Patents Assigned to Murakami Kaimeido Co
  • Patent number: 6061168
    Abstract: A flat type all-solid electrochromic anti-glare mirror includes a flat, transparent glass substrate, the back face of which is coated with a transparent conductive coating, an all-solid electrochromic layer, and a conductive-reflective coating. In the above, the outer surface of the conductive-reflective coating and the electrochromic layer is fully covered with a resin layer made of a material that has resistance to wetness, moisture, and corrosion and functions to block migration of ions, without the use of a sealing glass plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Assignee: Murakami Kaimeido Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Ishima, Osamu Nawamaki, Hideyuki Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 5805367
    Abstract: A transparent electrode 21 formed by the ITO film, an EC layer 22 of an optoelectronic comprising element, a reflecting film also serving an electrode thin film 23 and an insulating sealing film 24 are deposited on a rear surface of a transparent substrate 20 of a main member of a mirror 10. The transparent substrate 20 has dividing lines 15, 16 for dividing a mirror surface area into a main mirror surface area 11 of a certain curvature convex surface having a large radius curvature and a supplemental mirror surface area 12 of a gradually varied curvature convex surface having a gradually decreased radius curvature. The EC layer 22 and the reflecting film also serving the electrode thin film 23 are divided along the dividing line 16 by cutting the transparent electrode 21 so that a reflectivity can be independently controlled on the main mirror surface area 11 and the supplemental mirror surface area 12 to achieve a safe driving of an automobile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1998
    Assignee: Murakami Kaimeido Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toru Kanazawa
  • Patent number: 5796532
    Abstract: A back mirror has plural mirror surface areas of different curvatures disposed side by side or plural mirror surface areas disposed side by side to form discontinuous planes. The back mirror includes a dividing line having a light diffusion effect formed along a border portion of the plural mirror surface areas. The dividing line may be formed by projections and depressions having a light diffusion effect which are formed on at least one of a transparent substrate, reflecting film and a transparent thin film formed on the reflecting film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1998
    Assignee: Murakami Kaimeido Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toru Kanazawa
  • Patent number: 5781356
    Abstract: A levelness adjusting device includes a positioning a unit mounted on a support surface for an actuator unit which is fixed on a frame, in which said positioning a unit comprises a base screw hole to play a support point, several adjusting screw holes which are located on a same circumference centering the base screw hole and are opened at positions adjusted to an inclination of the shaft for rotating a mirror body and several screws threaded into the screw hole so as to fix the actuator unit on the frame. The screw is penetrated from the actuator unit front portion to the frame via the screw hole which is formed on a periphery edge of the actuator unit. The screw is threaded into the base screw hole and the corresponding screw hole, and the actuator unit is positioned on the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 14, 1998
    Assignee: Murakami Kaimeido Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazunori Okada, Toshihiro Mochizuki, Kazunari Yamauchi, Masahiko Ito
  • Patent number: 5768020
    Abstract: An automatic anti-glare rearview mirror system includes an anti-glare rearview mirror, a rearview mirror drive circuit, a backward light level sensing device, an ambient light level sensing device, a backward and ambient light level comparison circuit, and an enforced DAY level control device or an enforced DAY level setting device for controlling an anti-glare mode of the mirror according to the ambient light level. The enforced DAY level control device varies the ambient light level to operated an enforced DAY generation circuit by informations from a clock circuit other than a photo-sensor, any time operable switches and variable controller or a light switch ON of an automobile of itself.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1998
    Assignee: Murakami Kaimeido Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Mitsuyoshi Nagao
  • Patent number: 5724200
    Abstract: The electrically powered remote control rearview mirror includes a mirror body (12); an actuator unit (15) including a housing (16, 17) having an outer surface with a convex portion (43) and a concave portion (46); mirror tilting motors (31, 32) inside the housing (16, 17) with motor terminals (31a,31a); wire harnesses (39) for electrical connection to the respective motors, each of which include harness terminals (37, 38) for electrical contact with respective motor terminals (31a,31a), and connectors (40) secured to the housing to maintain the electrical connection of the respective wire harnesses (39) to the motors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1998
    Assignee: Murakami Kaimeido Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshihiro Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 5640274
    Abstract: An EC mirror having an end surface of layers consisting of an ECD, an output electrode, and a clip electrode, prevents attacking by water submerging through the end surface, improves sealing ability with the mirror holder, prevents the mirror from chattering and a strange noise due to a vibration of the mirror, improves an anti-impact ability of the ECD end surface. An insulating member is disposed to cover ECD periphery portions and connecting portions of an output electrode, the clip electrode and a harness cord. A water proof member is disposed on an outer periphery of the insulating member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 17, 1997
