Teardrop shaped vehicular mirror
a vehicle mirror and mirror body technology, applied in mirrors, instruments, vehicle components, etc., can solve the problems of inefficiency of convex mirrors, difficulty in accurate visual inspection, and inability to direct sight to surrounding vehicle areas,
Inactive Publication Date: 2012-04-05
ROSCO
View PDF10 Cites 0 Cited by
- Summary
- Abstract
- Description
- Claims
- Application Information
AI Technical Summary
Benefits of technology
The teardrop-shaped mirror assembly reduces image distortion and provides an improved field of view exceeding 180°, balancing image size and viewing area without obstructing the driver's forward vision.
Problems solved by technology
Placement of the vehicle operator within the vehicle structure often makes direct line-of-sight to surrounding vehicle areas impractical.
As vehicle size increases, so often does the difficulty of accurate visual inspections.
Unfortunately, increasing the size of the convex mirror quickly becomes inefficient as the mirror itself begins to become an obstruction to forward viewing.
Although the use of cross-over mirror designs has proven highly successful in the increase of viewing area while minimizing mirror size, present designs still can incorporate drawbacks.
One of the drawbacks of these common cross-over mirror designs results from the distortion of images reflected in the mirror.
Image distortion can result from the depth of the dome and the varying radius of curvature of the lens.
This distortion can result in a reflected image of an object that is either elongated or widened depending on the orientation of the axes of the mirror.
Present designs, further limit the usefulness of such mirrors by requiring the mirror to be designed to provide either a larger image or a wider field of view.
Method used
the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
View moreImage
Smart Image Click on the blue labels to locate them in the text.
Smart ImageViewing Examples
Examples
Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test
Embodiment Construction
)
[0016]Referring now to FIG. 1, which is an illustration of a mirror lens 10 in accordance with the present invention. Although the mirror lens 10 is referred to with the terminology “teardrop”, it should be understood that a variety of descriptors (such as “raindrop,” etc.) may be utilized to describe the geometric configuration of the mirror lens 10. The mirror lens 10 generally has a convex dome shape and has an outer peripheral flange 18. The lens is typically mounted on a housing (such as housing 100 in FIG. 8) forming a mirror assembly. The flange 18 preferably seats on a mating flange of the housing and is mounted thereon. Preferably, a gasket or similar member is utilized to cover the two mating flanges. It should be understood that the flange on the housing preferably comports to the configuration of the periphery of the mirror lens 10.
[0017]The footprint of the lens 10 has a first base portion 20. The portion 20 has a constant radius of curvature R3 and a first diameter 24...
the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to View More PUM
Login to View More Abstract
A vehicle mirror assembly having a housing and dome-type mirror lens. The lens has a first base footprint portion with a constant radius of curvature and a diameter, and a second base footprint portion comprised of an elliptical portion with a base major axis and a base minor axis. The mirror lens includes a first surface portion having a first surface radius and conforming to the first base footprint portion. The lens additionally includes a second surface portion conforming to the second base footprint portion. The second surface portion is comprised of a second surface major radius of curvature corresponding to a major surface axis and a second surface minor radius of curvature corresponding to a minor surface axis.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12 / 328,929, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 422,131 filed Jun. 5, 2006, and now U.S. Pat. No. 7,699,479, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 29 / 214,660 filed on Oct. 6, 2004, entitled “Teardrop Shaped Mirror” and now U.S. Pat. No. D528,484.TECHNICAL FIELD[0002]The present invention relates generally to an exterior automotive mirror assembly, and, more particularly to front-end mounted exterior automotive cross-over mirrors.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Automotive mirror assemblies can play a vital role in vehicle operation. Placement of the vehicle operator within the vehicle structure often makes direct line-of-sight to surrounding vehicle areas impractical. Yet such visual inspections of surrounding areas can provide the vehicle operator with information necessary for proper vehicle operation. As vehicle size increases, so often does ...
Claims
the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to View More Application Information
Patent Timeline
Login to View More Patent Type & AuthorityApplications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): B60R1/08G02B5/10
CPCB60R1/082B60R1/08G02B5/10
InventorSCHMIDT, WILLIAMSWAIN, DANIEL M.
OwnerROSCO