Adjusting device of rearview mirror, rearview mirror assembly, vehicle and adjusting method of rearview mirror

Abstract

An adjusting device (2) of a rearview mirror (3) comprises a mirror surface, a support, an input receiving module (21), a motor (22), a control module (23) and a position feedback module (24), the input receiving module (21) receives at least one of a first input (211) indicating adjustment of the mirror surface and a second input (212) indicating adjustment of the support, the motor (22) drives the mirror surface and the support to rotate together, and the control module (23) controls the mirror surface to rotate together with the support. The control module (23) is coupled to the input receiving module (21) and the motor (22) and responds to at least one input to drive the motor (22) to rotate, and the position feedback module (24) is coupled to the motor (22) and responds to the motor (22) to rotate by a preset angle based on the first input (211) and outputs first data to the control module (23); and outputting second data different from the first data in response to the motor (22) rotating the predetermined angle based on the second input (212). According to the adjusting device, different adjusting precisions are applied to the adjustment of the mirror surface and the support, and high-precision adjustment of the mirror surface is achieved under the condition that the recognition precision of the controller is not changed. The invention further discloses a rearview mirror assembly, a vehicle and a rearview mirror adjusting method.

Description

Rearview mirror adjustment device, rearview mirror assembly, vehicle, and rearview mirror adjustment method Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of vehicles, and more particularly to an adjusting device for a rearview mirror, a rearview mirror assembly, a vehicle, and a method for adjusting a rearview mirror. Background Art

[0002] With the increasing popularity of vehicles, people are increasingly interested in intelligent vehicle control. A vehicle's rearview mirror is a crucial component, providing the driver with a visual field of the vehicle's surroundings and objects, making it essential for safe driving. If the rearview mirror provides a poor field of view, the driver's driving control will be affected, compromising driving safety. Rearview mirrors are typically adjusted by operating knobs inside the vehicle or an operating interface on the center console. As the user operates these knobs or interfaces, the mirror surface rotates around a specific axis, presenting the driver with a different field of view. Some existing technologies allow for electrically adjustable rearview mirrors, but the adjustment accuracy is low, leaving many deficiencies. Enabling users to adjust the vehicle's rearview mirror more conveniently and precisely is a challenge facing designers.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to adjust the field of view of a rearview mirror of a vehicle in a more reasonable manner, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a rearview mirror adjustment device, a rearview mirror assembly, a vehicle, and a rearview mirror adjustment method.

[0005] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, an adjustment device for a rearview mirror is provided. The rearview mirror includes a mirror surface and a bracket supporting the mirror surface. The adjustment device includes an input receiving module, a motor, a control module, and a position feedback module. The input receiving module is configured to receive at least one of a first input representing adjustment of the mirror surface and a second input representing adjustment of the bracket. The motor is configured to drive the mirror surface and the bracket to rotate together. The control module is coupled to the input receiving module and the motor, and is configured to drive the motor to rotate in response to the at least one input. The position feedback module is coupled to the motor and is configured to: output first data to the control module in response to the motor rotating a predetermined angle based on the first input; and output second data different from the first data to the control module in response to the motor rotating the predetermined angle based on the second input.

[0006] According to the disclosed implementation, the position feedback module distinguishes between mirror and bracket adjustment, thereby applying different adjustment accuracies to the mirror and bracket. This achieves high-precision mirror adjustment without changing the controller's recognition accuracy. This reduces the cost of the rearview mirror module, and ultimately the vehicle, while maintaining the same accuracy.

[0007] In some implementations, the position feedback module includes a sliding rheostat comprising a resistance adjustment region and a slider. The resistance adjustment region includes a first area and a second area adjacent to each other. The slider is configured to slide across the resistance adjustment region. The slider is further configured to: output the first data to the control module in response to the slider sliding a predetermined distance across the first area, and to output the second data to the control module in response to the slider sliding the predetermined distance across the second area. In this manner, different adjustment accuracies can be achieved for mirror adjustment and bracket adjustment.

[0008] In some implementations, the first region has a greater resistance density than the second region. By setting different resistance densities in the sliding rheostat, when the slider moves the same distance, the signal output to the control module will reflect different voltage changes. In this way, when the slider slides on the first region, the resistance signal output to the control module can have a higher precision, while when the slider slides on the second region, the resistance signal output to the control module has a lower precision. This can provide higher precision for mirror adjustment and improve the accuracy of mirror adjustment.

