Optical: systems and elements – Mirror – With support
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-11
2001-01-16
Sikder, Mohammad Y. (Department: 2872)
Optical: systems and elements
Mirror
With support
C359S871000, C359S873000, C359S874000, C248S475100, C248S476000, C248S477000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06174062
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns an adjustable rearview mirror, especially an outside mirror, for a motor vehicle, whereby a first element is affixable to the vehicle and a second element, rotatably attached to the first element, exhibits or forms a mount for a mirror, whereby the two elements are designed as dish-shaped elements that nest with one another at least partially and are guided or bear against one another via outside and inside areas of contact forming a segment of a spherical surface and whereby a drive is provided between the first and the second element.
2. Discussion of Background Information
From AT-B 256 645 and DE-B 12 41 295, a motor vehicle outside rearview mirror combined with an electric lamp has become known, whereby two dish-shaped elements that nest partially with one another are provided and a lamp is to be integrated in the mirror, whereby no drive is provided between the individual dish-shaped elements, however.
Adjustable rearview mirrors of the type initially mentioned can be found in DE-A 39 14 334 and FR-A 2 649 653, whereby hemispherical friction dishes guided on one another are each designed with a drive for mutual adjustability of the friction dishes. Provided for the adjustment or as a drive in these known designs are rack-and-pinion gears, costly in terms of design, which make necessary a multitude of additional components and a large space requirement.
In addition, from DE-C 36 29 320 has become known a remotely controllable rearview mirror for a motor vehicle with an actuating device and a twistable bearing device for the rearview mirror, whereby the two devices are connected to one another via Bowden cables. The actuating mechanism of this known device consists here of two worm gears that are drivable by two knurling wheels and are connected with the cables of at least two Bowden cables for the adjustment of the bearing device in two directions in space.
Inferable in DE-A 38 20 578 is an outside mirror for motor vehicles comprising an outer housing that exhibits a reflecting plate and a device with a drive and an electric motor which produces a rotating motion of the housing around a fixed axis. Here, by means of a control switch system, the rearview mirror is swiveled into its operating position at a movement of the vehicle, while the rearview mirror is swiveled into a position folded up against the vehicle at stillstand of the vehicle's engine.
Additional known designs of adjustable mirrors for motor vehicles of the type initially mentioned can be found, for example, in EP-B 0 287 181, EP-B 0 675 817, DE-A 36 33 010, DE-A 40 30 010, and DE-A 41 15 876. In each of these known designs, a carrier element is provided that is affixable to the vehicle, whereby a second element holding a mirror is rotatably hinge-jointed to a free end of this carrier element, whereby a swivel joint, usually extremely complex in design, is provided for a swivelling of the mirror element relative to the carrier element. In addition, at least one gear box or a drive motor for facilitation of mutual swiveling capability is provided in the region of this swivel joint. Disadvantageous in these known design forms is in general that an essentially point support is provided to the elements capable of swiveling relative to one another, which is relatively unstable especially with respect to shocks and vibrations. Additionally disadvantageous is that essentially the entire swiveling mechanism, and thus the largest part of the weight of the device is concentrated in a very small space in the region of the swivel point.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention, starting with a rearview mirror of the type initially mentioned, has the object of creating a rearview mirror that, with a simple construction, permits a reduction in vibrations and thus a simple and stable mounting overall. For the solution of this task, the rearview mirror in accordance with the invention is essentially characterized in that the outer element is designed on part of its inner surface with a gear-tooth system extending along a circular section of the inner surface of the outer element, with which a pinion of a drive mounted in the inside of the inner element meshes for adjustment of the outer element relative to the inner element. The design in accordance with the invention permits an especially simple design of the particularly automatic or motor-driven swiveling of the elements of the rearview mirror in accordance with the invention relative to one another. In similar fashion, the pinion that meshes with a gear-tooth system on the inner surface of the outer element can be arranged at a great distance from the swivel point, so that a concentration of the weight of the components in the region of the swivel center point, as was the case in designs in accordance with the state of the art and leads to large vibrations, can be avoided. Since two dish-shaped elements are provided in the rearview mirror in accordance with the invention, which are supported against one another via segments of a of a spherical surface, it is possible to make available in a simple manner a large area for mutual mounting and support of the dish-shaped elements of the rearview mirror in accordance with the invention, so that overall a stable construction is achievable with a simple construction even with the use of lightweight materials and a small number of components. Moreover the actuating and drive devices required for movement of the two dish-shaped elements with respect to one another can be arranged in a relatively large space in the interior of the inner dish-shaped element at a large distance from the actual swivel center point while optimizing the weight distribution of the complete rearview mirror, through which means the vibration characteristics of the rearview mirror in accordance with the invention are likewise improved.
For an implementation of especially structurally simple construction in which all elements of the drive are essentially accommodated in the interior of the inner, dish-shaped element, it is provided in accordance with an additional preferred embodiment that the pinion of the drive mounted in the interior of the inner element projects through a recess of the inner element.
In order to permit a swiveling of the mirror in all directions in simple fashion, it is moreover provided in accordance with an additional preferred embodiment that two drive motors designed with pinions, with a reducing gear interposed if necessary, are mounted in the interior of the inner element, whose pinions meshing with the inner surface of the outer element together enclose an essentially right angle and that the gear-tooth systems on the inner surface of the outer element meshing with the pinions each extend over an angular range corresponding to a swivel angle associated with the other pinion of the outer relative to the inner element. Through provision of reducing gears, simple and small motors can be used, whereby mutual arrangement of the drive pinions at a right angle to one another also permits the mirror to achieve all spatial positions. Since with adjustment of one pinion, the other pinion must follow the gear-tooth system on the inner surface of the outer dish-shaped element, it is further provided in accordance with the invention that the gear-tooth systems each extend in an arc over a corresponding angular region on the surface of the outer element of the rearview mirror in accordance with the invention.
For automatic correction or tracking of a pinion for the achievement of a desired positioning of the rearview mirror in accordance with the invention upon adjustment of the respective other pinion it is further preferably suggested that the movement of the pinions or the drive motors be coupled together or coordinated with one another.
For the achievement of an accordingly large adjustment range or swivel range of the rearview mirror in accordance with the invention, it is further preferably suggested that the swivel capability of the dish-sha
Fink Gerald
Pacher Wolfgang
Schillegger Peter
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Magna Auteca Zweigniederlassung der Magna Holding AG
Sikd-er Mohammad Y.
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