Modular Vehicle Mirror Head With Overlapping Field Of View
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing exterior mirror systems for commercial vehicles often suffer from gaps in the field of view between main and additional mirrors due to their rigid connection, leading to unseen obstacles and lack of adaptability.
Innovation Solution
A modular mirror system where the main and additional mirrors are detachably connected via housings, allowing automatic adjustment of the additional mirror with the main mirror, ensuring overlapping or adjacent fields of view to prevent gaps, with preferred connections being screw, form-fitting, or clip connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If main and additional mirrors are rigidly connected in a common housing, then the field of view coverage is improved, but the adaptability and adjustability are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The mirror system is divided into separable modules: a main mirror assembly and an additional mirror assembly that can be detached from each other. The additional mirror is connected to the main mirror housing via a detachable connection mechanism (screw connection, form-fitting connection, or clip connection), allowing the additional mirror to be removed or replaced independently while maintaining the integrity of the main mirror system.
2Ease of operation
If main mirror is made adjustable, then the field of view can be optimized, but gaps in field of view may occur between main and additional mirrors
Solution Approach 1:
The additional mirror and main mirror are pre-positioned and rigidly connected within the additional mirror housing such that when the main mirror is adjusted to any position, the additional mirror automatically adjusts correspondingly. This preliminary arrangement of the rigid connection ensures that the fields of view always overlap or directly adjoin, preventing gaps before the user even operates the adjustment mechanism.
3Ease of manufacture
If additional mirror is permanently fixed in housing, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but replacement and combination flexibility are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The connection between the additional mirror housing and main mirror housing transitions from a static permanent fixture to a dynamic detachable connection. The additional mirror housing is designed with specific connection interfaces (screw connections, form-fitting connections, or clip connections) that allow for easy attachment and detachment, enabling the additional mirror to be replaced or reconfigured without complex manufacturing processes or specialized tools.
Data Source
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AI summary
In vehicle exterior mirrors with main and secondary mirrors, the main mirror is usually adjustable, either manually or electrically. Due to the adjustability of the main mirror, an unfavorable adjustment can result in a gap in the field of view between the main mirror and the secondary mirror, which is not visible through both mirrors. A modular mirror head is described, in which this gap in the field of view cannot occur at the shared boundary of the two mirrors. Because the main mirror (2) and the secondary mirror (4) are detachably mechanically connected, adjusting the main mirror (2) automatically adjusts the secondary mirror (4) as well, and different main and secondary mirrors can also be combined.The arrangement of the main and secondary mirrors in their rigid connection is chosen such that their fields of view (16, 18) overlap or are directly adjacent to each other. This prevents a gap in the field of view that is not visible to the user from forming in the common boundary area between the two mirrors.