JPH0867205A - Turning-down mechanism for rearview mirror - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a mechanism which does not use a shaft, as for a rear view mirror equipped with a turning-down mechanism. CONSTITUTION: A turning-down mechanism is constituted of a clutch accommodation part 3 having a recessed part 4 formed in a mirror base, the first clutch member 6A having a projection part 5 which is arranged in the clutch accommodation part and revolves, the second clutch member 6B which has not a projection part, guide pin 8 which is fixed with the second clutch member and can be inserted into the first clutch member, spring means 7 for urging two clutch members in the separation direction, and a frame 13 installed on the second clutch member.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a retractable mechanism for a rearview mirror mounted on the outside of a vehicle door, fender, or the like. More specifically, when a rearview mirror attached to the outside of a door or the like collides with an obstacle or enters a garage, the rearview mirror is prevented from rotating up to about 90 ° from the use position (neutral position) and damaged. It is related to the folding mechanism that was able to prevent
In particular, it relates to a foldable mechanism having no shaft for avoiding rotation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An automobile door mirror or the like having a structure in which a mirror body tilts when a large external force is applied and returns to its original posture when the external force disappears,
It is known as a so-called tilting mirror, and the tilt angle of the mirror body can be further increased so that it can be tilted from the normal use position (neutral position) toward the rear of the vehicle at a substantially right angle, and its posture can be maintained as it is. Such a mirror is also known as a so-called retractable mirror and has recently been actively used.

As a typical example of a door mirror having such a folding mechanism, there is one disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 61-203854. The above-mentioned folding mechanism is shown in FIG.
It is configured as shown in FIG. That is, in the figure, reference numeral 20 is a mirror body, 21 is a mirror holder that supports the mirror body, 22 is a support frame to which the mirror body and the mirror holder that supports the mirror body are fixed,
Reference numeral 23 is a base that is attached to the vehicle body, and 24 is a support portion that projects horizontally from the base. A plate 26 is fixed on the support portion 24, and a shaft 25 serving as a rotation shaft is erected.

At the end of the support frame 22, a socket 27 into which the shaft 25 can be inserted is formed. The shaft 25 is passed through the socket 27, and the coil spring 28 is provided around the socket.
The washer 29 and the snap ring 3 at the tip of the shaft.
0 is attached and a spring 28 is contracted between the washer 29 and the support frame 22. Then, at a position where the support frame 22 and the plate 23 face each other, a ball holding hole 31 for holding a ball is provided in one of them.
On the other hand, a moderation engagement recess 32 for stopping the ball is provided, and normally three steel balls 33 are arranged between the ball holding hole 31 and the moderation engagement recess 32, and the coil spring 28 is provided. By support frame 2
2 and the plate 26 are biased toward each other.

In the door mirror having the above structure, the steel ball 33 normally stops the support frame 22 in the normal use position while being fitted in the ball holding hole 31, and when a large external force is applied to the support frame 22, The steel ball escapes from the moderation engagement recess 32 to allow the support frame to rotate.

[0006]

2. Description of the Related Art According to the door mirror having the above-described conventional folding mechanism, the shaft 25 is erected on the base 23, the coil spring 28 is arranged, and the washer 29 and the snap ring are provided at the tip of the shaft. Coil spring 28 between washer 29 and support frame 22 by attaching 30
The shaft 25 is indispensable because it is configured to be retracted against its elasticity. However, using the shaft requires vertical dimension (height direction). Therefore, there is an inconvenience that the shape of the body attached via the support frame 22 is restricted in the vicinity of the shaft portion and it is difficult to give a free design.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object thereof is to propose a mechanism that does not use a shaft in a door mirror having a folding mechanism.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a folding mechanism according to the present invention has a clutch accommodating portion having a recess formed in a mirror base, and is disposed in the clutch accommodating portion to rotate. A first clutch member having a convex portion;
A second clutch member having no convex portion, a guide pin fixed to the second clutch member and capable of being inserted into and removed from the first clutch member, and spring means for urging the two clutch members in a separating direction. The frame is attached to the second clutch member.

More specifically, the configuration of the present invention will be described.
The base is attached to the vehicle body, and a supporting portion is projected from the supporting portion. The supporting portion is formed with an upwardly released clutch storage portion for rotatably fitting the two clutch members with respect to the base. A first clutch member having a convex portion for preventing rotation of the clutch member and having a convex portion fitted into the concave portion, and a second clutch member having no convex portion are formed on an inner wall of the storage portion. Are arranged to face each other in the clutch housing portion, a guide pin fixed to the clutch member is provided on one of the facing surfaces of the two clutch members, and the tip of the guide pin is provided on the other surface. Form an engaging hole that allows the part to be inserted and removed,
Further, it is characterized in that spring means for urging the two clutch members in a direction of separating the two is provided around the guide pin, and a frame for supporting the mirror main body is attached to the second clutch member.

