Door mirrors and assembly procedures

Abstract

Manually retractable vehicle door mirror, comprising: a housing support member (34) provided with a shaft (38) formed to project downward and a screw hole (66) opening downward around the shaft (38); a housing (36) provided with a housing support member placement space (37ba) in which the housing support member (34) can be placed by inserting it from above, a lower opening (52) allowing the shaft (38) to be exposed downward with the housing support member (34) placed in the housing support member placement space (37ba), and a housing support member fixing screw through hole (50) formed around the lower opening (52); a housing support member fastening screw (44) that fastens the housing support member (34) to the housing (36) by being passed through the housing support member fastening screw through hole (50) from a bottom of the housing (36) and screwed into the screw hole (66) in the housing support member (34); a base (32) provided with a shaft through hole (56) into which the shaft (38) is rotatably inserted, the base (32) being to be attached to an outer side of a vehicle body and the shaft (38) being exposed through the lower opening (50) of the housing (36); and a spring member (46) which, in a compressed state, is fitted over the shaft (38) projecting from the shaft passage hole (56) on the opposite side of the base (32).

Description

Background of the inventionField of the invention

[0001] The invention relates to a vehicle door mirror and an assembly method therefor with improved assemblability. Description of the state of the art

[0002] A conventional manually retractable vehicle door mirror (hereinafter referred to as a manually retractable door mirror) is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. JP H07-315128 A. A conventional electrically retractable vehicle door mirror (hereinafter referred to as an electrically retractable door mirror) is described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. JP H06-27337 U. The door mirror described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. JP H07-315128 A is assembled as follows: a shaft is assembled with a frame (case support member), the assembled structure is rotated or inserted into the case through a front opening or a base opening of the case.The frame is screwed onto the housing through the front opening of the housing. A base portion of the shaft is exposed and placed on a mirror base through the base opening of the housing. The base portion of the shaft is screwed onto the mirror base from the underside of the mirror base. In contrast, the electric retractable door mirror described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. JP H06-27337U is assembled as follows: an electric drive mechanism including a shaft, a motor, gears, and a clutch is assembled with a frame. The assembled structure is rotated or retracted into the housing through a front opening or a base opening of the housing.screwed, the frame is screwed onto the case through the front opening of the case, a base part of the shaft is placed exposed through the base opening of the case on a mirror base, and the base part of the shaft is screwed onto the mirror base from the bottom of the mirror base. .

[0003] DE 196 15 002 A1 describes a gear unit with a housing, with a reduction gear arranged in the housing, with an output section protruding from the housing and drivable in rotation about a rotational axis, with an output part coupled in drive connection to the output section and with a slip clutch arranged between the output section and the output part, coupling them in drive connection, wherein the slip clutch has a friction ring connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the output section and having a frustoconical first friction surface, wherein the output part is provided with a frustoconical second friction surface resting on the first friction surface, and wherein the friction surfaces are pressed together in the direction of the rotational axis by a prestressed compression spring.

[0004] EP 1 795 395 A1 describes a retractable door mirror comprising a mirror base and a mirror body rotatable relative to the mirror base. The mirror base is provided with a base plate in which stoppers for regulating retractable angles of the mirror body are mounted on a plate body. The plate body in the base plate is located on the underside of the mirror base, and the stoppers are arranged to penetrate the mirror base from the underside of the mirror base and protrude toward the top of the mirror base.

[0005] DE 694 10 370 T2 describes a positioning device of a rearview mirror having a base and a housing, wherein the device is designed to rotate the housing into a viewing position in which the housing protrudes laterally from a vehicle body, into a first parking position in which the housing points towards the rear end of the vehicle body and the mirror side points towards the side of the vehicle body, and into a second parking position in which the housing points towards the front end of the vehicle body and its rear side points towards the side of the vehicle body.The positioning device is designed as a unit which can be assembled before being mounted on the base and in the housing, the positioning unit comprising a stationary part for attachment to the base, a rotating part for coupling to the housing, and a manually driven or motor-driven rotating mechanism which rotates the rotating part with the housing into the viewing position or into the parking positions, the positioning unit comprising means for limiting the rotation of the housing beyond the parking positions, the positioning means comprising a first element formed on the base, a second element formed on the rotating part for abutting the first element in one of the parking positions, and a third element formed in the housing for abutting the first element in the other of the parking positions.

[0006] Conventional manual / electric retractable door mirrors require assembly operations that must be performed from multiple directions. Consequently, the assembly processes are complex and difficult to automate. Summary of the invention

[0007] The invention is defined by the independent claims, while preferred embodiments form the subject matter of the dependent claims.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above points and has an object to provide a vehicle door mirror and an assembling method thereof having improved assemblability.

[0009] The present invention provides a manually retractable door mirror comprising: a housing support member provided with a shaft formed to project downward and a screw hole opening downward around the shaft; a housing provided with a housing support member placement space into which the housing support member can be placed by inserting it from above, a lower opening allowing the shaft to be exposed downward, the housing support member being placed in the housing support member placement space, and a housing support member fixing screw through-hole formed around the lower opening; a housing support member fixing screw that fixes the housing support member to the housing by being passed through the housing support member fixing screw through-hole from a bottom side of the housing and screwed into the screw hole in the housing support member;a base provided with a shaft through hole into which the shaft is rotatably inserted, the base being to be mounted on an outer side of a vehicle chassis, and the shaft being exposed through the lower opening of the housing; and a spring member fitted in a compressed state over the shaft protruding from the shaft through hole on the opposite side of the base. Since the housing support member, the housing, and the base are assembled from a single direction using the screw and the spring member, the present invention enables simplification of the assembly and also automation of the assembly processes.

[0010] The housing support member placement space may include a recess that opens upwardly to receive and support at least a lower portion of the housing support member. This makes it easier to place the housing support member in the housing support member placement space. In the manually retractable door mirror according to the present invention, the housing support member may include a ring wall formed coaxially with the shaft, projecting downward at a position outward from the shaft, and the base may include a ring wall housing groove that opens upwardly to rotatably receive the ring wall. The positions of the ring wall and the ring wall housing groove may be reversed, with the ring wall being placed on the base side, while the ring wall housing groove is placed on the housing support member side.

[0011] The present invention provides an assembly method for a manually retractable door mirror according to the present invention, comprising: a step of supporting the housing support member by receiving the housing support member in an upside-down position with a jig from below; a step of placing the housing in an upside-down position on the housing support member supported by the jig from above and placing the housing support member in the housing support member placement space; a step of coupling the housing and the housing support member to each other by passing the housing support member fixing screw through the housing support member fixing screw through-hole in the housing from above and screwing the housing support member fixing screw into the screw hole in the housing support member;a step of inserting the shaft into the shaft through hole with the base in an upside-down position and the shaft protruding upward from the lower opening of the housing; and a step of fitting the spring member in a compressed state over the shaft protruding from the shaft through hole. Since the housing support member, the housing, and the base are assembled from a single direction using the screw and the spring member, the present invention enables simplification of the assembly and also automation of the assembly processes.

