Thin mirror with a mount fixed to a substrate of the mirror element - Patent 7222227

Abstract

A mounting arrangement for a thin mirror is provided that includes a mount fixed to a substrate of the mirror element. [Solution] A vehicle rearview mirror assembly is provided, comprising: a mirror element having at least one substrate including a front and a rear surface; an attachment mechanism configured to be attached to the vehicle, the attachment mechanism including a ball stud and a socket for receiving a ball of the ball stud, the attachment mechanism being further configured so that one of the ball stud and the socket is adhesively attached to the rear surface of the substrate; and a mirror housing extending rearward of the rear surface of the substrate and secured to the mirror element so as to extend around one of the ball stud and the socket attached to the rear surface.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates generally to vehicle rearview mirrors, and more particularly to mounting arrangements for such rearview mirrors. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0002] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle rearview mirror assembly is provided, the mirror assembly including: a mirror element having at least one substrate including a front and a rear surface; an attachment mechanism configured to be attached to the vehicle, the attachment mechanism including a ball stud and a socket for receiving a ball of the ball stud, the attachment mechanism being further configured such that one of the ball stud and the socket is adhesively attached to the rear surface of the substrate; and a mirror housing secured to the mirror element, extending rearward of the rear surface of the substrate and extending around one of the ball stud and the socket attached to the rear surface.

[0003] Either an adhesive layer or adhesive pad can be provided between the back surface of the substrate and one of the ball studs and sockets attached to the back surface.

[0004] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle rearview mirror assembly is provided, the mirror assembly including: an electrochromic mirror element having a first substrate and a second substrate rearward of the first substrate, the second substrate including a front surface and a rear surface; a mounting mechanism configured to be attached to the vehicle, the mounting mechanism including a ball stud and a socket for receiving a ball of the ball stud, the mounting mechanism further configured such that one of the ball stud and the socket includes a mounting plate adhesively attached to the rear surface of the second substrate; and a mirror housing secured to the mirror element, extending rearward of the rear surface of the substrate and extending around one of the ball stud and the socket attached to the rear surface.

[0005] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for constructing a vehicle rearview mirror assembly, the method including the sequential steps of pre-assembling a mirror element having at least one substrate including a front and a rear surface, adhesively attaching one of a ball stud and a socket of a mounting mechanism to the rear surface of the substrate, and securing a mirror housing to the mirror element so that the mirror housing extends rearward of the rear surface of the substrate and extends around the one of the ball stud and the socket attached to the rear surface.

[0006] These and other features, advantages, and objects of the present disclosure will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art with reference to the following specification, claims, and accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a front perspective view of a rearview mirror assembly constructed in accordance with a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rear of the rearview mirror assembly shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a partially exploded perspective view of the rearview mirror assembly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a ball stud and adhesive pad used in the rearview mirror assembly of FIGS. 1 to 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the ball stud shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the rearview mirror assembly shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional view of the rearview mirror assembly shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 and 6 taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 2. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of a rearview mirror assembly constructed in accordance with a second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the rear of the rearview mirror assembly shown in FIG. 8. [Figure 10]FIG. 10 is a partially exploded perspective view of the rearview mirror assembly shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the rear of a socket used in the rearview mirror assembly of FIGS. 8 to 10; [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a front perspective view of the socket shown in FIG. 11. [Figure 13] FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the rearview mirror assembly shown in FIGS. 8 to 11. [Figure 14] 14 is a cross-sectional view of the rearview mirror assembly shown in FIGS. 8 to 11 and 13 taken along line XIV-XIV in FIG. 9; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] For purposes of description herein, the terms "top," "bottom," "right," "left," "rear," "front," "vertical," "horizontal," and their derivatives shall refer to the orientation of the disclosure shown in FIG. 1 . Unless otherwise specified, the term "front" shall refer to the surface of the mirror closer to the intended viewer of the mirror, and the term "rear" shall refer to the surface of the mirror farther from the intended viewer of the mirror. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates various alternative orientations unless expressly specified to the contrary. It should also be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the following specification are merely exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Accordingly, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics related to the embodiments disclosed herein should not be considered limiting unless the claims expressly state otherwise.

[0009] The terms "comprises," "includes," "comprises," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, and a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a list of elements does not include only those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent in such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element preceded by "comprises" does not, unless further constrained, exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes the element.

