Machine element or mechanism – Control lever and linkage systems – Hand operated
Patent
1989-05-25
1991-05-07
Luong, Vinh T.
Machine element or mechanism
Control lever and linkage systems
Hand operated
350636, 350637, 74479, F16C 110, G02B 718
Patent
active
050126938
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drive mechanism for use in an automotive side-view mirror assembly of a motor-driven folding type, and more particularly to a drive mechanism destined for use in such a mirror assembly to pivot in relation to the mirror base which is to be fixed to a car body the mirror housing supporting the mirror in such a manner that the latter can be turned vertically and horizontally, thereby folding the mirror to the folded position or returning to the normal position.
2. Prior Art
The drive mechanism for an automotive side-view mirror assembly of a motor-driven folding type comprises an electric motor fixed in a mirror housing, a speed reducer including reduction gears to reduce the revolution of the motor, and a device to convert the revolution output of the speed reducer into a revolution of the mirror housing itself. Normally, remote-controlled mirror assemblies have disposed in the mirror housing thereof a drive unit to turn the mirror itself vertically and horizontally. Thus, the drive unit comprising a drive motor, speed reducer and converter is to be disposed in a limited space in the mirror housing.
The speed reducer forming a part of the drive unit used in such automotive side-view mirror of a motor-driven folding type is a relatively compact, lightweight one which uses planet gears in order to achieve a high reduction ratio. However, a single-stage speed reduction by a single planet gear cannot provide a desired reduction ratio. Normally, a multi-stage planet gear unit is used in the form of a plurality of planetary gear units housed in an elongated cylindrical casing having common ring gears formed on the inner wall thereof. More particularly, the required sizes of the ring gears, sun gears, planet gears and planet carriers in the multi-stage planetary gear unit disposed in the limited space in the mirror housing are extremely small. Therefore, the manual assembling of the planetary gear units one by one into the elongated casing is very complicated and requires at the present great skill, much time and labor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a drive mechanism for a rear-view mirror of a motor-driven folding type using planet gears which can be easily assembled without any great skill.
The above object is attained by providing a drive mechanism for a side-view mirror of a motor-driven folding type, comprising, according to the present invention, an electric motor capable of pivoting between the normal position and the folded position, a mirror housing pivotably supported on a shaft fixed to a mirror base which is to be fixed to a car body, a speed reducer comprising a plurality of planetary gear units including a sun gear coupled to an output shaft of the motor, and a transmission gear group including at least a spur gear fixed on the shaft and another spur gear coupled to the output shaft of the speed reducer and which is in mesh with the first spur gear, the speed reducer comprising a first cylindrical casing housing positioned coaxially with some of the plurality of planetary gear units and which has formed on the inner circumferential wall thereof a ring gear common to the above-mentioned planetary gear units, a second cylindrical casing housing positioned coaxially with the remaining planetary gear units among the plurality of planetary gear units so as to be in mesh with the above-mentioned planetary gear units and has formed on the inner circumferential face thereof a ring gear common to the remaining planetary gear units, and a means for coupling together the first and second casings.
Since the casing assembly housing the plurality of planetary gear units composing the speed reducer is of a longitudinally split structure, namely, it is composed of the first and second casings, some of the planetary gear units can be housed in the first casing while the remaining planetary gear units be housed in the second casing. Thus, the drive mechanism according to
REFERENCES:
patent: 4050776 (1977-09-01), Hsu
patent: 4158483 (1979-06-01), Fisher et al.
patent: 4540252 (1985-09-01), Hayashi et al.
patent: 4832477 (1989-05-01), Torii et al.
Enomoto Masao
Nagayama Yoshiro
Yamamoto Masami
Yamauchi Yoshinori
Ichikoh Industries Ltd.
Luong Vinh T.
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