[0012] The present invention provides an electrically retractable door mirror comprising: an electric drive mechanism including a shaft, a motor, a gear box, and a clutch accommodated and placed in a casing (housing), transmits a driving force from the motor to the shaft through the gear box when the motor is operated, whereby the shaft rotates relative to the casing about an axis of the shaft, a screw hole is formed openingly on a bottom of the casing, a bottom of the shaft is exposed outside the casing, and a screw hole is formed on the bottom of the shaft;a housing provided with an electric drive mechanism placement space that allows the electric drive mechanism to be placed by inserting it from above, a lower opening that allows the bottom of the shaft to be exposed downward, the electric drive mechanism being placed in the electric drive mechanism placement space, and a fixing screw through-hole formed around the lower opening for the electric drive mechanism; an electric drive mechanism fixing screw that fixes the electric drive mechanism to the housing by being passed through the fixing screw through-hole for the electric drive mechanism from a bottom side of the housing and screwed into the screw hole in the casing of the electric drive mechanism;a base provided with an upright shaft mounting surface to which the bottom of the shaft is exposed through the bottom opening of the housing and in which an upright shaft mounting screw through hole is formed, the base to be mounted on an outer side of a vehicle chassis;and an upright shaft fixing screw that fixes the shaft upright to the upright shaft fixing surface and thereby rotatably supports the housing around the shaft axis by passing through the upright shaft fixing screw through hole from a bottom surface of the base and screwing into the screw hole on the bottom surface of the shaft. Since the electric drive mechanism, the housing support member, the housing, and the base are assembled from a single direction using the screw, the present invention enables simplification of the assembly and also automation of the assembly processes.

[0013] The placement space associated with the electric drive mechanism may have a recess that is open at the top and receives and supports at least a lower part of the electric drive mechanism. This makes it easier to place the electric drive mechanism in the placement space associated with the electric drive mechanism. The recess can receive and support the electric drive mechanism with an upper part of the electric drive mechanism protruding upward from the recess. This makes it possible to carry out the assembly process in such a way that the upper part of the electric drive mechanism is held by a jig. The electrically retractable door mirror according to the present invention may be configured such that the electric drive mechanism is placed directly in the placement space associated with the electric drive mechanism.Alternatively, the electric drive mechanism may be held by a fitting piece and placed in the placement space associated with the electric drive mechanism together with the fitting piece.

[0014] The present invention provides an assembly method for the electrically retractable door mirror according to the present invention, comprising: a step of supporting the electric drive mechanism by receiving the electric drive mechanism in an upside-down position from below by a jig; a step of placing the housing in an upside-down position on the electric drive mechanism supported by the jig from above, and placing the electric drive mechanism in the placement space associated with the electric drive mechanism;a step of coupling the housing and the electric drive mechanism to each other by passing the fastening screw associated with the electric drive mechanism through the fastening screw through-hole in the housing from above, and screwing the fastening screw associated with the electric drive mechanism into the screw hole in the casing; a step of causing the bottom of the shaft to face the upright shaft fastening surface by placing the base in an upside-down position over the bottom of the shaft exposed upward from the bottom opening of the housing;and a step of passing the upright shaft fixing screw through the upright shaft fixing screw through hole of the base from above, screwing the upright shaft fixing screw into the screw hole on the underside of the shaft, and thereby upright fixing the shaft to the upright shaft fixing surface of the base. Since the electric drive mechanism, the housing, and the base are assembled from a single direction using the screw, the present invention enables simplification of the assembly and also automation of the assembly processes. Short description of the drawing Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an essential part of a first embodiment of a manually retractable door mirror according to the present invention. Fig. Figure 2 is a plan view of only one housing 36 of the manually retractable door mirror of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing how a housing support member 34 is received in a recess 42 in a housing 36 and is mounted in a housing support member placement space 37ba in the manually retractable door mirror of Fig. 1 is placed. Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the assembled components of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a rear view of the assembled components of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a partial sectional view (corresponding to a cross section along the line AA in Fig. 4 and Fig. 8) a manually retractable door mirror of Fig. 1 with a section along a plane passing through a rotation axis S when a housing 36 is in a return position. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the housing support member 34 of Fig. 1 when viewed from the side on which a stop 40c is formed. Fig. 8 is a plan view of a rotary support portion 32b of a base 32 in Fig. 1. Fig. 9 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the pivot support portion 32b of the base 32 of Fig. 1. Fig. 10 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the manually retractable door mirror of Fig. 1. Fig. 11 is a partial sectional view (corresponding to a cross section along the line BB of Fig. 4) of the housing support member 34 and the housing 36 of the door mirror of Fig. 1 in a position where the components are firmly coupled. Fig. Fig. 12 is a partially enlarged front view showing how a base-side portion 60 and a mirror rotating member-side portion 54 of a clutch engage when the door mirror housing 36 is moved from Fig. 1 is in a return position. Fig. Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing how the housing support member 34 is supported from below in an upside-down position by a jig 65 during assembly of the manually retractable door mirror of Fig. 1 is received and supported using an assembly method according to the present invention. Fig. 14 is a diagram showing how the housing support member 34 is received in the recess 42 in the housing 36 when viewed from the bottom of the housing 36 of a manually retractable door mirror according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 15 is a plan view of the rotating mirror portion 32b of the base 32 in the manually retractable door mirror according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 16 is a partial sectional view of the manually retractable door mirror according to the second embodiment of the present invention, taken along a plane passing through the rotation axis S when the housing 36 is in the return position. Fig. 17 is a partial sectional view of a third embodiment of a manually retractable door mirror according to the present invention, taken along a plane passing through the rotation axis S when the housing 36 is in the return position. Fig. 18 is an exploded perspective view showing an essential part of a first embodiment of an electrically retractable door mirror according to the present invention having a configuration using the common base for manually retractable and electrically retractable door mirrors used in the first embodiment of the manually retractable door mirror. Fig. 19 is a perspective view of a fitting 72 in Fig. 18 when viewed from the side on which a stop 73a is formed. Fig. Fig. 20 is a diagram showing how an electric drive mechanism 70 is received in the recess 42 in the housing 36 via the fitting piece 72 and is installed in an electric drive mechanism placement space 37ba in the electrically retractable door mirror of Fig. 18 is placed. Fig. 21 is a bottom view of the assembled components of Fig. 20. Fig. 22 is a rear view of the assembled components of Fig. 20. Fig. Fig. 23 is a perspective view showing how the electric drive mechanism 70 is mounted on the rotation support portion 32b of the base 32 of Fig. 18 is placed and supported. Fig. 24 is a partial sectional view (corresponding to a cross section along the line DD of Fig. 21) at a position where the housing 36, the fitting 72 and the electric drive mechanism 70 of the electrically retractable door mirror of Fig. 18 are firmly coupled. Fig. 25 is a partial sectional view (corresponding to a cross section along the line CC in Fig. 8 and Fig. 21) at the position where a shaft 74 of the electric drive mechanism 70 is upright on the base 32 in the electrically retractable door mirror of Fig. 18 is attached. Fig. Fig. 26 is a perspective view showing the electric drive mechanism 70 being supported from below in an upside-down position by a jig 94 during assembly of the electric retractable door mirror of Fig. 18 is received and supported using the assembly method according to the present invention. Fig. 27 is an exploded perspective view showing an essential part of a second embodiment of the electrically retractable door mirror according to the present invention having a configuration using a common base for manually retractable and electrically retractable door mirrors also used in the first embodiment of the manually retractable door mirror. Detailed Description of the Preferred EmbodimentsFirst Embodiment of a Manually Retractable Door Mirror

[0015] A first embodiment of a manually retractable door mirror according to the present invention will be described below. Fig. Fig. 1 is an exploded view showing an embodiment of a manually retractable vehicle door mirror according to the present invention. It is the right door mirror as viewed from the rear. A housing cover mounted on the rear side of a housing (mirror body) 36, a mirror angle adjustment actuator fixedly mounted in a front space 37a ( Fig. 4) of the housing 36, a mirror plate which is firmly supported by the mirror angle adjusting actuator in the state in which the mirror angle can be adjusted, and the like are provided in Fig. 1 not shown. The door mirror includes a base 32 attached to an outer side of a vehicle chassis, a case support member 34 (frame) supported on the base 32 so as to rotate about a rotation axis S, and a housing 36 fixedly supported by the case support member 34. The housing 36 receives the case support member 34 in a recess 42 in an inner space 37, places the case support member 34 in a case support member placement space 37ba, and is fixedly supported by the case support member 34 with screws 44. In this way, the housing support member 34 and the housing 36 are integrated with each other by fixed coupling and form a mirror rotating member 35. When the housing support member 34 and the housing 36 are integrated, a shaft 38 of the housing support member 34 and an annular wall 40 on an outer peripheral side of the shaft 38 protrude downward from a bottom of the housing 36.The shaft 38 and the annular wall 40 are inserted into a shaft passage hole 56 and an annular wall housing groove 58 ( , respectively). Fig. 8 and Fig. 9) is inserted into a rotation support portion 32b of the base 32, a coil spring 46 is fitted in a shortened (compressed) state over the shaft 38 from below the base 32, and a plate 48 is attached to a lower end of the shaft 38, thereby coupling the housing support member 34 and the base 32. As a result, the housing 36 can be moved between a retracted position (folded backward position), a return position, and a tilted forward position (folded forward position) by manually rotating it together with the housing support member 34 about the rotation axis S within an angular range predetermined by a stopper 40c ( Fig. 7).

