Vehicle Mirror Bracket With Sensor Tunnel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rearview mirror assemblies for vehicles lack an efficient and integrated solution for attaching sensors close to the windscreen, which affects the functionality of humidity and rain sensors due to their distance from the windscreen, and do not provide a secure and adjustable mounting system for the rearview mirror.
Innovation Solution
A single-piece mirror bracket with a pad portion and bridge portion that includes a tunnel for housing sensors, allowing for secure attachment to the windscreen and adjustable mounting of the rearview mirror using a dovetail and wedge profile, eliminating the need for cam-lock members and enabling improved sensor functionality by placing sensors near the windscreen.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sensors are mounted on existing rearview mirror assemblies, then the mirror assembly can be easily attached to the windscreen, but the sensors are positioned too far from the windscreen to function effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is divided into separate functional components: a windscreen-mounted bracket with tunnel structure, and a mirror assembly with integrated sensors. This segmentation allows the sensors to be positioned on the mirror assembly while the bracket provides proximity to the windscreen, resolving the contradiction between easy attachment and effective sensor positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket with tunnel structure serves as an intermediary element between the windscreen and the sensor-bearing mirror assembly. The tunnel houses wiring and provides structural support, enabling the mirror assembly to be mounted at an optimal distance from the windscreen while maintaining effective sensor functionality.
2Ease of manufacture
If a single-piece bracket structure is used, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but the adjustability and secure mounting of the mirror become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
While the bracket itself is a static single-piece structure for manufacturing simplicity, the mirror assembly incorporates dynamic adjustment mechanisms including a movable mirror glass and adjustable mounting angles. This allows the mirror to be positioned at various angles while the bracket remains a simple, easily manufactured component.
Solution Approach 2:
The system separates the static bracket structure from the dynamic mirror assembly. The single-piece bracket provides manufacturing simplicity, while the mirror assembly contains the adjustability mechanisms, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and adaptability.
3Strength
If traditional cam-lock members are used for mirror mounting, then secure attachment is achieved, but the mounting system becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The complex cam-lock mechanism is extracted and replaced with a simpler mounting interface. The bracket provides secure attachment through its tunnel structure and mounting features, eliminating the need for separate cam-lock members while maintaining mounting security, thus reducing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An inside rearview mirror bracket for a windscreen includes a pad portion configured to attach to an interior of the windscreen. A bridge portion is formed as a single piece with the pad portion, and a tunnel is defined by the bridge portion and the pad portion. The mirror bracket includes a mirror receptacle formed as a single piece with the bridge portion opposite the tunnel. The mirror receptacle is configured to receive a rearview mirror. A sensor member may be configured to substantially fill the tunnel, such that the sensor member is disposed intermediate the bridge portion and the windscreen.