Rearview mirror assembly

Abstract

A rearview mirror assembly, comprising a support arm (10), a mirror housing (20), a driver (40), and a support structure (30). The mirror housing is rotatably attached to the support arm; the driver is arranged in the mirror housing and used for driving the mirror housing to rotate around a rotation axis relative to the support arm; the support structure is shaped to receive the driver therein and provides support to the mirror housing throughout a cavity between the mirror housing and the driver. The rearview mirror is not prone to deformation, thereby improving the overall structural strength.

Description

rearview mirror assembly Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a rearview mirror assembly. Background Art

[0002] The description in this section merely provides background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

[0003] The rotation of a rearview mirror assembly of a motor vehicle is typically driven by an electric motor.

[0004] In known rearview mirror assemblies, the motor is directly fixed to the lower mirror housing. Due to the small size of the motor and the larger size of the lower mirror housing, a large area of ​​the lower mirror housing is unsupported, making it prone to deformation. Furthermore, the upper mirror housing is also prone to deformation due to the lack of support.

[0005] It should be noted that the above technical background is merely provided to provide a clear and complete description of the technical solutions of the present invention and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. Simply because these solutions are described in the technical background section of the present invention, it should not be assumed that the above technical solutions are well known to those skilled in the art.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] In order to solve the problems pointed out in the above background technology or other similar problems, the present disclosure provides a rearview mirror assembly.

[0008] In order to achieve the above objectives, the present disclosure provides the following technical solutions.

[0009] A rearview mirror assembly includes a support arm, a mirror housing, a driver, and a support structure. The mirror housing is rotatably attached to the support arm. The driver is disposed within the mirror housing and is configured to drive the mirror housing to rotate relative to the support arm. The support structure is configured to receive the driver and provide support for the mirror housing throughout a cavity between the mirror housing and the driver.

[0010] Optionally, the mirror housing includes an upper mirror shell, a lower mirror shell connected to the upper mirror shell, and a mirror ring connected to the lower mirror shell and the upper mirror shell respectively; the bracket structure is connected to the upper mirror shell, the lower mirror shell and the mirror ring respectively.

[0011] Optionally, the support structure includes an upper base plate and a lower base plate, wherein the upper base plate is connected to the mirror housing, and the lower base plate is connected to the mirror housing. The upper base plate and the lower base plate are connected and receive the driver therebetween.

[0012] Optionally, the mirror housing includes an upper mirror shell, a lower mirror shell connected to the upper mirror shell, and a mirror ring respectively connected to the lower mirror shell and the upper mirror shell; the lower substrate is located between the driver and the lower mirror shell, and the lower substrate is connected to the lower mirror shell; the upper substrate is located between the driver and the upper mirror shell, and the upper substrate is respectively connected to the lower mirror shell, the upper mirror shell and the mirror ring.

[0013] Optionally, the upper base plate has at least one supporting rib for supporting the upper mirror housing.

[0014] Optionally, the upper substrate and the upper mirror housing are snap-connected via at least one snap fastener.

[0015] Optionally, at least one mounting position for mounting a functional module is provided on the upper substrate.

[0016] Optionally, the lower base plate is provided with an annular structure, the annular structure is rotatably engaged with the support arm, the annular structure is provided with at least one stopping element, and the stopping element is suitable for limiting the maximum rotation angle of the mirror housing relative to the support arm.

[0017] Optionally, the rearview mirror assembly also includes a gasket arranged between the lower base plate and the support arm, at least a portion of the annular structure is received in the gasket, the gasket includes a hard part and an annular soft part, the hard part is connected to the support arm, one end of the soft part is fixed to the hard part, and the other end of the soft part protrudes from the hard part and bends inward to be in sealing contact with the annular structure inside it.

[0018] Optionally, the actuator comprises a fixed part attached to the support arm, and a movable part attached to the mirror housing.

[0019] The rearview mirror assembly of the disclosed embodiment can provide reliable support for the mirror housing by arranging a bracket structure in the entire cavity between the driver and the mirror housing, making the mirror housing less likely to deform and improving the overall structural strength of the rearview mirror assembly.