The clutch accommodating portion is an open circular concave portion integrally formed on the mirror base and having an open upper surface. The first clutch member and the second clutch member are rotatably concentric with each other in the clutch accommodating portion. Are fitted into each other, and the inner wall of the clutch housing portion and the outer wall of the clutch member are in surface contact with each other by spring means for urging the two clutch members in a direction to separate them.

By the way, the clearance dimension B between the first clutch member having a convex portion fitted in the clutch housing portion and the second clutch member having no convex portion is such that the convex portion of the first clutch member is It is configured to have a relation of B> A with respect to the height dimension A of the portion.

Incidentally, in order to prevent the two clutch members fitted in the clutch housing portion from rising, a stopper ring is mounted on the clutch housing portion.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are exploded perspective views showing a specific configuration of a folding mechanism according to the present invention and sectional views for assembling thereof (AA in FIG. 1).
Along the line). FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway plan view showing the clutch member. Further, FIGS. 4 and 5 are behavior diagrams showing states of the clutch member when the rearview mirror is normally used (neutral position) and when it is tilted rearward of the vehicle (stored position). Although the figure shows the door mirror mounted on the right side of the vehicle, it will be easily understood that the one mounted on the left side has the same structure.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a mirror base attached to a door of a vehicle, and a horizontal support portion 2 is projected from the base. The support portion 2 is formed with a clutch housing portion 3 which is opened upward and is used to rotatably fit a clutch member, which will be described later, with respect to the base. The clutch housing 3 is a circular recess having an open upper surface formed integrally with the mirror base. Further, the inner wall of the clutch housing portion is provided with a recessed portion 4 having a chamfered shape for preventing rotation of the clutch member. The position of the recess 4 corresponds to the normal use position (neutral position) of the mirror body of the rearview mirror.

On the other hand, a first clutch member 6A having a convex convex portion 5 which fits in the concave portion 4 and a second clutch member 6B having no convex portion face each other in the clutch accommodating portion 3. It is arranged in a way. That is, the first clutch member 6A and the second clutch member 6B are rotatably and concentrically fitted into the circular clutch housing portion 3 having an open upper surface. Then, the inner wall of the clutch housing portion and the outer wall of the clutch member are in surface contact with each other by the spring means 7 that biases the two clutch members in the direction of separating them. FIG. 3 is a view showing the two clutch members taken out from the clutch housing portion 3. As can be seen from the figure, a guide pin 8 fixed to the clutch member is provided on either one of the facing surfaces of the two clutch members (the illustrated example is on the second member 6B side), and the other surface is provided. On the (first member 6A side), there is formed an engagement hole 9 into which the tip portion of the guide pin 8 can be inserted and removed. The guide pin 8 and the engagement hole 9 are both provided so as to be symmetrical with respect to the frame mounting portion 10 at the center of the second member.

A coil spring is used in the illustrated embodiment as the spring means 7 for urging the first member 6A and the second member 6B in the direction of separating them. This coil spring 7
Is wound around the guide pin 8 which is driven and fixed to the second member 6B, and the tip of the spring has the first end.
Is pressed against the member 6A. As shown in FIG.
The first member 6A and the second member 6B are always connected to each other by a pair of guide pins 8,
When an external force (load) is applied to both members in a direction to bring them closer to each other, the guide pin 8 slides in a direction projecting from the engaging hole 9 against the elastic force of the coil spring 7. When the external force is removed, the force stored in the coil spring 7 acts to push back both members in the direction of separating them.

