Optical: systems and elements – Mirror – Automatically adjustable in response to vehicle position,...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-23
2001-01-23
Shafer, Ricky D. (Department: 2872)
Optical: systems and elements
Mirror
Automatically adjustable in response to vehicle position,...
C359S872000, C359S877000, C359S900000, C307S010100, C340S540000, C340S555000, C340S556000, C362S494000, C701S049000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06176587
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for use in locating a vehicle driver, passenger or object in the vehicle for controlling vehicle systems including the positioning of vehicle sideview mirrors in relation to the driver's eyes to maximize the view of traffic on either side of the vehicle or the characteristics of vehicle airbag deployment.
2. Description of the Background Art
Passenger and commercial vehicles, e.g. automobiles and fight trucks, are typically provided with a number of comfort features for the benefit of occupants and safety features and systems that are intended to help avoid collisions or to ameliorate the effects of collisions. At this time, virtually all enclosed vehicles, i.e. automobiles, sport utility vehicles, vans, trucks, etc., are provided with safety belts for use by occupants to strap themselves in. In addition, at least front seat driver's side and passenger's side explosively inflated airbags have become standard equipment in such vehicles. Typically, airbags are mounted in the steering wheel hub and in the dash area forward of the front seat passenger and, in some cases, in the vehicle side doors. The airbags are inflated when sudden deceleration of the vehicle is sensed. A force and duration of deployment is currently prescribed that is standardized to average driver and passenger size and seat adjustment position.
Moreover, vehicle mirror assemblies and adjustment systems are provided as standard safety systems in such vehicles. An interior rearview mirror for viewing rearward of the vehicle and exterior left (driver's side) and right (passenger's side) sideview mirrors with which the vehicle driver can view traffic to the sides and rear of the vehicle within certain fields of view dictated by the positioning of the mirrors are provided as standard equipment. Typically, the interior rearview mirror can be manually adjusted about horizontal (pitch) and vertical (azimuth) axes through its mount to the headliner or windshield to provide corresponding pitch and azimuth angle adjustment of the view through the vehicle rear window. Even when properly adjusted, the bordering structure of the rear window limits the view to either side. Consequently, vehicles are provided with left and right exterior rearview or sideview mirrors that are typically mounted at the junctures of the left and right windshield pillars with the adjacent front seat side windows. Mechanical or electromechanical, remote joystick controls are provided to allow the driver to adjust the sideview mirrors for azimuth (side to side about a vertical axis) and pitch (up and down about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle). Improper adjustment of the sideview mirrors, particularly in azimuth angle results in wide “blind zones” or “blind spots” on either side of the vehicle.
Such blind zones or spots are widely described in the prior art, and examples are depicted as shown, for example, in the FIGS. 1 and 4 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,835. The blind zones on either side generally subtend an azimuth arc angle between the limits of the driver's peripheral vision while looking ahead and the left and right limits of the fields of view of the left and right sideview mirrors when the mirrors are aimed along the vehicle sides and a pitch angle generally bisected by the horizon. The blind zones are really cone-shaped tunnel areas expanding outward from the sides of the vehicle slightly downward from the eye level of the driver and away from the vehicle sides. Customarily, these right and left blind zones are referred to as blind spots, and that term will be used hereafter.
The current method of exterior sideview mirror alignment used on virtually all domestic and imported passenger vehicles simply relies on the driver's judgment as to the proper imagery he/she should see reflected by the sideview mirror. This is supposedly gained by experience with different settings. Many drivers erroneously believe that correct azimuth angle alignment is achieved when the side panels of their own vehicle are reflected back to them along one edge of the exterior sideview mirrors when they are in their normal driving position.
A wide number of solutions to the problem of correctly setting the sideview mirror position to maximize the view of the blind spot have been proposed but not adopted. One approach is to attempt to enlarge the viewing angle. Wide viewing angle, static mounted, sideview mirrors and dynamically movable sideview mirrors are the subjects of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,019,812, 4,187,001, 4,318,590, 4,439,813, 4,575,202, 4,792,220 and 4,971,930. All of these proposed solutions require either bulky assemblies, distort the image in the field of view so that the driver does not see all the potential safety hazards in correct prospective, or are complex electromechanical systems with intermittent or continuously running motors and subsequent noise and vehicle power drain.
Further approaches to solving the problem of correctly aligning the sideview mirrors to eliminate or minimize blind spots are set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,022,747, 5,033,835, 5,122,910 and 5,237,458. The '747, '835 and '910 patents employ an auxiliary mirror built into a corner of the sideview mirror which images a reference point or marker on the vehicle side to which the mirror is mounted when the main mirror is properly aligned to image the vehicle blind spot. In another form of the '835 patent, the sideview mirror is first adjusted by the driver to image the reference point, and then the electromechanical system changes the alignment a preset amount to image the blind spot. A lamp on the adjustment mechanism lights when the final alignment position is achieved by the system.
The use of auxiliary mirrors on or visible through the front surface of the main sideview mirror that are large enough to view a vehicle reference point reduces the mirror surface area for viewing into the blind spot. Also, the imaged target on the side of the vehicle may not always be clearly visible due to road grime on the vehicle or simply because of low ambient lighting. Finally, salient auxiliary mirrors and targets on the side of the vehicle large enough to be seen by the driver are anathema to automotive stylists.
Moreover, such approaches provide only a limited range of correct mirror adjustment and are not usable in all seat positions for all driver heights. In this regard, it should be noted that the '747 and '910 patents profess that their disclosed systems are insensitive to driver height and seat position of up to 8 inches fore and aft and up and down from a “standard driver”. However, the illustrations of
FIGS. 8 and 9
confirm that the rearward views attained at these nonstandard positions do widely vary and are not ideal. The ability of the non-standard driver to rely on the setting attained by imaging the vehicle targets depends greatly on how large the sideview mirror surface is. As vehicle manufacturers seek to minimize sideview mirror size for styling and economy reasons, it is clear that this approach may well mislead drivers of non-standard height or seat position preference.
The '458 patent professes to be an improvement on the earlier system of the '747 and '910 patents and discloses a light source
9
in the mirror housing
3
that illuminates a target
7
or is an illuminated target. The target
7
is reflected by an auxiliary mirror
6
and through a light transmissive portion
5
of the sideview mirror
4
. It would appear that the targeting approach taken in this system is geared toward ensuring that an exact correct alignment is attained for a “standard driver”, and all other driver positions are only approximately correct. Again, the adequacy of the sideview mirror setting for non-standard driver eye locations is highly dependent on the amount of the sideview mirror surface area.
In a further approach, certain automobiles have auxiliary turn signal indic
Breimayer Joseph F.
Shafer Ricky D.
LandOfFree
Method and apparatus for adjusting vehicle mirrors does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method and apparatus for adjusting vehicle mirrors, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method and apparatus for adjusting vehicle mirrors will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2458984