Optical: systems and elements – Mirror – Automatically adjustable in response to vehicle position,...
Patent
1990-01-30
1992-02-04
Arnold, Bruce Y.
Optical: systems and elements
Mirror
Automatically adjustable in response to vehicle position,...
359877, G02B 718
Patent
active
050855042
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns an apparatus for adjusting the angular position of a rear view mirror of a vehicle in response to the turning of the vehicle. Such as apparatus is known in principle from DE-Al-35 27 079 and in a special embodiment containing a rather complicated hydraulic system from U.S. Pat. No. 3,640,609.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the present type which combines simplicity with great reliability in operation.
This object is achieved in that the apparatus comprises a magnet and a reed contact, one of which is mounted on a movable part of the steering mechanism of the vehicle so as to cause activation of the reed contact when the vehicle is being turned through a preselected turning angle.
When activated, the reed contact is adapted to cause angular rotation of the rear view mirror. The apparatus controlling parts, viz. a magnet and a reed contact are simple and inexpensive elements which can be so positioned without difficulty as to sense the movements of the steering gear, and their function is quite unaffected by the rough conditions by way of road dirt, water and oil to which they may be subjected when placed below the front end of a vehicle. It will be appreciated that the axis of rotation of the mirror may be arbitrarily positioned and also that, according to the same principle, two axes of rotation may be involved, viz. a vertical one and a horizontal one. Further, the mirror may be journalled in a ball link in a generally known manner.
Generally, it is most expedient that the magnet is placed on the movable part of the steering gear, e.g. on a steering rod or a rack or a part connected with it and that the reed contact is firmly mounted; but the reverse may also be the case, although such mounting involves movable connecting wires.
A particularly simple embodiment, operates with only two different mirror positions. However, it has been found that this simple structure meets the practical needs satisfactorily.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING
An embodiment of the apparatus of the invention is schematically shown in the drawing FIG. 1 and will be explained more fully below with reference to said drawing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In the drawing, 10 are the front wheels of a vehicle, which can be turned in a generally known manner by displacement of a rack 11 whose ends are connected with pivotable arms 12 on the steering bolts through steering rods 13. The rack 11 mounts a relatively long bar magnet 14 which, in the neutral position of the steering gear, is present centrally between two firmly mounted reed contacts 15 and 16 without actuating any of these. The reed contacts are connected to their respective inputs to a control unit 17 having two outputs which are connected to their respective drive units 18 and 19 for a left rear view mirror 20 and a right rear view mirror 21, respectively, which are rotatable on vertical axes 22 and 23, respectively.
When the rack 11 is moved a predetermined distance, e.g. to the left, the left end of the reed magnet 14 actuates the reed contact 15. The control unit 17 is adapted to cause the drive unit 18 to rotate the mirror 20 through a predetermined angle clockwise upon closing of the contact 15 and to rotate the mirror back again when the contact 15 is opened upon return of the rack and the magnet to the neutral position. Similarly, steering movements in the opposite direction cause actuation of the reed contact 16 and rotation of the right rear view mirror 19 through a predetermined angle counterclockwise.
It is noted that the active pole area of the magnet is to have a sufficiently large extent in the direction of the rack for each reed contact to be kept actuated at all steering movements greater than the smallest actuation movement.
The details of the shown and described apparatus may be modified in many ways within the scope of the invention. For example, several reed contacts may be used for stepwise adjustment of the mirrors.
1. A con
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Arnold Bruce Y.
Jensen Benita Berg
Jensen Kaj-Berg
Pedersen Bent
Pedersen Inge
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