[0016] The housing support member 34, the housing 36 and the base 32 are Fig. 1. The housing support member 34 is a one-piece molded piece made of rigid plastic, such as PA+GF resin (glass fiber filled polyamide), or a one-piece casting made of a metal, such as aluminum. As shown in Fig. 1, the housing support member 34 includes the shaft 38, which rotates relative to the base 32 due to its formation as a hollow round rod and is located on the rotation axis S, while the annular wall 40, which has a circular shape, is located outwardly from the shaft 38 and is formed coaxially with the shaft 38 due to a radial spacing from the shaft 38. Since the shaft 38 is formed integrally with the housing support member 34, there is no need for a shaft as an independent part. This reduces the number of parts and thereby improves the efficiency of the assembly processes. The annular wall 40 becomes slightly thinner in plate thickness towards the bottom ( Fig. 6). The annular wall 40 projects upwards over a disc-shaped coupler 39 ( Fig. 3 and Fig. 6) which connects the annular wall 40 and the shaft 38 and forms an annular wall extension 41. The annular wall extension 41 serves to increase the strength of the annular wall 40. As in Fig. 6, in a space surrounded by the annular wall 40, the coupler 39, and the shaft 38, a mirror rotating member side portion 54 of a coupling is formed at a boundary between the coupler 39 and the annular wall 40 (just inside the annular wall 40) in coaxial placement with the shaft 38 and the annular wall 40. As shown in Fig. 4, the mirror rotating member side portion 54 of the coupling includes a land 54a and a trough 54b that are repeated three times at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Each boundary 54c between the land 54a and the trough 54b is formed to be an inclined surface ( Fig. 12). As in Fig. 7, the stopper 40c is formed in a certain circumferential area on an outer peripheral surface of the annular wall 40 and protrudes radially outward. With placement in a stopper offset groove 63 at a location exactly on the outer peripheral side of the annular wall housing groove 58 of the base 32, see Fig. 8, the stopper 40c moves along the stopper displacement groove 63 as the housing support member 34 rotates, and is stopped by abutting against opposite ends 63a and 63b of the stopper displacement groove 63, where the stopper displacement groove 63 is formed in a certain circumferential range around the rotation axis S. The stopper 40c is retained by the end 63a in the forward folded position of the housing 36 and retained by the end 63b in the retracted position (backward folded position) of the housing 36. Since the stopper 40c is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the annular wall 40, the stopper 40c can be supported more strongly than when the stopper 40c is supported with the housing support member 34 only at the base thereof without the annular wall 40. This prevents the stopper 40c from breaking.In contrast, the stopper offset groove 63 may be provided at a position just on the inner peripheral side of the ring wall housing groove 58, and the stopper 40c may be formed on and protrude from an inner peripheral surface of the ring wall 40. As shown in FIG. Fig. 7, screw holes 29 and 31 are formed on the front side of the housing support member 34 for screwing in and supporting a part of the mirror angle adjustment actuator.

[0017] The housing 36 of Fig. 1 is a one-piece molded piece made of plastic, such as ABS, which has a lower strength than the housing support member 34. As in Fig. 1, the inner space 37 of the housing 36 is generally divided by a partition plate 36a into the front space 37a and a rear space 37b. The mirror angle adjustment actuator (not shown) is arranged in the front space 37a ( Fig. 4) by placing it in front of the partition plate 36a. This means that a part of the mirror angle adjustment actuator is secured with screws to screw holes (not shown) formed on a front surface of the partition plate 36a, while another part of the mirror angle adjustment actuator is secured with screws to the screw holes 29 and 31 ( Fig. 7) is secured to the front of the housing support member 34. A mirror plate (not shown) is mounted on the mirror angle adjustment actuator. The housing support member placement space 37ba (shared with a placement space of an electrically retractable door mirror associated with the electric drive mechanism) ( Fig. 1) is formed in the rear space 37b and allows the housing support member 34 to be placed by insertion from above. The recess 42 ( Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3 and Fig. 5) is formed in a lower part of the housing support member placement space 37ba opening upwards. The housing support member 34 is received in the recess 42. A screw through hole 33 ( Fig. 1) is formed in the rear side of the housing 36. A screw (not shown) is inserted into the screw through hole 33 and into a screw hole 43 ( Fig. 1) formed in the rear side of the housing support member 34. As a result, the housing 36 and the housing support member 34 are also fixed to each other from the rear side of the housing 36. The rear space 37b of the housing 36 is closed by a housing cover (not shown) mounted thereon. A round hole 52 ( Fig. 2) (a lower opening) is formed on the rotation axis S in the underside of the housing 36 to allow the shaft 38 of the housing support member 34 and the annular wall 40 to protrude. A recess 52a ( Fig. 2, Fig. 4, Fig. 14, Fig. 21) is formed in the round hole 52 and runs on the stops 40c ( Fig. 7) and 73a ( Fig. 19) over.

[0018] The base 32 (the common base for manually retractable and electrically retractable door mirrors) is a one-piece molded piece made of a rigid plastic, such as a PA+GF resin, or a one-piece cast piece made of a metal, such as aluminum. The base 32 is provided with a vehicle chassis fixing portion 32a fixed to the vehicle chassis and a pivot support portion 32b projecting laterally from a lower end of the vehicle chassis fixing portion 32a, providing a support for pivotally supporting the housing support member 34. Fig. 8 shows the rotary support portion 32b of the base 32 when viewed from above. Fig. 9 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the rotation support portion 32b. The rotation support portion 32b includes the shaft through hole 56 formed on the rotation axis S, the ring wall housing groove 58 formed on the outer peripheral side of the shaft through hole 56, and the coupling base-side portion 60 formed coaxially with the ring wall housing groove 58, and the shaft through hole 56 formed exactly on the inner peripheral side of the ring wall housing groove 58. The shaft through hole 56 is configured to be just large enough for the shaft 38 to pass through with a slight clearance when the housing 36 is in the return position. On an inner wall surface 58a and an outer wall surface 58b of the annular wall housing groove 58, for determining contact positions with respect to an inner wall surface 40a and an outer wall surface 40b of the annular wall 40 ( Fig. 6), six ribs 59 or 61 are formed, each projecting at equal circumferential angles and extending in a direction parallel to the rotation axis S. The annular wall housing groove 58 and the annular wall 40 have such an inner diameter and outer diameter, respectively, that the inner wall surface 58a (positions of the ribs 59) and the inner wall surface 40a as well as the outer wall surface 58b (positions of the ribs 61) and the outer wall surface 40b abut each other without a gap when the housing 36 is in the return position. The groove width of the annular wall housing groove 58 increases towards the bottom ( Fig. 6) slightly to compensate for changes in the plate thickness of the annular wall 40. The depth of the annular wall housing groove 58 is selected such that the portion 54 located on the side of the mirror rotating member and the portion 60 of the coupling located on the side of the base always abut each other within an angular range in which the housing support member 34 can rotate relative to the base 32. The portion 60 of the coupling located on the side of the base includes a land 60a and a trough 60b which are located three times at equal intervals in the circumferential direction exactly on the inner peripheral side of the annular wall housing groove 58 ( Fig. 8 and Fig. 9). Each boundary 60c between the web 60a and the trough 60b is defined as an inclined surface ( Fig. 9 and Fig. 12) trained.

