WO2003091070A1

WO2003091070A1 - Outside rear-view mirror for motor vehicles

Info

Publication number: WO2003091070A1
Application number: PCT/ES2002/000200
Authority: WO
Inventors: Adolfo Caballero Guirado
Original assignee: Fico Mirrors, Sa
Priority date: 2002-04-24
Filing date: 2002-04-24
Publication date: 2003-11-06
Also published as: AU2002302644A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a support which can be connected to the body of a vehicle and a casing (1) which is connected to or built into a structural frame (2) that is designed to house a mirror. According to the invention, said casing defines the front face of the rear-view mirror in the forward direction of the vehicle and an internal housing. The aforementioned casing (1) is made from a coloured impact-resistant material which allows the passage of light therethrough. A colour surface is disposed below the aforementioned casing (1) and extends partially or totally opposite the inner face of said casing (1). In this way, with a limited number of colours for the casing and a limited number of colours for the inner surface, a wide range of colours can be obtained which can be matched to the body of the vehicle.

Description

OUTDOOR REAR VIEW MIRROR FOR AUTOMOBILE VEHICLES

The present invention consists of an exterior mirror for motor vehicles of the type comprising a support attachable to the body of the vehicle and a housing associated with, or integrated in a structural frame adapted to accommodate a mirror whose housing is extended defining the front face of the mirror , in the direction of advancement of the vehicle, and internally delimiting a housing that houses some adjustment means that allow the mirror to be stably positioned in a position suitable for the position and characteristics of the driver of the vehicle.

Background of the Invention

In the manufacture of mirrors of the prior art, the mirror and its regulating elements are housed in an injection molded housing, in plastic material, whose external surface or finish is usually obtained with one of the following techniques:

- painting;

- Recorded; - surface coating film or other coatings.

All these embodiments, in their different versions comprise the housing as a single piece, with different variants in terms of color, brightness and texture.

One such technique of realizing the rear-view mirror together with the requirement that the external surface thereof corresponds to or is consistent with the exterior finish of the vehicle body or combined in a predetermined way with it, determines that a manufacturer needs to have a high number of different housings such as that mentioned, which means high production, storage and assembly costs where the interleaving of different housings on the support or frame of the rear-view mirror must be provided.

The aforementioned technique also suffers from the inconvenience of durability of the external surface finish of the housing, which is easily deteriorated, by impact, rubbing or by the same atmospheric agents (in the latter case imposing requirements for the execution of said finish that have a considerable impact on the total costs of the mirror).

Moreover, the quality requirements of the finish of the external mirror housing determine that in the production process there is a considerable decrease due to rejection of parts that do not exceed the thresholds of said required quality.

It is known in the state of the art by GB 1095331 a rearview mirror in which its housing is obtained by molding in a transparent plastic material and provided with a reflective surface obtained by deposition on the inner surface of said housing that delimits or covers the rear-view mirror housing, of a layer of a suitable reflective material. Such an embodiment, while providing the advantage of avoiding a control of the finish of said external surface, obtained in this case directly by the molding operation, requires a delicate and expensive operation to provide the inner face of said housing with the reflective coating, and Furthermore, said coating by its very nature has important limitations in terms of the final color to be obtained, producing a chrome-like exterior effect, so that a desired coincidence or adaptation of the color of the carcass to the finish of the vehicle body cannot be achieved. . In the state of the art, several executions of the mirror housing have also been known for many years, where all of it or a part is constituted by a translucent or transparent material, with the purpose of installing one or more of the interior of the mirror lighting elements that allow the rear-view mirror to be signaled on its front face, in the direction of advance of the vehicle, and also in general to diffuse the luminous radiation on the face where the mirror is inscribed, generally framing the latter. Said lighting elements are in general vehicle signaling lights, fixed or flashing and generally require complex and expensive installation means and installation equipment. US-A-1210061, US-A-1415465, can be cited for this purpose,

US-A-2595331 and DE-A-2729849, as more representative. In two of the aforementioned documents, US-A-1415465 and DE-A-2729849, the inclusion in one of the faces of said translucent housing of a lens to properly orient the light emission.

