SUPPORT BASE FOR ATTACHING AN INTERIOR MIRROR BASE COVER TO A VEHICLE'S WINDSHIELD

Description

Scope of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a support base for fixing an interior rearview mirror base cover against the windshield of a motor vehicle. Background of the invention

[0002] Nowadays, motor vehicles are equipped as standard with rain sensors fixed against the inside of the windshield near the rearview mirror, allowing for automatic management of the front windshield wipers based on the amount of water deposited on the windshield.

[0003] More and more vehicles are also equipped with a camera mounted against the inside of the windshield near the rearview mirror and rain sensor, monitoring the environment in front of the vehicle (including other vehicles and road markings) to help the driver maintain safe distances and stay on course.

[0004] As illustrated in particular in US patent application 7,041,965, the mounting base of the interior rearview mirror, the rain sensor and possibly the surveillance camera are generally concealed by a hollow dome-shaped cover fixed against the windshield by means of a support base glued to the windshield and onto which this cover is mounted by snapping.

[0005] Such a support base classically comprises a U-shaped plate including two substantially parallel lateral arms connected by a crossbar and having a bonding face intended to be bonded against the inner face of said windscreen, as well as two lateral panels extending each from a respective lateral arm of the plate opposite said bonding face, each said lateral panel including female snap-fit ​​means intended to cooperate with complementary male snap-fit ​​means provided on said cover so as to fix the latter against said windscreen.

[0006] Fitting such a cover proves particularly tricky for the operator, especially because of the presence in the snap-fit ​​areas of the roof wiring harness which electrically supplies the interior rearview mirror, the rain sensor and possibly the surveillance camera.

[0007] This bundle, which runs along the support, tends to interfere with the male snap-on means of the cover when they are clipped into the female means of the support base, which complicates these operations and can cause damage to this electrical bundle (tearing of the peripheral protective sheath and / or cutting of some conductors) leading to malfunctions on the electrical devices.

[0008] To address this problem, a known solution is to increase the width of the support base and cover, but this has the disadvantages of reducing the driver's visibility (a larger area of ​​the windshield is then covered) and negatively impacting the perceived quality level for users.

[0009] Furthermore, in certain driving situations (for example when passing a speed bump or hump), the roof electrical supply harness tends to come into contact with the inner face of the cover, which generates unpleasant clunking noises that also negatively affect the level of quality perceived by users. Object and summary of the invention

[0010] The present invention therefore aims to improve the situation.

[0011] For this purpose, it proposes a support base for fixing an interior rearview mirror base cover against the windscreen of a vehicle, comprising a U-shaped plate including two substantially parallel lateral arms connected by a crossbar and having a bonding face intended to be glued against the inner face of said windscreen, as well as two lateral panels extending each from a respective lateral arm of the plate opposite said bonding face, these panels including female snap-fit ​​means intended to cooperate with complementary male snap-fit ​​means provided on said cover so as to fix the latter against said windscreen;characterized in that it also comprises guiding means provided at the level of the face of a first said lateral branch and intended to cooperate with an electrical supply bundle to guide its path along this branch, said guiding means being further arranged so as to be offset in a direction perpendicular to said plate relative to the female snap-fit ​​means of this face.;

[0012] The presence of these guide means on the base makes it easier to mount the cover onto it.

[0013] The fact that the guide means are offset from these female snap-on means also prevents the male snap-on means from interfering with the electrical harness when mounting the cover on the base according to the invention.

[0014] According to preferred characteristics of the support base according to the invention, taken alone or in combination: said guiding means include at least one notch formed at the free end of a first transverse wall extending opposite said bonding face from said first lateral branch; said guiding means include two said notches formed at the free ends of two said transverse walls located opposite each other; said guiding means include a lyre-shaped cutout suitable for also ensuring the clamping of said beam, said cutout being formed in a transverse wall extending opposite said first wall from said first lateral branch; said lateral panels also include female centering means provided to cooperate with complementary male centering means provided on said cover so as to limit the play between said base and this cover after its assembly;said guiding means are also offset in a direction perpendicular to said plate relative to the female centering means of the face of said first lateral branch; said base includes specific means for clamping said bundle extending from said first lateral branch opposite said bonding face; said specific clamping means include an angle bracket comprising a proximal wall extending from and perpendicular to the inner edge of said first lateral branch, and a distal wall extending on the outer side parallel to this first lateral branch; said base includes at least one plug-in box extending from one of said lateral branches of the plate opposite said bonding face and provided for receiving a corresponding connector provided at the free end of an electrical cable from said bundle;and / or said bonding face of the plate comprises a plurality of protrusions of the same thickness distributed in a substantially uniform manner over its entire surface. Brief description of the drawings