    Assignee: Murakami Kaimeido Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tokumitsu Iwama, Michiaki Hattori
  • Patent number: 5636071
    Abstract: The speed reduction device for the electrically powered foldable rearview mirror includes a two stage speed reduction worm mechanism connecting an electrically powered motor for folding the rearview mirror which is fixed on a frame of a mirror body and a clutch gear engageably and removably mounted on a shaft which stands on a base and on which the mirror body is rotatably mounted. The first stage worm of the speed reduction worm mechanism is a twin gear including a worm screw portion with a coaxial spur gear on an end thereof. The second stage worm is a twin gear including a worm screw portion with a coaxial worm wheel on an end thereof. The spur gear of the first stage worm is engaged with a pinion mounted on an output shaft of the motor but the axis of the worm screw portion of the first stage worm is parallel with the motor output shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 3, 1997
    Assignee: Murakami Kaimeido Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihiro Mochizuki, Kazunari Yamauchi, Masahiko Ito, Yoshihiko Narukawa
  • Patent number: 5620245
    Abstract: A manuscript display apparatus includes a bow-shaped main body having a light emitting body housed therein translucent diffusion plate arranged on top of the main body to diffuse light emitted from the light emitting body, a support portion rotatably supported with respect to the main body, and a half mirror supported at the tip end of the support portion. When the manuscript display apparatus is to be used, a manuscript sheet is placed on top of the diffusion plate in such a way that its surface on which a manuscript is written faces down to th diffusion plate. The light emitted from the light emitting body is diffused by the diffusion plate and uniformly illuminate the manuscript sheet from the underside thereof. The light that passes through the manuscript sheet is reflected off the half mirror and therefor the manuscript is displayed as a virtual image. Because the virtual image is reversed at the half mirror, the virtual image displays the manuscript of the manuscript sheet in its original form.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 15, 1997
    Assignee: Murakami Kaimeido Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akiyoshi Kobayashi, Toru Yamana, Yoshitake Nakazawa, Shinichi Yamamoto, Hidenori Sato
  • Patent number: 5594585
    Abstract: A vehicle mirror has a mirror housing and a mirror assembly provided in the mirror housing. The mirror assembly includes a glass substrate and a reflecting film made of chromium or aluminum and formed on the back surface of the glass substrate. A panel heater is bonded by adhesive to the back surface of the reflecting film. A hydrophilic film is formed on the front surface of the glass substrate. The hydrophilic film is made of a hydrophilic oxide film such as SiO.sub.2 and functions to spread a waterdrop deposited on the mirror surface in the form of a thin water film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1997
    Assignee: Murakami Kaimeido Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toru Komatsu
  • Patent number: 5581406
    Abstract: The mirror system has devices for adjusting the reflectivities of the interior and exterior rearview mirrors to different values to correct the driver's unbalanced rearview visibility. These devices include, for instance, a liquid-phase ECD used in the interior rearview mirror and a solid-state ECD used in the exterior rearview mirror so that appropriate reflectivities of the two mirrors can be obtained, even if they experience the same operation conditions. When the same-type ECD is used for both interior and exterior rearview mirrors, the drive voltage for the exterior rearview mirror is made lower than that for interior rearview mirror to make the latter's reflectivity smaller than the former's. For this purpose, transforming circuits are provided as well as terminal voltage sensing and controlling circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 3, 1996
    Assignee: Murakami Kaimeido Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaki Kobayashi, Michiaki Hattori
  • Patent number: 5579178
    Abstract: An electrically powered foldable rearview mirror includes a sealing structure of a driving unit capable of preventing from water flooding through a clearance for receiving harness cords to be wired, in which the sealing cap is mounted over a frame periphery to cover an upper surface of a motor and a reduction gear train, a harness cord receiving hole connecting to a motor terminal and a harness cord ejecting hole engaging in a cylindrical shaft of the frame are respectively provided on the sealing cap, and the sealing cap is engaged over the rotating shaft upper end to have an air permeable clearance between the harness cord ejecting hole and the shaft upper end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1996
    Assignee: Murakami Kaimeido Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshihiro Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 5514940
    Abstract: The control device controls an electrically powered foldable rearview mirror in which a mirror body is reversibly rotatable around a shaft by an electric motor contained in the mirror body and in which the mirror body rotation is stopped in a predetermined erected position and folded position by rotation stop devices. The control device for controlling mirror rotation includes a switching circuit for switching the power supply connections to the motor to rotate the mirror body in one of two direction, a relay circuit for supplying and cutting off power to the motor and a relay control circuit connected to the relay circuit and the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 7, 1996
    Assignee: Murakami Kaimeido Co. Ltd.