[0010] A known rearview mirror assembly includes a mirror housing, a mirror element secured to the mirror housing, and a mounting mechanism having a ball-and-socket configuration, where the socket is attached to the mirror housing using a screw and the ball extends from a mounting stem that is attached to the vehicle at the opposite end. In this configuration, the mirror housing must be thick enough to allow the socket to be screwed into and to provide structural support for the mirror element and possibly one or more circuit boards. The figures show a vehicle rearview mirror assembly 5, 5a, which includes: a mirror element 10 having at least one substrate 14 including a front and a rear surface 14a; a mounting mechanism 30, 30a configured to be attached to a vehicle, the mounting mechanism 30, 30a including a ball stud 36, 36a and a socket 34, 34a for receiving a ball 38, 38a of the ball stud 36, 36a, the mounting mechanism 30, 30a being further configured so that one of the ball stud 36, 36a and the socket 34, 34a is adhesively attached to the rear surface 14a of the substrate 14; and a mirror housing 20, 20a secured to the mirror element 10, extending rearward of the rear surface 14a of the substrate 14 and extending around one of the ball stud 36, 36a and the socket 34, 34a attached to the rear surface 14a. The mirror assembly 5, 5a may include an adhesive pad 40 between the back surface 14a of the substrate 14 and one of the ball studs 36, 36a and sockets 34, 34a attached to the back surface 14a.

[0011] 1-7 show a rearview mirror assembly 5 according to a first embodiment in which a ball stud 36 is attached to the rear surface 14a of the base 14, and FIGS. 8-14 show a rearview mirror assembly 5a according to a second embodiment in which a socket 34a is attached to the rear surface 14a of the base 14.

[0012] By adhesively securing either the ball stud 36, 36a or the socket 34, 34a to the rear surface 14a of the substrate 14, the need for screws, along with the associated manufacturing time and cost, is eliminated. Additionally, the mirror assembly 5, 5a can be made thinner and lighter, which reduces vibration and potential blurring of the reflected image from the associated vibrating mirror.

[0013] Considering first the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-7, the rearview mirror assembly 5 includes a mounting mechanism 30 having a mounting bracket 32. The mounting bracket 32 ​​may have an upper end configured for attachment to a vehicle headliner or overhead console and an opposite end with a socket 34. The mounting mechanism 30 may further include a ball stud 36 having a ball 38 received in the socket 34. The socket 34 securely holds the ball 38 such that the ball 38 can rotate within the socket 34 only when sufficient force is applied. This allows a person to adjust the position of the mirror element 10 and then the mirror element will maintain that position, as is known in the art.

[0014] As best shown in FIG. 6 , the mirror element 10 can be an electro-optic mirror element, such as an electrochromic mirror element whose reflectivity can automatically change in response to a voltage difference. Such electrochromic mirror elements are known in the art and typically include a front substrate 12, a rear substrate 14, and a perimeter seal 15 disposed between the substrates 12 and 14 to provide a sealed chamber in which an electrochromic medium (not shown) is disposed. The substrates 12 and 14 can be made of glass or plastic. Electrodes (not shown) are typically provided on the inner surfaces of the substrates 12 and 14 so that a voltage difference can be applied across the electrochromic medium disposed therebetween. A reflective layer (not shown) can be provided on the surface of the rear substrate 14 and serve as one of the electrodes. A pair of conductive clips 16 a and 16 b can contact the electrodes. Wires (not shown) can be connected to the clips 16 a and 16 b to allow a voltage difference to be applied from a control circuit (not shown). Typically, such control circuitry is provided on a printed circuit board within the mirror housing 20 behind the mirror element 10 and includes ambient light and glare sensors whose detected light levels are used to control the reflectivity of the mirror element 10. However, to further reduce the profile and weight of the mirror assembly, the control circuitry can be mounted elsewhere on the vehicle, and ambient light and glare measurements can be obtained with forward- and rearward-facing cameras on the vehicle. In this manner, the mirror assembly does not require a circuit board, the ball stud 36 can be bonded to the rear surface 14a of the rear substrate 14, and the mirror housing 20 can be configured for purely aesthetic purposes, resulting in no need for ribs or other strengthening members for structural support of the mirror element 10. Therefore, the mirror housing 20 can be bonded to the mirror element 10, for example, by adhesive pads 40 or by other means. Therefore, the mirror housing 20 can be made very thin and very lightweight.Furthermore, by locating the control circuitry for the mirror element 10 elsewhere on the vehicle, only two wires (not shown) need to be routed through the wire passages 39, 39a of the mounting mechanism 30 to the conductive clips 16a, 16b, thereby further simplifying the construction of the mirror assembly 5.

