A rear view mirror assembly.

The present invention relates to a rear view mirror assembly of r vehicle, and more particularly to improvements in a universally adjustable device disposed between a base member and a support arm of the rear view mirror assembly.

An adjustable device disposed between a base member and a support arm of a rear view mirror is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-open No. Showa 58-24595. In this Japanese Utility Model Laid-open No. Showa 58-24595, the rear view mirror includes a support arm, a spring and a base member. The base member is cemented on an interior of a windshield, and includes a bar and a mounting portion. The spring includes a hooked end and a rear edge, and the hooked end being mounted on the bar of the base member. The rear edge of the spring is disposed on the mounting portion, and the support arm is fixed on the spring by a bolt.

Further, the base member includes a slanted surface on a bottom surface thereof and the support arm includes an incline on an end thereof. As shown in FIG. 12 of Japanese Utility Model Laid-open No. Showa 58-24595, when a force "Pc" is applied to the rear view mirror, the support arm is moved downwardly and breaks away, because the incline of the support arm and the slanted surface of the base member prevent the support arm from resisting the force "Pc".

Furthermore, this rear view mirror assembly includes a spherical ball portion disposed on an opposite end of the support arm, the ball portion being received within a socket portion of the rear view mirror.

Therefore, this rear view mirror can be adjusted to its angle through the spherical ball portion and the socket portion of the rear view mirror. However, the range of the adjustment of this rear view mirror is rather small, because this rear view mirror includes only one adjustment device.

Another adjustment device disposed between a windshield header and a support arm of a rear view mirror is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 3,575,375.

In this U. S. Patent 3,575,375, the rear view mirror assembly includes a first adjustment device and a second adjustment device. The first adjustment device includes a clamping plate and a spherical ball on one end of the support arm. The second adjustment device includes a stud adjustably mounted on an opposite end of the support arm. The rear view mirror is mounted on the stud. Thus, this rear view mirror assembly can be adjusted to a wide range of angular positions by the first adjustment device and the second adjustment device.

Further, the ball on the support arm has a V-shaped notch so that the support arm can break away from the clamping plate when an excessive force is applied to the rear view mirror by rotating the support arm about the spherical ball. However, during assembly, it is necessary for a worker to pay attention to the desired distance between a mounting bracket for the entire assembly and the clamping plate, because the support arm cannot break away when a less than desired distance is defined between the mounting bracket and the clamping plate. It is further noted that the support arm cannot mount on the windshield header when a greater than desired distance is defined between a mounting bracket and the clamping plate. Thus, the device = disclosed in the '375 patent is relatively difficult to assemble.

A rear view mirror having an adjustment device which is disposed between a body member of a vehicle and the rear view mirror is disclosed in U.S. Patent 3,471,115. This adjustment device includes a semi-spherical socket portion and a spring. The semi-spherical socket portion engages frictionally with a ball end of a support arm for the rear view mirror, and a spring biases the ball end into engagement with the semi-spherical socket portion. The rear view mirror can move universally about the adjustment device when a force is applied thereto. However, the rear view mirror cannot break away from its mounting bracket under an excessive force because the support arm of the rear view mirror is connected to the mounting bracket through the spring.

U.S. Patent No. 3,425,657 discloses a rear view mirror assembly having a ball and socket joint. The ball includes a plurality of projections mating within grooves in the socket. The rear view mirror assembly, however, cannot break away from the windshield.

The present invention has been developed in view of the foregoing background and to overcome the foregoing drawbacks. It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a rear view mirror - assembly which is able to break away from a windshield, when more than a predetermined amount of a force is applied to the rear view mirror assembly in all directions of the rear view mirror.

It is another object of the invention to provide a rear view mirror assembly which is able to be adjusted universally to a wide range of angular positions.

Further, it is another object of the invention to provide a rear view mirror assembly which is relatively easier to assemble by enabling a worker to disregard a distance which is defined between a second ball member and a spring of the rear view mirror assembly, when the rear view mirror assembly is installed on the windshield.