    Inventor: Toru Okamoto
  • Patent number: 5486952
    Abstract: In a device for driving an EC antiglare mirror in which reflectivity is variably controlled by an EC element, a surrounding light quantity detection circuit detects quantity of light surrounding a vehicle. A rear light quantity detection circuit detects quantity of light in the rear of the vehicle. An oscillation circuit is constructed so that duration of an "H" level of an oscillation signal and duration of an "L" level of the oscillation signal are individually controlled. An inversion period control circuit variably controls duration of one of the "H" and "L" levels of the oscillation signal generated by the oscillation circuit in response to light quantity detected by the surrounding light quantity detection circuit and also variably controls duration of the other level in response to light quantity detected by the rear light quantity detection circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 23, 1996
    Assignee: Murakami Kaimeido Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuyoshi Nagao, Hidenori Sato, Michiaki Hattori
  • Patent number: 5477392
    Abstract: The electrically powered foldable outer rearview mirror includes a base (43); a shaft (10) mounted on the base and including a protruding cylindrical portion (11) and a flange portion (20) having a slide surface (Sa); and a frame (15) rotatably engaged on the cylindrical portion (11), the frame (15) having a root portion (24) provided with an annular-shaped sliding portion (S) bearing on the slide surface (Sa) to slide smoothly around the cylindrical portion (11). The frame is provided with an annular-shaped plate stopper element (14) in a rear surface of the root portion (24) and inside of the annular sliding portion (S). The flange portion (20) has a shaft stopper element (32) loosely engaged in an arc-shaped groove (31) provided in the frame root portion (24) and balls (13,13) accommodated in respective hemispherical apertures (12,12) provided in the flange portion (20) and located so that the balls (13,13) engage in recesses (14c) in a plate stopper element (14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 19, 1995
    Assignee: Murakami Kaimeido Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihiro Mochizuki, Naoto Iwanabe
  • Patent number: 5432641
    Abstract: The rearview mirror has a shaft attached to a base, a mirror body rotatably mounted on the shaft, a frame fixed to the mirror body, an electric drive motor and a speed reduction gear mechanism fixed to the frame, and a clutch gear mounted on the shaft and engaged with a final stage gear of the speed reduction gear mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 11, 1995
    Assignee: Murakami Kaimeido Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshihiro Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 5315442
    Abstract: The electrical control system for an electrically powered foldable rearview mirror having a mirror body mounted on a hollow supporting shaft extending from a supporting base so as to be movable between a folded state and an erected state, comprises a reversible motor and reduction gear drive contained in the mirror body; a motor drive circuit connected to the reversible motor to drive the mirror body between the folded state and the errected state; a mechanical stop device to stop rotation of the mirror body when the mirror body reaches the erected state or the folded state including convex and concave portions on the a root portion of the shaft and mirror body respectively; a noncontacting sensor for detecting a halt to motor rotation as a result of a halt of mirror body rotation; and a control circuit for interrruption of the motor drive circuit when the noncontacting sensor detects the halt of the motor rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 24, 1994
    Assignee: Murakami Kaimeido Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidenori Sato, Naoto Iwanabe
  • Patent number: 5155625
    Abstract: A waterdrop repellent mirror provide a vibration plate which piezoelectric oscillator is affixed on the back side of the mirror, and a heater is placed therein to heat up the mirror surface. The piezoelectric oscillator on the rear surface of the mirror give ultra sonic wave vibration to the mirror through the vibration plate. When mirror surface resonate by inputting the vibration of the oscillator to the mirror, any waterdrop sticked on the mirror surface are dispersed. Re-sticked fine mist of waterdrop or frozen frost on the mirror surface can be removed by heated up the mirror, thereby clear mirror surface can be secured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1992
    Assignee: Murakami Kaimeido Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toru Komatsu, Yasutoshi Itoh, Naoto Iwanabe, Hidenori Sato
  • Patent number: 5151828
    Abstract: A rear view mirror mounted on an interior surface of a vehicle has a base, a frame and a stay. The frame arranged on an upper surface of the stay contains an elastic engaging means including an arc-shaped leaf spring and on an inside wall surface of a cavity of the base, dents are formed for elastically receiving stoppers of respective ends of the arc-shaped leaf spring when the frame is engaged in the cavity. When an external force is applied to the stay, the stay easily drops out of the base due to removing the stopper from the dent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1992
    Assignee: Ltd. Murakami Kaimeido Co.
    Inventor: Naomi Sugimura
  • Patent number: 5008603
    Abstract: A system for controlling the folded or erected rearview mirror position selectively by turning reversible motors (23,24) incorporated in the rearview mirrors by operating an operation switch (22) in the cabin of a motor vehicle, includes a door lock controller (10) locking the doors of the motor vehicle by an outer door lock switch (13,14) or inner door lock switch (15,16), a controller (20) for controlling the folded rearview mirrors, and switches (25,26,27,28) for detecting the folded or erected rearview mirror position mounted in the rearview mirror turning parts, in which an electrically foldable rearview mirror system is interlocked with the door lock controller (10) for controlling the folded rearview mirrors including a driving circuit (31,32) changing over the reversible motors between regular and reverse rotations, and a micro computer (30) controlling the driving circuit by processing the inputs from said switches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 16, 1991
    Assignees: Murakami Kaimeido Co., Ltd., Fiat Auto S.p.A.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Nakayama, Darbesio Luigi