JPH0510092U - Automotive side mirror - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To change the curvature of the side mirror to expand the field of view. [Structure] For example, when the vehicle speed increases, the heater 9 does not generate heat and the curvature of the mirror 8 increases, and when the vehicle speed is low, the heater 9 generates heat and the mirror 8 decreases in curvature (wide angle). )
The area of the blind spot is reduced by expanding the visual field range.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to an automobile side mirror capable of automatically changing a curvature of a mirror surface according to, for example, a vehicle speed.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 As side mirrors that can be attached to the outside of an automobile, there are fender mirrors that are attached to fenders and door mirrors that are attached to the peripheral edge of the door. Recently, door mirrors have become the mainstream.

Most mirrors used for door mirrors are plane mirrors with an image magnification of approximately 1: 1 and originally convex mirrors with a mirror surface having a constant radius of curvature (for example, 1200R or more). It is generally not designed to change its curvature.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 Therefore, the field of view (angle) in the horizontal and vertical directions is limited, and in particular, relatively large areas that are blind spots are generated on the side near the vehicle body and on the lower side.

In order to reduce the area of the blind spot, it has been considered to increase the area of the mirror surface or use a convex mirror having a small mirror surface curvature. However, in the former case, there is a problem that the discharge amount from the vehicle body of the door mirror increases, which not only hinders driving safety but also impairs the appearance.

Further, as in the latter case, when the curvature of the mirror surface is made small, there is not so much a problem at low speed running, but there is a problem that the sense of perspective becomes unclear at high speed running, which is not preferable.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to change the curvature of a mirror surface so as to expand the field of view and minimize the blind spot area. To provide a side mirror for an automobile.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The present invention comprises a body having a rear opening, a thermoplastic mirror provided at the open end of the body, a heat generating member for radiating heat to the mirror, and a driving means for causing the heat generating member to generate heat. A side mirror for an automobile, which is characterized by being provided.

[0009]

[Action]

 For example, when the vehicle speed becomes high, the drive means is not operated so that the heat generating member is not made to generate heat, and the curvature of the mirror having thermoplasticity is changed to be large. When the vehicle speed is low, the drive means is operated to generate heat. The member is heated and the curvature of the mirror is changed to be small (wide angle) to expand the field of view and reduce the blind spot area.

[0010]

【Example】

 An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an enlarged plan view of the door mirror according to the embodiment, taken along the line AA in FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is an external view showing a state in which the door mirror is attached to a side door, and FIG. 3 is a door mirror. It is a figure which shows the control circuit for changing a curvature. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a retractable door mirror attached to a corner portion of the window glass 3 of the side door 2, which has the configuration shown in FIG.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 4 denotes a body such as a synthetic resin whose rear surface (upper side in the drawing) is open. A box-shaped mirror support 5 having a rear opening is provided in the body 4 so that the mirror support 5 can bend in all directions in the body 4 by a pivot mechanism (not shown) provided between the mirror support 5 and the body 4. It is stored.

At the opening end of the mirror support 5, an extremely thin layer (for example, 0.2 mm to 0.3 mm) is formed on the surface (rear surface) of the substrate 6 of the shape memory alloy or the shape memory resin molded into a predetermined curvature. A peripheral edge portion of a mirror 8 formed by adhering a glossy aluminum plate (aluminum mirror) 7 with rubber glue or the like is fixedly fitted. A heater 9 is arranged near the back surface of the mirror 8. Here, the mirror 8 is at the position shown by the solid line (the position where the curvature is large) when the heater 9 is not driven, and at the position shown by the two-dot broken line when the heater 9 is driven (the curvature is small). Bend position).

An example of a control circuit for driving the heater 9 will be described below with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 21 is a vehicle speed sensor which outputs a signal emitted from a lead switch connected to a speed meter or the like to a control circuit 22 as a vehicle speed signal.

Reference numeral 23 is an auto switch provided near the driver's seat in the passenger compartment, and reference numeral 24 is a manual switch. A mode setting signal set by operating these switches is input to the control circuit 22. It

The control unit 22 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer and its peripheral circuits. A current drive circuit 25 is connected to the control section 22 via a signal line a, and a heater 9 is connected to the current drive circuit 25. The control unit 22 outputs a logical "1" signal to the line a when the vehicle speed is less than the set vehicle speed stored in the memory, and outputs a logical "0" signal in other cases.

When the current driving circuit 25 receives the logical “1” signal via the line a, it energizes the heater 9. This causes the heater 9 to generate heat. On the other hand, when the logical "0" signal is received via the line a, the power supply to the heater 9 is stopped.

Next, the operation will be described. When the auto switch 23 is closed, the control unit 22 automatically determines the logic level to be output to the line a. That is, the control unit 22 determines whether the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the set vehicle speed based on the vehicle speed signal output from the vehicle speed sensor 21, and outputs the logical "1" level signal to the line a if the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the set vehicle speed. When the current driving circuit 25 receives the logic "1" signal via the line a, the heater 9 is energized. This causes the heater 9 to generate heat. Therefore, the shape memory alloy or shape memory resin substrate 6 is bent to the position indicated by the two-dot broken line. As a result, the curvature of the mirror surface is automatically reduced to widen the field of view and minimize the blind spot.

On the other hand, when the vehicle speed becomes higher than the set vehicle speed, the control unit 22 outputs a logical “0” level to the line a. When the current driving circuit 25 receives the logical "0" signal via the line a, it stops energizing the heater 9. As a result, the heat generation of the heater 9 is stopped and the substrate 6 returns to the solid line position. As a result, the curvature of the mirror surface automatically becomes large, the sense of perspective becomes clear, and it is prevented that high-speed driving is hindered.

The above is the case where the auto switch 23 is closed. However, when the switch 23 is turned off, the manual switch 24 is manually operated to arbitrarily change the curvature of the mirror 8. be able to. That is, by operating the manual switch 24, it is convenient for the driver to see the blind spot area, or to visually recognize an obstacle in the blind spot.

Although the heater 9 is energized to generate heat in the above embodiment, the lamp 31 may be energized to generate heat as shown in FIG. Further, the member is not limited to the lamp 31 and may be another member as long as it generates heat. Further, the heater 9 may be built in the substrate 6.

Further, although the substrate 6 is made of a shape memory alloy or a shape memory resin in the above embodiment, it is made of a thermoplastic member whose curvature changes continuously or stepwise according to the amount of heat generation, and it is made to change depending on the vehicle speed. It is also possible to provide a map for determining the curvature of the substrate 6 continuously or stepwise, and to control the energization amount of the heater 9 by, for example, a duty control so that the curvature becomes that curvature.

[0022]

[Effect of the device]

 As described in detail above, according to the present invention, a side mirror for an automobile is provided in which the field of view can be expanded by changing the curvature of the mirror surface and the blind spot area can be made as small as possible. You can

[Brief description of drawings]

1 is an enlarged plan view of a door mirror according to an embodiment of the present invention, taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 2 is an external view showing a state in which a door mirror is attached to a side door.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a control circuit for changing a door mirror curvature.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a modified example of a heat generating member.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Door mirrors, 2 ... Side doors, 4 ... Body, 5 ... Miller support, 6 ... Substrate, 7 ... Aluminum plate, 8 ... Miller, 9
... heater, 21 ... vehicle speed sensor, 22 ... control section, 23 ... auto switch, 24 ... manual switch, 25 ... current drive circuit.

Claims (1)

Claims for utility model registration: 1. A body having a rear opening, a mirror having thermoplasticity provided at an opening end of the body, and a heat-generating member for radiating heat to the mirror. A side mirror for an automobile, comprising: a driving unit that heats the heat generating member.