With Rotation Of Mirror About Perpendicular Axes Patents (Class 359/874)
  • Patent number: 5343333
    Abstract: An electrically remote-controlled mirror assembly having a pair of plungers driven by first and second motors for tilting the mirror about the horizontal and vertical axes, respectively, and for quick-rear-viewing, there is provided a mirror driving mechanism by which the mirror can be tilted further through a predetermined angle beyond the predetermined range of angulation for the normal car moving to an angular position suitable for viewing the rear wheel of the car and thereafter returned to its initial predetermined angular position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 30, 1994
    Assignee: Ichikoh Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshirou Nagayama, Yoshihiro Kubo, Takao Sekino
  • Patent number: 5331471
    Abstract: A rear view mirror assembly is disclosed which incorporates an improved drive system utilizing electric servo motors for positioning of the mirror. The improved drive system includes a two piece housing within which a jacking nut is rotatably positioned and adapted to be driven by the electric motors. A resilient coupling is provided to retain the two piece housing in assembled relationship. The drive system is designed to be used with a wide variety of mirror designs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 19, 1994
    Assignee: Britax Rainsfords Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Robert W. Gilbert
  • Patent number: 5311368
    Abstract: Lead terminals of a plurality of motors disposed inside a drive unit casing are lead out through a plurality of elongated through-holes formed in the casing and connected to a plurality of power-supply sheathed wires by connecting terminals. A plurality of elongated concavities is formed adjoining to the corresponding through-holes on the outer surface of the casing. With the connecting terminals connected to the plurality of sheathed wires, the plurality of lead terminals extended from the motor are bent through a nearly right angle at the open ends of the through-holes along the outer surface of the casing and the connecting terminals are forcibly fitted on the side walls of the elongated concavities. Therefore, the electrical connection between the lead terminals extended from the plurality of motors and the plurality of power-supply sheathed wires needs no soldering.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 10, 1994
    Assignee: Ichikoh Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Osamu Tsuyama
  • Patent number: 5293784
    Abstract: The invention relates to a drive device for a vehicle rearview mirror, the positioning of which is achieved by means of a worm gear mounted by means of a coupling part in a single bearing, which is provided with an annular collar that engages in an upper annular slot of the coupling part. The intention is to improve the retaining force of the bearing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1992
    Date of Patent: March 15, 1994
    Assignee: Gebruder Buhler Nachfolger GmbH
    Inventors: Richard Guttenberger, Werner Seichter
  • Patent number: 5292100
    Abstract: According to this invention a side mounted rear view mirror assembly, for vehicles having a mirror and mirror neck support member and further having generally horizontally disposed support bar means, comprises: a) a mirror support block means slidably mounted on the support bar means and having a first section through which the support bar means extends, and having a second section positioned rearwardly of the first section and depending downwardly, the second section having a neck support cavity therein within which the mirror neck support member may be inserted; and b) adjustment lock means in the block first section for releasably securing the block means to the support bar means at a desired position thereon; and lock means in the block second section adapted to hold and secure the neck support member in the neck support cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 8, 1994
    Inventors: Gary L. Byers, Timothy W. Byers
  • Patent number: 5274505
    Abstract: An improved electrical remote-control mirror assembly in which a externally threaded plunger (54) installed to a mirror body (3) is moved by a motor (102) to adjust the support angle of a mirror (4) secured to the mirror body. In addition to the drive system using the motor (102), another motor (103) is provided which operates independently of the motor (102) to quickly rotate the externally threaded plunger (52) forwardly and reversely. Thus, the mirror assembly according to the present invention is imparted the conventional function to adjust the mirror angle and a function to quickly tilt the mirror by means of the independent driving means. The above-mentioned independently driving means permits to quickly tilt down the mirror body for viewing the reflected image of the car rear wheel and also to quickly return the mirror body (3) to the initial position thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 28, 1993
    Assignee: Ichikoh Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshirou Nagayama, Takao Sekino
  • Patent number: 5226034
    Abstract: The electrically remote-controlled type mirror assembly has a pair of plungers to tilt the mirror body supporting the mirror horizontally and vertically, respectively, within certain pivoting angles. The mirror assembly has a sliding mechanism including another motor to axially slide at least one of these plungers beyond said certain pivoting angles of the mirror body. The sliding mechanism is so arranged as to have no influence on the adjustment of the mirror angle within the certain pivoting angles of the mirror body. Thus, the mirror posture can be changed quickly from the mirror angle adjusted within the certain pivoting angle for ordinary car driving to the mirror angle with which the mirror is tilted further downward, and also the initially adjusted mirror angle can be restored accurately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1993
    Assignee: Ichikoh Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshirou Nagayama, Takao Sekino
  • Patent number: 5182676
    Abstract: A retractable turn-over type rearview door mirror in which angular adjustment of the mirror member can be effected by manually operating an actuation lever. By using a certain linkage mechanism, a favorable correspondence is achieved between the direction of movement of the actuation lever and the direction of movement the mirror member. The use of a clutch unit permits the adjusted state of the mirror member to be conserved, even when the rearview door mirror is retracted and restored, by minimizing the influences of the retracting movement upon the linkage mechanism. This can be accomplished by applying a suitable amount of friction to the linkage mechanism, but, by using a lock lever which fixes the angular orientation of the mirror member when the rearview door mirror is retracted, the angular orientation of the mirror member may be kept fixed without requiring such a friction and it allows the operation of the actuation lever to be performed with a small force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1993
