JP3085648U - Side mirror cover and side mirror - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To reduce the thickness of a side mirror cover which is retrofitted to a side mirror of a vehicle. A light transmission window is provided on a cover body. On the inner surface of the cover body 3, a sheet-like EL element 4 serving as a light source for direction indication is arranged. EL element 4 is a bulb or LED
The thickness of the side mirror cover 2 is smaller than that of the side mirror cover 2, which contributes to a reduction in the thickness of the side mirror cover 2.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

 The present invention relates to a side mirror cover mounted on a side mirror of a vehicle, and a side mirror.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 As a side mirror cover to be retrofitted to a side mirror of a vehicle, for example, JP-A-2000-203337 is known. As shown in FIG. 6, the side mirror cover 31 includes a cover main body 32 that covers the side mirror 1, and a light source 34 that emits a direction instruction signal through a light transmitting window 35 provided on the front surface of the cover main body 32. The light source 34 is a rod-shaped bulb or a linearly arranged LED. The side mirror 1 includes a housing 20 having an opening on the rear side, a head plate 21 covering the opening, and a tilting device 22 for changing the angle of the head plate 21. The tilting device 22 tilts the end plate 21 in the vertical direction or the vehicle width direction by moving the support rod 23 by a motor (not shown).

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

 The problem is that as long as a bulb, an LED, or the like is used as the light source 34, the thickness of the mirror cover 31 increases by the thickness thereof, and there is a limit in reducing the thickness of the mirror cover 31. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the central portion of the mirror cover 31 projects forward by the thickness of the light source 34 such as a bulb or an LED. In this case, the external shape of the mirror cover 31 is significantly different from that of the side mirror 1, and it is impossible to meet the user's desire to add only the direction indicating function without greatly changing the external appearance of the side mirror 1.

An object of the present invention is to reduce the thickness of a side mirror cover mounted on the front of a side mirror of a vehicle.

Another object of the present invention is to reduce the thickness and size of a side mirror in a side mirror having a built-in light source for direction indication, or to arrange devices inside a mirror such as a mirror angle adjustment mechanism. The purpose is to improve the degree of freedom in design.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 According to the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a cover body 3 mounted on the front of the side mirror 1, a light transmitting window 5 provided on the cover body 3, and a light fixed to the inner surface of the cover body 3 are provided. In the side mirror cover 2 including a light source that emits a direction indication signal through the transmission window 5, the light source is a sheet-shaped electroluminescent element 4.

As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of minute projections 11 are provided on the inner surface of the cover body 3 so as to surround the light transmitting window 5. A plurality of through holes 10 are provided on the outer edge of the electroluminescent element 4 corresponding to the minute projections 11. Then, by fitting the minute convex portion 11 into the through hole 10, the electroluminescent element 4 is held in the cover main body 3 in a retaining shape.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the present invention includes a housing 20 having an opening on the rear side, a head plate 21 covering the opening, and a light source provided in the housing 20. In a side mirror 19 in which a transmission window 5 is formed and a direction instruction signal is emitted from the light source through the light transmission window 5, the light source is a sheet-like electroluminescent element 4. And

[0009]

[Effects of the invention]

 As shown in FIG. 1, an electroluminescent element (Electro Luminescence: EL element) has a light emitting layer 7 coated with a fluorescent compound, and emits light when a voltage is applied to the light emitting layer 7. Type light source. The EL element 4 has a thin sheet shape of about several millimeters or less. Therefore, when the EL element 4 is used as the light source for direction indication as in the first aspect of the present invention, the thickness of the side mirror cover 2 can be reduced as compared with the case where the bulky light source 34 is used like a conventional bulb. Can be planned. That is, as shown in FIG. 6 of the related art, the central portion does not protrude forward by the thickness of the light source 34 such as a bulb, and the thickness of the side mirror cover 2 can be reduced. As a result, the external shape of the side mirror cover 2 can be made substantially equal to that of the side mirror 1, so that it is desired to add only the direction indicating function without largely changing the appearance of the genuine side mirror 1. It can respond to users' wishes.

The EL element 4 is lighter than a bulb, an LED, or the like, and is advantageous in that it can contribute to the weight reduction of the side mirror cover 2. The EL element 4 is advantageous in that it consumes less power than valves and the like, and is more resistant to shock and vibration.