[0019] The manually retractable door mirror from Fig. 1 is assembled as follows. (1) As in Fig. 13, a jig 65 supporting the housing support member 34 is mounted upright on a base (not shown), such as a work table or workbench, and the housing support member 34 is supported in an upside-down position by being placed over the upper end of the jig 65. In the example of Fig. 13, the clamping device 65 is a rod-like member that is vertically mounted upright on the base. Subsequently, the upper end of the clamping device 65 is releasably and securely received in a recess 41a surrounded by the annular wall extension 41 of the housing support member 34, thus holding the housing support member 34 by the clamping device 65. (2) With the upside down housing support member 34, the components of Fig. 1 sequentially assembled in an upside-down position with the housing support member 34 from above. Specifically, first, the housing 36 is turned over and brought to the housing support member 34 from above, the housing support member 34 is placed in the housing support member placement space 37ba by placing the housing support member 34 in the recess 42. The resulting state of the housing 36 and the housing support member 34 is shown in Fig. 3, Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 (but in an upside-down position). Once the housing support member 34 is received in the recess 42, because the housing 36 is supported by the housing support member 34, the housing 36 will not fall off the housing support member 34 even if it is not manually held. (3) Screws 44 ( Fig. 1) are inserted from above through two screw holes 50 ( Fig. 4) formed in the housing 36 and are screwed into the screw holes in the housing support member 34 to firmly couple the housing 36 and the housing support member 34 together. Fig. Figure 11 shows (but in an upside down position) a cross-section (corresponding to a cross-section along the line BB in Fig. 4) at the position where the housing support member 34 and the housing 36 are firmly coupled. The housing support member 34 and the housing 36 are firmly coupled to each other when the screws 44 are inserted through the screw through holes 50 formed in the housing 36 and screwed into the screw holes 66 formed in the housing support member 34. (4) The base 32 is turned over and brought to the housing 36 from above, whereupon the shaft 38 and the annular wall 40 projecting upward from the round hole 52 in the housing 36 are rotatably inserted into the shaft through hole 56 and the annular wall housing groove 58 formed in the rotation support portion 32b of the base 32, respectively. Consequently, since the base 32 is held to the housing support member 36 by the shaft 38 and the annular wall 40, the base 32 does not fall off the housing support member 34 even if the housing support member 34 is not manually held. (5) The coil spring 46 is fitted from above over the shaft 38 projecting upward through the base 32, and the plate 48 is mounted on an upper end of the shaft 38, whereby the coil spring 46 is fitted around the shaft 38 in a compressed state.

[0020] Subsequently, the base 32, the housing support member 34 and the housing 36 are placed in a support-supported state by coupling them together in such a way that rotation about the rotation axis S, see Fig. 6, Fig. 10 and Fig. 11 (but in the upside down position) is possible.

[0021] (6) A screw (not shown) is inserted into the screw through hole 33 ( Fig. 1) on the rear side of the housing 36 and into the screw hole 43 ( Fig. 1) is screwed into the housing support member 34 to reinforce the coupling between the housing 36 and the housing support member 34.

[0022] (7) The structure thus assembled is removed from the jig 65, whereupon the housing cover is pressed onto an opening (area surrounded by the edges 36c, see Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3 and Fig. 5) is attached to the rear side of the housing 36. Subsequently, the housing support member 34 without the shaft 38 and the annular wall 40 protrudes from the round hole 52 in the housing 36, that is, that part of the housing support member 34 which is above the coupler 39 ( Fig. 6) is accommodated in the inner space 37 of the housing 36.

[0023] (8) The mirror angle adjusting actuator is mounted in the front space 37a of the housing 36, after which the mirror plate is mounted on the mirror angle adjusting actuator.

[0024] Since the components are assembled from above in a state where the housing support member 34 is supported by the jig 65 in steps (1) to (5), the above-described steps facilitate assembly and also automated assembly.

[0025] Fig. 6 shows the side door mirror of Fig. 1 and cut along a plane passing through the axis of rotation S when the housing 36 is in the return position (corresponding to a cross-section along the line AA of Fig. 4 and Fig. 8). A wiring harness 62 extends through a hollow portion 38a of the shaft 38 to provide the electrical drive power for the mirror angle adjustment actuator and the like. A lower opening of the base 32 is closed by a cover 64. When the housing 36 is in the return position, a compressive force of the coil spring 46 acts to push the base 32 and the housing support member 34 toward each other along the rotation axis S, thereby displacing the ridges 60a and the troughs 60b of the base-side portion 60 ( Fig. 8 and Fig. 9) the clutch is engaged (in Fig. 12 shown state) with the troughs 54b and the webs 54a of the section 54 located on the side of the mirror rotating member ( Fig. 4). As a result, the housing support member 34 with the mounted housing 36 is held in an upright position on the base 32. As a result, the inner wall surface 40a and the outer wall surface 40b of the annular wall 40 engage the ribs 59 and 61 on the inner wall surface 58a and the outer wall surface 58b of the annular wall housing groove 58, and hold the housing 36 in the return position without wobbling. A small gap exists between the outer peripheral surface 38b of the shaft 38 and the inner peripheral surface 56a of the shaft through hole 56.

[0026] When the housing 36 is in the return position, if a force is manually applied to the housing 36 in a direction about the rotation axis S against the compressive force of the coil spring 46, the inclined surface 54c ( Fig. 12) of the mirror rotating member side portion 54 of the clutch upwards along the inclined surface 60c of the base side portion 60, causing the clutch to disengage. When the inclined surface 54c slides upwards, the housing support member 34 moves upwards accordingly. Since the plate thickness of the annular wall 40 decreases slightly toward the bottom and the groove width of the annular wall housing groove 58 decreases slightly toward the bottom to accommodate changes in the plate thickness of the annular wall 40 ( Fig. 6) as described above, when the housing support member 34 moves upward, the engagement of the inner wall surface 40a and the outer wall surface 40b of the annular wall 40 with the ribs 59 and 61 with the inner wall surface 58a and the outer wall surface 58b of the annular wall housing groove 58 is released (the gap is formed between the wall surfaces), thereby allowing the housing 36 to rotate about the rotation axis S. As a result, the housing 36 moves to the retracted position (folded backward position) or to the tilted forward position opposite to the retracted position.When the housing 36 rotates, bearing support is provided by sliding the inner wall surface 40a and the outer wall surface 40b of the annular wall 40 along the inner wall surface 58a and the outer wall surface 58b of the annular wall housing groove 58 and / or by sliding the outer peripheral surface 38b of the shaft 38 along the inner peripheral surface 56a of the shaft through hole 56.