[0009] In some implementations, the first region and the second region are made of different materials. In this way, the first region and the second region can be designed to reflect different resistance values ​​when the slider slides thereon.

[0010] In some implementations, the resistance adjustment region further includes a third region, wherein the first region is located between the second region and the third region, and the third region is configured to output third data, different from the first data, to the control module in response to the slider sliding a predetermined distance on the third region. In this manner, by providing three regions, with the second and third regions corresponding to the bracket adjustment at both ends and the first region corresponding to the mirror adjustment in the middle, a reasonable distribution of precision adjustment regions can be achieved using this nonlinear configuration.

[0011] In some implementations, the third region has a lower resistance density than the first region. In this way, placing the first region with a higher resistance density in the middle and the second and third regions with lower resistance densities on either side can effectively adjust the rearview mirror, thereby ensuring a good driving field of view for the driver.

[0012] In some implementations, the position feedback module includes a signal transmitting unit, a signal receiving unit, and a gear. The signal transmitting unit is configured to transmit a signal. The signal receiving unit is configured to receive the signal. The gear is coupled to the motor and includes a plurality of teeth. The gear is disposed between the signal transmitting unit and the signal receiving unit and is configured so that the signal can be blocked by the plurality of teeth of the gear or pass through the tooth gaps between the plurality of teeth to reach the signal receiving unit. The gear includes a first gear section and a second gear section, the first gear section having a gear tooth size and / or tooth gap size different from that of the second gear section. In this way, a change in the duty cycle of the signal transmitted between the signal transmitting unit and the signal receiving unit can be caused, so that the position feedback module can achieve different precision adjustments for the mirror and the bracket.

[0013] In some implementations, the signal includes a laser signal or an infrared signal. In this way, the signal can be transmitted between the signal transmitting unit and the signal receiving unit in a cost-controlled and stable manner.

[0014] In some implementations, the position feedback module includes a gear and a sensor. The gear is coupled to the motor and includes a first gear segment and a second gear segment, the first gear segment having different tooth dimensions and / or backlash dimensions than the second gear segment. The sensor is positioned near the gear and is configured to sense signals reflecting the tooth dimensions and / or backlash dimensions of the first and second gear segments and transmit the corresponding signals to the control module. In this way, precision differentiation can be achieved in a variety of ways, increasing the applicability of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] In some implementations, the control module is further configured to determine whether to stop the motor based on a signal indicating the position of the motor transmitted by the position feedback module. In this way, precise control of the rearview mirror can be achieved.

[0016] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a rearview mirror assembly is provided, which includes a mirror surface, a bracket supporting the mirror surface, and an adjustment device according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0017] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle is provided, comprising the rearview mirror assembly according to the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0018] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a method for adjusting a rearview mirror is provided. The rearview mirror includes a mirror surface and a bracket supporting the mirror surface, the method comprising: receiving at least one of a first input indicating adjustment of the mirror surface and a second input indicating adjustment of the bracket; in response to the at least one input, driving a motor to rotate, wherein the motor is configured to drive the mirror surface and the bracket to rotate together; in response to the motor rotating by a predetermined angle based on the first input, outputting first data; and in response to the motor rotating by the predetermined angle based on the second input, outputting second data different from the first data.

[0019] These and other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of the embodiment(s). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The above and other features, advantages and aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent with reference to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements. The accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, wherein:

[0021] FIG1 shows a schematic usage environment in which the solution according to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied;

[0022] FIG2 shows an adjusting device for adjusting a rearview mirror according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG3 shows a possible embodiment of a position feedback module in an adjustment device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] FIG4 shows another possible embodiment of a position feedback module in an adjustment device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0025] FIG5 illustrates a method for adjusting a rearview mirror according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following describes embodiments of the present disclosure in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although certain embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a more thorough and complete understanding of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the present disclosure are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0027] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "including" and similar terms should be understood as open inclusion, that is, "including but not limited to." The term "based on" should be understood as "based at least in part on." The term "one embodiment" or "the embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment." The terms "first," "second," etc. may refer to different or the same objects. Other explicit and implicit definitions may also be included below.