In the present invention, the minute convex portion 11 is provided on the cover body 3 side, the through hole 10 is provided on the EL element 4 side, and the minute convex portion 11 is fitted into and engaged with the through hole 10. As a result, the EL element 4 is prevented from falling off and held against the cover main body 3, so that the EL element 4 may accidentally fall out of the cover main body 3 or be displaced in the event of an impact or the like. Never do. In addition, since the mounting structure of the EL element 4 on the side of the cover body 3 includes only a plurality of minute projections 11, the mold for the cover body 3 is not complicated, and as a result, the side mirror cover 2 It is also advantageous in that it can be provided at low cost.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5, in the side mirror 19 in which a light source for direction indication is built in advance, the light source is the EL element 4, so that the bulb or the like is used as the light source. As compared with the conventional side mirror, the thickness and thickness of the side mirror 19 can be reduced by the thickness of the bulb and the like. In addition, as the thickness of the light source is reduced, the degree of freedom in designing the arrangement of devices inside the side mirror 19 such as the mirror angle adjusting mechanism 22 (rotating device) is improved.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment FIGS. 1 to 4 show a side mirror cover according to the present invention. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a side mirror formed in a protruding shape on a side surface of the vehicle, and a side mirror cover (hereinafter, referred to as a cover) 2 according to the present embodiment is mounted on a front surface of the side mirror 1. Is done. In FIG. 4, the side mirror 1 includes a housing 20 having an opening on the rear side, a head plate 21 mounted to cover the opening, and a tilting device 22 for changing the angle of the head plate 21. The tilting device 22 can tilt the head plate 21 in the vertical direction or the vehicle width direction by moving the support rod 23 by a motor (not shown).

The cover 2 includes a cover main body 3 configured to be mounted on the front surface of the side mirror 1, and an electroluminescent element (hereinafter, referred to as an EL element) 4 fixed to an inner surface of the cover main body 3. A light transmission window 5 is provided at the center of the cover body 3. The EL element 4 emits a direction instruction signal through the light transmitting window 5 in conjunction with a direction indicator provided at the front and rear portions of the vehicle.

The cover main body 3 is formed by molding, for example, a polypropylene resin, and is formed so as to be curved so that the central portion thereof bulges forward in accordance with the shape of the front surface of the side mirror 1. . The light transmitting window 5 provided in the bulging portion is formed by molding a light transmitting resin, and is fixed to the inner wall surface of the cover 2 with an adhesive or the like. The light transmitting window 5 can be made by two colors. Also, it may be made translucent by adding smoke. Further, the light transmitting window 5 may be integrally formed with the cover body 3 by a so-called two-color molding method.

The EL element 4 includes a light emitting layer 7 coated with a fluorescent compound, and a transparent resin package film 8 covering the light emitting layer 7 from both upper and lower surfaces, and has a thin sheet shape of several mm or less. Is presented. The EL element 4 is so flexible that it can be easily bent. The light emitting layer 7 is connected to a cord 9 that leads to a blinking circuit of a turn signal indicator on the vehicle side. The emission color of the EL element 4 changes depending on the applied voltage. Here, the voltage is adjusted so as to emit orange light.

On the inner periphery of the light transmission window 5 on the inner surface side of the cover body 3, a minute projection 11 is formed. A plurality of through holes 10 are formed on the outer edge of the package film 8 of the EL element 4 so as to correspond to these minute projections 11. When the EL element 4 is pressed against the inner surface of the cover main body 3 in a state where the through hole 10 is aligned with the minute projection 11, the minute projection 11 is fitted into the through hole 10 and the EL element 4 is engaged. It is firmly retained and held against the cover body 3. This prevents the EL element 4 from accidentally dropping out of the cover main body 3 or being displaced in the event of a shock or the like. Note that the EL element 4 may be fixed to the cover body 3 with an adhesive.

As shown in FIG. 2, a double-sided adhesive tape 13 is attached to the inner surface of the cover main body 3 at the upper and lower positions sandwiching the light transmission window 5, and the cover 2 is fixed to the side mirror by the double-sided adhesive tape 13. Fixed to 1. However, the cover 2 may be bolted to the side mirror 1.

