Optical: systems and elements – Mirror – With support
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-10
2004-09-14
Sikder, Mohammad (Department: 2872)
Optical: systems and elements
Mirror
With support
C359S872000, C359S873000, C359S877000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06789909
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mirror device for a vehicle having a mirror surface angle adjusting mechanism of a mirror for viewing a region substantially toward the rear of a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a door mirror device for a vehicle has a plate-shaped frame, and is mounted to a vehicle body via the frame. The frame has a mirror surface angle adjusting mechanism. The mechanism main body of the mirror surface angle adjusting mechanism is fixed to the frame, and an inner mirror holder is tiltably supported at the mechanism main body. An outer mirror holder is assembled with the inner mirror holder. The outer mirror holder holds the mirror for viewing the region substantially toward the rear of the vehicle, and covers the side of the mirror which side is toward the front side of the vehicle. Projecting claws are provided at the outer mirror holder. The projecting claws engage with vibration-proofing claws fixed to the frame. Vibrating of the inner mirror holder and the outer mirror holder is suppressed, and chattering of the mirror surface of the mirror is suppressed.
For example, a pair of shaft-shaped rod drives
52
are provided at the mechanism main body of a door mirror device for a vehicle which is illustrated in
FIGS. 7 through 9
. A thread, at which a groove having a trapezoidal cross-sectional configuration, i.e., concave engagement valleys
54
, is formed in a spiral shape, is formed in the rod drive
52
. A plurality of the engagement valleys
54
are provided along the axial direction in the peripheral surface of the rod drive
52
. The inner mirror holder is held at the distal ends of the rod drives
52
.
A predetermined number of claw members
56
are provided at the periphery of the rod drive
52
within a mechanism main body
66
. The claw member
56
is elastic. A convex engagement projection
58
, which has a trapezoidal cross-sectional configuration, is formed at the distal end of the claw member
56
. The engagement projections
58
engage with the engagement valleys
54
, and the predetermined number of claw members
56
thereby support the rod drive
52
.
A pair of motors (not illustrated) are provided within the mechanism main body. By driving the motors, the predetermined numbers of claw members
56
rotate around the rod drives
52
.
Here, when the motors are driven and the predetermined numbers of claw members
56
rotate around the rod drives
52
, the claw members
56
move within the engagement valleys
54
. Due to the rod drives
52
being moved automatically in the axial direction, the outer mirror holder and the inner mirror holder are tilted, and the angle of the mirror surface of the mirror is automatically adjusted.
Further, when a predetermined tilting force is applied manually to the mirror, the claw members
56
elastically deform, and the engagement valleys
54
ride up over the engagement projections
58
, and the rod drives
52
are moved manually in the axial direction. In this way, the outer mirror holder and the inner mirror holder are tilted, and the angle of the mirror surface of the mirror is adjusted manually.
However, in such a door mirror device
50
for a vehicle, as shown in
FIG. 7
, the angle of inclination of the mirror side surface of the engagement valley
54
with respect to a direction orthogonal to the axis of the rod drive
52
, and the angle of inclination of the surface of the engagement valley
54
at the side opposite the mirror side (i.e., the surface of the engagement valley
54
at the side which is further away from the mirror) with respect to the direction orthogonal to the axis of the rod drive
52
, are the same, and are both &thgr; (e.g., 30°).
Thus, a distance L1 (see
FIG. 8
) in the direction of sliding of the claw member
56
(the engagement projection
58
), between a central point A of the base portion (root) of the claw member
56
and a point of abutment B of the engagement valley
54
and the engagement projection
58
at the time when the rod drive
52
is moved toward the side opposite the mirror, is smaller than a distance L2 (see
FIG. 9
) in the direction of sliding of the claw member
56
, between the central point A and a point of abutment C of the engagement valley
54
and the engagement projection
58
at the time when the rod drive
52
is moved toward the mirror. In this way, usually, a load F1 (see FIG.
8
), which is applied to the rod drive
52
and which is needed to move the rod drive
52
manually toward the side opposite the mirror, is greater than a load F2 (see FIG.
9
), which is applied to the rod drive
52
and which is needed to move the rod drive
52
manually toward the mirror.
If the rigidity of the projecting claws or the vibration-proofing claws is too large, although the ability to suppress chattering of the mirror surface of the mirror can be improved, the resistance (resistance torque) at the time of adjusting the angle of the mirror surface of the mirror is large. Thus, when the rigidities of the projecting claws and the vibration-proofing claws are made to be large, even if an attempt is made to automatically adjust the angle of the mirror surface of the mirror, elastic deformation arises at the claw members
56
, and the engagement valleys
54
ride up over the engagement projections
58
, and the problem arises that the rod drives
52
cannot move in the axial direction.
When adjusting the angle of the mirror surface of the mirror automatically, in order to prevent the claw members
56
from elastically deforming and the engagement valleys
54
from riding up over the engagement projections
58
, the rigidity of the claw members
56
may be made large by increasing the thickness of the claw members
56
or the like. However, if the rigidity of the claw members
56
is made to be large, the loads F1 and F2, which are applied to the rod drive
52
and which are needed in order to manually move the rod drive
52
, also become large.
Because F1 is greater than F2 as described above, if the rigidity of the claw members
56
were made large to the extent that F1 were to reach the upper limit value thereof (the limit value at which the rod drive
52
can be manually moved toward the side opposite the mirror), F2 would not reach its upper limit value (the limit value at which the rod drive
52
can be manually moved toward the mirror), and the rigidities of the projecting claws and the vibration-proofing claws could not be made large. (Even if the rigidities of the projecting claws and the vibration-proofing claws were to be made large, when the rod drive
52
was automatically moved, it would not be possible to prevent the claw members
56
from elastically deforming and the engagement valleys
54
from riding up over the engagement projections
58
.) On the other hand, even if the rigidity of the claw members
56
was increased to the extent that F2 reached its upper limit value, F1 would exceed its upper limit value, and it would not be possible to move the rod drive
52
manually toward the side opposite the mirror.
Accordingly, the more F1 and F2 can be made to approach the same magnitude, the closer F1 and F2 approach their upper limit values. In this way, the rigidities of the projecting claws and the vibration-proofing claws can be made to be large, and the ability to suppress chattering of the mirror surface of the mirror can be improved. At the same time, the engagement valleys
54
can be prevented from riding up over the engagement projections
58
due to elastic deformation of the claw members
56
, at the time when the rod drives
52
are moved automatically. Accordingly, the performances of the door mirror device
50
for a vehicle can be improved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the aforementioned, an object of the present invention is to provide a door mirror device for a vehicle in which a load, which is applied to a rod member and which is needed in order for an engagement valley to ride up over an engagement projection due to elastic deformation of a claw m
Sakamoto Masato
Tsujiuchi Yoshio
Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki
Nixon & Peabody LLP
Sikder Mohammad
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