[0027] When the housing 36 is in the return position, if an unexpected force (for example, a downward load) is applied to the housing 36, which causes a bending moment (a moment oriented in the direction indicated by the arrow F, that is, a moment about a center position P of the shaft through hole 56, Fig. 6) applied to the housing support member 34 is increased, which in turn causes the housing support member 34 to tilt, the inner wall surface 40a and the outer wall surface 40b of the annular wall 40 come into pressure contact with the ribs 59 and 61 on the inner wall surface 58a and the outer wall surface 58b of the annular wall housing groove 58, while the outer peripheral surface 38b of the shaft 38 comes into pressure contact with the inner peripheral surface 56a of the shaft through hole 56 due to tilting of the shaft 38, therefore the unexpected force is divided and borne by the three pairs of surfaces in pressure contact. Therefore, the housing support member 34 as a whole provides high strength and high bearing capacity for external forces. Therefore, even if the housing support member 34 is made of a one-piece molding of a rigid plastic, such as a PA+GF resin, instead of metal, it becomes possible to preventthat the shaft 38 and the annular wall 40 are bent or broken. If both the housing support member 34 and the base 32 are made of a one-piece molding of hard plastic, such as PA+GF resin, the door mirror can be manufactured at low cost. According to the present embodiment, particularly when the housing 36 is in the return position, since the inner wall surface 40a and the outer wall surface 40b of the annular wall 40 abut the ribs 59 and 61 on the inner wall surface 58a and the outer wall surface 58b of the annular wall housing groove 58 without a gap, while the outer peripheral surface 38b of the shaft 38 and the inner peripheral surface 56a of the shaft through hole 56 face each other with a small gap, when an external force is applied to the housing 36,A large part of the external force is borne by the pressure contact of the inner wall surface 40a and the outer wall surface 40b of the annular wall 40 against the ribs 59 and 61 on the inner wall surface 58a and the outer wall surface 58b of the annular wall housing groove 58, while the remaining part of the external force is borne by the pressure contact between the outer peripheral surface 38b of the shaft 38 and the inner peripheral surface 56a of the shaft through hole 56. This reduces the force exerted on the shaft 38 and more reliably prevents the shaft 38 from being bent or broken.

[0028] According to the above-described embodiment, since the annular wall 40 is concealed by being housed in the annular wall housing groove 58, an external appearance equivalent to that of conventional vehicle door mirrors is provided. Furthermore, since the mirror rotating member-side portion 54 and the base-side portion 60 of the coupling are placed on the inner peripheral side of the annular wall 40 and the annular wall housing groove 58, there is no need for an exclusive radial width (additional radial width provided around the rotation axis S on the housing support member 34 and the base 32 to form the coupling) used to place the coupling on the outer peripheral side of the annular wall 40 and the annular wall housing groove 58. Therefore, there is no problem in routing the wire harness 62 passing through the hollow part 38a of the shaft 38.In addition, since the coil spring 46 is placed on the inner peripheral side of the ring wall housing groove 58, the diameter of the coil spring 46 can be reduced. Second embodiment of a manually retractable door mirror

[0029] A second embodiment of a manually retractable door mirror according to the present invention is shown in Fig. 14 to 16. According to the present embodiment, the mirror rotating member side portion 54 of the coupling is located on the upper side of the annular wall 40, while the base side portion 60 of the coupling is formed on the lower side of the annular wall housing groove 58. The remaining configuration is the same as in the first embodiment. Fig. 14 is a diagram showing how the housing support member 34 ( Fig. 3) in the recess 42 ( Fig. 2) in the housing 36 when viewed from the bottom of the housing 36 ( Fig. 14 corresponds to Fig. 4 according to the first embodiment). Fig. 15 is a plan view of the rotary support portion 32b of the base 32 ( Fig. 15 corresponds to Fig. 8 corresponding to the first embodiment). Fig. 16 is a sectional view taken along a plane passing through the rotation axis S when the housing 36 is in the return position ( Fig. 16 corresponds to Fig. 6 corresponding to the first embodiment). The same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals as corresponding components in the first embodiment. The present embodiment eliminates the need for an exclusive radial width for locating the coupling, thereby making it possible to reduce the diameter required for the base 32 to rotate relative to the housing support member 34. The door mirror according to the present invention operates in a manner similar to the door mirror according to the first embodiment. Third embodiment of a manually retractable door mirror

[0030] A third embodiment of a manually retractable door mirror according to the present invention is shown in Fig. 17. Unlike the first and second embodiments, the annular wall 40 is formed on the side of the base 32, while the annular wall housing groove 58 is formed on the side of the housing support member 34. The remaining configuration is the same as in the first and second embodiments. Fig. 17 is a sectional view taken along a plane passing through the rotation axis S when the housing 36 is in the return position ( Fig. 17 corresponds to Fig. 6 according to the first embodiment and Fig. 16 corresponding to the second embodiment). The same components as those in the first and second embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals as corresponding components in the first and second embodiments. The circular annular wall 40 is formed on the base 32 to project upwardly coaxially with the rotation axis S. The circular annular wall housing groove 58 is formed on the housing support member 34 to open downwardly coaxially with the rotation axis S. The shaft passage hole 56 passes the shaft 38 therethrough with a slight clearance when the housing 36 is in the return position. The plate thickness of the annular wall 40 slightly decreases toward the upper end. The groove width of the annular wall housing groove 58 slightly decreases toward the upper end to compensate for changes in the plate thickness of the annular wall 40.On the inner wall surface 58a and the outer wall surface 58b of the annular wall housing groove 58, six ribs (similar to the ribs 59 and 61 of ) are provided for defining abutment positions with respect to the inner wall surface 40a and the outer wall surface 40b of the annular wall 40. Fig. 8) projecting at equal circumferential angles with an extension in a direction parallel to the rotation axis S. The annular wall housing groove 58 and the annular wall 40 are configured such that the inner wall surface 58a (positions of the ribs) and the inner wall surface 40a, as well as the outer wall surface 58b (positions of the ribs) and the outer wall surface 40b, abut each other without a gap when the housing 36 is in the return position. Just on the inner circumferential side of the annular wall 40 and the annular wall housing groove 58, the base 32 has a ridge 60a and a depression 60b of the clutch base side portion 60, while the housing support member 34 has a depression 54b and a ridge 54a of the clutch housing support member side portion 54.In the return position, the web 60a and the trough 60b of the portion 60 located on the side of the base of the coupling respectively engage the trough 54b and the web 54a of the portion 54 located on the side of the housing support member of the coupling (in . Fig. 12). This state is maintained by the urging force of the coil spring 46. The door mirror according to the present embodiment operates in a manner similar to the door mirrors according to the first and second embodiments. Again, according to the present embodiment, the engagement between the ring wall 40 and the ring wall housing groove 58 provides a bearing capacity for the bending moment at a location outward from the location of the shaft 38. In addition, since the ring wall 40 is hidden by being received in the ring wall housing groove 58, the door mirror has an appearance equivalent to that of conventional vehicle door mirrors. Moreover, the ring wall 40 serves as a shield against an airflow entering the gap g between opposite oropposite surfaces of the base 32 and the housing 36 when the vehicle is running, and thereby prevents the airflow from entering the gap g, thereby achieving a wind noise reducing effect (a similar effect is achieved in the first and second embodiments).

[0031] Although the plate 48 is used to retain the coil spring 46 toward the shaft 38 in the first to third embodiments of the manually retractable door mirror, the plate 48 may be omitted if an end of the coil spring 46 on the plate side is directly retained toward the shaft 38. Although the coil spring 46 is used in the first to third embodiments of the manually retractable door mirror, a disc spring or a leaf spring may be used alternatively. Although the ring wall 40 and the ring wall housing groove 58 are placed coaxially with the shaft 38 in the first to third embodiments of the manually retractable door mirror, the present invention is also applicable to a mirror rotating member 35 rotatably supported on the base 32 using only the shaft 38 without the ring wall 40 and the ring wall housing groove 58. First embodiment of an electrically retractable door mirror

