Abstract: An exterior mirror assembly including an attachment member for supporting an approach light. The attachment member interconnects a mirror housing to a vehicle and includes an opening for receiving a lens. Light projects through the lens from the attachment member in order to illuminate a predetermined area in proximity to the vehicle. A light source may be housed within the support member or, alternatively, a light source may be housed interior to the vehicle and a light path transports light from the light source to the lens for projection from the support member.

Abstract: A vehicle door mirror having a housing. The housing connects to a vehicle door via a stem. An intermediate member is inserted between the housing and the vehicle door to effect relatively smooth abutment between the intermediate member and each of the housing and the vehicle door. The cylindrical stem extends from the housing through the intermediate member and through the vehicle door. The stem includes primary engagement members to engage with complementary engagement members formed in a mounting hole of the door. The engagement members prevent removal from the mounting hole when the stem is in a predetermined orientation. A spring is compressed between the housing and the stem to cause retraction of the stem inward of the housing. Such inward movement urges the primary engagement members into engagement with the complementary engagement members.

Abstract: A vehicle door mirror having a housing. The housing connects to a vehicle door via a stem. An intermediate member is inserted between the housing and the vehicle door to effect relatively smooth abutment between the intermediate member and each of the housing and the vehicle door. The cylindrical stem extends from the housing through the intermediate member and through the vehicle door. The stem includes primary engagement members to engage with complementary engagement members formed in a mounting hole of the door. The engagement members prevent removal from the mounting hole when the stem is in a predetermined orientation. A spring is compressed between the housing and the stem to cause retraction of the stem inward of the housing. Such inward movement urges the primary engagement members into engagement with the complementary engagement members.

Abstract: The mirror head of a vehicle exterior mirror has a hollow cylindrical bearing which is journalled on a spigot. The spigot has radially outwardly projecting detents on its outer end which engage with a shoulder on the bearing to retain the mirror head on the spigot. Slots divide the outer end of the spigot into lobes which are resiliently bendable inwardly to allow the detents to move past the shoulder. After assembly, a cylindrical blocking element is inserted into the spigot to block inward bending movement of the lobes.

Abstract: A closure for a fuel tank filler pipe comprises a body carrying a seal at one end for engagement with an outer end of the filler pipe, an outer cover, and a latch member at the other end of the body coupled to the cover and having latching projections for engagement with complementary formations on the filler pipe. A spring biases the latch member towards the outer cover so as to urge the seal into engagement with the end of the filler pipe when the latching projections on the latch member are in engagement with the complementary formations on the filler pipe. The connection between the latch member and the outer cover allows a predetermined range of angular movement of the outer cover relative to the latch member in the unlocking direction before unlocking commences.

Abstract: An exterior mirror assembly for a motor vehicle comprising a housing (11) containing a first mirror carrier (10, 50, 80) having a first substantially plane mirror (12, 58, 82) mounted thereon and a second mirror carrier (16, 52, 82) mounted adjacent to the first mirror carrier (10, 50, 80) for angular movement about an axis (18, 56, 86) parallel to an adjacent edge of the first mirror (12, 58, 82). The second mirror carrier (16, 52, 82) has a plane mirror (24, 66, 98) on a first face and a convex mirror (26, 68, 100) on a second face. When the second mirror carrier (16, 52, 82) in a first orientation, the mirror (24, 66, 82) on the first face forms a substantially continuous reflective surface with the mirror (12, 58, 88) on the first mirror carrier (10, 50, 80) of substantially uniform curvature.

Abstract: A closure for the filler pipe of a tank, comprises a gasket mounted in a gasket housing and arranged to engage with a flange on an end of a filler pipe, a cap stem coupled to the gasket housing for relative angular movement about the axis of the filler pipe and having a central portion adapted to project into the filler pipe. A clamp ring carries a pair of clamping lugs adapted to pass through cut-outs in the flange and, after angular movement, to engage under the flange. A spring acts between the stem and the clamp ring to urge the clamping lugs into engagement with the flange. A cam acts between the clamp ring and the gasket housing to hold the clamping lugs out of engagement with the flange until the clamp ring is at a predetermined orientation relative to the gasket housing. A locking ring couples the stem to the clamp ring.