[0028] As described above, the existing rearview mirror adjustment still has many defects. The rearview mirror assembly of a vehicle generally includes a mirror surface and a bracket. The traditional rearview mirror is divided into two parts: bracket adjustment and mirror surface adjustment. For the bracket adjustment part, it mainly realizes the function of folding and unfolding the rearview mirror bracket, which requires adjustment through a horizontal motor set on the horizontal plane to control the folding and unfolding of the rearview mirror bracket. For the mirror surface adjustment part, the traditional method is to set a horizontal motor and a vertical motor on the horizontal plane and the vertical plane respectively for motion control, thereby adjusting the rotation and pitch of the mirror surface respectively. However, this rearview mirror requires a total of three motors, which is not only complex in structure and high in cost, but also difficult to achieve miniaturization of the rearview mirror assembly.

[0029] Traditional solutions also propose a frameless rearview mirror. This type of rearview mirror is smaller in size, not only making it more aesthetically pleasing, but also offering reduced wind resistance, making it particularly suitable for electric vehicles, potentially increasing their range. To reduce size, in such frameless rearview mirrors, the horizontal motor used for mirror adjustment and the horizontal motor used for bracket adjustment are typically integrated, allowing the same motor to perform both functions. However, in actual operating scenarios, the rotation amplitude of the rearview mirror bracket needs to be significantly greater than that of the mirror adjustment, and the angle control precision required for mirror adjustment is significantly higher than that required for folding and unfolding the rearview mirror bracket. Therefore, in designs where the horizontal rotation adjustment of the mirror and rearview mirror adjustment share the same horizontal rotation motor, and if the associated control circuits and feedback circuits are also identical, sharing the same horizontal adjustment mechanism will significantly reduce the angle control precision of the mirror adjustment.

[0030] Traditional solutions have also proposed several methods to address the aforementioned issue of poor mirror adjustment accuracy. For example, one industry-wide solution is to improve controller recognition accuracy, thereby achieving high-precision adjustment. However, this approach does not differentiate between mirror adjustment accuracy and direct mirror adjustment accuracy, but rather improves both. Because users generally have low requirements for the folding accuracy of the rearview mirror bracket, this solution incurs a certain degree of precision loss, resulting in higher rearview mirror controller costs. These high controller requirements increase design costs and complicate controller selection.

[0031] To this end, in order to at least solve the above problems and / or other potential problems in the prior art, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a rearview mirror adjustment solution.

[0032] First, refer to Figure 1, which shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a vehicle in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The vehicle is shown in the figure as vehicle 1. It should be noted that in the context of the present disclosure, the term "vehicle" can take various forms. The vehicle can be various types of vehicles, such as electric vehicles, fuel vehicles, or hybrid vehicles. In some embodiments, the vehicle can be a car, truck, trailer, motorcycle, bus, agricultural vehicle, recreational vehicle, or construction vehicle, etc. In some embodiments, the vehicle can be a family car, an operational passenger vehicle, or an operational freight vehicle, etc. In some embodiments, the vehicle can be a vehicle equipped with certain autonomous driving capabilities, where the autonomous driving capabilities can include but are not limited to assisted driving capabilities, semi-autonomous driving capabilities, highly autonomous driving capabilities, or fully autonomous driving capabilities. In other embodiments, the vehicle can also be various types of aircraft, such as passenger aircraft, cargo aircraft, etc. In other embodiments, the vehicle can also take the form of, for example, a ship, a train, etc. The present disclosure does not specifically limit the specific form of the vehicle.

[0033] As shown in FIG1 , the vehicle 1 includes a rearview mirror 3 disposed on the vehicle body so that the driver of the vehicle 1 can observe the surrounding environment through the rearview mirror 3. Although only one rearview mirror 3 is shown in the figure, it is understood that the vehicle 1 may also include another rearview mirror 3 not shown. In other embodiments, the vehicle 1 may also include another number of rearview mirrors 3. In addition, the rearview mirror 3 may be a rearview mirror disposed outside the vehicle 1 as shown in FIG1 , or a rearview mirror disposed inside the vehicle. The vehicle 1 also includes an adjustment device (not shown) for adjusting the rotation angle of the rearview mirror 3.