[0032] A first embodiment of an electrically retractable door mirror according to the present invention is shown in Fig. 18 to 25, the embodiment is configured using the common base 32 for manually retractable and electrically retractable door mirrors as described in the first embodiment of the manually retractable door mirror. The same components as those in the first embodiment of the manually retractable door mirror are designated by the same reference numerals as corresponding components in the first embodiment of the manually retractable door mirror. Fig. 18 is an exploded view showing an embodiment of the electrically retractable door mirror according to the present invention. Fig. Figure 18 shows a right door mirror as viewed from the rear. A housing cover mounted on the rear side of the housing 36, a mirror angle adjusting actuator, a mirror plate, and the like are shown in Fig. 18 not shown. The door mirror includes the base 32, which is attached to the outside of a vehicle chassis, an electric drive mechanism 70, a fitting 72, and the housing 36. The fitting 72 is arranged between the electric drive mechanism 70 and the housing 36 for firmly coupling the electric drive mechanism 70 to the housing 36. The fitting 72 is a one-piece molded piece made of hard plastic, such as PA+GF resin, or a one-piece cast piece made of metal, such as aluminum. The fitting 72 includes an inner space 72a used to accommodate the electric drive mechanism 70, which is fitted through an upper opening 72b. An opening 72c is formed on a bottom of the fitting 72 to allow a bottom surface 74aa of a shaft 74 ( Fig. 24 and Fig. 25) is exposed downwards. The fitting 72 includes an annular wall 73 which projects downwards. The annular wall 73 is inserted into the annular wall housing groove 58 of the base 32 without contact ( Fig. 24 and Fig. 25). As in Fig. 19, a stopper 73a is formed in a certain circumferential area on an outer peripheral surface of the annular wall 73 and projects radially outward. As for the case of the manually retractable door mirror placed in a stopper displacement groove 63 formed in a certain circumferential area around the rotation axis S at a location on the outer peripheral side of the annular wall housing groove 58 of the base 32, see Fig. 8, the stopper 73a moves along the stopper displacement groove 63 when the fitting piece 72 rotates and is retained by abutting against opposite ends 63a and 63b of the stopper displacement groove 63. The stopper 73a is retained by the end 63a at the forward folded position of the housing 36 and by the end 63b at the retracted position (rearward folded position) of the housing 36. Since the stopper 73a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the annular wall 73, the stopper 73a can be supported more strongly than in the case where the stopper 73a is coupled to the fitting piece 72 only via the base thereof without the annular wall 73. This prevents the stopper 73a from breaking.On the other hand, the stopper displacement groove 63 may be formed at a position just on the inner peripheral side of the annular wall housing groove 58, and the stopper 73a may be formed on and protrude from an inner peripheral surface of the annular wall 73. As shown in FIG. Fig. 19, screw holes 67 and 69 (corresponding to the screw holes 29 and 31 of the housing support member 34 of Fig. 7) designed to screw in and support a portion of the mirror angle adjustment actuator. As shown in Fig. 18, the electric drive mechanism 70 is housed and held in the inner space 72a of the fitting piece 72, which is housed and held in the recess 42 in the housing 36 together with the fitting piece 72, placed in an electric drive mechanism placement space 37ba (shared with the housing support member placement space of the manually retractable door mirror), and firmly supported by the housing 36 together with the fitting piece 72 using the screws 44. In this way, the mirror rotating member 35 is constructed by integrating the electric drive mechanism 70 housed in the fitting piece 72 with the housing 36. The base 32, the housing 36, and the housing cover are the same as those in the first embodiment of the manually retractable door mirror.

[0033] The electric drive mechanism 70 has a structure similar to that of an electric drive mechanism of conventional electrically retractable door mirrors and includes a hollow round metal rod shaft 74 ( Fig. 24 and Fig. 25), a motor, a gear, a clutch mechanism, a coil spring, an electronic circuit board or printed circuit board and the like, with accommodation and placement in a housing 71. The shaft 74 is placed coaxially with the rotation axis S. The underside 74aa of a base part 74a of the shaft 74 is exposed through the underside of the housing 36. As in Fig. 21, in the lower part of the base part 74a of the shaft 74, legs 90 are formed protrudingly at three locations around the rotation axis S. Screw holes 88 are formed on a bottom side of each leg 90. In addition, a positioning pin 79 is protrudingly formed in the lower part of the base part 74a of the shaft 74, as shown in Fig. 21. A hollow portion 74b is formed in the center of the shaft 74 and extends through the length of the shaft 74. A lower end of the hollow portion 74b opens upward into a central portion of the bottom surface 74aa of a base portion 74a. An upper end of the hollow portion 74b opens above the electric drive mechanism 70 through a connection with a hollow portion 92 ( Fig. 24 and Fig. 25) formed in an upper part of the housing 71 of the electric drive mechanism 70.

[0034] An upright shaft attachment surface 76 ( Fig. 8 and Fig. 9) is provided in a central part of an upper surface of the base 32. As shown in Fig. 8 and Fig. As shown in Fig. 9, walls 77 and a protrusion 75 are protrudingly formed on the upright shaft attachment surface 76. The portion of the upright shaft attachment surface 76 free from the walls 77 and the protrusion 75 provides a leg support surface 91 that supports the legs 90. Screw through holes 80 are formed in the leg support surface 91. A pin receiving hole 81 is formed in the protrusion 75. The shaft 74 is supported on the upright shaft attachment surface 76 with the legs 90 placed on the leg support surface 91. In this state, the walls 77 and the protrusion 75 are fitted into spaces at the legs 90, and the pin 79 is received in the pin receiving hole 81.As a result of the engagement (fit) between the concave convexities on the upright shaft attachment surface 76 and concave convexities on the underside 74aa of the shaft 74, the shaft 74 is positioned on the base 32 with its central axis in alignment with the rotation axis S. In a state where the shaft 74 is positioned on the base 32, three screws 78 (. Fig. 18) through the screw through holes 80 from the underside of the base 32 and screwed into the screw holes 88 formed in the undersides of the legs 90. As a result, the shaft 74 is mounted upright on the base 32 ( Fig. 25). When the shaft 74 is mounted upright on the base 32, the center hole 56 (shaft through hole in the case of the manually retractable door mirror) of the base 32, the hollow portion 74b of the shaft 74, and the hollow portion 92 of the housing 71 communicate with each other to form a wire harness through hole.