[0015] The description of the invention will now be continued by a detailed example of an embodiment, given below by way of illustration but not limitation, with reference to the attached drawings, on which: there figure 1 illustrates the upper central part of a motor vehicle's passenger compartment, including a cover affixed to the windshield that conceals the mounting bracket for the interior rearview mirror, a rain sensor, and a surveillance camera; figure 2 is a top-down perspective view of the cache of the figure 1 in its configuration mounted on a support base according to a first embodiment of the invention; the figure 3 is a top perspective view of the base supporting the figure 2 ; there figure 4 represents a perspective view from below of the base supporting the figure 2 ; there figure 5 is an enlarged view of one of the snap-on areas of the cover on the support base; the figure 6 represents a top perspective view of the base supporting the figure 2 and the wiring harness intended to power the interior rearview mirror, the rain sensor, and the surveillance camera; the figure 7 represents a top perspective view of a support base according to a second embodiment of the invention; and / or the figure 8 represents a perspective view from below of the base supporting the figure 7 and the electrical harness intended to power the interior rearview mirror, the rain sensor and the surveillance camera. Detailed description of several preferred modes of implementation

[0016] With reference to the figure 1, the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle includes a hollow dome-shaped cover 10 consisting of two substantially symmetrical plastic parts 11, 12 assembled together and whose open front end is removably fixed against the inner face of the central area of ​​the upper part of the windscreen 2.

[0017] The cover 10 is designed to conceal the mounting bracket for the interior rearview mirror 3, as well as a rain sensor and possibly a surveillance camera (not visible), also fixed to the inner surface of the windscreen 2. These devices are electrically powered via electrical cables 4A, 4B, 4C, which have connectors 5, 6, 7 at their free ends and originate from the same power supply harness 4, which runs partially inside this cover 10 (see figure 2 ).

[0018] As illustrated on the figure 2, the removable fixing of the front end of this cover 10 against the windscreen 2 is made possible by means of a support base 20 according to the invention glued against the inner face of this windscreen 2.

[0019] We will now describe, in support of the figures 3 to 6 , this base 20 conforming to a first preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0020] In the following description and by convention, the terms "lower", "upper", "longitudinal", "lateral" and "transverse" will be defined in relation to the mounting position of the fixing base 20 in the passenger compartment of a vehicle.

[0021] The terms "external" and "internal" will be used to define the relative position of an element with reference to the median longitudinal plane of this base 20. The element closest to this median plane will thus be described as internal, as opposed to the other element further from this same plane, which will be described as external.

[0022] The base 20 was advantageously produced from a single piece molding of a thermoplastic polymer such as polypropylene, polyamide or ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene): these materials have the advantages of being both lightweight and relatively elastic.

[0023] It includes a U-shaped plate 21 comprising two lateral arms 22, 23 substantially parallel and connected at one of their ends by a crossbar 24.

[0024] The face 21A of this plate 21, intended to be glued against the inner face of the windscreen 2, comprises a plurality of protrusions 25 of the same thickness, in this case made up of ribs and distributed in a substantially uniform manner over its entire surface so as to improve the adhesion by ensuring uniformity of the thickness of the layer of glue (or bonding resin) between the windscreen 2 and the plate 21.

[0025] The base 20 also includes two lateral faces 26, 27 extending opposite each other, each from and perpendicular to the outer edge of a respective lateral branch 22, 23 of the plate 21, and opposite the bonding face 21A.