Abstract: An exterior rear view mirror assembly for a motor vehicle, comprises a first mounting plate pivotally mounted within a housing and a mirror glass secured to a second mounting plate. The first mounting plate has a pair of spaced parallel projections, each of which contains a groove confronting the groove 38) in the other projection. A pair of resilient beams are secured at their ends to the second mounting plate by spaced-apart support formations so as to engage in the grooves in the projections on the first mounting plate. One of the grooves contains protuberances positioned to engage with the beam at an intermediate location between its ends. The second mounting plate can be released from the first mounting plate by bending the beam round the protuberances so as to allow the other beam to disengage from the projections.

Abstract: An exterior rear view mirror for a motor vehicle has a housing containing a reflective member and being adapted to be secured to a bracket, mounted on the vehicle body, by first and second arms. Each arm is pivotally connected to the bracket for relative angular movement about a pivot axis. In order to hold the housing at a predetermined orientation relative to the bracket means, a first pair of detent formations on the second support element diametrically spaced on opposite sides of the pivot axis is adapted to engage with a first pair of complementary formations on one face of a washer located between the second support element and the bracket means, and a second pair of detent formations on the opposite face of the washer diametrically spaced apart from one another relative to the pivot axis and orientated at 90.degree. to the first pair of complementary formations, the second pair of detent formations, is adapted to engage with a second pair of complementary formations on the bracket.

Abstract: A rear-view mirror system for a motor vehicle comprises a mirror housing, a reflective member mounted in the housing, electrically operated drive means for varying the orientation of the reflective member, a position sensor for producing a signal indicating the actual position of the reflective member, and a data processor comprising means for storing a value indicating a pre-selected orientation for the reflective member and means for comparing said value with the signal from the position sensor and producing a control signal for the drive means. The data processor includes a decoder and is located in the housing and is connected to an encoder at a central location, the encoder being arranged to send a multiplicity of data signals to the processor on a common data transmission line.

Abstract: An exterior rear view mirror assembly has a base member adapted to be fixed to the body of a vehicle and carrying a first detent formation located at a predetermined radius from a substantially vertical axis. A mirror support member is mounted on the base member for angular movement about this vertical axis. A detent carrier which is also angularly movable about said vertical axis, carries a second detent formation confronting said first detent formation at the same radius from said vertical axis. Clamping means are arranged to secure the detent carrier to the mirror support member at a selected one of a multiplicity of orientations relative thereto.

Abstract: An exterior rearview mirror for a motor vehicle has a housing mounted on a base member by means of a ball-and-socket joint comprising a socket formed in the base member and a convex member attached to the housing. The socket comprises the concave inner surface of a hollow part-spherical member. An arm has a concave surface formed on one end and adapted to engage with the convex outer surface of the part-spherical member. Resilient means are arranged to bias the arm towards the convex member so as to urge the concave surface on the arm against the convex outer surface of the part-spherical member and to urge the concave inner surface of the part-spherical member against the convex member, and release means on the other end of the arm are operable to reduce the friction resisting movement of the housing relative to the base member about the part-spherical member. Operation of the release means thus enables the orientation of the housing relative to the base member to be adjusted with relatively little effort.

Abstract: An exterior mirror for a vehicle comprises a base member attached to the vehicle body, first pivotal engagement means mounted on an arm secured to the base member so as to project laterally in the opposite direction to the mounting face, a housing for a reflective member having second pivotal engagement means. Resilient means extend between a point on the base member which is nearer to the mounting face than the pivot axis and a chain comprising a first link and a second link. The first link is pivotally attached to the base member at one end and pivotally attached to the second link at the other end, the resilient means being pivotally attached to an intermediate point on the second link. A cam surface on the second link is urged by the resilient means into engagement with a projection on the base member located between the pivot axis and the point of connection of the first link to the base member.

