Optical: systems and elements – Mirror – With support
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-18
2003-10-28
Juba, John (Department: 2872)
Optical: systems and elements
Mirror
With support
C359S838000, C359S872000, C359S900000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06637900
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mirror assembly such as a door mirror or the like which is mounted to a door of a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Door mirrors, which are mounted to the outer side of the doors at the driver's seat side and at the front passenger's seat side, are an example of equipment which a vehicle occupant uses to confirm the region substantially at the rear side of the vehicle.
Such a door mirror has a visor which is formed as a box form or a bowl form which opens substantially toward the rear of the vehicle, and which houses a mirror main body (a mirror) in a vicinity of the opening portion. A stay cover is provided between the visor and the vehicle, and abase passes through the stay cover. The base is mechanically connected to both the visor and the vehicle body, and the visor is connected to the vehicle body by the base.
In door mirrors up to now, when assembling the door mirror, both the visor and the stay cover are screwed individually to the base. Thus, costs for parts are required, and a work process at the time of assembly is required.
Further, in consideration of the external appearance of the vehicle, the visor and the stay cover must be assembled without gaps therebetween. However, because each of the visor and the stay cover are assembled to the base, there is a strong possibility that an uneven gap will be formed between the visor and the stay cover due to errors in assembling the respective parts or the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the aforementioned, an object of the present invention is to provide a mirror assembly which is low cost, and in which the number of assembly processes can be reduced, and whose external appearance is improved.
A first aspect of the present invention is a mirror assembly comprising: a visor at which a predetermined direction side with respect to a vehicle is formed at a bottom portion which is open, and which houses, at an inner side, a mirror main body having a reflecting surface; a base provided at a vehicle side of the visor, and connecting the visor to the vehicle; a cover provided between the visor and the vehicle, and covering the base; and a positioning portion provided at at least one of the cover and the visor, and due to the positioning portion engaging with another of the cover and the visor, the positioning portion positions an assembly position of the other of the cover and the visor with respect to the one of the cover and the visor. In the present invention, the cover is nipped by the visor and the base, and is held by nipping force of the visor and the base.
In accordance with the mirror assembly having the above-described structure, the visor, to which the mirror main body is mounted, is fixed to the base. By mounting the base to the vehicle, the visor is mounted to the vehicle via the base. Further, the base is covered by the cover, and the external appearance is thereby maintained.
Here, in the present mirror assembly, in a state in which another of the cover and the visor is engaged with the positioning portion provided at at least one of the cover and the visor, such that the other of the cover and the visor is positioned, the cover is nipped by the base and the visor, and is held by the nipping force of the base and the visor. As a result, at the time of fixing the cover, there is no need for a special fixing member or process for fixing the cover.
The mirror assembly of the present invention preferably includes a fastening device which passes through the cover along a direction of application of the nipping force or a direction opposite to the direction of application of the nipping force, from one of the visor and the base, and which is fastened to the other of the visor and the base, and which fixes the visor to the base.
In accordance with the mirror assembly including the above-described structure, the fastening device passes through the cover along the direction of application of the nipping force or a direction opposite thereto, from one of the visor and the base, and the fastening device is fastened to the other of the visor and the base. The visor and the base are thereby fixed, and the cover is fixed together therewith.
Here, as described above, because the fastening device is fastened and fixed along the direction of application of the nipping force, at the time when the visor and the base are fixed, the cover is fixed. Thus, fixing of the visor, the base and the cover can be carried out at one time.
In the mirror assembly of the present invention, preferably, press-contact surfaces, which press-contact one another along a direction which is inclined with respect to a direction of application of the nipping force, are the positioning portion, and the press-contact surfaces are provided further toward an inner side than respective outer peripheral portions of the visor and the cover.
In accordance with the mirror assembly including the above-described structure, the cover is held by the nipping force of the visor and the base. Thus, press-contact force is applied between the visor and the cover. The press-contact surfaces, which press-contact one another along a direction which is inclined with respect to the direction of application of the nipping force, are formed at both the visor and the cover. Due to the press-contact surfaces press-contacting one another, positioning of the cover with respect to the visor is carried out Further, because the press-contact surfaces are inclined as described above, stress at the time of press-contacting is dispersed. Flexure due to a concentration of stress can thereby be prevented. In this way, by preventing flexure due to a concentration of stress, the visor and the cover can contact each other well without any gaps at the respective outer peripheral portion sides thereof, and thus, the external appearance can be improved.
A second aspect of the present invention is a mirror assembly for mounting to a vehicle exterior, the mirror assembly comprising: (a) a visor housing a mirror; (b) a base including opposite ends, one end adapted for mounting to the vehicle, with the other end connecting to the visor; (c) a cover disposed between the visor and the vehicle and covering at least a portion the base when the assembly is mounted to the vehicle; and (d) positioning pins provided at at least one of the cover and visor, received at holes defined in the base, substantially positioning the cover according to a predetermined position relative to the visor and base when mounted to the vehicle, and at least a portion of the cover being nipped between the visor and the base for holding the cover.
A third aspect of the present invention is a method of assembling a mirror arrangement for a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: (a) passing a base main body of a base through a through-hole formed in a stay cover and thereafter positioning the stay cover and base according to a predetermined position relative to tone another; (b) inserting the base main body into an opening portion formed in a side wall of the visor and thereafter arranging a peripheral wall of a visor and a peripheral wall of the stay cover to substantially coincide; and (c) fastening the base and the visor with a base portion of the base and the peripheral wall of the visor nipping the stay cover therebetween after the step of inserting the base main body into an opening portion.
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patent: 4506954 (1985-03-01), Enomoto
patent: 5864438 (1999-01-01), Pace
patent: 6220716 (2001-04-01), Asaka
patent: 6239928 (2001-05-01), Whitehead et al.
patent: 6394616 (2002-05-01), Foote et al.
patent: 6447129 (2002-09-01), Hayashi et al.
patent: 0 290 233 (1988-11-01), None
patent: 11-208374 (1999-08-01), None
patent: 2000-108784 (2000-04-01), None
Cole Thomas W.
Juba John
Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
Nixon & Peabody LLP
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