[0015] As best shown in Figures 3-7, the ball stud 36 may further include a mounting plate 37 to increase the surface area of ​​the ball stud 36 for attachment to the rear surface 14a of the rear substrate 14 via optional adhesive pads 40. The mounting plate 37 may extend parallel to the rear surface 14a. The mounting plate 37 not only increases the strength of the bond, but also increases the leverage applied to the ball-and-socket joint by someone attempting to adjust the position of the mirror element.

[0016] The optional bond pad 40 can be sized to fit just below the mounting plate 37, or it can be larger than the mounting plate 37 and extend beyond it. The mirror housing 20 can be glued to the portion of the bond pad that extends beyond the edge of the mounting plate 37 to secure the housing 20 to the mirror element 10. To the extent that conventional mirror assemblies attach ball studs or sockets to the mirror housing, such conventional mirror housings must be strong enough to support the mirror element and any circuit board housed therein. The bond pad 40 can include notches 42a and 42b to provide clearance for the conductive clips 16a and 16b, respectively. The bond pad 40 can optionally include openings 44 and 46 to receive corresponding protrusions (not shown) from the mirror housing 20 and plate 37 for alignment purposes.

[0017] To assemble the mirror assembly 5, the mirror element 10 can be pre-assembled. Adhesive or adhesive pads 40 can be applied to the back surface 14a of the rear substrate 14 or to the plate 37 of the ball stud 36. Wires can be attached to the conductive clips 16a and 16b and threaded through the wire passages 39. The ball stud 36 can then be secured to the back surface 14a. The mirror housing 20 can then be attached to the mirror element 10 such that the ball stud 36 extends through the opening 2 in the mirror housing 20. Wires can then be passed through the socket 34 and mounting bracket 32, and the ball 38 of the ball stud 36 can be pressed into the socket 34 and held in place by the spring force of the socket 34.

[0018] Considering now the second embodiment shown in Figures 8-14, the rearview mirror assembly 5a differs from the first embodiment in that the socket 34a is adhesively attached to the rear surface 14a of the base 14 and the ball stud 36a extends from the mounting bracket 32a. Parts of the second embodiment that are the same as those of the first embodiment retain the same reference numerals and will not be described in detail below.

[0019] The rearview mirror assembly 5a includes a mounting mechanism 30a having a mounting bracket 32a. The mounting bracket 32a may have an upper end configured for attachment to a vehicle headliner or overhead console and an opposite end with a ball stud 36a having a ball 38a. The mounting mechanism 30a may further include a socket 34a for receiving the ball 38a. The socket 34a securely holds the ball 38a such that the ball 38a can rotate within the socket 34a only when sufficient force is applied. This allows a person to adjust the position of the mirror element 10 and then the mirror element 10 will maintain that position, as is known in the art.

[0020] As mentioned above, the mirror element 10 can be an electro-optic mirror element, and the control circuitry can be located elsewhere in the vehicle. Therefore, because the mirror assembly 5a does not require a circuit board, the socket 34a can be adhered to the rear surface 14a of the rear substrate 14, and the mirror housing 20a can be configured for purely aesthetic purposes, resulting in no need for ribs or other reinforcing members for structural support of the mirror element 10. Therefore, the mirror housing 20a can be adhered to the mirror element 10, for example, by adhesive pads 40 or by other means. Therefore, the housing 20a can be made very thin and very lightweight. Furthermore, by locating the control circuitry for the mirror element 10 elsewhere in the vehicle, only two wires (not shown) need to be routed through the wire passages 39 of the mounting mechanism 30a to the conductive clips 16a and 16b, further simplifying the construction of the mirror assembly 5a.

[0021] As best shown in Figures 10-14, socket 34a may further include a plate 37a to increase the surface area of ​​socket 34a for attachment to rear surface 14a of rear substrate 14 via optional adhesive pad 40. Plate 37a may include opening 35a (Figure 12) for receiving socket 34a. Plate 37a not only increases the strength of the bond, but also increases the leverage applied to the ball-and-socket joint by someone attempting to adjust the position of the mirror element.

[0022] Optional adhesive pad 40 can be sized to fit just below plate 37a or extend beyond plate 37a to secure mirror housing 20a to mirror element 10. To the extent that conventional mirror assemblies attach ball studs or sockets to the mirror housing, such conventional mirror housings have had to be strong enough to support the mirror element and the circuit board contained therein.