Abstract: An exterior mirror for a vehicle comprises a base member adapted to be mounted on the vehicle body, first pivotal engagement means mounted on an arm secured to the base member so as to project laterally from the vehicle body, a housing for a reflective member having second pivotal engagement means, and resilient means for urging the first and second pivotal engagement means into engagement with one another so that the housing is pivotally movable relative to the base member about a first pivot axis.

Abstract: Clamping means for a strap comprises a support member having a concave surface and a guide member having a convex surface. The guide member is pivotally mounted on the support member for angular movement between a first position in which the concave and convex surfaces are spaced apart by a distance greater than the uncompressed thickness of the strap and a second position in which the concave and convex surfaces are spaced apart by a distance less than the uncompressed thickness of the strap. The guide member further comprises a lobe so positioned in relation to the convex surface that the length of the path of the strap extending from a first predetermined location, round the lobe and between the concave and convex surfaces (24, 48), to a second predetermined location decreases as the guide member pivots from its first position to its second position.

Abstract: An adjustable shoulder anchorage assembly comprises a vertically extending track mounted on the interior of a vehicle body above the level of the shoulders of an occupant of an adjacent seat and a traveller mounted on the track and carrying a guide member having a slot for receiving the strap of a safety belt. An L-shaped latch member has an opening in one limb surrounding the pivotal mounting means and engaging with a shoulder thereon, the other limb projecting beyond the track and carrying a latching formation. Resilient means biases the first limb away from the track so as to move the latching formation into engagement with one of a series of complementary formations on the track so as to inhibit movement of the traveller along the track. Blocking means prevents movement of the latching formation out of engagement with the complementary formations. Manual release means operates first to inhibit the blocking means and then to disengage the latching formation from the complementary formations.

Abstract: An adjustable shoulder anchorage for a vehicle safety belt comprises a vertically extending track mounted on the interior of the vehicle body above the level of the shoulders of an occupant of an occupant of an adjacent seat and having a plurality of indexing formations facing away from said seat. A traveller is mounted on the track and carries a guide member having a slot for receiving the strap of the safety belt. A latch member is mounted on the traveller for movement between a first position in which a latching formation thereon engages with one of the indexing means on the track so as to inhibit movement of the traveller along the track and a second position in which the latching formation is disengaged therefrom. The traveller includes a base plate on the same side of the track as the indexing formations and having emergency latching formations for engagement therewith, together with deformable means for holding the base plate away from the indexing formations in normal use.

Abstract: Clamping means for a strap, comprises a guide member pivotally mounted on a base member for angular movement about a first axis, and a clamping member pivotally mounted on the base member for angular movement about a second axis parallel to the first axis and located at a greater radius from the second axis than the radius of the guide member from the first axis. Resilient means biases the guide member and the clamping member into a rest position in which the strap is freely movable between the guide member and clamping member. Coupling means are arranged so that angular movement of the guide member against the bias of the resilient means towards the plane containing the two pivot axes causes corresponding angular movement of the clamping member, thereby wrapping the strap round both the clamping member and the guide member.

Abstract: A buckle for a safety belt has a body in which a passageway is provided for receiving a tongue and a latch member movable transversely of the passageway between a latching position in which it engages with the latching formation to retain the tongue in the passageway, and a release position in which the tongue is displaceable by an ejector outwardly from the passageway from its retained position, the latch member being biased into its released position by a spring. A first toggle member pivots about a fulcrum on the latch and abuts a second toggle member which pivots about a fulcrum on the body. The toggle members have a first stable position in which the latch member is held in its latching position against the action of its biasing spring.

Abstract: In a passive safety belt system for a motor vehicle, the belt is moved away from the body of the user when the corresponding vehicle door is opened. A master piston-and-cylinder unit is connected between the door and the vehicle body so as to respond to opening and closing movements of the door. Slave piston-and-cylinder units having a smaller bore and larger stroke than the master piston-and-cylinder unit, are connected to the master piston-and-cylinder unit so that a relatively short displacement of the piston of the latter causes a longer displacement of the piston of the former. Each slave piston-and-cylinder unit connected to the safety belt adjacent to a respective anchorage and arranged to displace the safety belt forwardly away from the seat as the door is opened.