Optical: systems and elements – Mirror – With support
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-03
2001-01-09
Sikder, Mohammad Y. (Department: 2872)
Optical: systems and elements
Mirror
With support
C359S872000, C359S873000, C359S874000, C359S841000, C248S476000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170957
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a motor-adjustable vehicle rear-view mirror, and more particularly to an arrangement that includes a housing that contains at least one mirror glass assembly, a mirror adjustment drive and a reinforcing plate, wherein the mirror adjustment drive acting on the alignment of the mirror glass assembly is mounted to the reinforcing plate by means of a fastening device.
2. Discussion of Relevant Prior Art
Vehicle rear-view mirrors that are motor-adjustable are well known in this field. The mirror adjustment drive is electrically connected to a power supply by very varied designs.
For example, connecting leads can be soldered to the respective connecting terminals of the mirror adjustment drive. The other ends of the connecting leads are brought out of the mirror housing and are connected to the power supply by means of a connector. The necessary soldering process increases the number of time consuming work steps during the assembly of the mirror. Furthermore, when mounting of the mirror, there is a great danger that the electrical leads will be crushed during the fastening of the mirror adjustment drive to the reinforcing plate.
In another embodiment according to the state of the art, the contacts are made by means of plug connectors that are arranged on the drive. Such plug connectors at this exposed place have to be made moisture-tight, which considerably increases their volume and makes mounting additionally difficult. Furthermore, the danger still exists that cables will be crushed, and in the worst case even parted, during mounting.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to provide a secure and simple structure for the electrical connection of electrical components within a vehicle rear-view mirror.
This is effected surprisingly simply by a motor-adjustable rear view mirror having the following features:
a housing, a mirror glass assembly, at least one mirror adjustment drive that effects alignment of the mirror glass assembly, a reinforcing plate, and a fastening device that fastens the mirror adjustment drive to the reinforcement plate, in which the fastening device has at least one section for transmission of electrical energy and/or electrical signals to the mirror adjustment drive.
According to the present invention, the electrical energy and/or electrical signals to the mirror adjustment drive are conducted by means of at least a section of the fastening device that is made conductive. The conventionally necessary additional connection between the mirror adjustment drive and the wire harness is dispensed with. Crushing cables between the mirror adjustment drive and the reinforcing plate is avoided. Because an additional electrical connection is dispensed with, the work cost and the space requirement in the mirror housing during mounting are decreased.
To securely seat the mirror adjustment drive on the reinforcing plate, the fastening device can include at least three connecting elements. If these connecting elements are themselves arranged to be electrically conductive and electrically insulated from each other, the three electrical connections that are usual at the present time can be completely effected by means of the fastening device. For electrical contacting, the connecting elements can be electrically connected in the vicinity of (i.e. at or the neighborhood of) a first end with the respective connecting leads of the motor, for example in the form of contact strips, and in the vicinity of a second end with the wiring harness that supplies power and/or data signals.
In order to insure a compact construction, the at least sectionally conductive connecting elements extend in passage openings in the mirror adjustment drive.
Many conventional connecting devices can be used as the connecting elements, and if necessary can be modified as regards their electrical conductivity. For example, the connecting element can include in a simple structure a screw with a nut that holds the mirror adjustment drive and the reinforcing plate in abutment between the screw head and the nut. To insure easy mounting, the connecting element can also consist of two parts, with interengaging sections of the two parts forming a rotary snap-on closure, and with at least the mirror adjustment drive and the reinforcing plate held in abutment between the two ends of the connecting element.
The usual diecast parts, or else plastic parts, can be used as the reinforcing plate. Plastic reinforcing plates have the advantage, in contrast to diecast reinforcing plates, that no electrical insulation of the feedthroughs of the mirror adjustment drive, for example, in the form of sleeves introduced into the feedthroughs, is necessary.
The invention can also be applied to the newer vehicle rear-view mirrors that use intelligent electronics in the mirror glass housing, with analog and/or digital control.
The printed circuit board that receives the electronics can be directly or indirectly seated on the reinforcing plate, and the connecting elements can be connected with contact places on the printed circuit board. The contact places can be electrically connected to the wiring harness that provides the current supply and/or the digital data signals. In this manner, a digitally controllable mirror adjustment drive, which requires two digital signal leads (digital signal/ground) and two leads for the voltage supply (analog plus/ground) can be connected according to the invention by means of four conductive connecting elements. Furthermore, by combining the digital and analog ground, there is the possibility of working with only three connecting elements, which according to the invention simultaneously serve as electrical connections.
In order to produce a contact of the at least sectionally electrically conductive screw to the printed circuit board, an electrically conductive nut, for example a rivet nut, can be arranged in the printed circuit board, and the screw is screwed or turned onto it, while the electrically conductive rivet nut is connected on the printed circuit board to the corresponding lead of the wiring harness.
The provision of a printed circuit board seated on the reinforcing plate furthermore offers the possibility of contacting the heating leads of the mirror glass through the mirror adjustment drive in a similar manner to the connecting elements. In this case also, the mounting of an additional cable pair is dispensed with, and the risk of crushing an electrical connection during assembly is avoided.
For this purpose, two spring contact pins project through the mirror adjustment drive from the printed circuit board, and press on associated contacts of the heating system on the back side of the mirror glass carrier.
To protect the electrical contacts or the electronics against moisture, and in particular against corrosion-promoting salt water, the printed circuit board can be protected in the vehicle exterior mirror. The usual processes for sealing electronic components, as regards the dimensions of the sheathing structure, the setting time, and the setting temperature, do not satisfy the requirements to be placed on components in a vehicle outer mirror. Various processes for the sealing of electronic assemblies are known in the state of the art, such as molding and casting. However, this does not hold for the specific application to the exterior mirror region of motor vehicles. According to the invention, an effective protection, particularly also against vibration, can be provided by molding around the printed circuit board, for example with an elastic material, applied by an injection molding process and sheathing and sealing the printed circuit board. A melt adhesive can be used as the material, for example. The advantage of such a material also consists in that it is easy to process, requires only a short setting time and low setting temperature, and can be applied in a sufficient thickness. An effective and permanent sealing of the electronic components is thereby also insured.
REFERENCES:
p
Donnelly Hohe GmbH & Co. KG
Sikd-er Mohammad Y.
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