[0035] The electrically retractable door mirror from Fig. 18 is assembled as follows:. (1) As in Fig. 26, a jig 94 supporting the electric drive mechanism 70 is mounted upright on a base (not shown), such as a work table or workbench. Then, the electric drive mechanism 70 is supported in an upside-down position with the upper part of the electric drive mechanism 70 placed in a recess 94a on the top side of the jig 94 (the upper part being the part placed on the lower side in an upside-down position). In the example of Fig. 26, the jig 94 is a rod-like member or a tubular member having the recess 94a at the upper end. The jig 94 is mounted upright on the base, and the upper part of the electric drive mechanism 70 is smoothly and detachably received in the recess 94a in the jig 94 (the upper part being the part located on the lower side in the upside-down position), and the electric drive mechanism 70 is then held by the jig 94. (2) The upside-down electric drive mechanism 70 drives the components of Fig. 18 are sequentially assembled with the electric drive mechanism 70 in an upside-down position from above. Specifically, first, the fitting piece 72 is inverted and brought toward the electric drive mechanism 70 from above, and the lower part of the electric drive mechanism 70 is fitted and received in the inner space 72a of the fitting piece 72 (the lower part being the part placed on the upper side in an upside-down position). As a result, with approximately the lower half (approximately the upper half in an upside-down position) of the electric drive mechanism 70 fitted in the inner space 72a, the fitting piece 72 is mounted on the electric drive mechanism 70. Meanwhile, the lower surface 74aa of the base part 74a of the shaft 74 of the electric drive mechanism 70 is exposed upward through the lower opening 72c of the fitting piece 72.Since the jig 94 only supports the upper part of the electric drive mechanism 70 (the upper part being the part placed on the bottom in the upside-down position), the jig 94 and the fitting 72 do not interfere with each other (they do not collide). (3) The upside-down housing 36 is brought from above to the electric drive mechanism, to which the fitting piece 72 is mounted. The electric drive mechanism 70, to which the fitting piece 72 is mounted, is received in the recess 42, and the electric drive mechanism 70 is placed in the electric drive mechanism placement space 37ba together with the fitting piece 72. The resulting state of the components is shown in Fig. 20, Fig. 21 and Fig. 22 (but in the upside-down position). Here, the clamping device 94 and the fitting 72 do not interfere with each other (they do not collide). (4) Screws 44 ( Fig. 18) are inserted from above through the two screw holes 50 ( Fig. 21) formed in the housing 36 and screwed into the screw holes in the electric drive mechanism 70 to firmly couple the housing 36 and the electric drive mechanism 70. Fig. 24 shows a cross section (corresponding to a cross section along the line DD in Fig. 21) at the position where the electric drive mechanism 70 and the housing 36 are firmly coupled (but in an upside-down position). As in Fig. 24, the electric drive mechanism 70 and the housing 36 are firmly coupled to each other when the screws 44 are inserted through the screw through holes 50 formed in the housing 36 and screwed into the screw holes 84 formed on the underside of the casing 71 of the electric drive mechanism 70 via through holes 82 formed in the fitting 72. (5) The base 32 is turned over and brought to the housing 36 from above. Then, with the center axis of the shaft 74 aligned with the rotation axis S, the upright shaft mounting surface 76 of the base 32 is mounted on the base part 74a of the shaft 74 exposed through the round hole 52 in the housing 36. Fig. Figure 23 shows how the electric drive mechanism 70 is mounted on the rotary support portion 32b of the base 32 (but in an upside-down position) with the fitting 72 and the housing 36 removed. As a result of the engagement between the legs 90 and the walls 77 as well as the engagement between the pin 79 ( Fig. 21) and the pin receiving hole 81 ( Fig. 8 and Fig. 9), the base portion 74a of the shaft 74 is mounted to the upright shaft mounting surface 76 of the base 32. (6) From the opposite side of the rotary support member 32b of the base 32, the screws 78 ( Fig. 18) into the screw through holes 80 ( Fig. 8) from above and into the screw holes 88 ( Fig. 21) formed on the bottom surface 74aa of the shaft 74. Subsequently, the shaft 74 is uprightly fixed to the rotation support member 32b, and the mirror rotation member 35 and the base 32 are coupled to each other so as to rotate about the rotation axis S. Fig. 24 and Fig. 25 are sectional views showing the corresponding state (but in an inverted position). (7) A screw (not shown) is inserted into the screw through hole 33 ( Fig. 18) on the rear side of the housing 36, through a screw through hole 87 ( Fig. 18) in the fitting 72 and into a screw hole 89 ( Fig. 18) is screwed into the electric drive mechanism 70, thereby strengthening the coupling between the housing 36, the fitting 72 and the electric drive mechanism 70. (8) The structure assembled as described above is removed from the jig 94, and the housing cover is fixed to an opening 45 (a portion defined by the edges 36c, see Fig. 18, Fig. 20 and Fig. 22) is mounted on the rear side of the housing 36. As a result, the electric drive mechanism 70 is separated from the base part 74a of the shaft 74 by the

[0036] Bottom of the housing 36 protruding into the interior 37 of the housing 36.

[0037] (9) The mirror angle adjusting actuator is mounted in the front space 37a of the housing 36, after which the mirror plate is mounted on the mirror angle adjusting actuator.

[0038] Since the components can be assembled from above in a state where the electric drive mechanism 70 is supported by the jig 94, see steps (1) to (6), the above-described steps facilitate assembly and also simplify automation.

[0039] Fig. 25 is a sectional view at the position corresponding to a line CC of Fig. 8 and Fig. 21, when the housing 36 is in the return position after the door mirror in Fig. 18. The wiring harness 62 used to supply electric drive power to the electric drive mechanism 70, the mirror angle adjustment actuator, and the like pass through the hollow portion 74b of the shaft 74 and the hollow portion 92 of the housing 71 in mutual communication. A lower opening of the base 32 is closed by a cover 64. When a motor in the electric drive mechanism 70 is actuated, the housing 71 of the electric drive mechanism 70 rotates on the shaft 74, which is uprightly mounted on the rotation support portion 32b of the base 32, thereby causing the housing 36 to be coupled to the housing 71 for rotation about the rotation axis S within a range defined by the stopper 73a ( Fig. 19), and thereby moves from the return position to the retracted position or from the retracted position to the return position. When an external force acts on the housing 36 in the forward direction of the vehicle when the housing 36 is in the return position, due to the engagement of the clutch in the electric drive mechanism 70 being released by overcoming the urging force of the coil spring, the housing 36 moves to the forward tilted position (forward folded position), thereby releasing the external force.

[0040] In the above-described example, the power retractable door mirror according to the present invention is configured using the common base for manually retractable and power retractable door mirrors described in the first embodiment of the power retractable door mirror. On the other hand, the power retractable door mirror according to the present invention can also be configured using the common base for manually retractable and power retractable door mirrors described in the second embodiment of the power retractable door mirror. Second embodiment of an electrically retractable door mirror

[0041] The electrically retractable door mirror from Fig. 18, if the outer shape of the electric drive mechanism 70 and the inner shape of the recess 42 are selected such that the electric drive mechanism 70 is received and held directly in the recess 42 of the housing 36, the need for a fitting piece 72 can be eliminated. An embodiment configured in this way is shown in Fig. 27. The same components as those in Fig. 18 are identified by the same reference numerals as the corresponding components of Fig. 18. As in Fig. 27, an outer shape of an electric drive mechanism 70' and an inner shape of a recess 42' are formed three-dimensionally, so that the electric drive mechanism 70 is directly received and held in the recess 42' of the housing 36. This eliminates the need for the fitting piece 72 as shown in Fig. 18. A part corresponding to the stop 73a of Fig. 19 is formed on an outer peripheral surface of the electric mechanism 70'. Screw holes corresponding to the screw holes 67 and 68 ( Fig. 19) with a formation on the front surface of the fitting 72 for screwing in a part of the mirror angle adjustment actuator are formed in the front surface of the partition plate 36a of the housing 36, wherein the entire mirror angle adjustment actuator is supported by the partition plate 36a of the housing 36. The screws 44 are passed through the screw through holes 50 ( Fig. 24) is inserted at the bottom of the housing 36 and screwed directly into the screw holes 84 in the electric drive mechanism 70' without any intermediate fitting to firmly couple the electric drive mechanism 70' and the housing 36. Furthermore, at the rear side of the housing 36, a screw (not shown) is inserted through the screw through hole 33 and screwed into the screw hole 89 in the electric drive mechanism 70' without any intermediate fitting, thereby strengthening the coupling between the housing 36 and the electric drive mechanism 70'. The remaining configuration is the same as that of the electric retractable door mirror of Fig. 18. The electrically retractable door mirror from Fig.27 can be assembled using steps in which components are assembled upside down, as described in the first embodiment of the power retractable door mirror (however, there is no need to assemble the fitting 72 with the power drive mechanism 70').

[0042] Incidentally, although in the above-described embodiment a recess is formed in the housing support member placement space or the electric drive mechanism placement space, it is not essential to form a recess as long as there is a space in which the housing support member or the electric drive mechanism can be inserted and placed from above (or from below in the case of upside-down assembly).