FIG. 2 shows a first member 6A and a second member 6B.
It is shown that the clutch is fitted into the clutch storage portion 3.
In order to prevent the first member 6A and the second member 6 from floating upward, a stopper ring 11 is mounted so as to cover the first member 6A and the second member 6 and is fixed by the clutch housing portion and the stop screw 12. Further, the frame 13 that supports the mirror body is fixed to the frame mounting portion 10 of the second member 6B by the fixing screw 14. Further, although not shown in the figure, the convex portion 5 formed on the first member 6A is fitted in the concave portion 4 provided on the inner wall of the clutch housing portion 3. By the way, as shown in FIG. 3, the height dimension A of the convex portion, the first member 6A and the second member 6 are used.
The relationship between B and the clearance dimension B is set to have a relationship of B> A.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. Figure 4 shows the normal use position of the rearview mirror (neutral position)
5 shows the state of the clutch in FIG. 5, and FIG. 5 also shows the state of the clutch in the storage position (when tilted backward). In both figures, the stopper ring 11 is omitted for convenience. In FIGS. 4 and 5, when an external force is applied to the frame 13 such as when the mirror is manually retracted, the convex portion 5 formed on the first member 6A is provided on the inner wall of the clutch housing portion 3. A force is generated that tends to deviate from the concave portion 4. That is, due to the rotational force generated in the frame 13, the first member 6A is pushed back inward in the drawing, that is, in the direction of approaching the second member 6B. As a result, the convex portion 5 is separated from the concave portion 4, and therefore the frame 13
And the first clutch member 6A and the second clutch member 6
B rotates as shown in FIG. 5 and then stops at the storage position or the like.
Although FIG. 5 shows a state in which the frame 13 is tilted rearward of the vehicle, the behavior of the clutch member is the same when the mirror collides with an obstacle or the like and is tilted forward.

Incidentally, the first member 6A and the second member 6B.
Are preferably formed of a material having a good slidability with respect to the clutch housing portion 3 into which they are fitted, and for example, resin or metal die casting can be used.

[0020]

As is apparent from the description of the above embodiment, the present invention can construct a folding mechanism without using any shaft. Since the shaft is not required, the dimensional freedom in the up-down direction near the collapsible part is increased, and the body shape is not restricted by the shaft. Therefore, the body shape can be more freely designed. Also, the present invention does not use any steel balls for positioning. Since the clutch accommodating portion formed on the base and the first clutch member and the second clutch member, which are disposed in the clutch accommodating portion and rotate, slide on the surface, they are inclinable with little backlash. The effect is that the mechanism is obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a specific configuration of a folding mechanism according to the present invention.

2 is an assembled sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway plan view showing a clutch member.

FIG. 4 is a behavior diagram showing the state of the clutch at the normal use position (neutral position) of the rearview mirror (the stopper ring 11 is omitted).

FIG. 5 is a behavior diagram showing a state of the clutch when the vehicle is tilted rearward (retracted position) (the stopper ring 11 is omitted).

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a conventionally known foldable door mirror.

7 is an assembled cross-sectional view of a main part of the mirror of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mirror base 2 Support part 3 Clutch storage part 4 Recess 5 Convex part 6A 1st clutch member 6B 2nd clutch member 7 Spring means (coil spring) 8 Guide pin 9 Engagement hole 10 Frame mounting part 11 Stopper ring 12 Stopper Screw 13 Frame 14 Stop screw

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A clutch accommodating portion having a concave portion formed in a mirror base, a first clutch member having a convex portion disposed in the clutch accommodating portion and rotating, and a second clutch member having no convex portion. A clutch member, a guide pin that is fixed to the second clutch member and that can be inserted into and removed from the first clutch member, spring means that urges the two clutch members in a direction to separate them, and is attached to the second clutch member. A tilting mechanism for the rearview mirror consisting of a frame that supports the mirror body. 2. A clutch accommodating portion, which is formed by projecting a supporting portion on a base attached to a vehicle body, and which is open upward so as to rotatably fit two clutch members with respect to the base. Then, a concave portion for preventing rotation of the clutch member is formed on the inner wall of the clutch housing portion, and a first clutch member having a convex portion fitted into the concave portion and a second clutch member having no convex portion are formed. And a clutch member of the two clutch members are arranged to face each other in the clutch housing portion, and one of the facing surfaces of the two clutch members is
A guide pin fixed to the clutch member is provided, an engaging hole into which the tip end portion of the guide pin can be inserted and withdrawn is formed on the other surface, and a guide pin is provided around the guide pin in a direction of separating the two clutch members. A folding mechanism for a rear-view mirror, wherein spring means for urging is provided, and a supporting frame for supporting the mirror body is attached to the second clutch member. 3. The clutch accommodating portion is an open circular recess formed on the upper surface of the mirror base and formed integrally with the mirror base. The clutch accommodating portion includes a first clutch member and a second clutch member.
5. The clutch member is rotatably and concentrically fitted in the clutch member, and the clutch housing portion and the clutch member are in surface contact with each other by spring means for urging the two clutch members in a direction to separate them. The folding mechanism of the rearview mirror according to item 1. 4. The clearance dimension B between the first clutch member having a convex portion fitted in the clutch storage portion and the second clutch member having no convex portion is such that the convex portion of the first clutch member is The folding mechanism for a rearview mirror according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the height dimension A of the portion has a relation of B> A. 5. The folding mechanism for a rear-view mirror according to claim 1, wherein a ring for preventing the two clutch members from rising is mounted on the clutch housing portion.