[0020] With reference to the following description and the accompanying drawings, specific embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed in detail, indicating the manner in which the principles of the present disclosure can be employed. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited in scope thereby. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of this specification or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some of the embodiments described in this specification. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without inventive work. In the drawings:

[0022] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a rearview mirror assembly without a mirror ring according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a rearview mirror assembly without an upper mirror housing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] FIG3 is a bottom view of a rearview mirror assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, with the upper mirror housing, the lower mirror housing, and the mirror ring removed;

[0025] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the connection between the upper mirror housing and the upper substrate from one viewing angle in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the connection between the upper mirror housing and the upper substrate from another perspective in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of an upper substrate in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of a lower substrate in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] 8 and 9 are schematic diagrams showing the connection between the lower substrate and the support arm in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of the connection between the support structure and the liner in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the connection between the liner and the bottom cover in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of a liner in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of the cooperation between the gasket and the lower substrate in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] FIG14 is a schematic structural diagram of a motor in an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] To help those skilled in the art better understand the technical solutions in this specification, the following will provide a clear and complete description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this specification, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of this specification, not all of them. All other embodiments derived by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments in this specification without creative effort shall fall within the scope of protection of this specification.

[0036] As used herein, the term "including" and its variations represent open inclusion, i.e., "including but not limited to." Unless otherwise stated, the term "or" means "and / or." The term "based on" means "based at least in part on." The terms "one example embodiment" and "an embodiment" mean "at least one example embodiment." The term "another embodiment" means "at least one additional embodiment." The terms "first," "second," etc. may refer to different or identical objects.

[0037] The adjective or adverbial modifiers "up" and "down", "front" and "back", "left" and "right", "top" and "bottom", "inside" and "outside" used in this document are used only to facilitate relative reference between multiple groups of terms and do not describe any specific directional limitation on the modified terms.

[0038] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 13 , the rearview mirror assembly includes a support arm 10 , a mirror housing 20 , a bracket structure 30 and a driver 40 .

[0039] The support arm 10 is suitable for mounting on a suitable exterior portion of a motor vehicle (not shown in the drawings). The motor vehicle may be any motor vehicle, such as a sedan, commercial vehicle, SUV, or compact car, but the embodiments of the present disclosure are not particularly limited thereto. In foreseeable embodiments, the technical solutions provided by the present disclosure may be extended and applied to any suitable scenario, and the scope of protection of the present disclosure is not limited to application to vehicles.

[0040] The mirror housing 20 is suitable for receiving a lens (not shown) therein. The mirror housing 20 is rotatably attached to the support arm 10. The mirror housing 20 can rotate relative to the support arm 10 between a mirror operating position (driving position) and a mirror folding position (parking position) about a rotation axis X (as shown in FIG1 ). It will be understood that this rotation includes rotating from the mirror operating position to the mirror folding position, and from the mirror folding position to the mirror operating position. The specific manner in which the mirror housing 20 is attached to the support arm 10 can be directly connected to the support arm 10 via a rotating shaft or other well-known rotational connection methods, or rotatably connected to the support arm 10 via other intermediate components, and this disclosure is not limited to this.

[0041] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the mirror housing 20 includes an upper mirror housing 21, a lower mirror housing 22 connected to the upper mirror housing 21, and a lens ring 23 connected to the lower mirror housing 22 and the upper mirror housing 21, respectively. The lens ring 23 is used to receive a lens, and the two can be connected using a known connection method. The lower mirror housing 22, the upper mirror housing 21, and the lens ring 23 are interconnected to form a generally closed mirror housing 20. An optional connection method between the lower mirror housing 22, the upper mirror housing 21, and the lens ring 23 is a snap-on connection, which facilitates installation and removal and does not require additional connectors.

[0042] The upper mirror housing 21 shown in FIG1 is an irregular L-shaped structure as a whole, which is arranged above the lower mirror housing 22. In FIG1 , the left part of the upper mirror housing 21 is roughly a flat plate, and the right part is roughly an arc-shaped plate.

[0043] The lower mirror housing 22 shown in FIG. 2 is an irregular triangular structure as a whole. Two sides of the triangular structure extend substantially in two perpendicular directions, and the third side is arc-shaped, so that the lower mirror housing 22 is arc-shaped as a whole.

[0044] The mirror ring 23 shown in FIG. 2 is an irregular triangular structure, two sides of which extend substantially in two perpendicular directions, and the third side is arc-shaped for engaging with the right side of the upper mirror housing 21 .

[0045] 1 and 2 , the upper mirror housing 21, the lower mirror housing 22, and the mirror ring 23 are connected to form a mirror housing 20 having a smooth outer wall, and the interior of the mirror housing 20 is an irregular triangular cavity. However, in other embodiments, the upper mirror housing 21, the lower mirror housing 22, and the mirror ring 23 may also be formed into other shapes, which are not limited in this disclosure.

