Patents by Inventor Herwig Polzer

Herwig Polzer has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6612707
    Abstract: The invention relates to an exterior rear-view mirror comprising an adjustably held glass subassembly and at least one electrical drive motor (2), with the glass subassembly being adjustable via at least one adjustment mechanism arranged between the drive motor (2) and the glass subassembly. The adjustment mechanism comprises a drive shaft (7, 8) with an eccentrically shaped shaft section (9, 10) and a drive bar (12, 13) arranged between the glass subassembly and the eccentrically shaped shaft section (9, 10) of the drive shaft (7, 8). The drive shaft (7, 8) and the drive bar interact in such a way that a rotatory actuating movement of the drive shaft (7, 8) is converted to a linear actuating movement, acting on the glass subassembly, of the drive bar (12, 13) as a result of excursion of the eccentrically shaped shaft section (9, 10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2003
    Assignee: Donnelly Hohe GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Rudolf Kaspar, Herwig Polzer
  • Patent number: 6568414
    Abstract: An arrangement for cleaning the mirror element of an outside rear view mirror is disclosed. The arrangement includes a washing nozzle, which is disposed in the region of the outside rear view mirror on a motor vehicle and from which a jet of a cleaning liquid may be discharged. The position of the mirror element (1) relative to the body of the motor vehicle is variable, whereas the washing nozzle (9) is connected in a fixed manner to the body. To improve the cleaning action of the washing to nozzle (9), the mirror element (2) may be adjusted between a normal position, in which the driver may observe the traffic behind him in the mirror element (2), and a cleaning position, in which an advantageous angle for cleaning, in particular a steep angle arises between the mirror plane of the mirror element (2) and the jet of cleaning liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2003
    Assignee: Donnelly Hohe GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Hans-Joachim Fuchs, Peter Fuerst, Herwig Polzer
  • Patent number: 6340231
    Abstract: An electrically adjustable external rear view mirror (1) for a motor vehicle with a mirror element (4), a housing (3) and a mirror base (2) which may be fixed to the motor vehicle. The mirror element (4) and the housing (3) are rigidly connected together and an adjustment gear (5) which may be driven by at least one electric motor (10, 11) is arranged between housing (3) and mirror base (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2002
    Assignee: Donnelly Hohe GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Herwig Polzer
  • Patent number: 6312135
    Abstract: The invention relates to an external rear view mirror of a motor vehicle with a glass subassembly, at least one electrical function element, more particularly an adjustment drive and/or a lighting device and/or a folding drive and/or a heating element, and a support element, to which the electrical function element can be secured. In order to increase the electrical operational reliability of the external rear view mirror and to facilitate the assembly of the cabling, the support element (1) includes at least one electrical conductor path (6), to whose first end (7, 13, 14, 15, 17) an electrical function element (3, 4, 5) can be connected and to whose second end (19) a power supply of the motor vehicle can be connected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2001
    Assignee: Donnelly Hohe GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Herwig Polzer
  • Patent number: 6290378
    Abstract: A lighting device (26) for arrangement on the external or internal rear view mirror of a motor vehicle is provided with a light source (27), the light rays of which emerge at a mirror housing opening and are deflected at a transparent light refraction element (33) arranged in the beam path. The plate-like light refraction element (33) has, at least on one side, a surface structure (36) by means of which the light refraction element is divided into several light refraction zones. To achieve a deflection of the light into a preferred direction the light refraction element (33) is designed in the manner of a Fresnel prism (33), the light refraction zones corresponding to prism zones of a prism body which are pushed together in stepwise manner. To intensify the deflection of the light beam into the preferred direction a decentralized condenser lens (31) may be arranged in front of the Fresnel prism (33).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2001
    Assignee: Donnelly Hohe GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Harald Buchalla, Peter Furst, Herwig Polzer
  • Publication number: 20010005289
    Abstract: The invention relates to an exterior rear-view mirror comprising an adjustably held glass subassembly and at least one electrical drive motor (2), with the glass subassembly being adjustable via at least one adjustment mechanism arranged between the drive motor (2) and the glass subassembly. The adjustment mechanism comprises a drive shaft (7, 8) with an eccentrically shaped shaft section (9, 10) and a drive bar (12, 13) arranged between the glass subassembly and the eccentrically shaped shaft section (9, 10) of the drive shaft (7, 8). The drive shaft (7, 8) and the drive bar interact in such a way that a rotatory actuating movement of the drive shaft (7, 8) is converted to a linear actuating movement, acting on the glass subassembly, of the drive bar (12, 13) as a result of excursion of the eccentrically shaped shaft section (9, 10).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2000