[0023] The mirror housing 20a may have a rearwardly projecting portion 24 that extends rearwardly beyond the socket 34a.

[0024] To assemble the mirror assembly 5a, the mirror element 10 can be pre-assembled. Adhesive or adhesive pads 40 can be applied to the back surface 14a of the rear substrate 14 or to the plate 37a of the socket 34a. Wires can be attached to the conductive clips 16a, 16b and threaded through the socket 34a. The socket 34a / plate 37a can then be secured to the back surface 14a. The mirror housing 20a can then be attached to the mirror element 10 so that the socket 34a is accessible through the opening 22a in the mirror housing 20a. Wires can then be passed through the ball stud 36a and wire passage 39 in the mounting bracket 32a, and the ball 38a of the ball stud 36a is pressed into the socket 34a, held in place by the spring force of the socket 34a.

[0025] Although adhesive pads 40 are shown and described, the pads may be replaced by an adhesive layer.

[0026] Although the mounting mechanism 30 is shown and described as being mounted to the headliner or overhead console of a vehicle, the mounting mechanism 30 can be configured to be mounted to the inside of the vehicle's windshield using conventional techniques.

[0027] Additionally, although the attachment mechanism 30 is shown and described as having a single ball and socket structure, it could instead have a double ball and socket structure.

[0028] Additionally, although mirror element 10 is shown and described as an electrochromic mirror element, it may be other forms of electro-optic or prismatic mirror elements.

[0029] The above-described rearview mirror assemblies 5, 5a can be constructed using a novel method including the sequential steps of pre-assembling a mirror element 10 having at least one substrate 14 including a front and a rear surface 14a; adhesively attaching one of the ball studs 36, 36a and sockets 34, 34a of the mounting mechanism 30, 30a to the rear surface 14a of the substrate 14; and securing a mirror housing 20, 20a to the mirror element 10 so as to extend rearwardly of the rear surface 14a of the substrate 14 and around the ball studs 36, 36a and sockets 34, 34a attached to the rear surface 14a. The step of adhesively attaching the ball studs 36, 36a and sockets 34, 34a to the rear surface 14a can include applying an adhesive pad 40 between the rear surface 14a of the substrate 14 and one of the ball studs 36, 36a and sockets 34, 34a. One of the ball stud 36, 36a and socket 34, 34a attached to the back surface 14a can include a mounting plate 37 extending parallel to the back surface 14a. The adhesive pad 40 can be larger than the mounting plate 37 and extend along the back surface 14a beyond the edge of the mounting plate 37. The housing 20, 20a can be attached to the adhesive pad 40 extending beyond the edge of the mounting plate 37. The method can further include attaching the one of the ball stud 36, 36a and socket 34, 34a to the other of the ball stud 36, 36a and socket 34, 34a of the mounting mechanism 30.

[0030] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the disclosed and other component structures are not limited to any particular materials. Other exemplary embodiments of the disclosures disclosed herein may be formed from a variety of materials unless otherwise stated herein.

[0031] For purposes of this disclosure, the term "coupled" (in all its forms, such as couple, coupling, connected, etc.) generally means that two components are directly or indirectly joined to one another (electrically or mechanically). Such a joint can be essentially immovable or essentially movable. Such a joint can be achieved by the two components (electrical or mechanical) and any additional intermediate member being integrally formed with each other or the two components as a single, unitary structure. Such a joint can be permanent in nature, or removable or releasable in nature, unless otherwise specified.

[0032] It is also important to note that the structure and arrangement of elements of the present disclosure as shown in the exemplary embodiments are by way of example only. While only a few embodiments of the present innovation have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily recognize that many modifications (e.g., variations in the size, dimensions, structure, shape, and proportions of various elements, parameter values, mounting arrangements, use of materials, color, orientation, etc.) are possible without substantially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the described subject matter. For example, elements shown as integrally formed can be comprised of multiple parts, or elements shown as multiple parts can be integrally formed, interface operation can be reversed or otherwise modified, the structure and / or length or width of members or connectors or other elements of the system can be modified, and the nature or number of adjustment points provided between elements can be changed. It should be noted that the elements and / or assemblies of the system can be constructed from a wide variety of materials, in a wide variety of colors, textures, and combinations, provided any of them provide sufficient strength or durability. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be within the scope of the present invention. Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions, and arrangement of the desired and other exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0033] It is understood that any described process or step within a described process can be combined with other disclosed processes or steps to form structures within the scope of the present disclosure. The exemplary structures and processes disclosed herein are for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limiting.

