GB2335898A

GB2335898A - Mirror for a commercial vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2335898A
Application number: GB9907821A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Mcandrew; Michael Gallagher
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-04-03
Filing date: 1999-04-06
Publication date: 1999-10-06
Also published as: IES980248A2; GB9907821D0; IES81066B2

Abstract

A viewing system comprises a convex conical mirror (2) mounted on the vehicle (41) so as to be positioned at the front of the vehicle towards the side of the vehicle opposite from the driver's driving position. As a result, the driver can view the area adjacent the wheel at the opposite side from the driver's position. The mirror is preferably mounted on the outside of the cab of the vehicle.

Description

2335898 1 MIRROR FOR A COMMERCIAL VEHICLE.

This invention relates to a viewing system, in particular to a mirror for improving a driver's field of vision, especially for wide bodied commercial vehicles where the height and width of the vehicle limit the driver's view at the side opposite and down from the driver's normal sitting position.

Since the development of transportation vehicles, the problem of blind spots has continued to cause problems for the vehicle operators. These blind spots are a safety risk to both the driver and all other road users and a satisfactory solution to many of these problems has not been found. With the development of large commercial trucks, a new set of blind spots had to be considered due to the size of the vehicle.

The present invention concerns the blind spot located on the opposite side of a truck from the driver, Due to the height and width of the cab of a normal articulated truck, the driver has no view of this area and any vehicle or pedestrian immediately in front of, down from and directly to the rear of the side view mirror will not be seen. This blind spot is particularly dangerous when the truck is turning towards the blind spot e.g. when a right hand drive truck is turning to the left, especially in a situation where there are people close by. The main object of the present invention is to afford a view of the area on the opposite side of the vehicle to the driver and forwardly and rearwardly from that position.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a viewing system for a commercial vehicle comprising a convex conical mirror mountable on the vehicle so as to be positioned at the front of the vehicle towards the side of the vehicle opposite from the driver's driving position, whereby the driver can view the area adjacent the vehicle wheel at the opposite side from the driver's position.

This view gives the driver a complete view around the front of the cab and allows its driver 30 to see any obstacle positioned in the blind spot. For example if the truck stops in traffic 2 and a young child steps out onto the road just in front of the truck the driver will see the danger in the additional mirror.

Advantageously, the mirror is adjustably mounted on one end of an elongate support element which is mountable to the outside of the cab of the vehicle.

Additionally, the elongate support element is fixed to the roof of the vehicle cab or to a wind deflector mounted on the cab roof.

i o Alternatively, the elongate support element is mountable on and extendable from a mirror support system at the said opposite side of the commercial vehicle.

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings which show one embodiment of a mirror according to the CI invention in various mountings.

is Figure 1 a is a side view showing a convex conical mirror housed in a moulding and attached to a support bar; Figure 1 b is also a side view of the convex conical mirror of Figure 1 a; Figure 1 c is a top plan view of the mirror of Figure 1 a and 1 b; Figure 2a shows a second embodiment of a support bar of the viewing system of Figures 1 a 25 to 1 c; Figure 2b is a top plan view of the viewing system of Figure 2a; Figure 3 is a side view of the mirror and a portion of the support bar of Figures 1 a to 1 c; 3 Figure 4 is a side view of the cab showing one mounting position of the front view mirror from the side of the truck; Figure 5 is a front view of the cab showing the mounting position of Figure 4 from the front of the truck; Figure 6 is a perspective view of the truck showing a second mounting position for the viewing system.

Referring to the drawings and initially to Figures 1 a to 1 c, there is shown a viewing system indicated generally by the reference numeral 1. The viewing system 1 comprises a mirror 2 mounted in a circular housing 3 having a circular base 4, an encircling support wall 5 and a mirror securing rim 6. The base 4 defines an aperture 16 into which a ball 7 sits and is supported by a housing 8. The ball 7 is connected to a shaft 9 terminating in a threaded screw 10. The shaft 9 has a conical section 11 and a circular section 12 terminating in the screw 10. The conical section 11 provides the mirror 2 and housing 3 with a greater range of movement and thus provides the driver with a greater field of view.

The screw 10 is threaded into a connecting block 13, which is a substantially cuboidal block of lightweight material such as aluminium. The connecting block 13 defines a counterbore 14 for locating a capscrew 15. A support bar 16 is secured to the capscrew 15 and has an attachment means 17 for securing the unit to a vehicle or a support structure of a vehicle (not shown). The attachment means 17 has two counterbores 14 on the support bar 16 at the end remote from the mirror 2.

In Figures 2a and 2b, there is shown a second embodiment of the viewing system 1 of Figures 1 a to 1 c. In this embodiment the threaded screw 10 and connecting element 13 (see Figures 1 a to 1 c) are replaced by a substantially right-angled arcuate section of circular shaft 2 1. A cuboidal shaft 22 extends from the shaft 21 and defines an opening 23 at one end. A further attachment device 24 is fastened to the shaft 22 by a bolt 25 and provides two conterbores 26 for securing the unit 1 to a vehicle (not shown).

4 Referring now to Figure 3 there is shown the viewing system 1 of Figures 1 a to 1 c excluding the connecting element 13 and the support bar 16 (see Figures 1 a to 1 c). The housing 8 comprises an internal support bracket 3 1, defining a circular groove 32 against which the ball 7 rests and an external support bracket 33. The bracket 33 is mounted on the external surface 34 of the circular base 4 and has a centrally located protruding hollow tube 35 for housing the shaft 9. The external support bracket 33 has an inner sleeve 36 defining an open ended circular groove 37 through which the conical shaft 11 is attached to the ball 7.

i o Referring to Figure 4, there is shown a viewing system 1 in accordance with the invention. The drawing shows a passenger side view of a right-hand drive commercial vehicle 4 1. The commercial vehicle 41 has a side mounted rear view mirror 42 on the top left hand corner of the commercial vehicle door 43 enabling the driver D of the commercial vehicle 41 to see almost everything from this point backwards. As can be seen from the drawing, the driver D of the vehicle 41 has no view of the area forward of the line marked 'X' using only the rear view mirror 42. A convex conical mirror 2 is mounted on the top of the commercial vehicle 41 to provide a view of the blind spot region.

Figure 5 shows a front view of the commercial vehicle 41 of figure 4. The convex conical mirror 2 is mounted on the top of the vehicle 41 to provide a view of the blind spot region.

Figure 6 is an isometric view of a truck T with the attached convex conical mirror 2 in the desired position opposite ftom the driver attached to the cab R by a number of fastening clips 63 and a support member 64 secured to the top of the cab R.

This positioning and location of the mirror 2 significantly improves the driver's field of vision and can provide a major contribution to road safety.

It will of course be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific details 3o described herein, which are given by way of example only, and that various modifications and alterations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

6

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A viewing system for a commercial vehicle comprising a convex conical mirror mountable on the vehicle so as to be positioned at the front of the vehicle towards the 10 side of the vehicle opposite from the driver's driving position, whereby the driver can view the area adjacent the vehicle wheel at the opposite side from the driver's position.

2. A viewing system as claimed in claim 1, in which the mirror is adjustably mounted on one end of an elongate support element which is mountable to the outside of the cab of 15 the vehicle.

3. A viewing system as claimed in claim 2, in which the elongate support element is fixed to the roof of the vehicle cab or to a wind deflector mounted on the cab roof.

4. A viewing system as claimed in claim 2, in which the elongate support element is mountable on and extendable from a mirror support system at the said opposite side of the commercial vehicle.

5. A viewing system substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.