In order to accomplish the above-described objects, a rear view mirror assembly according to the present invention includes a base member and a first unit of the rear view mirror assembly. The first unit of the rear view mirror assembly includes a mounting member, a spring, a support arm, a second ball member, a bolt and a rear view mirror. The base member is preferably cemented to a windshield of a vehicle, and the base member has a hook and a mounting portion thereon.

The mounting member is disposed on the mounting portion of the base member, and includes a first socket portion and a first aperture thereon. The first aperture is opened in the first socket portion. The spring is mounted on the hook of the base member, and the spring has an engagement device. The support arm includes an outer surface and an inner surface on an end thereof. The outer surface of the support arm is slidably mounted on the first socket portion of the mounting member, and the inner surface of the support arm includes a second socket portion. A second aperture is opened in both of the second socket portion of the inner surface and the outer surface. The rear view mirror is rotatably mounted. on an opposite end of the support arm.

The second ball member is slidably mounted on the second socket portion of the support arm, and the second ball member is connected to an end of the bolt. The bolt is inserted into the second aperture of the support arm and the first aperture of the mounting member, and the other end of the bolt is engaged with the engagement device of the spring.

Therefore, the components of the first unit of the rear view mirror assembly are united. The spring of the first unit of the rear view mirror assembly can support a predetermined amount of the downward vertical force on the hook of the base member, so that the first unit of the rear view mirror assembly can break away from the base member, when more than the predetermined amount of the downward vertical force is applied thereto.

Further, the engagement device of the spring has an inner end therein, so that the inner end prevents the bolt from being inserted more than a predetermined length. Therefore, a length defined between the engagement device and the second ball member is constant. Accordingly, it is not necessary of a worker to pay any attention to the length during assembly.

A diameter of the second aperture of the support arm is longer than a diameter of both the first aperture of the mounting member, so that the support arm can rotate about the bolt, and the support arm is capable of being universally adjusted to any angle in a wide range of angles.

The above objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the description of the invention which follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements, and wherein: <ul id="ul0001" list-style="none"><li>FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a rear view mirror assembly according to the present invention;</li><li>FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the rear view mirror assembly of a first embodiment, taken along the line iI-II in FIG. 1;</li><li>FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing components of the rear view mirror assembly shown in FIG. 1 in a disassembled condition;</li><li>FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the rear view mirror assembly of Fig. 2, which shows the support arm rotated about a central rotational point 17 of the rotation of the support arm in the clockwise direction in FIG. 2, when a force "F₁" is applied to the support arm in the horizontal direction in FIG. 2;</li><li>FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the rear view mirror assembly of Fig. 2, which shows the support arm rotated about the central point 17 of the rotation of the support arm in the clockwise direction in an amount greater than the condition which is shown in FIG. 4;</li><li>FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the rear view mirror assembly of Fig. 2, which shows the force "F ₁" applied to the support arm along the line connecting the central point 17 of the rotation of the support arm to a central point for of the rotation of the rear view mirror;</li><li>FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the rear view mirror assembly of Fig. 2, which shows the support arm rotated about a contact point 27 between a mounting member and a base member in the clockwise direction;</li><li>FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the rear view mirror assembly of a second embodiment, taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1; and</li><li>FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the rear view mirror assembly of a third embodiment, taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1.</li></ul>

The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate different embodiments according to the present invention.

Referring to Figure 1, a rear view mirror assembly is disposed at an upper central portion of a windshield 1 of a vehicle. A rear view mirror 25 is rotatably mounted on an inner surface of the windshield 1 through a support arm 15, a mounting member 14 and a first base member 3.

As shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3, the first base member 3 is cemented by an adhesive 2 to the windshield 1. The first base member 3 includes a plurality of screw holes therein, and a second base member 5 is fixed on the first base member 3 by a corresponding plurality of screws 29.

The second base member 5 includes a mounting portion 271 which is disposed in the vicinity of an outer peripheral edge thereof, and is on a substantially flat horizontal surface. A hook 6 extends from an inner portion of the mounting portion 271. The hook 6 has-an inner peripheral edge and an upper surface, the inner peripheral edge defining an opening 4 within the second base member 5. The upper surface of the hook 6 has a plurality of second projections 8 and a plurality of second recesses 7 thereon.