[0034] It should also be understood that variations and modifications can be made to the structures and methods described above without departing from the concepts of the present disclosure, and further that such concepts are intended to be covered by the following claims unless those claims expressly state otherwise in their terms. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 10 Mirror Elements 12 Front base 14 Rear base 14a back 16a Conductive Clip 16b Conductive Clip 20 Mirror housing 22 Aperture 32 Mounting bracket 36 ball stud 37 Mounting plate 38 balls 39 Wire passage 40 adhesive pads 42a Notch 42b Notch 44 Aperture

Claims

1. A rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, comprising: a mirror element having at least one substrate including a front surface and a back surface; a mounting mechanism configured to be attached to the vehicle, the mounting mechanism including a ball stud and a socket for receiving a ball of the ball stud, the mounting mechanism being further configured such that one of the ball stud and the socket is adhesively attached to the back surface of the base; a mirror housing extending rearward of the back surface of the base and secured to the mirror element so as to extend around one of the ball stud and socket attached to the back surface; A rearview mirror assembly comprising:

2. 2. The rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, further comprising an adhesive pad between said rear surface of said base and one of said ball stud and said socket attached to said rear surface.

3. 3. The rearview mirror assembly of claim 2, wherein one of the ball stud and the socket attached to the back surface includes a mounting plate extending parallel to the back surface.

4. 4. The rearview mirror assembly of claim 3, wherein said adhesive pad is larger than said mounting plate and extends along said rear surface beyond the edge of said mounting plate.

5. 5. The rearview mirror assembly of claim 4, wherein said housing is attached to said adhesive pad that extends beyond said edge of said mounting plate.

6. 6. A rearview mirror assembly according to claim 1, wherein the ball stud is attached to the rear surface and the socket is attached to a mounting bracket of the mounting mechanism.

7. 6. A rearview mirror assembly according to claim 1, wherein the socket is attached to the rear surface and the ball stud extends from a mounting bracket of the mounting mechanism.

8. 8. The rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein one of the ball stud and the socket attached to the back surface is attached to the back surface by a layer of adhesive.

9. 9. A rearview mirror assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the mirror elements are prismatic mirror elements.

10. A rearview mirror assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the mirror element is an electro-optic mirror element.

11. 9. A rearview mirror assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein said at least one substrate is made of glass.

12. A rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, comprising: an electrochromic mirror element having a front substrate and a rear substrate behind the front substrate, the rear substrate including a front surface and a rear surface; a mounting mechanism configured to be attached to the vehicle, the mounting mechanism including a ball stud and a socket for receiving a ball of the ball stud, the mounting mechanism further configured such that one of the ball stud and the socket includes a mounting plate adhesively attached to the rear surface of the rear base; a mirror housing extending rearward of the rear base back surface and secured to the mirror element so as to extend around one of the ball stud and socket attached to the back surface; A rearview mirror assembly comprising:

13. 13. The rearview mirror assembly of claim 12, further comprising an adhesive pad between the rear surface of the rear substrate and the mounting plate.

14. 14. The rearview mirror assembly of claim 13, wherein the adhesive pad is larger than the mounting plate and extends along the rear surface beyond the edge of the mounting plate.

15. 15. The rearview mirror assembly of claim 14, wherein the housing is attached to the adhesive pad that extends beyond the edge of the mounting plate.

16. 13. The rearview mirror assembly of claim 12, wherein the mounting plate is attached to the rear surface by a layer of adhesive.

17. 1. A method of constructing a rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, comprising: pre-assembling a mirror element having at least one substrate including a front surface and a back surface; adhesively attaching one of a ball stud and a socket of a mounting mechanism to the back surface of the base; securing a mirror housing to the mirror element so as to extend rearwardly of the back surface of the base and around one of the ball stud and socket attached to the back surface; A method comprising the successively performed steps of:

18. 20. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of adhering one of the ball stud and the socket to the backside includes applying an adhesive pad between the backside of the base and one of the ball stud and the socket.

19. one of the ball stud and the socket attached to the back surface includes a mounting plate extending parallel to the back surface; the adhesive pad is larger than the mounting plate and extends along the back surface beyond the edge of the mounting plate; 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the housing is attached to the adhesive pad that extends beyond the edge of the mounting plate.

20. 20. The method of any one of claims 17 to 19, further comprising attaching one of the ball stud and the socket to the other of the ball stud and the socket of the mounting mechanism.

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