[0026] Each side panel 26, 27 includes female snap-fit ​​means 28 provided to cooperate with complementary male snap-fit ​​means 13 provided on a corresponding part 11, 12 of the hollow cover 10 in order to allow the latter to be fixed removably against the windscreen 2.

[0027] In this case, these female snap-fit ​​means consist of two rectangular windows 28 (see figure 4 ) are provided respectively in each of the two lateral panels 26, 27, while the male locking means consist of two harpoons 13 projecting respectively from the inner face of each of the two parts 11, 12 of the hollow cover 10 (see figure 5 ).

[0028] Each side panel 26, 27 also includes female centering means 29 intended to cooperate with complementary male centering means 14 provided on a corresponding part 11, 12 of the hollow cover 10 in order to avoid (or at least to considerably limit) play between the base 20 and the cover 10 after its mounting on the latter.

[0029] In this case, these female centering means consist of two rectangular windows 29 (larger than the windows 28) provided respectively in each of the two lateral panels 26, 27 near a corresponding window 28, while the male centering means consist of two columns 14 projecting respectively from the inner face of each of the two parts 11, 12 of the hollow cover 10 and whose outer periphery is provided with fins distributed angularly in a regular manner (see figure 5 ).

[0030] The base 20 also includes guidance means 31, 33 arranged at the level of the side branch 27 and designed to cooperate with the harness 4 which electrically supplies the interior rearview mirror 3, the rain sensor and the surveillance camera, so as to guide its path along this branch (see figures 3, 4 ).

[0031] The guiding means include a first notch in the shape of a circular arc 31 made at the free end of a first transverse wall 30 extending from the lateral branch 23 opposite the bonding face 21A and perpendicular to the latter as well as to the corresponding pan 27.

[0032] These guidance means also include a lyre-shaped cutout 33 located near the free end of a second transverse wall 32 extending opposite the wall 30 from the lateral branch 23 and perpendicular to the latter and to the corresponding section 27.

[0033] As illustrated on the figure 6 , this cutout 33 opening onto the inner edge of this second wall 32 is also able to ensure, in addition to its guiding function, the clamping of the beam 4 which makes it possible to avoid the appearance, during the driving phases of the vehicle, of unpleasant clunking noises caused by repeated contacts between this beam 4 and the inner face of the cover 10.

[0034] To prevent the snap-on hook 13 and / or the centering pin 14 of part 12 of the cover 10 from interfering with the electrical harness 4 during the mounting of this cover 10 onto the base 20, it should be noted that the following points are supported by the figures 3 to 6 that these guiding means 31, 33 are arranged so as to be offset along a direction perpendicular to the plate 21 with respect to the two windows 28, 29 of the lateral panel 27 (the latter being in this case further away from the plate 21 than are these windows 28, 29).

[0035] Advantageously and in order to ensure guidance of the beam over a guidance distance, the two transverse walls 30, 32 extend respectively at the two ends of the lateral panel 27.

[0036] The base 20 also includes two plug-in boxes 34, 35 each extending from the free end of a corresponding lateral branch 22, 23 of the plate opposite the upper bonding face 21A.

[0037] As illustrated by the figure 6, these two housings 34, 35 are intended to receive the connectors 6, 7 of the cables 4B, 4C of the harness 4 (those normally intended to connect respectively to the rain sensor and the interior rearview mirror) when the vehicle is without such a rain sensor and its interior rearview mirror is not of the electrochromic type, so as to avoid the appearance, during the driving phases of the vehicle, of unpleasant clicking noises caused by repeated contacts between these connectors 6, 7 and the inner face of the cover 10.

[0038] The presence of these boxes 34, 35 thus makes it possible to use a single base reference for all versions of the same vehicle model, which makes it possible to ensure a reduction in production costs by volume effect as well as an optimization of management and storage costs by reducing the number of references to manage.

[0039] We will now briefly describe a second embodiment of the base according to the invention, supported by the figures 7 and 8 In the following sections and drawings, the same references have been kept for identical elements, while similar elements are marked with a prime.

[0040] The 20' base illustrated in these figures is similar to the 20 base described previously, with the exception of the elements mentioned below.

