One-Piece Plastic Exterior Mirror Reducing Weight and Cost
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional exterior mirrors for vehicles are heavy due to metal mounting plates and glass, contributing to CO2 emissions and drag losses, and require rigid connections to prevent vibration at high speeds, which complicates manufacturing and increases costs.
Innovation Solution
A one-piece plastic injection molded exterior mirror with a window guide, eliminating the need for a metal mounting plate and using a plastic glass mirror pane, designed to minimize depth and weight, and incorporating a manual ball joint adjustment system for reduced complexity and weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If a metal mounting plate and glass mirror pane are used, then the mirror provides stable reflection and structural strength, but the weight increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters from metal and glass to plastic, specifically using a plastic injection-molded mounting plate and plastic mirror pane. This material substitution dramatically reduces weight while maintaining sufficient structural strength through optimized plastic formulation and molding techniques
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the mounting plate and mirror housing into a single integrated plastic component. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate metal mounting plates and reduces the number of fastening elements, achieving both weight reduction and simplified structure while maintaining attachment strength to the vehicle
2Device complexity
If a rigid connection with metal mounting plate is used, then vibration resistance at high speeds is ensured, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting plate and mirror housing are merged into one integrated plastic injection-molded component. This eliminates separate metal parts, multiple fastening operations, and complex assembly steps, significantly reducing manufacturing complexity while the integrated design ensures proper alignment and vibration resistance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses plastic as a composite material solution that combines mounting, housing, and structural functions. The plastic material is formulated and molded to provide sufficient rigidity and vibration resistance, replacing traditional metal-composite assemblies and simplifying the manufacturing process
3Ease of operation
If electric adjusting motor is added, then mirror adjustment functionality is improved, but weight and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the electric adjusting motor from the mirror assembly. By eliminating this heavy component, the overall mirror weight is significantly reduced. The manual adjustment mechanism is retained, which is sufficient for the application and much lighter than electric motors
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adopts a simpler, lighter manual adjustment mechanism instead of expensive and heavy electric motors. While electric motors provide automated adjustment, the manual system is sufficient for this application and achieves the weight reduction goal without sacrificing essential functionality
4Ease of manufacture
If separate mounting plate and mirror housing are used, then assembly flexibility is maintained, but manufacturing cost and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting plate and mirror housing are merged into a single integrated plastic injection-molded component. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate manufacturing of metal mounting plates, reduces the number of parts to be managed, and simplifies the assembly process. The integrated design is attached directly to the vehicle as one unit, reducing manufacturing cost and assembly time while maintaining the necessary adaptability through proper design of the integrated mounting features
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The rearview mirror is provided with a mirror housing (1), which has an opening for the receptacle of a reflective element (2), where the reflective element is mounted in rotating manner over an assembly in the mirror housing. The mirror housing is provided with a ball with stiffening elements at the rear side of its opening for the mirror. The reflective element is a plastic-glass mirror.