Side mirror and vehicle with a side mirror

Abstract

The invention relates to a side mirror of a vehicle with a housing that, with respect to a vehicle coordinate system, has a rear cavity in which a mirror is mounted, wherein the housing has an air guide channel with an air inlet and an air outlet opening into the cavity such that an airflow exiting the air outlet acts upon the mirror, and wherein the air guide channel has a closure element configured for opening and closing the air guide channel. The invention further relates to a vehicle with such a side mirror. To provide a side mirror and a vehicle with a side mirror featuring a closure element for the air guide channel that is easy to operate and minimizes noise during driving, the invention proposes an actuator configured for opening and closing the air guide channel by means of the closure element.Furthermore, a control unit is provided which is set up for automatic and / or manual activation of the actuator.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a side mirror of a vehicle with a housing which, with respect to a vehicle coordinate system, has a rearward cavity in which a mirror is mounted, wherein the housing has an air duct with an air inlet and an air outlet which opens into the cavity in such a way that an air flow emerging from the air outlet acts on the mirror, wherein the air duct has a closure element which is designed to open and close the air duct.

[0002] Furthermore, the invention relates to a vehicle with such a side mirror.

[0003] In the context of the present application, directional information, in particular the directional information top, bottom, left, right, front, rear, front and rear, refer to the vehicle coordinate system, which is right-handed oriented and whose x-axis is aligned in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

[0004] Vehicles of the type discussed here typically have left- and right-hand side mirrors (or exterior mirrors) that allow the driver to see the traffic behind the vehicle. Condensation and rain regularly cause water droplets to form on the mirror surface, making it difficult for the driver to see behind. With a side mirror as described above and known from the prior art, the formation of droplets is at least reduced by an air stream that impacts the rear surface of the mirror, thereby blowing off any droplets.

[0005] A generic side mirror with an air duct, an air inlet, an air outlet, and a closure element is disclosed in KR 200179797 Y1. The closure element is designed as an elastic flat profile that, when the air duct is closed, is mounted within the housing of the side mirror, following its contours such that the flat profile closes the air inlet. The flat profile can be manually pulled out of the housing until it opens the air inlet and, outside the housing, shields the mirror from above. When the closure element is open, an air flow is generated and directed through the air outlet onto the rear surface of the mirror, blowing off any water droplets.

[0006] Comparable side mirrors are known from KR 200457975 Y1 and KR 1020140058072, but they do not have any closing elements for the air ducts.

[0007] This generic side mirror has proven to be disadvantageous in practice because manually opening and closing the air duct is cumbersome, especially while the vehicle is moving. Furthermore, when the air duct is open, the visor is prone to speed-dependent vibrations, which are associated with unpleasant noise.

[0008] It is the object of the invention to eliminate the disadvantages of the prior art and to provide a side mirror and a vehicle with a side mirror with a closure element of the air duct, which is easy to operate and which minimizes noise generation while driving.

[0009] This object is achieved by the side mirror according to claim 1 and by the vehicle according to claim 11. According to the invention, an actuator is provided which is designed to open and close the air duct by means of the closure element. Furthermore, a control unit is provided which is configured to automatically and / or manually activate the actuator. As a result, the air duct can be opened or closed as needed, even while the vehicle is moving. In particular, it is provided that the air duct is only opened when droplets have formed on the rear surface of the mirror. During normal operation, i.e. when the mirror surface is droplet-free, the air duct is closed by means of the closure element.

[0010] Advantageous further developments of the invention are specified below and in the subclaims.

[0011] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the side mirror is designed to be shield-free when the closure element is open. Regardless of the setting of the closure element, the side mirror is preferably designed to be shield-free. In this context, shield-free means that the mirror does not have a flat profile protruding from the housing that covers the mirror upwards or to another side.

[0012] The air inlet is preferably arranged on the front face of the side mirror. The front-facing arrangement of the air inlet has the advantage that the air flow is generated directly by the vehicle speed, thus allowing the generation of an air flow with a comparatively high flow velocity. Alternatively, the air inlet can also be arranged on the underside of the housing, on the top of the housing, and / or on a side surface of the housing. The air flow thus created within the air duct is caused by pressure differences, which is why the flow velocity of the air flow is lower than with a front-facing air inlet.

[0013] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the air outlet is arranged above the cavity of the housing such that an air flow exiting the air outlet flows from top to bottom and runs along the rear side of the mirror. The air outlet can have a single opening or multiple openings extending along the top side of the cavity.

[0014] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the closure element is designed as a pivoting flap that is pivotably mounted about a pivot axis, wherein the pivot axis is preferably arranged horizontally. The pivot axis can run along a side surface of the closure cap or centrally through the closure cap. Irrespective of this, the actuator is designed as a rotary actuator in this case.

[0015] According to an alternative embodiment, the closure element is a sliding flap that is slidably arranged in or on the housing. In this case, the actuator is preferably designed as a linear actuator.

[0016] Regardless of the specific embodiment of the actuator, an advantageous further development of the invention provides that the actuator is an electric motor, a hydraulic actuator, a magnetic actuator, an electromagnetic actuator or a pneumatic actuator.

[0017] Specific embodiments of the present invention are explained below with reference to the figures. They show: Fig. 1 a rear view of a vehicle, Fig. 2a, b Cross-sectional views of a side mirror with an open and a closed air duct, Fig. 3a, b Cross-sectional views of a side mirror with an open and a closed air duct, Fig. 4a, b Cross-sectional views of a side mirror with an open and a closed air duct and Fig. 5a, b Cross-sectional views of a side mirror with one open and one closed air duct.