[0046] 1 and 2 , the driver 40 is disposed in the mirror housing 20 and is used to drive the mirror housing 20 to rotate relative to the support arm 10 around the rotation axis X. Exemplarily, the driver 40 is an electric motor.

[0047] 14 , the driver 40 may include a fixed portion 401 attached to the support arm 10 and a movable portion 402 attached to the mirror housing 20. The fixed portion 401 of the driver 40 is fixed and immovable relative to the support arm 10, and the movable portion 402 of the driver 40 can rotate synchronously with the mirror housing 20.

[0048] In the example of FIG. 3 , the fixing portion 401 of the driver 40 is connected to the support arm 10 via screws 403 .

[0049] 1 and 2 , the support structure 30 is adapted to receive the driver 40 therein and to provide support to the mirror housing 20 throughout the cavity between the mirror housing 20 and the driver 40. Of course, the support structure 30 is also adapted to receive a drive device (e.g., a gear) associated with the driver 40 therein.

[0050] The feature "the support structure 30 receives the driver 40 therein" used in this article should be understood as the support structure 30 covering basically the entire driver 40 therein, or in other words, the support structure 30 is arranged in the entire outer area of ​​the driver 40, including the areas above and below the driver 40. Therefore, the support structure 30 can provide support for the mirror housing 20 in the entire cavity between the mirror housing 20 and the driver 40 to prevent the mirror housing 20 from deformation and improve the overall structural strength of the rearview mirror assembly.

[0051] In some embodiments, the support structure 30 is respectively connected to the upper mirror shell 21, the lower mirror shell 22 and the mirror ring 23 to provide support for the upper mirror shell 21, the lower mirror shell 22 and the mirror ring 23, so that none of the upper mirror shell 21, the lower mirror shell 22 and the mirror ring 23 is easily deformed.

[0052] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the support structure 30 includes an upper base plate 31 and a lower base plate 32. The upper base plate 31 and the lower base plate 32 are connected to each other to accommodate the entire driver 40 therebetween. Optionally, the upper base plate 31 and the lower base plate 32 are detachably connected using clips and screws to facilitate maintenance and replacement.

[0053] In this embodiment, both the upper base plate 31 and the lower base plate 32 are connected to the mirror housing 20 to jointly provide support for the mirror housing 20 .

[0054] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the lower base plate 32 is located between the driver 40 and the lower mirror housing 22. The driver 40 is mounted on the lower base plate 32, and the lower base plate 32 is connected to the lower mirror housing 22 to provide support for the lower mirror housing 22. The upper base plate 31 is located between the driver 40 and the upper mirror housing 21. The upper base plate 31 is connected to the lower mirror housing 22, the upper mirror housing 21, and the mirror ring 23, respectively, to provide support for the lower mirror housing 22, the upper mirror housing 21, and the mirror ring 23. Therefore, the support structure 30 of this embodiment can provide reliable support for each component of the entire mirror housing 20, making each component of the mirror housing 20 less susceptible to deformation.

[0055] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the upper base plate 31 is shaped to extend within a cavity region within the mirror housing 20 above and on both sides of the driver 40 .

[0056] Specifically, the cavity inside the mirror housing 20 is an irregular triangular cavity, the lower substrate 32 and the driver 40 are arranged in the approximate middle area of ​​the triangular cavity, and the upper substrate 31 is arranged in the area above and on both sides of the triangular cavity to provide support for the upper mirror housing 21 and to provide support for the portion of the lower mirror housing 22 that is not supported by the lower substrate 32.

[0057] In the example shown in Figure 2 , the upper base plate 31 includes a first portion 311 positioned above the driver 40 and two second portions 312 positioned on either side of the driver 40. The shape of the first portion 311 roughly matches the shape of the upper portion of the driver 40, retaining the upper portion of the driver 40 within the first portion 311 and providing support for the upper mirror housing 21. The first portion 311 is a hollow structure, helping to reduce the overall weight of the rearview mirror assembly. As shown in Figure 2 , the shape of the second portion 312 roughly matches the shape of the cavity in which it is located and connects to the lower mirror housing 22, providing support for the portion of the lower mirror housing 22 not supported by the lower base plate 32.

[0058] For example, as shown in Figure 2, the first part 311 of the upper substrate 31 is connected to the mirror ring 23 by a screw 301, and is connected to the lower mirror shell 22 by screws 305 and screws 306. The second part 312 on the left side of the upper substrate 31 is connected to the lower mirror shell 22 by a screw 303, and the second part 312 on the right side is connected to the mirror ring 23 by a screw 302, and is connected to the lower mirror shell 22 by a screw 304.