In GB-A-2161440 a folding rearview mirror is described, including in its interior housing components for direction indication, warning signaling, alarm lamp and reflection lamp. A lens that covers said components and in an impact resistant material is positioned in a corner of the body of the housing that covers the front face of the rear-view mirror, in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

In all these embodiments of the state of the art, the objective of achieving the formation of optical effects derived from an external illumination source is not addressed at all, by reflection on a part that covers the interior housing of the rear-view mirror, of the incident exterior light nor does it obtain, using said transparent or translucent casing, an external appearance of the rear-view mirror capable of providing an equivalent print to a wide range of colors and / or shades using a small number of component parts, and thereby being able to adapt the rear-view mirror to the vehicle body finish according to the principles of that invention.

The invention aims to reduce the number of parts necessary to provide a wide range of vehicle mirror finishes by providing a mirror adapted or combined with the finish of the vehicle body and with optical effects, improving the quality conditions of the vehicle. production and durability process of the exterior mirror housing, being able to provide additionally, according to well-known technique, signaling elements.

Brief exposition of the invention

In accordance with the present invention said mirror housing, either forming a whole with the structural frame that supports the mirror or constituting a cover-housing coupled to said frame and covering the rear face of the mirror or front part of the mirror, in the sense of advance of the vehicle, is constituted by a piece obtained in accordance with a preferred embodiment, injection molded in plastic material, in a resistant material to the impact of a transparent and translucent condition and in general of color, with said housing being provided below a surface that generally delimits or covers said housing, colored or painted which extends partially or totally in opposition to the inner face of said housing , so that with a limited number of colors of said housing and a limited number of colors of said inner surface it is possible to obtain by combination resulting from the superposition of the two colors of housing and inner plate, a wide range of colors capable of combining With the vehicle body. In a preferred embodiment said inner surface is provided by a colored inner plate that delimits the inner housing of said housing and said housing is constituted by a separate cover-like piece removably linked to said structural frame attached to said support. Said inner plate is advantageously obtained by means of a light molded and colored sheet either in the process of obtaining it by injected molding, that is, in bulk, or subsequently painted on at least one of its surfaces.

Said housing has a completely smooth outer surface and is advantageously obtained by molding in a plastic material, translucent and colored uniformly directly in bulk, so that it constitutes a highly resistant and stable subset, and that provides its function, that is, the coverage of the rear-view mirror and a color thereof adapted to the finish of the vehicle body even when said exterior surface has received friction or non-destructive impacts.

In a possible embodiment variant said housing is made by molding in a plastic material, transparent and uniformly colored in mass.

In order to obtain better results from the principle of the invention and in particular to provide optical effects, said housing has on its inner face a plurality of ribs, grooves, protuberances or an engraving or texturing capable of producing optical effects when passing the light through it and reflected on said colored inner plate.

The said colored or painted inner plate is located in the vicinity of the inner face of said housing, or at such a distance from the interior wall of the housing so that it provides a wide strike that allows multiple light reflection.

It is envisaged, taking advantage of the principle of the invention that one or more lighting elements may be arranged in the interior housing of the mirror in general supported on said interior plate.

Other features of the invention will appear more clearly in the description that follows made with the help of illustrative drawings showing exemplary exemplary and non-limiting examples of execution.

Brief explanation of the drawings

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective illustrating the components of the invention, in an exemplary embodiment in which the housing covering the front part of the rear-view mirror is made in the form of a separate part of the structural frame and where it is used an inner plate, intermediate, juxtaposed to said housing.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the rear-view mirror, according to the embodiment of Fig. 1, assembled, illustrating the arrangement of its component parts, the inner plate being an injection molded and mass-colored part. In this section the mirror of the rearview mirror has been schematically drawn.

Fig. 3 is equivalent to the previous one, wherein the inner plate is a molded part, painted on at least the surface directly opposite the inner face of the transparent or translucent outer shell. Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view, illustrating the components of the invention, in an exemplary embodiment where the housing covering the front part of the rear-view mirror is made as a separate part of the structural frame, without use an intermediate piece, with the inner face of the housing directly opposite an inner wall that delimits the mirror housing.

