Optical: systems and elements – Mirror – Automatically adjustable in response to vehicle position,...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-20
2001-02-27
Nguyen, Thong (Department: 2872)
Optical: systems and elements
Mirror
Automatically adjustable in response to vehicle position,...
C359S841000, C340S903000, C340S904000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06193380
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Automotive vehicles, such as passenger cars and trucks, conventionally have side view mirrors mounted on the sides of the vehicles to display to the driver images of the areas behind and to the sides of the vehicle. A conventional side view mirror comprises a support housing within which an adjustable angle mirror is mounted. The housing is connected to the vehicle in various known manners. The angularity of such mirrors can be adjusted by the vehicle driver either remotely, that is, from the driver's position behind the steering wheel of the vehicle, or directly, by direct hand pressure upon the mirror to move it within the housing.
Typically, the driver of a vehicle adjusts the angularity of the mirror so that the driver can view a reflected image of the respective side and rear area of the vehicle. Since the driver's position in a vehicle varies from one time to another because the driver may adjust the position of the vehicle seat upwardly or downwardly or forwardly and rearwardly, a mechanism for angularly adjusting the mirror is necessary in order to best display the reflected image desired by the driver.
Conventional, side view mirrors display a narrow angle and far distant side and rear area relative to the vehicle. Thus, there is normally a short distance area along the side of the vehicle which is commonly referred to as the “blind spot” or “blind spot” zone or area which is not ordinarily visible to the driver. In those instances where a following vehicle enters the blind spot area, the driver of the leading vehicle may not be aware of that condition. Because the following vehicle is not readily visible to the driver of the leading vehicle, the driver of the leading vehicle may inadvertently steer into the adjacent lane where the following vehicle is located or may veer towards the following vehicle a sufficient distance to collide with the following vehicle. Thus, accidents, involving collisions between a leading vehicle and a following vehicle located in the blind spot zone of the leading vehicle are common. At times, where the driver of the following vehicle was sufficiently alert, the following vehicle may have swerved away from the leading vehicle. That could have caused the following vehicle to run off the road or to collide with a another vehicle located on the opposite side of the following vehicle.
In the case of large trucks, frequently a separate, short range, wide angle, “blind spot” zone viewing mirror is mounted below or adjacent the normal side view mirror. Thus, the driver, has two mirrors to monitor in order to obtain both the normal side-rear view and a view of the vehicle's blind spot zone. However, that is somewhat distracting to the driver. Although separate “blind spot” or wide angle mirrors have been proposed for automobiles, the required sizes or size limitations on side view mirrors, in general, make these dual mirrors unpopular.
Thus, it would be desirable to have a dual view, side view mirror available for automotive vehicles, particularly passenger automobiles and other small size vehicles, which normally displays a normal side-rear image but which, when appropriate, will temporarily display a view of the blind spot zone to the vehicle driver. The invention herein is concerned with providing such a dual mirror which normally reflects the conventional narrow and long range side and rear view for a vehicle driver but, which will sense the presence of a following vehicle in the blind spot zone of a leading vehicle, and thereafter, will automatically adjust the angle of the mirror to momentarily display the presence of a following vehicle. When the following vehicle is no longer in the blind spot zone, the side view mirror will automatically return to its normal position.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
This invention is concerned with a dual automotive side view mirror which normally displays a reflection of the side and rear areas relative to an automotive vehicle, but which will momentarily focus upon the blind spot zone when a following vehicle enters and is in that zone.
This invention contemplates providing a mirror assembly, with an appropriate detector and sensor system, which can be adjusted by the vehicle driver for ordinary side viewing during driving. However, it also can be pre-set to focus on the blind spot zone automatically when the detector senses a vehicle in that zone. Once the following vehicle leaves that zone the system reverts back to its earlier, ordinary driving position. To accomplish this, a suitable servo-motor is provided which adjusts the angularity of the mirror to enable the vehicle driver to pre-set the normal driving position of the mirror and to pre-set the temporary or blind spot focus position so that the motor automatically positions the mirror in one or the other of the pre-set positions. The pre-set positions are likely to vary for different drivers, depending upon the location of the driver relative to the side view mirror and the normal viewing angles of the driver. These positions may depend on the height of the driver or the position of the driver's eyes relative to the vehicle side view mirrors. Thus, the system requires adjustability for each particular driver.
An object of this invention is to provide a simplified system by which a side view mirror can be pre-set into a normal viewing position relative to a particular driver and, in addition, can be pre-set into a viewing position which reflects the blind spot of the vehicle. The system includes sensing signals or beams which will detect a vehicle in the blind spot and cause the mirror to automatically move to a position that displays the blind spot area and later return the mirror to its normal driving position.
Another object of this invention is to provide a system which can be added as a modification to a presently existing mirror control system or which can be separately made as an aftermarket or add-on system to control a mirror assembly mounted on a vehicle.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a system which may be sufficiently versatile so as to use different kinds of sensing signals, such as microwave, laser, ultrasonic, air pressure or the like, depending which may be most economical and commercially effective for a particular installation.
These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following description, of which the attached drawings form a part.
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