[0059] In the example of Figure 4, the upper base plate 31 is connected to the upper mirror housing 21 via snaps, which not only facilitates disassembly of the upper mirror housing 21 but also provides support for the upper mirror housing 21. Specifically, one or more first snaps 211 are provided on the inner sidewall of the upper mirror housing 21, and second snaps 314 corresponding to each first snap 211 are provided on the outer sidewall of the upper base plate 31. The first snaps 211 and the second snaps 314 are snap-fitted together. Due to the presence of the upper base plate 31, the first snaps 211 can be shorter, making them less likely to break.

[0060] In the example of FIG5 , the upper base plate 31 is provided with at least one support rib 313 for supporting the upper mirror housing 21. The support rib 313 protrudes toward the upper mirror housing 21 relative to the main portion of the upper base plate 31, thereby being closer to the upper mirror housing 21 than the main portion, thereby providing support for the upper mirror housing 21. Optionally, the support rib 313 may contact the upper mirror housing 21, or the support rib 313 may be particularly close to the upper mirror housing 21 without directly contacting it. In the latter case, even if the upper mirror housing 21 is subjected to slight external pressure, it can quickly contact the support rib 313 and be supported thereby, thereby being less likely to deform.

[0061] Exemplarily, at least one supporting rib 313 is provided corresponding to a middle position of the upper mirror housing 21 to provide focused support to the middle position which is particularly prone to deformation.

[0062] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG6 , the upper substrate 31 is provided with at least one mounting position 315 for arranging a functional module within the cavity between the driver 40 and the upper mirror housing 21 . The functional module may be, for example, a built-in antenna, a temperature sensor, or an NFC (Near Field Communication) module. One or more functional modules may be arranged as needed. For example, the upper substrate 31 is provided with two mounting posts 316 , each of which may be connected to an NFC module.

[0063] In some embodiments, the lower base plate 32 is rotatably attached to the support arm 10 so that the housing bracket 30 can rotate about the rotation axis X together with the mirror housing 20 .

[0064] As shown in Figure 7 , the lower base plate 32 is a roughly square frame with mounting holes 321 for rotatably connecting to the support arm 10 and providing clearance for the connection of the actuator 40 to the support arm 10. Referring also to Figure 1 , the shape of the lower base plate 32 roughly matches the shape of the lower portion of the actuator 40, retaining the lower portion of the actuator 40 within it and providing support for the lower mirror housing 22. The lower base plate 32 is a hollow structure, which helps reduce the overall weight of the rearview mirror assembly. It is provided with multiple screw holes for connecting to the actuator 40 and the upper base plate 31.

[0065] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the lower base plate 32 is provided with an annular structure 322 extending around the rotation axis X shown in Figure 1, and a mounting hole 321 is formed in the annular structure 322. The annular structure 322 is rotatably engaged with the support arm 10. The annular structure 322 is provided with at least one stopping element 323. The stopping element 323 is used to limit the maximum rotation angle of the mirror housing 20 relative to the support arm 10, that is, to limit the mirror working position and the mirror folding position.

[0066] Specifically, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the support arm 10 is provided with an insertion portion 11 for inserting into the mounting hole 321, two circumferentially spaced stop elements 323 are provided on the inner side wall of the annular structure 322, and two circumferentially spaced stop blocks 12 are provided on the outer side wall of the insertion portion 11. Each stop element 323 moves within the arc area between the two stop blocks 12, and the stop element 323 limits the rotation range of the mirror housing 20 by abutting against the stop block 12 (as shown in Figure 9).

[0067] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 10 to FIG. 13 , the rearview mirror assembly further includes a pad 50 disposed between the lower base plate 32 and the support arm 10 , and at least a portion of the annular structure 322 of the lower base plate 32 is received in the pad 50 .

[0068] As shown in Figure 12 , the pad 50 includes a hard portion 51 and a soft portion 52 , wherein the hard portion 51 is attached to the support arm 10 . Alternatively, as shown in Figure 11 , the hard portion 51 is snap-fitted to the bottom cover 13 of the support arm 10 via a buckle 511 .

[0069] As shown in Figures 12 and 13, the soft part 52 is fixed on the hard part 51. The soft part 52 contacts but is not connected to the annular structure 322 of the lower substrate 32, and is used to provide a seal between the support arm 10 and the lower substrate 32, reduce the friction force on the lower substrate 32 during rotation, and avoid noise generated when the lower substrate 32 rotates.