A spring 9 is defined within the opening 4 of the second base member 5. The spring 9 includes a cap 10, a plurality of first projections 11 and a plurality of first recesses 12. The cap 10 is fixed at a central portion of the spring 9, and includes a cavity 102 with an inner end 101 therein. The cavity 102 of the cap 10 includes a screw hole therein.

The plurality of first projections 11 of the spring 9 extend outwardly in its radial direction, and engage with the plurality of second recesses 7 of the second base member 5. Therefore, the spring 9 engages securely with the second base member 5, so that the spring 9 cannot rotate in the opening 4 of the second base member 5. Further, the spring 9 can support a predetermined amount of a downward vertical force so that the spring 9 can break away from the hook 6, when more than the predetermined amount of the downward vertical force is applied to the spring 9.

The mounting member 14 is disposed on the mounting portion 271 of the second base member 5. The mounting member 14 includes an upper peripheral edge 272 and a first socket portion 13. The upper peripheral edge 272 is in contact with the mounting portion 271 of the second base member 5, and the first socket portion 13 of the mounting member 14 is formed in a lower surface of the mounting member 14. The first socket portion 13 is formed in a semi-spherical concave shape, and has a first aperture 141 at the central portion of the mounting member 14.

The support arm 15 is pivotally mounted on the first i₃ocket portion 13 of the mounting member 14. The support arm 15 has an opposite end 24. The end 16 of the support arm 15 includes an outer surface and an inner surface. The outer surface of the support arm 15 has a first ball portion 161 thereon formed in a semi-spherical convex shape. The first ball portion 161 is mounted on the first socket portion 13 of the mounting member 14. The inner surface of the support arr 15 includes a second socket portion 162 which is formed in a semi-spherical concave shape. The inner surface of the support arm 15 defines a recess within the end 16 of the support arm 15, and a second aperture 21 is opened between the second socket portion 162 of the inner surface of the support arm 15 and the first ball portion 161 on the outer surface of the support arm 15. The second aperture 21 has an inner peripheral edge.

A curved or second ball member 18 having an upper semi-spherical convex surface is slidably mounted on the second socket portion 162 of the supporting arm 15. The second ball member 18 has a third aperture 181 and a plurality of protrusions 22 on its convex surface. Preferably, at least three protrusions 22 are disposed on the upper semi-spherical convex surface. The protrusions 22 are normally located within the inner peripheral edge of the second aperture 21.

A bolt 19 is provided for securing the various components together. The bolt 19 includes a head portion on an end thereof adjacent the second ball member 18. The opposite end of the bolt 19 is inserted into the cavity 102 in the cap 10 of the spring 9. An intermediate shank portion of the bolt 19 extends through the third aperture 181 of the second ball member 18, the second aperture 21 of the support arm 15, and the first aperture 141 of the mounting member 14. A diameter of the second aperture 21 is greater than the diameter of the first aperture 141 and the third aperture 181, so that the support arm 15 is supported for universal movement. That is, the support member 15 can rotate about the vertical axis of the bolt 19 (Fig. 2), the protrusions 22 rotating within the second aperture 21. The support member 15 can also rotate about a central point 17 (Fig. 2) of the support arm 15 to an extent defined by the inner peripheral edge of the second aperture 21. Rotation about the central point 17 requires the inner surface of the support arm 15 to ride over the protrusions 22.

It should be apparent to one skilled in the art that the bolt 19 may be a screw or a rod.

The opposite end of the bolt 19 is prevented from being inserted into the cavity 102 of the cap 10 more than a predetermined length by the inner end 101 of the cap 10, so that a bolt length defined between the cap 10 and the head portion of the bolt 19 is constant. The bolt length between the cap 10 and the head portion of the bolt 19 is greater than a sum of the thicknesses of the mounting member 14 around the first aperture 141, the supporting arm 15 around the second aperture 21, and the second ball member 18 around the third aperture 181. Therefore, the support arm 15 can move along the longitudinal axis of the bolt 19, as well as rotating about a central portion 17 of the support arm 15.