Figs. 5 and 6 are sections of Fig. 4, with the variant that said inner wall is provided with a layer of paint or colored in bulk during its process of obtaining by molding from plastic material. Fig. 7 illustrates an exemplary embodiment where the mirror housing forms a whole with the structural frame of the mirror.

Fig. 8 shows an elevation section of the exemplary embodiment of Fig. 7. In Figs. 9 to 13 various possible examples of finishing the inner face of the mirror housing are shown, in order to provide various optical effects.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to the aforementioned drawings, the rear-view mirror according to the invention comprises a housing 1 associated with or integrated in a structural frame 2 adapted to accommodate a mirror 3 and linked or integrated to a support provided with means for fixing it to the structure of the vehicle (shown in Figs. 4 and 7) whose housing 1 is extended defining the front face of the rear-view mirror in the direction of advance of the vehicle and internally delimits a housing 4. According to the principles of the invention said housing 1 is of color and is made of an impact-resistant material that allows light to pass through and below said housing an inner plate 5 is disposed whose surface that is directly facing the housing 1 is colored and extends in opposition to the inner face of said casing covering it in its almost totality. In this way, with a limited number of housings 1 of different colors including a colorless housing 1 and a limited number of colors of said inner plate 5 it is possible to obtain by combination, resulting from the superposition of the two colors of said housing 1 and surface of the inner plate 5, a wide range of colors that can be combined with the body of the vehicle.

In this Fig. 1 it can also be seen that parts 1, 2 and 5 have openings 6, 6a, 6b for mounting the mirror assembly to said support (not shown in this example) to attach the mirror to the vehicle body. It is evident that such a structure and the principle that inspires it also allow a considerable reduction in the number of parts to be manufactured and stored to achieve a certain number of colors of the mirror housing, reduce manufacturing costs and quality controls all time that the coloring of the surface of the plate 5, does not require conditions of quality of finish and therefore a control of said quality similar to those required in the state of the art in the embodiments where the variable to be controlled is the surface finish of the exterior surface of the mirror housing.

Furthermore, said housing 1, being made of an impact-resistant material, provides its structural function together with an appearance of color and integrity of the mirror, despite suffering impacts or various damages due to friction, thereby increasing the durability of the mirror. In Figs. 2 and 3 it can be seen that the coloration of the inner plate

5 can be achieved either with a layer of paint 16 on the surface of the plate 5 that is directly facing the inner face of the housing 1, or by a mass coloration itself in the production process of said piece 5, by injection molded example. It can also be seen in said Fig. 1 that the housing 1 on its inner face has a plurality of ribs, grooves, protuberances 7 (see Figs. In section) or an engraving or texturing (various examples appear in Figs. 9 to 12) liable to produce optical effects when the light passes through it and is reflected on the surface of said colored inner plate 5. The execution variant of Fig. 4 and sections of Figs. 5 and 6, it is distinguished from that represented in Figs. 1 to 3 for the non-use of the inner plate 5 and in this case, a surface of the structural frame 2, or of a support piece 8, which faces the inner face of the housing 1, is the one that will be provided with a coloring that in combination with the color of the housing 1 provides a part of the results provided by this invention. In the section of Figs. 5 and 6, it is illustrated that the coloring of said surface, as opposed to the inner face of the housing 1, can be obtained by painting 16 or by coloring the piece itself in its process of obtaining, for example injection molding. In the Execution Example of Fig. 7, the housing 1 forms a whole with said structural frame, an aspect that is best seen in the sectional view of Fig. 8. In this case the housing 1 is directly facing a surface 9 of a 10 piece that is part of the rearview mirror bracket for coupling to the body of the vehicle. The hole 6c of the piece 1 allows the passage of a portion 11, in function of the articulation axis of said support piece 10.

