Vehicular mirror system

Abstract

A vehicular interior rearview mirror system includes a housing, a mounting member configured to mount to a vehicle windshield, an electrical actuator, which is supported by the mounting member with the weight of the electrical actuator being transferred to the windshield by way of the mounting member, and a reflective element. The reflective element is mounted to the electrical actuator and has a rearward field of view when mounted to the electrical actuator, which provides adjustment of the rearward field of view of the reflective element.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 790,309, filed Mar. 1, 2004, entitled MEMORY MIRROR SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE, by Applicant Peter J. Whitehead, which is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 572,008, filed May 16, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,905, which are incorporated herein in their entireties.TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention generally relates to an interior rearview mirror assembly and, more particularly, to an interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle memory mirror system. [0003] Conventional vehicle memory mirror systems typically include one or more exterior mirror assemblies which are equipped with electrically operated motors that provide for repositioning of the mirror assemblies' reflective elements with respect to one or more axes. Particularly for exterior sideview mirrors, it is known to incorporate memory-positioning systems so that a driver...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention is a vehicle memory mirror system that includes a housing with a reflective element and a support for mounting the mirror to a vehicle. An electrical actuator is mounted to the support and engages the housing to adjust the position of the reflective element about one or more axes. The actuator is positioned in the support so that the weight of the actuator is directly distributed to the vehicle, improving the vibration characteristics of the mirror assembly and increasing the available space in the mirror casing. The system also includes a mounting member that can be manually adjusted to change the orientation of the mirror casing and reflective element. Overall, the invention provides a vehicle memory mirror system with improved vibration characteristics and increased space availability."

Problems solved by technology

A reflective element assembly R is supported in the pivotal portion or casing by an electrical actuator A. Heretofore, the actuator or drive mechanisms that have been incorporated into these interior rearview mirror assemblies necessarily add weight to the pivotal portion and, further, result in crowding out of other accessories or features which may be incorporated into the interior rearview mirror casing.

While such memory mirror systems (which include both exterior and rearview mirror assemblies) are known, they are not widely used.

It has been found that the weight of the motor, especially in interior mirror assemblies, has impacted the vibration performance of the mirror assembly.

While the weight of the electronic devices do not significantly affect the vibration characteristics of the interior rearview mirror assembly, the increasing number of electronic devices require more and more space.

When coupled with the concern for the vibration performance of the interior rearview mirror assemblies of vehicle memory mirror systems, perhaps the disadvantages associated with the weight of the driving mechanism and, furthermore, the crowding out of the space within the casing has discouraged such use of designs.

Images