It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the bolt 19 may be integral with the second ball member 18.

The recess of the support arm 15 opens downward in a lower portion of the support arm 15, and a cover 23 is disposed within the recess. Therefore, the cover 23 covers the recess and improves the aesthetic appearance of the rear view mirror assembly.

The opposite end of the support arm 15 includes a ball portion 24, and the ball portion 24 formed in a spherical ball shape. The ball portion 24 is rotatably received in a spherical socket portion 241 which is defined within the rear view mirror. 25.

A first unit of the rear view mirror assembly includes the bolt 19, the spring 9, the mounting member 14, the support arm 15 and the second ball member 18. In the first unit of the rear view mirror assembly, the bolt 19 unites the spring 9, the mounting member 14, the support arm 15 and the second ball member 18. When more than the predetermined amount of the downward vertical force is applied to the spring 9, the first unit of the rear view mirror assembly can break away from the second base member 5.

A washer 20 is disposed between the cap 10 and the mounting member 14. Preferably, the washer 20 is made of synthetic resin. The washer 20 includes a hole therein which is slightly smaller than a diameter of the bolt 19. Therefore, the washer 20 prevents the bolt 19 from moving easily in the hole of the washer 20, once the bolt 19 is inserted into the hole of the washer 20. Further, the washer 20 and the bolt 19 can unite the mounting member 14, the support arm 15 and the second ball member 18, and then these components make up a second unit of the rear view mirror assembly. During assembly, the second unit (I. e., mounting member 14, support arm 15 and second ball member 18, all of which are united by the bolt 19 and the washer 20) is attached to the spring 9 by threading the bolt 19 into the cop 10. The assembly of the second unit with the spring 9 forms the first unit. The spring 9 may be inserted within the second base member 5 when the second unit is attached to the spring.

As shown in Figure 2, the plurality of protrusions 22 of the second ball member 18 are normally disposed in the second aperture 21 of the support arm 15, so that the plurality of protrusions 22 normally prevent the rotation of the support arm 15 about the central point 17. Therefore, it is convenient for a worker to install the second unit of the rear view mirror assembly on the spring 9, because these components of the second unit cannot change their positions due to the interlocked relation between the protrusions 22 and the second aperture 21 of the support arm 15. That is, the insertion of the protrusions 22 within the second aperture 21 temporarily maintains the components in position during assembly. As noted above, once assembled, the inner surface of the support arm 15 can ride over the protrusions 22 to permit rotation about the central point 17.

Description will be hereunder given of operation of the above-described embodiment.

As shown in Figure 4, the inner surface of the support arm 15 can ride on the protrusion 22 of the second ball member 18, when a force "F_l" is applied to a central point 26 of the ball end 24 of the support arm 15. As a result of the force "F₁", the support arm 15 rotates about a central point 17 of the support arm 15. The intermediate shank portion of the bolt 19 limits the movement of the support arm 15 to rotate within a space defined by the second aperture 21. That is, the inner peripheral edge of the second aperture 21 contacts the intermediate shank portion of the bolt 19 and thus limits the rotation of the support arm 15 about the central point 17.

When the force "F₁" is continuously applied to the support arm 15 in the horizontal direction in FIG. 4, a first moment M₁ in the clockwise direction about a point 28 is calculated by a first formula (1) as follows:<maths id="math0001" num=""><img file="EP0169731A2_D0001.tif" /></maths>

In this first formula (1), ℓ₁ is a vertical length between the point 28 and the central point 26 of the ball end 24 for the rear view mirror 25. The point 28 is defined between the first ball portion 161 of the support arm 15 and an edge of the first socket portion 13 of the mounting member 14.

A second moment "M₂" in the clockwise direction about point 28 in Fig. 4 is calculated by the second formula (2) as follows:<maths id="math0002" num=""><img file="EP0169731A2_D0002.tif" /></maths>

In the second formula (2), ℓ₂ is the horizontal length between point 28 and the bolt 19, and "F₂" is a downward vertical force on the bolt 19. The resiliency of the spring 9 resists the force "F₂".