[0034] Figure 2 shows an adjustment device 2 for adjusting the rearview mirror 3 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The rearview mirror 3 generally includes a mirror surface and a bracket supporting the mirror surface. In some embodiments, the bracket and the mirror surface are integrated so that they can be adjusted together. The adjustment of the rearview mirror 3 can be achieved by two motors, wherein the vertical motor is used to adjust the vertical rotation movement of the mirror surface and the bracket (i.e., the pitch of the mirror surface and the bracket), and the horizontal motor is used to adjust the horizontal rotation movement of the mirror surface (i.e., the angle adjustment of the mirror surface) and the horizontal rotation movement of the bracket (i.e., the folding and unfolding of the bracket). The vertical motor and the horizontal motor are two independently arranged motors. Through the joint adjustment of the two motors, the bracket together with the mirror surface can be adjusted to an angle suitable for the driver. The embodiments of the present disclosure mainly relate to the adjustment of the horizontal motor.

[0035] As shown, the device 2 includes an input receiving module 21. In some embodiments, the input receiving module 21 can be used to receive a first input 211 indicating adjustment of the mirror. The first input 211 can be input by a user through a button or knob set inside the vehicle (for example, the inside of a door), or it can be input by a user through an operation interface set on the screen of the center console. In other embodiments, the input receiving module 21 can also be used to receive a second input 212 indicating adjustment of the bracket. Similar to the first input 211, the second input 212 can be input by a user through a button or knob set inside the vehicle, or it can be input by a user through an operation interface set on the screen of the center console. In other embodiments, the input receiving module 21 can also be used to simultaneously receive the first input 211 indicating adjustment of the mirror and the second input 212 indicating adjustment of the bracket.

[0036] As shown in Figure 2, the adjustment device 2 also includes a motor 22. The motor 22 can rotate forward and reverse, driving the mirror and the bracket to rotate in both directions. In some embodiments, the motor 22 can be a horizontal motor in a rearview mirror assembly, used to control the bidirectional adjustment of the mirror angle and the folding and unfolding of the bracket. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not particularly limit the specific type of motor 22.

[0037] As shown, the adjustment device 2 also includes a control module 23 and a position feedback module 24 coupled to the control module 23. The control module 23 is coupled to the input receiving module 21 and the motor 22. The control module 23 can drive the motor 22 to rotate in both directions based on the first input 211 and / or the second input 212 received from the input receiving module 21. It should be noted that the control module 23 can be integrated into the vehicle body controller or a separate control module 23 for the rearview mirror, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not particularly limited in this regard. The position feedback module 24 is coupled to the motor 22 and can obtain the current amount of rotation of the motor 22. The amount of rotation of the motor 22 is associated with the current position of the mirror surface and bracket of the rearview mirror (i.e., the angle of rotation). The position feedback module 24 can feedback this position to the control module 23 via a signal. The control module 23 can recognize the signal from the position feedback module 24 and perform logical judgment based on the signal to determine when the motor 22 stops. The control module 23 can control the motor 22 to stop at a predetermined position, thereby enabling the rearview mirror 3 to be adjusted to a predetermined angle, thereby achieving adjustment of the rearview mirror 3. In some embodiments, the signal fed back to the control module 23 by the position feedback module 24 can be a voltage signal. In other embodiments, such a signal can be a resistance signal. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the signal can be a current signal. The specific signal form is not limited by the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0038] The control module 23 has a certain recognition accuracy, and only signals that meet the corresponding recognition accuracy can be accurately recognized by the control module 23. For example, if the minimum change in the voltage signal that the control module 23 can recognize is 0.05V, if the actual change is 0.50V or 1.00V, the recognition of the change will be accurate. If the actual change is 0.51V or 1.03V, due to the accuracy limitation, it can only be approximately recognized as 0.50V or 1.00V, resulting in an inaccurate recognition result. Therefore, if the minimum change that can be recognized is 0.05V, only changes in voltage amplitude of 0.05V or an integer multiple thereof can be accurately recognized, while the recognition of other changes is only approximately accurate.