[0018] Fig. 1 shows the rear view of a vehicle 200, which has a side mirror 100 on each of the left and right sides with respect to a vehicle coordinate system. Each side mirror 100 comprises a housing 10 with a front side 11 and a rear side 12, as shown in the detailed view along cross-sectional plane AA. A cavity 13 is formed at the rear, in which a mirror 14 is arranged, allowing a driver a view of the traffic behind. To remove any water droplets from the rear surface of the mirror 14, the mirror 14 has a configuration that is shown in the remaining figures as cross-sectional views along cross-sectional plane BB.According to this, it is provided in each case that the housing 10 has an air duct 15 with a front air inlet 16 and an air outlet 17, wherein the air outlet 17 opens into the cavity 13 of the housing 10 in such a way that an air stream 18 emerging from the air outlet 17 acts on the mirror 14 in such a way that water droplets are blown off the surface of the mirror 14. The air duct 15 has in each case a closure element 19 which is designed by means of an actuator 20 for opening and closing the air duct 15. The . Fig. 2a, Fig. 3a, Fig. 4a and Fig. 5a each show the closed setting of the air duct 15, whereas the Fig. 2b, Fig. 3b, Fig. 4b and Fig. 5b show the open setting of the air duct 15. Regardless of the setting of the closure element 19, the side mirror 100 is designed without a shield, ie without a flat profile that projects rearward from the housing 10 and shields the mirror 14 upwards. The embodiments of the Fig. 2a-b, Fig. 3a-b, Fig. 4a-b and Fig. 5a-b differ in the specific design of the closure element 19 and the actuator 20, as explained below.

[0019] After the Fig. 2a, b and Fig. 3a, b, it is provided that the closure element 19 is a pivoting flap 191, which is pivotably mounted about a pivot axis 21 in the direction of arrow P1, wherein the pivot axis 21 is arranged horizontally. The actuator 20 is designed as a rotary actuator 201. In the embodiment according to the Fig. 2a, b, the pivoting flap 191 is connected at its underside 22 to the pivot axis 21. Thus, the complete pivoting flap 191 is opened backwards in the direction of arrow P 11 and when closing forward in the direction of arrow P 12 swiveled.

[0020] The Fig. 3a, b show an embodiment in which the pivoting flap 191 is connected at a section to the pivot axis 21, which lies between the upper side 23 and the lower side 22. As a result, the upper side 23 is moved backwards in the direction of arrow P when the pivoting flap 191 is opened. 11 and the underside 22 when opening the pivoting flap 191 forward in the direction of arrow P 12 In contrast, the upper side 23 of the pivoting flap 191 is pivoted forward in the direction of arrow P when closing. 12 and the underside 22 of the pivoting flap 191 when closing backwards in the direction of arrow P 11 swiveled.

[0021] After the Fig. 4a, b and Fig. 5a, b, the closure element 19 is a sliding flap 192, which is arranged in the housing 10 so as to be movable in the direction of arrow P2. A linear actuator 202 is provided as the actuator 20 for moving the sliding flap 192 upwards and / or downwards.

[0022] For automatic and / or manual activation of the actuator and thus for opening and closing the air duct, a control unit 24 is provided in the vehicle 200, which may have a manual operating element 24 for manual actuation of the actuator 20. List of reference symbols 100 side mirrors 200 vehicles 10 housings 11 Front 12 Back 13 Cavity 14 mirrors 15 Air duct 16 Air intake 17 Air outlet 18 Airflow 19 Closure element 191 Swing flap 192 sliding flap 20 Actuator 201 Rotary actuator 202 Linear Actuator 21 Swivel axis 22 Bottom 23 Top 24 Control unit 25 Control element P n Arrow directions QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] KR 200179797 Y1

[0005] KR 200457975 Y1

[0006] KR 1020140058072

[0006]

Claims

[1] A side mirror (100) of a vehicle (200) comprising a housing (10) which, with respect to a vehicle coordinate system, has a rearward cavity (13) in which a mirror (14) is mounted, wherein the housing (10) has an air duct (15) with an air inlet (16) and an air outlet (17) which opens into the cavity (13) in such a way that an air flow (18) emerging from the air outlet (17) acts on the mirror (14), wherein the air duct (15) has a closure element (19) which is designed to open and close the air duct (15), characterized by an actuator (20) which is designed to open and close the air duct (15) by means of the closure element (19). [2] Side mirror (100) according to claim 1, characterized by that the side mirror (100) is designed to be screen-free when the closure element (19) is in the open state. [3] Side mirror (100) according to claim 1, characterized bythat the side mirror (100) is designed to be screen-free, regardless of the setting of the closure element (19). [4] Side mirror (100) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by that the air inlet (16) is arranged on the front face (11) of the side mirror (100). [5] Side mirror (100) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by that the air outlet (17) is arranged above the cavity (13) in such a way that an air flow (18) emerging from the air outlet (17) flows from top to bottom and runs along the rear side of the mirror (14). [6] Side mirror (100) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by that the closure element (19) is a pivoting flap (191) which is pivotably mounted about a pivot axis (21), wherein the pivot axis (21) is preferably arranged horizontally. [7] Side mirror (100) according to claim 6, characterized bythat the actuator (20) is designed as a rotary actuator (201). [8] Side mirror (100) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by that the closure element (19) is a sliding flap (192) which is slidably arranged in or on the housing (10). [9] Side mirror (100) according to claim 8, characterized by that the actuator (20) is designed as a linear actuator (202). [10] Side mirror (100) according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized by that the actuator (20) is an electric motor, a hydraulic actuator, a magnetic actuator, an electromagnetic actuator or a pneumatic actuator. [11] Vehicle (200) with a side mirror (100) according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized by a control unit (24) configured to automatically and / or manually activate the actuator (20).

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