    Publication date: June 28, 2001
    Inventors: Rudolf Kaspar, Herwig Polzer
  • Patent number: 6104552
    Abstract: An exterior rearview mirror for vehicles incorporates a forward vision improving system allowing improved visibility of the opposite roadway forward of the vehicle for safer passing. Preferably, the forward vision system includes a pair of prisms mounted in a mirror housing, one of which is directed at an angle of incidence past and to the left of a front, slower vehicle, the other of which receives the image from the first, and is positioned in the driver's line of sight. In one embodiment of the vision system, the front prism of the pair of prisms is replaced by a divergent lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2000
    Assignee: Donnelly Corporation
    Inventors: Wolfgang Thau, Thomas Hempel, Herwig Polzer
  • Patent number: 5245480
    Abstract: Disclosed is an outside rearview mirror for a vehicle which has a mirror base adapted to be mounted to a car body, and a mirror housing mounted to a support plate. The support plate is fastened foldably to the mirror base by a joint. The mirror housing has the form of a frame surrounding a mirror glass which is mounted by an adjustment device to the rearward face of the support plate. A cap is detachably clamped to the front face of the support plate and continues the outer contour of the mirror housing. Thereby the transfer of vibrations from the mirror housing to the mirror glass is cut down to a minimum and shifted to a frequency range which does not influence the perception of the image the mirror glass is presenting to the driver of the car.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1993
    Assignee: Hohe KG
    Inventor: Herwig Polzer
  • Patent number: 5124846
    Abstract: Disclosed is an outside rear-view for a vehicle which has a pedestal to be mounted to a body of the vehicle and a mirror housing held to the pedestal. An electric motor is provided for tilting the mirror housing relative to the pedestal. The electric motor is mounted to the inner surface of an assembly plate bordering the pedestal towards the body, and the drive shaft of the electric motor is linked preferably through a transmission gear and/or a clutch and through a cam to a rigid transmission member coupled to the mirror housing. Alternatively, the drive motor may be mounted within the interior of the mirror housing, the transmission member coupled to the cam of the driving motor then may be coupled to the pedestal. Thereby the advantages are obtained that the electric driving motor does not project outwardly from the normal outer conture of an outside rear-view mirror and may be utilized for any modes of mounting of the mirror housing to the pedestal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1990
    Date of Patent: June 23, 1992
    Assignee: Hohe KG
    Inventors: Edwin Seitz, Herwig Polzer
  • Patent number: 5098058
    Abstract: To reliably reduce the risk of injury in the return tilting of a mirror housing from a tilted end position into a position for normal use, the mirror housing initially swings against an overcomable stop, which ensures a safety distance between the lifted mirror housing edge and the mirror base. This safety distance is dimensioned such that a trapping of fingers between the mirror housing edge and the mirror base does not occur. The stop can only be overcome by the mirror housing by renewed application of force to the mirror housing, after which the mirror housing then tilts into the position for normal use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1992
    Assignee: Hohe KG
    Inventors: Herwig Polzer, Richard Seubert, Hai J. Fuchs
  • Patent number: 5056751
    Abstract: To reliably reduce the risk of injury in the return tilting of a mirror housing from a tilted end position into a position for normal use, the mirror housing initially swings against an overcomable stop, which ensures a safety distance between the lifted mirror housing edge and the mirror base. This safety distance is dimensioned such that a trapping of fingers between the mirror housing edge and the mirror base does not occur. The stop can only be overcome by the mirror housing by renewed application of force to the mirror housing, after which the mirror housing then tilts into the position for normal use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1991
    Assignee: Hohe KG
    Inventors: Herwig Polzer, Richard Seubert, Hai J. Fuchs
  • Patent number: 4896859
    Abstract: To reliably reduce the risk of injury in the return tilting of a mirror housing from a tilted end position into a position for normal use, the mirror housing initially swings against an overcomable stop, which ensures a safety distance between the lifted mirror housing edge and the mirror base. This safety distance is dimensioned such that a trapping of fingers between the mirror housing edge and the mirror base does not occur. The stop can only be overcome by the mirror housing by renewed application of force to the mirror housing, after which the mirror housing then tilts into the position for normal use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 1988
    Date of Patent: January 30, 1990
    Inventors: Herwig Polzer, Richard Seubert, Hans J. Fuchs