Claims

[1] Manually retractable vehicle door mirror, comprising: a housing support member (34) provided with a shaft (38) formed to project downward and a screw hole (66) opening downward around the shaft (38); a housing (36) provided with a housing support member placement space (37ba) in which the housing support member (34) can be placed by inserting it from above, a lower opening (52) allowing the shaft (38) to be exposed downward with the housing support member (34) placed in the housing support member placement space (37ba), and a housing support member fixing screw through hole (50) formed around the lower opening (52); a housing support member fastening screw (44) that fastens the housing support member (34) to the housing (36) by being passed through the housing support member fastening screw through hole (50) from a bottom of the housing (36) and screwed into the screw hole (66) in the housing support member (34); a base (32) provided with a shaft through hole (56) into which the shaft (38) is rotatably inserted, the base (32) being to be attached to an outer side of a vehicle body and the shaft (38) being exposed through the lower opening (50) of the housing (36); and a spring member (46) which is fitted in a compressed state over the shaft (38) projecting from the shaft passage hole (56) on the opposite side of the base (32). [2] A manually retractable vehicle door mirror according to claim 1, wherein the housing support member placement space (37ba) has a recess (42) which receives and supports at least a lower part of the housing support member (34) while being open upward. [3] A manually retractable vehicle door mirror according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the housing support member (34) includes an annular wall (40) formed coaxially with the shaft (38) to project downwardly at a position outward from the shaft (38), and the base (32) includes an annular wall housing groove (58) open upwardly for rotatably receiving the annular wall (40); or the base (32) includes an annular wall (40) formed coaxially with the shaft (38) to project upwardly at a position outward from the shaft (38), and the housing support member (34) includes an annular wall housing groove (58) open downwardly for rotatably receiving the annular wall (40). [4] An assembly method for the manually retractable vehicle door mirror according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: a step of supporting the housing support member (34) by receiving the housing support member (34) from below in an upside-down position by a jig (65) or a tool; a step of placing the housing (36) in an upside-down position on the housing support member (34) supported by the jig (65) from above and placing the housing support member (34) in the housing support member placing space (37ba); a step of coupling the housing (36) and the housing support member (34) to each other by passing the housing support member fixing screw (44) through the housing support member fixing screw through hole (50) in the housing (36) from above and screwing the housing support member fixing screw (44) into the screw hole (66) in the housing support member (34); a step of inserting the shaft (38) into the shaft passage hole (56) with the base (32) in an upside-down position and the shaft (38) projecting upward from the lower opening (52) of the housing (36); and a step of fitting the spring member (46) in a compressed state over the shaft (38) projecting from the shaft passage hole (56). [5] Electrically retractable vehicle door mirror, comprising: an electric drive mechanism (70, 70') including a shaft (74), a motor, a gearbox and a coupling received and placed in a housing (71), transmits a driving force from the motor to the shaft (74) through the gearbox when the motor is operated, whereby the shaft (74) rotates relative to the housing (71) about an axis of the shaft (74), wherein a screw hole (84) is formed opening on a bottom side of the casing (71), a bottom side (74aa) of the shaft (74) is exposed outside the casing (71), and a screw hole (88) is formed on the bottom side (74aa) of the shaft (74); a housing (36) provided with a placement space (37ba) associated with the electric drive mechanism (70, 70'), which allows the electric drive mechanism (70, 70') to be placed by insertion from above, a lower opening (52) which allows the underside (74aa) of the shaft (74) to be exposed downwards, the electric drive mechanism (70, 70') being placed in the placement space (37ba) associated with the electric drive mechanism (70, 70'), and a fastening screw through hole (50) associated with the electric drive mechanism (70, 70') which is formed around the lower opening (52); a fastening screw (44) associated with the electric drive mechanism (70, 70') which fastens the electric drive mechanism (70, 70') to the housing (36) by being guided through the fastening screw through-hole (50) associated with the electric drive mechanism (70, 70') from a bottom side of the housing (36) and screwed into the screw hole (84) in the casing (71) of the electric drive mechanism (70, 70'); a base (32) provided with an upright shaft mounting surface (76) to which the underside (74aa) of the shaft (74) is mounted exposed through the lower opening (52) of the housing (36) and in which an upright shaft mounting screw through-hole (80) is formed, the base (32) being to be mounted on an outer side of a vehicle body; and an upright shaft fixing screw (78) which fixes the shaft (74) upright to the upright shaft fixing surface (76) and thereby rotatably supports the housing (36) about the axis of the shaft (74) by being passed through the upright shaft fixing screw through hole (80) from a bottom of the base (32) and screwed into the screw hole (88) on the bottom (74aa) of the shaft (74), wherein the housing (36) has an opening (45) on a rear side of the housing (36) which is completely surrounded by edges (36c) of the housing (36), wherein the opening (45) can be closed with a housing cover mountable on the housing (36), wherein the placement space (37ba) associated with the electric drive mechanism (70, 70') is exposed through the opening (45) on the rear side of the housing (36) above the housing (36), and wherein, after attachment of the mountable housing cover, the electric drive mechanism (70, 70'), excluding a base part (74a) of the shaft (74), is accommodated in an interior space (37) of the housing (36), wherein the base part (74a) of the shaft (74) protrudes from the underside of the housing (36). [6] An electrically retractable vehicle door mirror according to claim 5, wherein the placement space (37ba) associated with the electric drive mechanism (70, 70') has a recess (42, 42') which is open at the top and receives and supports at least a part of the electric drive mechanism (70, 70'). [7] The electrically retractable vehicle door mirror according to claim 6, wherein the recess (42, 42') receives and supports the electric drive mechanism (70, 70') with an upper part of the electric drive mechanism (70, 70') projecting upward from the recess (42, 42'). [8] An electrically retractable vehicle door mirror according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein all of the screws (44) of at least one screw (44) which fasten the electric drive mechanism (70, 70') to a bottom of the placement space (37ba) of the housing (36) associated with the electric drive mechanism (70, 70') consist of the fastening screws (44) associated with the electric drive mechanism (70, 70'), which are guided through the fastening screw through holes (50) associated with the electric drive mechanism (70, 70') from the underside of the housing (36) and are screwed into the screw holes (84) in the bezel (71) of the electric drive mechanism (70, 70'). [9] An electrically retractable vehicle door mirror according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein all of the screws (78) of at least one screw (78) that fix the shaft (74) upright to the upright shaft fixing surface (76) are the upright shaft fixing screws (78) that are passed through the upright shaft fixing screw through holes (80) from the bottom of the base (32) and screwed into the screw holes (88) on the bottom (74aa) of the shaft (74). [10] An electrically retractable vehicle door mirror according to any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the electric drive mechanism (70, 70') is held by a fitting piece (72) and placed in the placement space (37ba) associated with the electric drive mechanism (70, 70') together with the fitting piece (72). [11] An assembly method for the electrically retractable vehicle door mirror according to any one of claims 5 to 10, comprising: a step of supporting the electric drive mechanism (70, 70') by receiving the electric drive mechanism (70, 70') in an upside-down position from below by a jig (94) or a tool; a step of placing the housing (36) in an upside-down position on the electric drive mechanism (70, 70') supported by the jig (94) from above and placing the electric drive mechanism (70, 70') in the placement space (37ba) associated with the electric drive mechanism (70, 70'); a step of coupling the housing (36) and the electric drive mechanism (70, 70') to each other by guiding the fastening screw (44) associated with the electric drive mechanism (70, 70') from above through the fastening screw through-hole (50) in the housing (36) associated with the electric drive mechanism (70, 70') and screwing the fastening screw (44) associated with the electric drive mechanism (70, 70') into the screw hole (84) in the casing (71); a step of causing the bottom surface (74aa) of the shaft (74) to face the upright shaft mounting surface (76) by placing the base (32) in an upside-down position over the bottom surface (74aa) of the shaft (74) exposed upwardly from the lower opening (52) of the housing (36); and a step of guiding the upright shaft fixing screw (78) from above through the upright shaft fixing screw through-hole (80) of the base (32), screwing the upright shaft fixing screw (78) into the screw hole (88) on the underside (74aa) of the shaft (74), and thereby fixing the shaft (74) upright to the upright shaft fixing surface (76) of the base (32).

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