[0039] As mentioned above, one existing solution is to improve the recognition accuracy of the control module 23, for example, to increase its recognition accuracy from 0.05V to 0.01V. Although this design can improve the recognition accuracy, it is relatively costly. The embodiment of the present disclosure does not change the recognition accuracy of the control module 23, but focuses on the improvement of the position feedback module 24. When the recognition accuracy remains unchanged, by making the physical quantity (such as displacement or angle) of the position feedback module 24 corresponding to the recognition accuracy smaller, it is possible to recognize smaller changes in the position feedback module 24, which can also achieve more accurate angle adjustment of the rearview mirror 3. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the feedback of the position feedback module 24 for mirror adjustment and bracket adjustment is different. Specifically, the position feedback module 24 distinguishes between the adjustment of the mirror and the bracket, thereby applying different adjustment accuracies to the mirror adjustment and the bracket adjustment. In this way, accurate adjustment of the rearview mirror 3 can be achieved through reasonable accuracy distribution without increasing the cost of the control module 23.

[0040] Specifically, based on the predetermined angle α rotated by the motor 22 based on the first input 211, the position feedback module 24 can output first data to the control module 23. Based on the predetermined angle α rotated by the motor 22 based on the second input 212, the position feedback module 24 will output second data, different from the first data, to the control module 23. In other words, for the same motor rotation angle α, the position feedback module 24 can output different values, reflecting different adjustment accuracies, depending on whether the first input 211 or the second input 212 is used for mirror adjustment. The position feedback module 24 can take a variety of different specific forms, which will be described in detail below.

[0041] In one possible usage scenario, when vehicle 1 is parked, rearview mirror 3 is in a fully retracted position. If vehicle 1 needs to be driven at this time, the user will operate the knob on vehicle 1 or the screen on the center console to deploy the bracket and mirror surface of rearview mirror 3. Since the rearview mirror has just been deployed from its fully retracted position and is not within the effective operating angle range, the user's requirements for angle adjustment accuracy are not high in the initial adjustment process. At this time, the rotation range of rearview mirror 3 can be larger, allowing rearview mirror 3 to rotate from the fully retracted position to the effective operating angle range more quickly. As rearview mirror 3 begins to enter the effective operating angle range, the user's requirements for angle adjustment accuracy of rearview mirror 3 become higher, requiring more precise adjustment of rearview mirror 3, and the rotation range of rearview mirror 3 becomes smaller.

[0042] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the specially designed position feedback module 24 can distinguish between rearview mirror bracket adjustment and mirror adjustment, so that when the user adjusts the rearview mirror 3, the bracket adjustment and the mirror adjustment can have different adjustment precisions. Without changing the recognition accuracy of the control module 23, the embodiments of the present disclosure can achieve high-precision adjustment of the rearview mirror surface.

[0043] FIG3 shows a feasible embodiment of the position feedback module 24 in the adjustment device according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In the embodiment shown in FIG3 , the position feedback module 24 includes a sliding rheostat 241. The sliding rheostat 241 includes a resistance adjustment area 242 and a slider 243 that can slide on the resistance adjustment area 242. The slider 243 can be coupled to the motor 22 so that the rotation of the motor 22 drives the slider 243 to slide on the resistance adjustment area 242. The resistance adjustment area 242 includes adjacent first and second areas S1 and S2. The first area S1 and the second area S2 are designed to reflect different resistance values ​​to the control module 23 when the slider 243 slides thereon, thereby enabling the control module 23 to have different adjustment accuracies for mirror adjustment and bracket adjustment. In some embodiments, the first region S1 and the second region S2 can have different resistance densities. For example, the resistance density of the first region S1 is higher than that of the second region S2. This allows the slider 243 to output different first and second data, respectively, when sliding the same predetermined distance. This results in different feedback voltage changes. Specifically, when the slider 243 slides in the first region S1, due to the higher resistance density of the first region S1, a larger change in the feedback signal can be generated in the circuit connected to the sliding rheostat 241 when the slider 243 slides a certain distance D. This allows the resistance signal output to the control module 23 to have a higher accuracy, which corresponds to adjusting the rearview mirror. When the slider 243 slides in the second region S2, due to the lower resistance density of the second region S2, a smaller change in the feedback signal can be generated in the circuit connected to the sliding rheostat 241 when the slider 243 slides the same distance D. This allows the resistance signal output to the control module 23 to have a lower accuracy, which corresponds to adjusting the rearview mirror bracket.

