GB2124567A

GB2124567A - Holder for a rear view mirror

Info

Publication number: GB2124567A
Application number: GB08318805A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Goran Johansson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1982-08-02
Filing date: 1983-07-12
Publication date: 1984-02-22
Also published as: SE8303989L; NO155530C; NO832613L; FR2531020A1; NO155530B; IT8322341A0; SE457941B; GB2124567B; SE8303989D0; GB8318805D0; FR2531020B1

Abstract

A holder 1, for a rear view mirror 10, comprises a housing 5 accommodating a pivot shaft provided with a coupling pin 22 which is loaded by a pressure spring 25 and side engages in grooves in a base piece 23 which can be rotated by an electric motor 3 (Fig. 1) through a worm 13 and wheel 17. When the rear view mirror or the like 10 collides with an object, the coupling part or pin 22 is lifted out of the grooves 24 against the pressure of the spring 25 and when the impact of the collision has subsided, the coupling part or pin 22 will slide down into the nearest groove 24. The motor 3 is then brought into operation, by a push button control, in one or the other of two directions until the mirror has returned to its original position. The motor 3 may also be used for readjustment of the mirror. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Holder especially for a rear view mirror or the like The present invention relates to a holder especially for a rear view mirror, for example a heavy vehicle rear view mirror or the like. The invention is more particularly concerned with a holder as aforesaid provided with a housing to accommodate a pivot shaft for the mirror or the like.

In order to protect vehicle rear view mirrors, and the vehicles on which they are mounted, to a substantial extent against the possibility of damage which may occur by reason of collision of the protruding mirror with objects, known mirror holders, or the mirrors themselves, are usually arranged so as to be pivotable or able to yield in some other way. Such arrangements are generally accepted and found to be advantageous.

In relation, for instance, to motor cars there are generally no special difficulties in returning rear view mirrors deflected from their intended position back into the right position, because such deflecting movements, out of position, do not occur very often. Furthermore, most cars are usually so narrow that the driver can often comfortably correct the position of the rear view mirror on both sides, when this is required, from the interior of the vehicle and from the driver's seat.

However, with heavy vehicles of various kinds the position is different. Since heavy vehicles, according to their nature, carry loads of various widths, and furthermore are wider than cars, and often have to pass through relatively narrow passages, adjustment of the rear view mirror has to be effected more often, and adjustment of the rear view mirror at the side of the vehicle remote from that at which the driver sits can often only be done with the driver leaving his seat. Because of this, correction of the positions of pivotable rear view mirrors is often left undone, which is of course totally unacceptable for road safety.

Because heavy vehicles comparatively often knock against obstructions or bump their rear view mirrors in various ways against objects, there is here a real problem, which for instance, with vehicles operating in forests, can arise a number of times a day. For instance, vehicles for transporting logs frequently come into contact with branches, which can easily shift the rear view mirror out from its properly adjusted position.

An object of the present invention is, therefore, to counteract these drawbacks and remove or at least mitigate the described problems as far as possible and generally further develop the status of the technology in this area.

With this object in view, the present invention provides a holder for example for a heavy vehicle rear view mirror and provided with a housing to accommodate a pivot shaft for said rear view mirror or the like, characterised in that said pivot shaft is associated with a coupling part which at one side is influenced by a pressure spring and at the other side cooperates with a part having alternative grooves or the like for at least partial accommodation of the coupling part.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates a non-limitative embodiment of the invention. In the drawing: Fig. 1 a partial schematic sectional view illustrating a vehicle, in a front or rear view considered in the driving direction, showing the main parts of the said embodiment of the holder according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a section through the holder, taken along the line Il-Il of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section through the holder, taken along the line Ill-Ill of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a plan view of one of the components of the holder of Figs. 1 to 3.

In the figures the reference numeral 1 indicates generally the inventive holder which is for a rear view mirror, especially for a heavy vehicle rear view mirror. Of course, the inventive holder is not limited to this area of use, by may also be employed for holding articles other than mirrors and also for mounting on objects other than heavy vehicles or vehicles at all. Reference numeral 2 indicates, for instance, a part of a vehicle, such as a door panel. At the inside thereof, especially in the interior of the vehicle door, there is an electric motor 3, preferably a low-voltage motor of the same or similar kind to those known and used for door window regulators in heavy vehicles and cars. This motor 3 is secured to the part 2 by way of a mounting plate 4, for instance on the inside of the vehicle door, while on its outside a housing 5, provided with holes 6 and 7, is arranged.Screws (not shown) introduced into the holes 6, 7 extend through the part 2 and into the mounting plate 4.

The housing 5 can be made in one or more parts, especially castings and has a pivot shaft hole 8 for a pivot shaft 9 for a rear view mirror 10 or the like, here only partialiy shown.

Moreover, the housing 5 includes a cavity 11 with which communicates a somewhat off-set bearing hole 12 for a worm 13 provided on a shaft 14 having bearings 1 5 and having at one end, outside the housing 5, a coupling 1 6 providing a connection (not shown) to the above mentioned electric motor 3 by way of appropriate coupling components.

The worm 13 engages a worm wheel 17 which is arranged concentrically with the pivot shaft 9 inside the cavity 11, being centered between a cap 1 8 and a casing 19, which latter part is sealed by a base piece 23. Bolts 20 hold the entire unit together. For this, the bolts 20 extend through drilled holes in the worm wheel 17, whereby the individual parts are secured against rotation relative to each other. In relation to the housing the cap 1 8 and the base piece 23 are rotatably supported by washers 21 of a suitable material.

