Fender Mirror Mount Structure for Stiffness and Adjustability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mirror mounts on vehicle fenders lack sufficient stiffness and strength, leading to instability and reduced driver visibility.
Innovation Solution
A one-piece base member with reinforcing ribs and a cross bolt feature, integrated with a pivot support system, provides enhanced stiffness and stability by closely profiling the fender and securing it to the vehicle frame, allowing for adjustable mirror positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a base member is clamped to the fender using straps and a bracket, then the mirror can be mounted to the vehicle, but the mounting arrangement lacks sufficient stiffness and strength
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple mounting functions into a single integrated base member that includes the clamp portion, bracket portion, and reinforcing ribs as one piece. This merging eliminates the need for separate straps and brackets while providing sufficient stiffness and strength through built-in reinforcement structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The base member is segmented into functional portions (clamp portion for securing to fender, bracket portion for supporting mirror arm, and reinforcing ribs for structural strength) that work together as an integrated unit, allowing each segment to perform its specific function while contributing to overall mounting strength.
2Stability of the object's composition
If mirror support arms are used to form a mounting frame, then the mirror can be fastened to the fender, but the arrangement lacks fender stability and driver visibility enhancement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a pivot assembly that allows the mirror support arm to rotate relative to the base member, enabling dynamic adjustment of mirror positioning. This dynamic feature provides driver adjustability while the integrated base member maintains fender stability through its rigid clamp and bracket portions.
3Strength
If the base member is made as a one-piece structure with reinforcing ribs, then stiffness and stability are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the structural parameters of the base member by adding reinforcing ribs and designing specific geometric features (clamp portion contours, bracket portion configurations) that enhance stiffness. These parameter changes are achieved through integral forming processes that create the complex one-piece structure in a single manufacturing operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A mirror mount includes a one-piece molecularly continuous base member and a mirror arm. The mirror arm fastens a mirror to the base member. The base member may also have first and second ends, a side portion, and a reinforcement. The side portion extends between the first and second ends. The first end is generally vertical when the base member is affixed to a fender, and the first end receives a generally horizontal fastener that passes through the first end, through two portions of the fender, and into the base member so as to fasten the base member to the fender. The side portion has a contour that generally follows a profile of the fender. The reinforcement reinforces the first end.