In all embodiments, the distance between the inner face of the housing 1, generally provided with ribs, grooves, protuberances 7 or an engraving or texturing, is either very close to the inner surface directly facing, colored, for example, of the plate 5, or at a distance such that between said contrast surface and the internal face of the housing a wide gap is defined that allows a multiple reflection of the light.

Although they have not been shown, supported on the inner plate 5, for example housed and supported on recesses thereof, it is possible to arrange one or more lighting elements towards the front face of the rear-view mirror, in the direction of vehicle advancement, and in said case, in front of each element, prismatic configurations capable of acting as lenses or elements for an oriented conduction of light such as for example the configurations of zones 12, 13 and 14 shown in Figs. 12 and 13

Alternatively said inner plate 5 could include radiation passage holes of said optional lighting elements.

As shown in Figs. 9 to 13, the inner face of the housing 1 can incorporate multiple configurations obtained on the basis of ribs, grooves, protuberances or an engraving or texturing whose structure will directly influence optical effects associated with the use of said housing 1.

Claims

1. Exterior mirror for motor vehicles of the type comprising a support attachable to the body of the vehicle and a housing associated with or integrated in a structural frame adapted to accommodate a mirror whose housing is extended defining the front face of the rear-view mirror in the forward direction of the vehicle and internally delimiting a housing, characterized in that said carcass is made of an impact-resistant material that allows the passage of light therethrough, a colored surface being arranged below said carcass, which extends partially or totally in opposition to the inner face of said casing and because a limited number of said housings, of different colors or a colorless casing and a limited number of said inner surfaces, of different colors are used, so that it is possible to obtain by combination, resulting from the superposition of the two colors of said housing and inner surface, a wide range of and colors that can be combined with the body of the vehicle.

2. Rearview mirror, according to claim 1, characterized in that said inner surface is provided by a colored inner plate that delimits the inner housing of said housing.

3. Rear-view mirror according to claim 2, characterized in that said housing is constituted by a separate cover-like part removably linked to said structural frame attached to said support (1).

4. Mirror, according to claim 3, characterized in that said housing is made by molding in a plastic material, translucent and colored in mass.

5. Rear-view mirror according to claim 3, characterized in that said housing is made by molding in a plastic material, transparent and colored in mass.

6. Rear-view mirror according to claim 4, characterized in that said housing on its inner face has a plurality of ribs, grooves, protuberances or an engraving or texturing capable of producing effects optical when the light passes through it and reflected on said colored interior plate.

7. Rear-view mirror, according to claim 5, characterized in that said housing on its inner face has a plurality of ribs, grooves, protuberances or an engraving or texturing capable of producing optical effects when light passes through it and is reflected on said colored inner plate.

8. Mirror, according to any one of the preceding claims characterized in that said housing has a smooth outer surface.

9. Mirror, according to claim 2, characterized in that said inner plate is constituted by a light sheet molded and colored in mass.

10. Rear-view mirror, according to claim 2, characterized in that said inner plate is constituted by a light molded sheet and painted superficially, at least on one of its surfaces, facing the inner face of the housing.

11. Mirror, according to any one of the preceding claims characterized in that said inner plate is located in the vicinity of the inner face of said housing.

12. Rear-view mirror, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said inner plate is located at such a distance from the inner wall of said housing that it provides a wide strike that allows multiple light reflection.

13. Rearview mirror, according to claim 2, characterized in that it integrates one or more lighting elements in said housing, supported on said inner plate.

14. Rear-view mirror, according to claim 13, characterized in that said lighting elements constitute vehicle signaling components.

15. Rearview mirror, according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that said inner plate has a series of recesses that house said lighting elements.

16. Mirror, according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that said inner plate has a series of holes that allow the partial or complete passage of said lighting elements.

17. - Rear-view mirror, according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, in front of each of said lighting points, areas comprising prismatic configurations operating from lenses or elements are defined on said inner face of said mirror housing. for an oriented conduction of the light emitted by the corresponding lighting element.

18. Rearview mirror, according to claim 2 or claims 4 a

14, characterized in that said housing forms a whole with said structural frame.