As described above, according to the cover 2 of the present invention, since the EL element 4 is used as the light source for indicating the direction, the side mirror is compared with the case where a thick light source is used like a conventional bulb. The thickness of the cover 2 can be reduced. That is, the central portion does not protrude forward by the thickness of the bulb 34 or the like as in the related art (see FIG. 6), and the thickness of the side mirror cover 2 can be reduced. As a result, the external shape of the side mirror cover 2 can be made substantially the same as that of the side mirror 1, so that the user who wants to add only the direction indicating function, assuming that the genuine side mirror 1 and the external appearance are the same. It is possible to meet the hope of.

By providing the minute convex portion 11 on the cover main body 3 side and providing the through hole 10 on the EL element 4 side and fitting the minute convex portion 11 into the through hole 10, the EL element 4 can cover the EL element 4. The EL element 4 is prevented from falling out of the cover main body 3 or being displaced inadvertently even in the event of a shock or the like, because the EL element 4 is retained and held against the cover 3. Further, since the mounting structure of the EL element 4 can be realized with a simple configuration, the die for the cover body 3 is not complicated, and the side mirror cover 2 can be provided at low cost.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the present invention relating to a side mirror 19 having a direction indicating function. Reference numeral 20 denotes a housing having an opening on the rear side, and reference numeral 21 denotes a mirror covering the opening of the housing 20. A tilting device 22 for tilting the angle of the mirror 21 in a vertical direction or a vehicle width direction is incorporated in the housing 20. The tilting device 22 tilts the mirror 21 by moving the support bar 23 by a motor (not shown).

A light transmission window 5 is provided on the front side of the housing 20, and an EL element 4 for indicating a direction is fixed to an inner surface of the light transmission window 5. That is, the EL element 4 emits a direction instruction signal through the light transmission window 5 in cooperation with a direction indicator provided at the front and rear portions of the vehicle.

The mounting structure of the EL element 4 is the same as that of the first embodiment. That is, the minute projections 11 are formed on the periphery of the light transmission window 5 on the inner surface side of the housing 20. Further, a plurality of through holes 10 are formed on the outer edge of the package film 8 of the EL element 4 so as to correspond to the minute projections 11. When the EL element 4 is pressed against the inner surface of the housing 20 in a state where the through holes 10 are aligned with the minute projections 11, the minute projections 11 are fitted into and engaged with the through holes 10, and the EL elements are engaged. The housing 4 is firmly retained and held against the housing 20. Thus, even when an impact or the like is received, the EL element 4 does not accidentally fall out of the housing 20 or displace. In this case, the EL element 4 may also be fixed to the housing 20 with an adhesive.

When the light source for direction indication is a bulky component such as a bulb or an LED, the thickness of the side mirror increases and the size of the side mirror increases accordingly. On the other hand, if the light source for direction indication is the sheet-like EL element 4 as in the second embodiment, the side mirror 19 can be made thinner and smaller by the reduced thickness of the light source. Can be. In addition, as the thickness of the light source is reduced, the degree of freedom in designing the arrangement of the devices such as the tilting device inside the mirror 19 is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a side mirror cover according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a side mirror cover.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of a vehicle to which a side mirror cover is attached.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a side mirror cover.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a side mirror according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional side mirror cover.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 side mirror 2 side mirror cover 3 cover body 4 electroluminescence element 5 light transmission window 10 through hole 11 minute projection 19 side mirror 20 housing 21 end plate

Claims (3)

[Utility model registration claims] 1. A cover body 3 mounted on a front surface of a side mirror 1, a light transmitting window 5 provided on the cover body 3,
A side mirror cover comprising a light source fixed to the inner surface of the cover main body 3 and emitting a direction indication signal through the light transmitting window 5, wherein the light source is a sheet-like electroluminescent element 4. cover. 2. A plurality of minute projections 11 are provided on the inner surface of the cover main body 3 so as to surround the light transmitting window 5, and the minute projections 1 are formed on the outer edge of the electroluminescent element 4.
A plurality of through-holes 10 are provided in correspondence with the first through-hole 10. The electroluminescent element 4 is retained in the cover main body 3 in a retaining shape by fitting the small convex portion 11 into the through-hole 10. The side mirror cover according to claim 1, wherein 3. A housing 20 having an opening on the rear side.
And a mirror plate 21 covering the opening, and a light source provided in the housing 20. The light transmitting window 5 is formed in the housing 20, and the light transmitting window 5 is formed.
A side mirror is configured to emit a direction indication signal from the light source through the light source, and the light source is a sheet-like electroluminescent element 4.