    Assignees: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Kabushiki Kaisha Honda Lock
    Inventors: Noriyuki Iwai, Kimito Sasaki, Masaru Yano, Fumiyoshi Wakimoto, Wataru Tokunaga, Masaru Shirakura
  • Patent number: 5177644
    Abstract: A tilt mechanism includes a rigid base member, a first tilt plate pivotally ounted on the base member, and a second tilt plate pivotally mounted on the first tilt plate. The first and second tilt plates are pivoted via actuating mechanisms which include stepper motors, harmonic drives, and precision nuts which translate the rotational output of the harmonic drives to pivotal motion of the tilt plates. All of the movable components of the mechanism are mounted to one another via flexural pivots which allow at least limited rotation in one direction but which prevent movement in all other directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1993
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: Kenneth W. Stark
  • Patent number: 5132836
    Abstract: A reflecting telescope optical system comprising an elongated rigid base member having front and aft ends, an optical eyepiece fixed to the base member at its aft end, an objective mirror mounted on the front end of the base member and facing the eyepiece, the optical center of said mirror being in alignment with the optical center line of the eyepiece, an optically flat mirror carried by the said base member positioned intermediate the eyepiece and the objective mirror, generally facing the objective mirror but angularly positioned with respect to the plane thereof, and having a central aperture whose axis is in alignment with the said optical center line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1992
    Inventor: John O. Fundingsland
  • Patent number: 5115352
    Abstract: A double external rear view mirror assembly for motor vehicles and comprising a frame that supports a comparatively large flat mirror and a comparatively small convex mirror, and two actuators for pivoting the two mirrors, respectively, about their respective longitudinal and transverse axes with each of the actuators including two electric motors mounted on the frame base, a support for supporting a respective mirror in the frame, and a transmission element that connects the two motors with the support for the respective mirror to pivot the same about its longitudinal and transverse axes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 19, 1992
    Inventor: Antonio Ferreita do Espirito Santo
  • Patent number: 5110196
    Abstract: A motor-powered adjustable rear view mirror for motor vehicles, particularly lorries, comprises a housing which supports and accommodates a mirror glass. Positioning drives are provided by means of which the housing can be pivoted and adjusted about two pivot axes which extend substantially at right angles to each other. In order to make the mirror of the simplest possible construction and so that it can be easily assembled and has a shallow but very stable design, each positioning drive is stationary in relation to the housing and is coupled via a slider-crank transmission to a base plate, the slider-crank transmission comprising a crank and a push rod connected thereto via a crank joint. The push rod is coupled to the base plate via a sliding bearing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1992
    Assignee: Mekra Rangau Plastics GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Heinrich Lang, Wolfgang Seiboth
  • Patent number: 5111125
    Abstract: A "memory" mirror system having a mirror 19 mounted within convex-shaped mirror movement boundaries, two constant speed motors 16,18 each controlling an axis of mirror movement, position feedback signals 26,28 from each motor, push button inputs 12 and an electronic controller 10, is provided with automatic mirror repositioning that drives the mirror from a start position to a "memory" position in minimum time without colliding with any mirror movement boundaries by turning ON the motor, in the direction of the target, whose movement axis is the greatest distance from the target and turning ON the other motor, in the direction of the target, if the direction toward the target is also toward the center of the mirror movement pattern (i.e., away from the nearest boundary).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1992
    Assignee: United Technologies Automotive
    Inventor: John A. Barrs
  • Patent number: 5109301
    Abstract: A motor vehicle auxiliary front view mirror, comprising a base attached to the front window frame of a motor vehicle for holding a mirror through a toggle linkage. The toggle linkage has a ball portion at one end fastened in a ball socket on the base and adjustably stopped at a desired position against a packing block, and a split flange at an opposite end movably retained in a ball joint inside a ball socket on the back of the mirror permitting the mirror to be rotated on the split flange for angle position change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 28, 1992
    Inventor: James Yang
  • Patent number: 5042932
    Abstract: A rearview mirror for motor vehicles includes a support body of dish-like configuration in which adjusting devices for adjusting the position of the mirror are mounted. The support body includes a casing with seats for supporting electrical drive members and transmission mechanisms which engage the mirror to pivot the mirror about at least two perpendicular axes. The casing and the seats for the drive members and transmission mechanisms are formed of integral one piece constuction with the support body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 27, 1991
    Assignee: P. M. P. S. a. s. di Peano C. & C.
    Inventor: Ercole Pent
  • Patent number: RE34142
    Abstract: A pivotable screw jack drive for a tiltable element (11,12) such as a rear view mirror of a motor vehicle, wherein a motor driven worm wheel (31) also performs the function of a jacking nut (29) which rotates about a jacking screw (35), the projecting end (41) of the jacking screw being connected to the tiltable element (11,12) for universal pivotal movement but being restrained against relative rotation, the jacking nut (29) being mounted in a housing (22) with a ball joint so that the nut and screw pivot as an assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 15, 1992
    Assignee: Britax Rainsfords Pty. Ltd.
    Inventor: Garry G. L. Fimeri