[0044] In other embodiments, the first region S1 and the second region S2 may be made of different materials. It should be noted that other solutions can be envisioned to design the first region S1 and the second region S2 to reflect different resistance values ​​when the slider 243 slides thereon, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not impose any particular limitation on this.

[0045] According to the embodiment described herein, the resistance adjustment area 242 of the position feedback module 24 is divided according to the bracket adjustment and the mirror adjustment of the rearview mirror 3, and position feedback circuits of different precisions are used for different parts, thereby achieving high-precision adjustment of the horizontal direction of the mirror when the mirror adjustment of the rearview mirror 3 and the bracket adjustment of the rearview mirror share a motor.

[0046] As shown in FIG3 , the resistance adjustment region 242 further includes a third region S3, wherein the first region S1 is located between the second region S2 and the third region S3. The third region S3 is configured to output third data, different from the first data, to the control module 23 in response to the slider sliding a predetermined distance on the third region. In some embodiments, the resistance density of the third region S3 is lower than the resistance density of the first region S1. During the adjustment process of the rearview mirror 3, as the rearview mirror 3 is gradually deployed from the fully stowed position, the front and rear sections of the bracket require lower precision for adjustment, while the mirror adjustment in the middle section requires higher precision. Therefore, the mirror adjustment, which requires precise adjustment, often occurs in the middle of the adjustment process, while the bracket adjustment, which requires less precision, is located at the ends of the adjustment range (i.e., the early and late stages). Therefore, placing the first region S1, which has a higher resistance density, in the middle and the second and third regions S2, S3, which have lower resistance densities, on either side, can effectively adjust the rearview mirror, thereby ensuring a good driving field of view for the driver.

[0047] In some embodiments, the accuracy ratio of mirror adjustment to bracket adjustment can be adjusted by adjusting the resistance distribution between the various regions S1, S2, and S3. For example, in some embodiments, the accuracy of mirror adjustment can be 2.8 times that of bracket adjustment. It should be noted that the ranges of the various regions S1, S2, and S3 in the resistance adjustment area shown in Figure 3 are merely illustrative and non-restrictive. The ranges of these regions can be adjusted accordingly based on actual needs. The specific ranges are not limited by the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0048] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control module 23 drives the motor 22 to rotate bidirectionally, thereby causing the rearview mirror surface and bracket to rotate together. Changes in the position of the motor 22 trigger changes in the resistance of the sliding rheostat 241 in the position feedback module 24. Based on the signal indicating the position of the motor 22 transmitted by the position feedback module 24, the control module 23 can identify this position change and, when necessary, stop the motor 22 and notify the user.

[0049] FIG4 illustrates another possible embodiment of a position feedback module 24 in an adjustment device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In the embodiment shown in FIG4 , the position feedback module 24 includes a signal transmitter 245 for transmitting a signal, a signal receiver 246 for receiving the signal, and a gear 247 disposed between the signal transmitter 245 and the signal receiver 246. As shown, the gear 247 has a plurality of teeth, and the signal transmission between the signal transmitter 245 and the signal receiver 246 may be affected by these teeth. For example, the signal transmission path between the signal transmitter 245 and the signal receiver 246 may be disposed near the rim of the gear 247. This interrupts the signal transmission between the signal transmitter 245 and the signal receiver 246 when the signal is blocked by the teeth of the gear 247, preventing the signal receiver 246 from receiving the signal from the signal transmitter 245. Alternatively, as the gear 247 rotates, the signal can pass through the gaps between the teeth of the gear 247 and reach the signal receiver 246 smoothly. According to this design, the signals received by signal receiving unit 246 are intermittent, and the duty cycle of these signals is affected by the gear tooth size and / or tooth gap size of gear 247. The gear tooth size here can include parameters such as pitch, tooth thickness, tooth height, tooth addendum height, and tooth root height. The tooth gap size here can refer to the gap between adjacent gears.

