Optical: systems and elements – Mirror – Plural mirrors or reflecting surfaces
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-19
2001-11-06
Spyrou, Cassandra (Department: 2872)
Optical: systems and elements
Mirror
Plural mirrors or reflecting surfaces
C359S855000, C359S865000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06312133
ABSTRACT:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority enefits under 35 U.S.C. §119 based on Japanese Patent Application Nos. P8-160384 filed on May 20, 1996 and P8-359307 filed on Dec. 11, 1996.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a wide room mirror used by attaching to an existing room mirror arranged in all vehicles including an automobile.
A technique for arranging a room mirror (back mirror) for looking an opposite side in a looking direction without turning a driver's head within each of rooms or compartments of all vehicles including an automobile is conventionally well-known.
A technique for attaching a detachable type mirror having a plane mirror or a curved mirror onto the surface of an existing room mirror is also well-known.
However, as shown in
FIG. 29
, a region &thgr;
4
reflected on a conventional existing room mirror
301
is limited to a narrow range just behind a vehicle
303
.
When the detachable type mirror having a plain mirror is attached onto the existing room mirror, the reflecting region can be enlarged by increasing a size of the plain mirror. However, the size of the plain mirror is limited since a front viewing field is narrowed when the detachable type mirror is increased in size. Accordingly, it was difficult to greatly increase a region &thgr;
5
reflected on the plain mirror with respect to the above region &thgr;
4
.
Further, when a convex curved mirror instead of the plain mirror is used as the detachable type mirror, it is possible to enlarge the reflecting region by reducing a radius of curvature of the convex curved mirror. However, the size of a reflected object is reduced by the reduction in the radius of curvature so that it is difficult for a driver to grasp a distance feeling. Accordingly, no radius of curvature of the convex curved mirror can be reduced so much to easily grasp the distance feeling. Therefore, no region reflected on the curved mirror is changed so much in comparison with the region &thgr;
5
formed when the plain mirror is used.
Thus, when the reflecting region formed by the room mirror or the detachable type mirror is narrow, a slanting backward dead angle region
307
unable to be seen without turning the driver's head is increased in size. Therefore, there is a case in which a vehicle
203
is completely located within the dead angle region
307
. In this case, the driver must directly see the slanting backward vehicle
203
by turning the driver's head slantingly backward to confirm existence or nonexistence of the slanting backward vehicle
203
. Accordingly, there is a fear of a reduction in safety at a driving time of the vehicle. A side mirror arranged outside the vehicle room is known to compensate the viewing field of the room mirror. However, it is generally impossible to sufficiently compensate the above dead angle region
307
by the side mirror.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a wide room mirror able to be used by simply attaching the wide room mirror to a conventional existing room mirror and able to form a wide reflecting region at a wide angle.
To achieve the above object, the present invention resides in a wide room mirror having the following structure.
The wide room mirror is attached to an existing room mirror arranged within a vehicle room. The wide room mirror comprises a main mirror and an auxiliary mirror. The main mirror is formed in the shape of a plate body and detachably attached to a surface side of the existing room mirror such that the surface of the existing room mirror is covered with the main mirror. The auxiliary mirror is movably connected to the main mirror through a connecting member and supported by the main mirror.
The connecting member can have an extending portion extending from a circumferential edge portion of the main mirror along a plate face direction of the main mirror and can also have a connecting portion for movably connecting the extending portion onto a rear face side of the auxiliary mirror. A surface of the auxiliary mirror can be moved from an initial state for approximately setting the surface of the auxiliary mirror onto the same face as a surface of the main mirror to a state in which the surface of the auxiliary mirror is inclined with respect to the surface of the main mirror.
In such structures, when a driver takes a driver's seat, the driver entirely moves the main mirror and the room mirror and sets these mirrors to desirable inclination angles. Thereafter, the auxiliary mirror is inclined by a desirable angle with respect to the main mirror. In this case, the main mirror and the auxiliary mirror are set such that a region just behind a vehicle is reflected on the central main mirror and right-hand slanting backward and left-hand slanting backward regions of the vehicle, etc. are reflected on the auxiliary mirror. Thus, the driver can see a region having an angle and a range wider than those of a region reflected on only the existing room mirror by using the auxiliary mirror. Therefore, a dead angle region unable to be seen without turning the driver's head can be greatly reduced. Accordingly, the driver can recognize a slanting backward vehicle in a state in which the driver's head is directed forward without turning the driver's head backward. Thus, safety at a driving time of the vehicle can be greatly improved.
The wide room mirror is constructed by the main mirror and the auxiliary mirror as a unit. Accordingly, it is sufficient to attach the entire wide room mirror to the existing room mirror so that an attaching work of the wide room mirror is easily made.
The connecting portion can connect an end tip portion of the extending portion to an outside end portion of the auxiliary mirror farthest from the main mirror in an extending direction of the extending portion. The surface of the auxiliary mirror can be moved from the initial state to an external opening state in which an inside end portion of the auxiliary mirror proximate to the main mirror is projected on a surface upward side of the main mirror.
In such a structure, the connecting portion connects the outside end portion of the auxiliary mirror to the end tip portion of the extending portion. Accordingly, when the connecting portion is in proximity to the surface of the room mirror in a state in which the wide room mirror is attached to the existing room mirror, no outside end portion of the auxiliary mirror comes in contact with the surface of the room mirror and the auxiliary mirror can be freely set to the external opening state when the auxiliary mirror is moved from the initial state to the external opening state. Namely, the same wide room mirror can be used with respect to room mirrors having different lengths even when the wide room mirror is entirely thinly formed. Accordingly, the wide room mirror can be set to have a high wide using property.
It is not necessary to arrange the surface of the main mirror in a position greatly separated from the existing room mirror. Accordingly, the driver and the other persons riding in the vehicle have no feeling of physical disorder and a forward appearance of the vehicle room can be improved.
Further, the wide room mirror can be made light in weight and a stabler attaching state of the wide room mirror can be obtained.
The extending portion can have a movable portion for allowing an end tip side of the extending portion to be folded on the surface upward side of the main mirror. The connecting portion can connect the auxiliary mirror to an end tip portion of the extending portion. The surface of the auxiliary mirror can be moved from the initial state to an external opening state in which an inside end portion of the auxiliary mirror proximate to the main mirror is projected on a surface upward side of the main mirror.
In such a structure, the extending portion has the movable portion. Accordingly, when the connecting portion is in proximity to the surface of the room mirror in a state in which the wide room mirror is attached to the exi
McDonnell & Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff
Robinson Mark A.
Spyrou Cassandra
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