For equilibrium, M₁ must equal M₂. Therefore, the downward vertical force "F₂" along the bolt 19, which is applied to the spring 9, is calculated by a third formula (3) as follows:<maths id="math0003" num=""><img file="EP0169731A2_D0003.tif" /></maths>

In Figure 5, a force "F₃" is applied to the central point 26 and a downward vertical force "F₄" is applied to the spring 9. If the force "F₃" is larger than the force "F₁", and a force "F₄" is not larger than the predetermined downward vertical force, the support arm 15 is further rotated about the point 28. The first ball portion 161 of the support arm 15 separates partially from the first socket portion 13 of the mounting member 14, and the support arm 15 is supported by the spring 9. In this condition, the force "F₄" is balanced with a bias force "F₅" of the spring 9 so that the moments generated about the point 28 are equal. The force "F₄" is calculated by a fourth formula (4) as follows:<maths id="math0004" num=""><img file="EP0169731A2_D0004.tif" /></maths>

Next, if the force "F₃" becomes larger, and the force "F₄'' becomes larger than the predetermined amount of the downward vertical force, the spring 9 can break away from the hook 6 of the second base member 5. Concurrently the first unit of the rear view mirror assembly can break away when the spring 9 separates from the hook 6.

As shown in Figure 6, when the force "F_l" is applied to the support arm 15 along the line which connects the central point 26 to the central point 17 of the support arm 15, the support arm 15 cannot be rotated about the central point 17.

However, the vertical and horizontal components F_1v, F_1h of the force F₁ cause a third moment M₃ in the clockwise direction about a point 27, the point 27 being defined between the mounting portion 271 of the second base member 5 and the upper edge 272 of the mounting member 14. The third moment M₃ in the clockwise direction about the point 27 is calculated by a fifth formula (5) as follows:<maths id="math0005" num=""><img file="EP0169731A2_D0005.tif" /></maths>

In this fifth formula (5), ℓ is a vertical length between the point 27 and the central point 26 of the rotation of the rear view mirror 25, and ℓ₅ is a horizontal length between the point 27 and the point 26.

Therefore, as shown in Figure 7, the support arm 15 and the mounting member 14 can be rotated about the point 27, so that the upper edge 272 of the mounting member 14 separates partially from the mounting portion 271 of the second base member 5. In this case, both of the support arm 15 and the mounting member 14 are supported by the spring 9. In Figure 7, a downward vertical force "F₆" along the bolt 19 generates a fourth moment M₄ in the clockwise direction about the point 27. The fourth moment M₄ is calculated by the following sixth formula (6):<maths id="math0006" num=""><img file="EP0169731A2_D0006.tif" /></maths>

In this sixth formula (6), t 4 is a horizontal length between the point 27 and the bolt 19.

If M₃ equals M_4' then the force F₆ along the bolt 19 is balanced with a bias force "F₇" of the spring 9 and calculated by a seventh formula (7) as follows:<maths id="math0007" num=""><img file="EP0169731A2_D0007.tif" /></maths>

Next, if the force "F₁" increases and the force "F₆" becomes larger than the predetermined amount of the downward vertical force, the spring 9 can break away from the hook 6 of the second base member 5. Therefore, the first unit of the rear view mirror assembly can break away.

A second embodiment of a rear view mirror assembly is shown in Figure 8. The second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment disclosed in Figure 2. However, the second embodiment has several differences disclosed hereunder

A third base member 30 includes a cavity 441 defined therewithin. A spring 9 is disposed within the cavity 441 of the third base member 30, and is mounted on a hook 6 of the third base member 30. The spring 9 includes a base plate 39 at a central portion thereof. A bolt 38 extends downwardly from the base plate 39 of the spring 9, and the bolt 38 has a screw thread thereon. '

A mounting member 33 includes a third ball portion 32 at a lower surface thereof, and a fourth aperture 34 therein. The fourth aperture 34 is opened in the third ball portion 32, and the bolt 38 is inserted into the fourth aperture 34. The third ball portion 32 of the mounting member 33 is formed in a semi-spherical convex shape.