[0050] As shown in Figure 4, the teeth on gear 247 are not equidistant. Specifically, gear 247 may include a first gear segment 2471 and a second gear segment 2472 adjacent to each other. In some embodiments, the tooth gap size of the first gear segment 2471 may differ from the tooth gap size of the second gear segment 2472. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the first gear segment 2471 has a smaller tooth gap size, while the second gear segment 2472 has a relatively larger tooth gap size. With this arrangement, as gear 247 rotates, when the first gear segment 2471 is in the signal transmission path, the signal duty cycle will be different from the duty cycle when the second gear segment 2472 is in the signal transmission path. In other embodiments, the tooth size of the first gear segment 2471 may differ from the tooth size of the second gear segment 2472. According to this setting, similar to the difference in tooth gap size described above, the difference in gear tooth size will also cause a change in the duty cycle of the signal transmitted between the signal transmitting unit 245 and the signal receiving unit 246, so that the position feedback module 24 can achieve different precision adjustments for the mirror and the bracket.

[0051] As shown in FIG3 , the gear 247 may also be provided with a third gear section 2473, which is located on the side of the first gear section 2471 opposite the second gear section 2472, so that the first gear section 2471 is located between the second gear section 2472 and the third gear section 2473. Of the three gear sections, the first gear section 2471 may have a denser gear distribution than the other two sections. This is because, when the rearview mirror 3 is gradually deployed from the fully stowed position, the required precision for adjusting the bracket of the front and rear sections is lower throughout its travel range, while the mirror surface in the middle section requires higher precision for adjustment.

[0052] In some embodiments, the signal may be a laser signal. In other embodiments, the signal may be an infrared signal. Of course, this is merely illustrative, and other types of signals are also feasible, which can be adjusted according to the specific use environment and design requirements, and such embodiments also fall within the scope of this disclosure.

[0053] In other embodiments, the position feedback module 24 may further include sensors disposed near the gear 247. These sensors may sense signals reflecting the tooth size and / or tooth gap size of the first gear segment 2471 and the second gear segment 2472, and transmit the corresponding signals to the control module 23. In some embodiments, such sensors may be Hall sensors. Hall sensors are sensitive to magnetic fields and can therefore sense the positive and negative polarity of a magnetic field. A single positive or negative change in the magnetic field forms a pulse, and the number of pulses is used to calculate the travel distance. Thus, position feedback with varying degrees of accuracy can be achieved by varying the gap density of the gears.

[0054] Some specific embodiments of the position feedback module 24 are described in detail above. It should be noted that, of course, the detailed schemes listed here are merely exemplary and not restrictive. The specific schemes are not limited by the embodiments of the present disclosure. In other embodiments, the position feedback module 24 may also be other chips or circuits with feedback functions. Other forms of the position feedback module 24 not listed in the text can also be envisioned, as long as it can realize the differentiated feedback of the position of the motor 22 to the control module 23.

[0055] The present disclosure also relates to a rearview mirror assembly. The rearview mirror assembly includes a mirror surface, a bracket supporting the mirror surface, and the adjustment device 2 described above for adjusting the rearview mirror. The present disclosure also relates to a vehicle 3. The vehicle includes the rearview mirror assembly described above. The vehicle can take various forms, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not particularly limited thereto.

[0056] The present disclosure also relates to a method for adjusting a rearview mirror, as shown in FIG5 , which shows an adjustment method 500 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In box 502, at least one of a first input 211 representing adjustment of the mirror and a second input 212 representing adjustment of the bracket is received. In box 504, in response to the at least one input, the motor 22 is driven to rotate, wherein the motor 22 is configured to drive the mirror and the bracket to rotate together. In box 506, in response to the motor 22 rotating by a predetermined angle α based on the first input 211, first data is output. In box 508, in response to the motor 22 rotating by the predetermined angle α based on the second input 212, second data different from the first data is output.

[0057] It should be understood that the method 500 described herein can be used in conjunction with the apparatus 2 for adjusting the rearview mirror 3 described above, and the specific details of the apparatus 2 can also be used in conjunction with the method 500 described herein. For the sake of brevity, further details of the method are not described herein.