[0070] As shown in FIG12 , the hard portion 51 is a generally hollow conical structure. The hard portion 51 extends around the rotation axis X shown in FIG1 . The open top of the hard portion 51 is configured to receive the annular structure 322. The soft portion 52 extends around the rotation axis X shown in FIG1 and is formed as a sealing ring. The soft portion 52 is fixed to the top periphery of the hard portion 51.

[0071] In the examples of Figures 12 and 13 , one end 521 of the soft portion 52 is fixed to the top edge of the hard portion 51, and the other end 522 of the soft portion 52 protrudes upward from the hard portion 51 and is formed into an inwardly curved shape to seal against the outer wall of the annular structure 322 (as shown in Figure 13 ). Optionally, the other end 522 of the soft portion 52 is curved from bottom to top toward the rotation axis X, so that the other end 522 of the soft portion 52 is formed into a structure that gradually contracts inward from bottom to top, or in other words, the cross-section of the other end 522 of the soft portion 52 is generally arc-shaped, thereby providing good sealing and support for the lower base plate 32.

[0072] Optionally, as shown in Figure 12, one end of the soft part 52 is provided with a plurality of protrusions 523 protruding downward, and the plurality of protrusions 523 are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the soft part 52. Each protrusion 523 is formed into a shape inclined inward from top to bottom so as to fit closely against the conical outer wall of the hard part 51, thereby providing additional holding force to combine the hard part 51 and the soft part 52.

[0073] Optionally, the hard part 51 is made of plastic, such as but not limited to polypropylene (PP).

[0074] Optionally, the soft portion 52 is made of rubber, such as but not limited to thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV). The soft portion 52 and the hard portion 51 can be combined by an injection molding process.

[0075] The present disclosure has been described above in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that these descriptions are exemplary only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art may make various variations and modifications to the present disclosure based on the spirit and principles of the present disclosure, and such variations and modifications are also within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A rearview mirror assembly, comprising: Support arm; a mirror housing rotatably attached to the support arm; a driver, disposed in the mirror housing, for driving the mirror housing to rotate relative to the support arm; A support structure is shaped to receive the driver therein and provide support to the mirror housing throughout the cavity between the mirror housing and the driver.

2. The rearview mirror assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The mirror housing comprises an upper mirror housing, a lower mirror housing connected to the upper mirror housing, and a mirror ring connected to the lower mirror housing and the upper mirror housing respectively; The support structure is connected to the upper mirror shell, the lower mirror shell and the mirror ring respectively.

3. The rearview mirror assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The support structure comprises: an upper substrate connected to the mirror housing; a lower substrate connected to the mirror housing; The upper substrate and the lower substrate are connected and the driver is received therebetween.

4. The rearview mirror assembly according to claim 3, wherein: The mirror housing comprises an upper mirror housing, a lower mirror housing connected to the upper mirror housing, and a mirror ring connected to the lower mirror housing and the upper mirror housing respectively; The lower substrate is located between the driver and the lower mirror housing, and the lower substrate is connected to the lower mirror housing; The upper substrate is located between the driver and the upper mirror housing, and the upper substrate is connected to the lower mirror housing, the upper mirror housing and the mirror ring respectively.

5. The rearview mirror assembly according to claim 4, wherein: The upper substrate is provided with at least one supporting rib for supporting the upper mirror housing.

6. The rearview mirror assembly according to claim 4, wherein: The upper substrate is connected to the upper mirror housing by at least one buckle.

7. The rearview mirror assembly according to claim 3, wherein: The upper substrate is provided with at least one mounting position for mounting a functional module.

8. The rearview mirror assembly according to claim 3, wherein: The lower base plate is provided with an annular structure, the annular structure is rotatably matched with the support arm, and the annular structure is provided with at least one stopping element, and the stopping element is suitable for limiting the maximum rotation angle of the mirror housing relative to the support arm.

9. The rearview mirror assembly according to claim 8, wherein: Also included is a gasket disposed between the lower base plate and the support arm, wherein at least a portion of the annular structure is received in the gasket, and the gasket includes: A hard part connected to the support arm; One end of the annular soft part is fixed to the hard part, and the other end thereof protrudes from the hard part and bends inwardly to be in sealing contact with the annular structure inside the hard part.

10. The rearview mirror assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The actuator includes a fixed portion attached to the support arm, and a movable portion attached to the mirror housing.

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