 3, and the panel member 22 in a folded state as shown in FIG. ), The spring member may be configured to utilize the urging force of the spring member. At this time, by providing a holding member that holds the panel member 22 in a folded state, and moving the holding member with a switch in the vehicle to release the holding state of the panel member 22, the driver can easily perform the panel member 22. Can be launched.

  Moreover, the base member 21 and the panel member 22 of the sub mirror bracket 20 shown in FIG. .

  Further, the sub mirror 4 may be detachable from the sub mirror bracket 20. In this configuration, the sub-mirror 4 removed from the sub-mirror bracket 20 can be used as a hand mirror or as sunglasses. In addition, as a structure which attaches / detaches the sub mirror 4 with respect to the sub mirror bracket 20, a structure in which the sub mirror 4 is fitted and held in a groove formed in the sub mirror bracket 20, a structure in which the sub mirror bracket 20 and the sub mirror 4 are fixed with a magnet, or the like. It is not limited.

  In addition, when the panel member 22 of the sub-mirror bracket 20 is projected rearward from the main body side housing 10 and a light source is provided on the lower surface of the panel member 22, lighting for the driver to view the map is ensured. Can do.

  Further, the sub mirror bracket 20 may be attached to the lower part of the main body side housing 10, and in this configuration, the field of view of the upper front part of the vehicle is widened, so that the driver can easily check signals and signs ahead of the vehicle.

[Second Embodiment]
In the inner mirror 1B of the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, a mirror liquid crystal display 5 capable of switching between a mirror state and a transmission state is provided in a part of the main body side mirror 3. The sub mirror 4 is attached in the main body side housing 10 on the back side (front side) of the mirror liquid crystal display 5.

  A rectangular opening 3a that is wide in the left-right direction is formed at the center of the main body side mirror 3, and the entire mirror surface of the sub mirror 4 can be seen from the inside of the vehicle through this opening 3a. .

The mirror liquid crystal display 5 is formed in a plate shape and is fitted into an opening 3a formed in the main body side mirror 3, and the mirror liquid crystal display 5 and the main body side mirror 3 are arranged on the same plane.
As shown in FIG. 7A, when the mirror liquid crystal display 5 is in the mirror state, the mirror liquid crystal display 5 is configured to project a continuous image with the main body side mirror 3, and as shown in FIG. In this case, the sub-mirror 4 arranged on the back side of the mirror liquid crystal display 5 can be seen.
A changeover switch 11 for switching between the mirror state and the transmission state of the mirror liquid crystal display 5 is provided at the lower center of the main body side housing 10, and the driver turns the changeover switch 11 on and off as necessary. By doing so, the sub-mirror 4 can be seen.

In the inner mirror 1B of the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7 (b), the sub mirror 4 with respect to the main body side housing 10 so that the center positions of the main body side mirror 3 and the sub mirror 4 in the left-right width direction coincide. Is attached.
Further, the viewing range of the sub mirror 4 includes the entire viewing range of the main body side mirror 3 and the periphery thereof. That is, an image of the rear part (rear glass or the like) that is visible on the main body side mirror 3 is shown in the central area A of the sub mirror 4, and further, an area B around the central area A is displayed on the main body side mirror 3. The rear side of the vehicle can be seen widely by reflecting a wider range (a range that cannot be seen by the main body side mirror 3) than the visible rear image.

  In such an inner mirror 1B, as shown in FIG. 7B, the entire visible range of the main body side mirror 3 is included in the visible range of the sub mirror 4, so that the visible range of the main body side mirror 3 and the sub mirror 4 are The correspondence relationship with the viewing range becomes clear, and when the viewing range of the main body side mirror 3 and the viewing range of the sub mirror 4 are compared, the image reflected on the main body side mirror 3 and the image reflected on the sub mirror 4 are Since the relationship becomes easy to understand, the driver can immediately grasp the range and direction viewed by the sub mirror 4.

  Further, the body side mirror 3 and the sub mirror 4 have the same center position in the width direction, and the correspondence between the viewing range of the body side mirror 3 and the viewing range of the sub mirror 4 even if the orientation of the body side housing 10 changes. The relationship does not change, and the entire viewing range of the main body side mirror 3 is always included in the viewing range of the sub mirror 4. Therefore, the orientation of the main body side housing 10 is changed in order to adjust the main body side mirror 3 in accordance with the driver's line of sight or to switch between the high reflectance state and the low reflectance state of the main body side mirror 3. Even in this case, the driver can immediately grasp the range and direction viewed by the sub mirror 4.

  In addition, the sub mirror 4 is always housed in the main body side housing 10, and if necessary, the driver can set the mirror liquid crystal display 5 in the transmissive state so that the driver can use the sub mirror 4 for the rear side of the vehicle and the rear part of the vehicle. Since it can see, the whole inner mirror 1B can be reduced in size and the field of view ahead of a vehicle can be expanded.

  Although the second embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the second embodiment, and can be appropriately changed in design without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, when the main body side mirror 3 is entirely constituted by a mirror liquid crystal display and the sub mirror 4 is viewed, the central part of the main body side mirror 3 is made transparent so that no image is projected on other parts. The visibility of the sub mirror 4 can be improved.

  In addition, mirror liquid crystal displays are provided in the left and right ends and the lower end of the main body side mirror 3, and a pictogram linked to a vehicle direction indicator is displayed on the mirror liquid crystal display to indicate the direction to be confirmed to the driver. You may do it.

It is the perspective view which showed the inner mirror of 1st embodiment. It is the figure which showed the inner mirror of 1st embodiment, and is a perspective view of the state which folded the submirror. It is the figure which showed the inner mirror of 1st embodiment, (a) is a sectional side view of the state which folded the submirror, (b) is a sectional side view of the state which raised the submirror. It is the front view which showed the inner mirror of 1st embodiment. It is the figure which showed the visual recognition range of the rear side of the vehicle in the inner mirror of 1st embodiment. It is the figure which showed the inner mirror of 2nd embodiment, (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a sectional side view. It is the figure which showed the inner mirror of 2nd embodiment, (a) is a front view of a mirror liquid crystal display in a mirror state, (b) is a front view of a mirror liquid crystal display in a transmissive state.

Explanation of symbols

1A Inner mirror (first embodiment)
1B Inner mirror (second embodiment)
2 stay 3 body side mirror 4 sub mirror 5 mirror liquid crystal display 10 body side housing 20 sub mirror bracket 22 panel member 23 rotating shaft

Claims (3)

Stays that can be installed in the car,
A body-side housing that is pivotally supported at the tip of the stay;
A main body side mirror held by the main body side housing;
The sub-mirror attached to the body-side housing,
The main body side mirror and the sub mirror have the same center position in the width direction,
The sub mirror is a convex mirror, and the viewing range of the sub mirror includes the entire viewing range of the main body side mirror and the periphery thereof. The main body side housing and the sub mirror are connected via a rotation shaft extending in the width direction of the sub mirror,
The inner mirror according to claim 1, wherein the sub mirror is tiltable about the rotation axis.   At least a part of the main body side mirror is configured by a mirror liquid crystal display capable of switching between a mirror state and a transmission state, and the sub mirror is mounted in the main body side housing on the back side of the mirror liquid crystal display. The inner mirror according to claim 1, wherein:

Images