[0058] Compared to conventional solutions that do not differentiate between mirror adjustment and bracket adjustment, the embodiments of the present disclosure achieve high-precision adjustment of the rearview mirror 3 by setting a higher adjustment precision for the area corresponding to mirror adjustment and a relatively lower adjustment precision for the area corresponding to bracket adjustment. This allows for high-precision adjustment of the rearview mirror 3 without changing the recognition accuracy of the controller. This reduces the cost of the rearview mirror module, thereby reducing the cost of the vehicle, while maintaining the same accuracy.

[0059] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present disclosure do not impose any particular restrictions on the type of rearview mirror. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to both traditional rearview mirrors with frames and rearview mirrors without frames.

[0060] It should be understood that the various forms of the processes shown above can be used to reorder, add, or delete steps. For example, the steps described in this disclosure can be performed in parallel, sequentially, or in a different order, as long as the desired results of the technical solutions disclosed in this disclosure can be achieved. This is not limited herein.

[0061] Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological logical acts, it should be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are merely example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. An adjusting device for a rearview mirror, the rearview mirror comprising a mirror surface and a bracket supporting the mirror surface, the adjusting device comprising: An input receiving module configured to receive at least one of a first input indicating adjustment of the mirror and a second input indicating adjustment of the bracket; A motor is configured to drive the mirror and the bracket to rotate together; a control module coupled to the input receiving module and the motor and configured to drive the motor to rotate in response to the at least one input; as well as A position feedback module is coupled to the motor and is configured to: In response to the motor rotating a predetermined angle based on the first input, outputting first data to the control module; as well as In response to the motor rotating by the predetermined angle based on the second input, second data different from the first data is output to the control module.

2. The regulating device according to claim 1, wherein the position feedback module comprises a sliding rheostat, and the sliding rheostat comprises: The resistance adjustment area includes a first area and a second area adjacent to each other; as well as The slider is configured to slide on the resistance adjustment area and is configured to: outputting the first data to the control module in response to the slider sliding a predetermined distance on the first area, and The second data is output to the control module in response to the slider sliding the predetermined distance on the second area. 3 . The adjustment device of claim 2 , wherein the first region has a greater resistance density than the second region.

4. The adjustment device according to any one of claims 2 to 3, wherein the first region and the second region are made of different materials.

5. The regulating device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the resistance adjustment area further includes a third area, wherein the first area is located between the second area and the third area, and the third area is configured to output third data different from the first data to the control module in response to the slider sliding the predetermined distance on the third area. The adjustment device according to claim 5 , wherein the third region has a smaller resistance density than the first region.

7. The regulating device according to claim 1, wherein the position feedback module comprises: A signal transmitting unit, configured to transmit a signal; a signal receiving unit, configured to receive the signal; as well as a gear coupled to the motor and including a plurality of teeth, the gear being disposed between the signal transmitting portion and the signal receiving portion and being configured such that the signal can be blocked by the plurality of teeth of the gear or pass through a tooth gap between the plurality of teeth to reach the signal receiving portion, The gear includes a first gear section and a second gear section, wherein the first gear section has a gear tooth size and / or a gear gap size different from that of the second gear section.

8. The adjusting device according to claim 7, wherein the signal comprises a laser signal or an infrared signal.

9. The regulating device according to claim 1, wherein the position feedback module comprises: a gear coupled to the motor and comprising a first gear section and a second gear section, the first gear section having a different gear tooth size and / or backlash size than the second gear section; as well as A sensor, disposed near the gear, is configured to sense signals reflecting the gear tooth size and / or the gear backlash size of the first gear section and the second gear section, and transmit the corresponding signals to the control module.

10. The regulating device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the control module is further configured to: Whether to stop the motor is determined based on the signal representing the position of the motor transmitted by the position feedback module.

11. A rearview mirror assembly, comprising: Mirror surface; a bracket supporting the mirror; as well as An adjusting device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A vehicle comprising a rearview mirror assembly according to claim 11.

13. A method for adjusting a rearview mirror, the rearview mirror comprising a mirror surface and a bracket supporting the mirror surface, the method comprising: receiving at least one of a first input indicating adjustment of the mirror and a second input indicating adjustment of the bracket; In response to the at least one input, driving a motor to rotate, wherein the motor is configured to drive the mirror and the bracket to rotate together; In response to the motor rotating a predetermined angle based on the first input, outputting first data; as well as In response to the motor rotating by the predetermined angle based on the second input, second data different from the first data is output.

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