A support arm 15 includes an end 35 having an outer surface and an inner surface thereof. A third socket portion 351 is formed on the outer surface of the support arm 15, and the third socket portion 351 is slidably mounted on the third ball portion 32 of the mounting member 33. The third socket portion 351 of the support arm 15 is formed in a semi-spherical socket concave shape, and a fifth aperture 37 is opened in the third socket portion 351 of the support arm 15. A diameter of the fifth aperture 37 of the support arm 15 is greater than a diameter of the fourth aperture 34 of the mounting member 33, and the bolt 38 is inserted into the fifth aperture 37 of the support arm 15. A fourth ball portion 352 is formed in the inner surface of the support arm 15, and has a semi-spherical convex shape. The fifth aperture 37 is opened in the fourth ball portion 352 of the support arm 15.

A fourth socket member 40 is mounted on the fourth ball portion 352 of the support arm. The fourth socket member 40 includes an upper semi-spherical concave surface 401 thereon and a sixth aperture 402 which is opened in the upper semi-spherical concave surface 401 thereof. A diameter of the sixth aperture 402 of the fourth socket member 40 is smaller than the diameter of the fifth aperture 37 of the support arm 15, and the bolt 38 is inserted into the sixth aperture 402 of the fourth socket member 40, so that the support arm 15 can rotate about the bolt 38 within a space defined between the third ball portion 32 of the mounting member 33 and the upper semi-spherical concave surface 401 of the fourth socket member 40.

A nut 41 is mounted on a lower surface of the fourth socket member 40, and the nut 41 engages with the screw thread of the bolt 38. Therefore, the nut 41 can support the fourth socket member 40, the support arm 15 and the mounting member 33 on the hook 6 of the third base member 30 through the bolt 38 and the spring 9.

A first unit of the rear view mirror assembly includes the fourth socket member 40, the support arm 15, the mounting member 33, the spring 9 and the bolt 38.

Further, the fourth socket member 40 includes a second protrusion 42 on the upper semi-spherical concave surface 401 thereof, and the second protrusion 42 is disposed around the sixth aperture 402 of the fourth socket member 40. The second protrusion 42 of the fourth socket member is normally disposed within the fifth aperture 37 of the support arm 15, so that the support arm 15 cannot rotate easily about a central point 17 of a rotation of the support arm 15. However, the fourth ball portion 352 of the support arm 15 can ride over the second protrusion 42 of the fourth socket member 40, when a force "F is applied to the support arm 15. N

A third embodiment of a rear view mirror assembly is shown in Figure 9. The third embodiment is substantially similar to the second embodiment disclosed in Figure 8. However, the major difference between the second embodiment and the third embodiment is a nut 411.

The nut 411 includes a cavity 413 and an inner end 412, and the cavity 413 is defined within the nut 411. The nut 411 has a screw hole therein, and a bolt 38 is inserted into the cavity 413. The inner end 412 of the nut 411 prevents a bolt 38 from being inserted into the nut 411 more than a predetermined length, so that a length defined between an upper surface of the nut 411 and a base plate 39 of a spring 9 is constant. Therefore, a bias force which is normally caused on the spring 9 is constant, and the nut 411 can support a fourth socket member 40, a support arm 15 and a mounting member 33 on a hook 6 of a third base member 30 through the spring 9 and the bolt 38. A first unit of the rear view mirror assembly includes the spring 9, the mounting member 33, the support arm 15, the fourth socket member 40, the nut 411 and the bolt 38.

As described herein, the present invention overcomes the shortcomings or the known art by providing a first unit of the rear view mirror assembly which can break away, when a force is applied to the rear view mirror in all directions of the rear view mirror. Further, assembly is facilitated by forming the components into a second sub-unit which is attached to the spring to form the first unit.

Further, techniques relating to the rear view mirror may be found in European Patent Applications filed by the present Applicants concurrently with the present Application, and all entitled "A REAR VIEW MIRROR ASSEMBLY".

While the present invention has been described in its preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, and may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.