Vehicle Mirror Contact Structure Tilting Suppression

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle mirror devices face challenges in effectively suppressing tilting of rotating members with respect to support shafts, which can lead to reduced visibility and increased frictional forces during storage and deployment.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle visual recognition device is designed with a support shaft and a rotating member featuring multiple contact portions, where at least one contact portion is positioned radially inward, allowing for precise contact with the support shaft to minimize tilting and reduce frictional forces, incorporating a visual recognition section that rotates with the member for assisting vehicle occupants.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If multiple contact portions are provided at different radial positions, then tilting suppression is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetilting suppressionVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The contact structure is segmented into multiple contact portions (first contact portions and second contact portions) positioned at different radial distances from the rotation axis. This segmentation allows each contact portion to independently engage with the support shaft, providing distributed support that effectively suppresses tilting while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different contact portions are positioned at different radial locations to create local quality variations. The first contact portions are located at a first radial distance while the second contact portions are located at a second radial distance, allowing each region to contribute differently to tilting suppression based on its local position and the forces it experiences.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Loss of energy

If contact portions are positioned radially inward, then frictional forces are reduced, but manufacturing precision requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefrictional forcesVSAvoidcontact portion positioning
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The contact portions are arranged in multiple radial dimensions rather than at a single radial position. By distributing contact portions at different radial distances from the rotation axis, the design transforms a one-dimensional radial contact into a two-dimensional radial distribution, reducing frictional forces while the dimensional distribution helps accommodate manufacturing tolerances.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP2990267B1Vehicle visual recognition device
Publication Date: 2017.10.11 KK TOKAI RIKA DENKI SEISAKUSHO
  • EP2990267B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2990267B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2990267B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

In a vehicle door mirror device (10), in a contact tube (28B) of a motor base (26), projection leading end faces (32T) of second contact ribs (32E-32H) are disposed at radial direction inside of a circular circumferential face in which projection leading end faces of first contact ribs (32A-32D) are disposed. The projection leading end faces of the second contact ribs have a smaller gap dimension to a support tube of a support shaft than gap dimension of the projection leading end faces of the first contact ribs to the support tube in a state in which a drive body is not tilted with respect to the support shaft. This thereby enables tilting of the drive body with respect to the support shaft to be effectively suppressed.