In the space enclosed by the cap 1 8 and the casing 19, which space is substantially in the shape of a hollow cylinder, there is a compressed spring 25 which surrounds the pivot shaft 9. This spring 25 abuts, for instance by way of a washer 26 by one end on the under surface of the cap 18, and the other end, in the same way with the aid of a washer 26, exercises a pressure on a coupling pin or the like 22 which extends at a right angle through the pivot shaft 9 and locates in grooves or the like 24 at the inner surface of the base piece 23. In other words, there are, on the inner surface of the base piece 23, preferably several flute-like recesses 24 or the like such that the coupling pin or the like 22 together with its pivot shaft 9, only has to make a quarter of a turn in order to engage the next adjacent groove or similar.It should be understood, that such recesses 24 may alternatively have the shape of a notch pattern or the like with a relatively fine or close pitch.

The operation of the inventive holder is easy to understand, is simple and is reliable. If the mirror or the like 10 is moved from its proper position and needs to be returned to the desired position, or maybe readjusted to another position, then this is effected in the same way as a door window regulator, for instance by pressing the one or the other of two buttons on the vehicle's dash board, these buttons being arranged so that each provides a respective direction of movement.

Pressing of the button makes the electric motor 3 rotate the worm 13 in the appropriate direction, this rotation being transmitted at a chosen gear ratio to the worm wheel 1 7 and thence to the cap 18, and the base piece 23 and through the latter, the coupling pin 22 or the like and finally to the pivot shaft 9. The entire unit is turned until the wanted position is reached, at which position the button is released.

Accordingly, the pivot shaft 9 and with it the rear view mirror or similar 10 is pivotable through an angle of 3600 and more by the electric motor 3 and at the same time independently of this it serves as a diverter which will cushion collision shocks and similar, when the coupling pin or the like 22 lifts against the action of the compressed spring 25 out of its groove in order to decrease the impact of the collision thereafter immediately slipping into the next adjacent groove. In this way, the risk of damage is minimised and at the same time return to the previously-adjusted position or any change to a new position can be effected fast and safely, for instance from the driver's seat.

The embodiment described above and shown in the drawing is to be considered as a non-limiting example, which can be changed and complemented within the scope of the following claims, at will. One can, for instance, replace the coupling pin or the like 22 by a disc or the like with a screen patterned or otherwise profiled surface, which matches with a complementary surface at the inner surface of the base piece 23.

Under some conditions use can be made of means providing sliding surfaces alone, or surfaces working together under friction.

Claims

1. A holder, for example for a heavy vehicle rear view mirror and provided with a housing to accommodate a pivot shaft for said rear view mirror or the like characterised in that said pivot shaft is associated with a coupling part which at one side is influenced by a pressure spring and at the other side cooperates with a part having alternative grooves or the like for at least partial accommodation of the coupling part.

2. A holder as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the holder is directly or indirectly connected to an electric motor which for instance is arranged at the inside of a vehicle door with the aid of a mounting plate, while the holder at the outside of said vehicle door or the like comprises a housing which preferably is provided with holes for accommodating screws which extend through the door of the vehicle or the like and into the mounting plate.

3. A holder as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the housing comprises one or more parts preferably castings and has a pivot shaft hole for the pivot shaft of the rear view mirror or the like.

4. A holder as claimed in claim 2 or 3, characterised in that the housing includes a cavity with which communicates an off-set bearing hole for a worm or the like having a shaft and bearings and one one of the shaft, outside the housing, carrying a coupling for connection to said electric motor.

5. A holder as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that the worm engages with a worm wheel which is arranged concentrically around the pivot shaft inside the cavity, centrally between a cap and a casing which latter is closed by a base piece, bolts serving to hold the entire unit together, these bolts extending through holes in the worm wheel and securing the individual parts against movement relative to each other.

6. A holder as claimed in claim 5, characterised in that the cap and the base piece each are rotatably supported by washers.

7. A holder as claimed in claim 6, characterised in that in the space, enclosed by the cap and the casing, substantially in the shape of a hollow cylinder, said pressure spring surrounds the pivot shaft and, preferably via washers, rests by one end on the under surface of the cap and presses by its other end via a washer on the coupling part which preferably is in the form of a coupling pin or the like and extends at a right angle through the pivot shaft, in order to interact with said grooves or the like, provided on the inner surface of the base piece.

8. A holder as claimed in claim 7, characterised in that the grooves or the like on the inner surface of the base piece are flute-like and preferably arranged in a cross configuration.

9. A holder as claimed in claim 7, characterised in that the grooves or the like are in a notch pattern or the like, preferably having a relative fine or close pitch.

10. A holder as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims characterised in that the mirror or the like may be returned to a wanted position or may be repositioned and for this purpose comprises two buttons, for instance at the dashboard of a vehicle, actuation of each of said buttons provides for a respective direction of movement by rotation of the worm with the desired torque and transmission of the rotation with a chosen gear ratio to the worm wheel and thus to the cap, the casing and the base piece and through the latter to the coupling pin or the like and finally to the pivot shaft, for rotation of the entire unit until the desired position is reached.

11. A holder especially for a heavy vehicle rear view mirror, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.