Optical: systems and elements – Mirror – Retractable vehicle mirror
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-07
2002-11-19
Robinson, Mark A. (Department: 2872)
Optical: systems and elements
Mirror
Retractable vehicle mirror
C359S872000, C248S476000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06481858
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicular mirror assembly provided at a vehicle door.
2. Description of the Related Art
As illustrated in FIG.
6
and
FIG. 7
, a vehicular door mirror assembly
50
includes a door mirror visor
52
made of a synthetic resin, and a rear-view mirror (not shown in the drawings) is held in the door mirror visor
52
. The door mirror visor
52
is split into a visor cover
52
A provided at a vehicle front side (i.e., the direction of arrow FR) and a visor rim
52
B provided at a vehicle rear side, and the visor cover
52
A and the visor rim
52
B are fit together to form the door mirror visor
52
, which has the shape of a shell. An opening
54
is formed at a bottom portion of the door mirror visor
52
, and a part of a case
56
provided in the door mirror visor
52
is disposed in the opening
54
. A motor (not shown in the drawings), a fixation shaft
58
, and the like, which comprise a door mirror electric retraction mechanism, are provided within the case
56
. The fixation shaft
58
protrudes from the lower part of the case
56
and the opening
54
of the door mirror visor
52
, and a stand
60
is provided at a lower end portion of the fixed shaft
58
. Here, as described in
FIG. 7
, in the door mirror assembly
50
for a vehicle, a plurality of pole-shaped visor bosses
64
are integrally formed to protrude within the door mirror visor
52
(the visor cover
52
A and the visor rim
52
B). A flat plate
66
is fixed to the visor bosses
64
, and the door mirror visor
52
is fixed to the case
56
through the plate
66
. The stand
60
is fixed to a door mirror stay
62
provided at a vehicle door (not shown in the drawings), and the door mirror visor
52
is thus mounted on the door mirror stay
62
.
In such a door mirror assembly
50
for a vehicle, as the motor (not shown in the drawings) within the case
56
is driven, the case
56
fixed to the door mirror visor
52
rotates around the fixation shaft
58
. As a result, the door mirror visor
52
can be rotated with the case
56
from an operational state (a state in which the door mirror visor
52
protrudes from the side of a vehicle) to a retracted state (a state in which the door mirror visor
52
is extended along the side of a vehicle).
However, in the door mirror assembly
50
for a vehicle as described above, a gap is generated between the inner circumference of the opening
54
provided at the bottom of the door mirror visor
52
and the outer circumference of the lower portion of the case
56
(hereinafter, this gap will be referred to as a “horizontal direction gap”). Thus, there has been the problem that, while a vehicle is travelling, wind enters (in the direction of arrows A and B) inside the door mirror visor
52
through this horizontal direction gap and passes through the door mirror visor
52
, causing pressure fluctuation and wind noises.
Further, because the visor bosses
64
(a position where the case
56
is fixed to the door mirror visor
52
) are distantly removed from the upper part of the door mirror stay
62
, large discrepancies arise in the size of the gap dimension G (hereinafter, this gap will be referred to as a “vertical gap”) between the bottom of the door mirror visor
52
and the upper part of the door mirror stay
62
due to manufacturing tolerance of the size and shape of the visor bosses
64
. In other words, the dimension of this vertical gap is highly dependent on the accuracy of the visor bosses
64
. In this case, forming the visor bosses
64
and the like within the door mirror visor
52
with high accuracy results in a decrease in manufacturing efficiency caused by manufacturing preparation, man-hours and the like, and leads to high costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the facts described above, an object of the present invention is to obtain a vehicular mirror assembly that can restrict generation of wind noises without lowering manufacturing efficiency.
A first aspect of the present invention is a mirror assembly for mounting to the exterior of a vehicle, the assembly comprising: (a) a stay mountable to the vehicle exterior for supporting the assembly; (b) a support member having an outer periphery, the support member mounted on the stay; and (c) a holding member accommodating a mirror and mounted to the support member via a first fixation section, the holding member formed in a shell shape, having an opening with an inner periphery, wherein when the assembly is assembled and mounted to a vehicle, the support member is received in the opening so that the holding member is positioned, with the opening inner periphery abutting the support member outer periphery, at a second fixation section in a vicinity of the stay.
A second aspect of the present invention is a door mirror assembly for mounting to a door of a vehicle, the assembly comprising: a door mirror stay mountable on a door of a vehicle; a support having outer periphery, the support being provided above the door mirror stay and rotatably supported by the door mirror stay when the assembly is assembled and mounted on a vehicle; a door mirror visor having an opening with an inner periphery, the door mirror visor being mounted to the support by receiving the support in the opening and when the assembly is assembled and mounted on a vehicle, the door mirror visor holds a mirror and rotates back and forth from a retracted position and an operational position for providing a rear field view relative to the vehicle; and overlap portions provided at the outer periphery of the support and at the inner periphery, which overlap one another and impede air flow between the inner periphery of the opening and the outer periphery of the support.
A third aspect of the present invention is a mirror assembly for a vehicle, the assembly comprising: (a) a stay mountable to a vehicle; (b) a case having an outer periphery and accommodating a motor and at least one gear; (c) a mirror visor holding a mirror, the visor having a visor cover and visor rim which join to one another, the visor cover including an exterior surface, the visor having an opening with an inner periphery, the case being inserted into the opening when the assembly is assembled and mounted to a vehicle, with the outer periphery of the case and the inner periphery of the opening overlapping one another and positioned in a vicinity of the stay; and (d) a shaft protruding from the stay, upon which the mirror visor is rotatably supported by the case with the mirror visor rotatable from an operational position and a retracted position along with the case by operation of the motor driving the at least one gear.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4832477 (1989-05-01), Torii et al.
patent: 5949591 (1999-09-01), Whitehead
patent: 5966254 (1999-10-01), Flowers et al.
patent: 6133704 (2000-10-01), Yoshida et al.
patent: 6260977 (2001-07-01), Inagaki
patent: 63-57352 (1988-03-01), None
patent: 2-48241 (1990-02-01), None
Inagaki Bunji
Tsujiuchi Yoshio
Cole Thomas W.
Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
Nixon & Peabody LLP
Robinson Mark A.
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