[0041] Thus, the protuberances of the same thickness provided on the upper bonding face 21A' of the plate 21' are here formed by bosses in the shape of a portion of a sphere 25';

[0042] The guidance means provided on the second transverse wall 32' are also different and consist in this case of a notch in an arc of a circle 36' made at the free end of this wall 32' and similar to that 31 made at the free end of the first transverse wall 30.

[0043] Finally, the base 20' includes, in place of the plug-in box 35, specific clamping means for the bundle 4 consisting of an angle bracket 37'.

[0044] This clamping angle 37' includes a proximal wall 37A' extending from and perpendicularly to the inner edge of the second lateral branch 23' of the plate 21' opposite the upper bonding face 21A', and a distal wall 37B' extending outward parallel to this second lateral branch 23' of the plate 21'.

[0045] According to unrepresented alternative embodiments of the invention, the guiding means are shaped differently and / or their number is different.

[0046] These could thus, for example, include two notches such as 31 and 36' made at the free ends of two transverse walls such as 30 and 32', as well as a cutout such as 33 made in a third transverse wall such as 32.

[0047] In general, it is recalled that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and represented, but encompasses any variant of execution within the reach of a person skilled in the art.

Claims

1. Support base for the attachment of a cover (10) of the foot of an interior rear-view mirror (3) against the windscreen (2) of a vehicle, incorporating a U-shaped plate (21); 21') consisting of two substantially parallel lateral branches (22,23; 22,23') connected by a sleeper (24) and having a side of gluing (21A; (21A') intended to be glued against the inner face of the said windscreen (2), and two side-ends (26,27) each extending from one side of the said respective side-ends (22,23); 22,23') of the plate (21; (21') opposite that side of the adhesive (21A); (21A'), those parts (26, 27) comprising female means of encycling (28) intended to cooperate with additional male means of encycling (13) arranged on that cache (10) in such a way as to secure the latter against that windscreen (2); characterized by means of guidance (31, 33); 31,36') at the pan level (27) of a first so-called lateral branch (23); (23') and intended to cooperate with an electric supply beam (4) to guide its way along that branch, the means of guidance (31, 33; 31,36'), which are further arranged in such a way as to be offset in a direction perpendicular to that plate (21; (21') in relation to the female means of entucking (28) of this plan.

2. Base support in accordance with claim 1, characterized by the fact that those means of guidance include at least one gap (31) at the free end of a first transverse wall (30) extending opposite that side of the adhesive (21A); 21A') from the so-called first lateral limb (23); 23').

3. Base support according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that those means of guidance comprise two so-called 'shafts' (31,36') at the free ends of two so-called 'transverse walls' (30,32') situated opposite each other.

4. A support base according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said guide means comprise a lyre-shaped cut-out (33) suitable also for clamping said bundle (4), said cut-out (33) being formed in a transverse wall (32) extending opposite said first wall (30) from said first lateral branch (23).

5. A support base according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said side panels (26, 27) also comprise female centering means (29) provided to cooperate with complementary male centering means (14) provided on said cover (10) so as to limit the play between and said base and said cover after its assembly.

6. A support base according to claim 5, characterized in that said guide means are also offset in a direction perpendicular to said plate (21; 21') relative to the female centering means (29) of the plane (27) of said first lateral branch (23); 23').

7. Support base according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises specific clamping means (37') of said beam (4) extending from said first lateral branch (23') opposite said bonding face (21A').

8. A support base according to claim 7, characterized in that said specific clamping means comprise an angle (37') comprising a proximal wall (37A') extending from and perpendicular to the inner edge of said first lateral branch (23'), and a distal wall (37B') extending on the outer side parallel to said first lateral branch (23').

9. Support base according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it comprises at least one plug-in box (34; 34, 35) extending from one of said lateral branches (22, 23; 22, 23') of the plate opposite said bonding face (21A); 21A') and designed to receive a corresponding connector (6, 7) provided at the free end of an electric cable (4B, 4C) coming from said bundle (4).

10. A support base according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that said bonding face (21A; 21A') of the plate (21; 21') includes a plurality of protuberances of the same thickness (25; 25') distributed substantially uniformly over its entire surface.