Faceted Rearview Mirror Bracket for Electronics Space and Rigidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicular rearview mirrors face challenges in accommodating additional electronic components without encroaching on the driver's field of view and maintaining structural rigidity, leading to unacceptable levels of vibration and movement.
Innovation Solution
A structurally-reinforced volumetric bracket with an irregular polyhedron-shaped main body portion, featuring faceted surfaces, provides a cantilever-like overhanging projection to create additional space for electronic components while ensuring structural rigidity and compliance with visibility regulations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the bracket structure is enlarged to accommodate additional electronic components, then the volumetric space is increased, but the structural rigidity decreases leading to unacceptable levels of vibration and movement
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket employs a cantilever-like overhanging projection that extends in the z-direction (perpendicular to the windshield) to create additional volumetric space without increasing the footprint on the windshield. This dimensional approach allows electronic components to be accommodated while maintaining a compact mounting area that preserves structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket is constructed from rigid materials with high structural stiffness-to-weight ratios, such as reinforced plastics or metal alloys. This material selection ensures that the enlarged bracket structure maintains sufficient rigidity to minimize vibration and movement while providing the necessary volumetric capacity for electronic components.
2Volume of moving object
If the bracket structure is enlarged to provide additional space, then more electronic components can be accommodated, but the encroachment on driver's field of view increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket utilizes the z-direction (depth) to expand volumetric space rather than expanding in the x-y plane that would encroach on the driver's field of view. The cantilever-like overhanging projection extends backward from the windshield, creating storage and mounting volume without increasing the frontal footprint.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket structure is divided into distinct functional zones: a compact windshield-engaging portion for mounting, a main body portion providing structural support, and a distal portion creating volumetric space. This segmentation allows the volume to be concentrated in the depth direction away from the driver's line of sight.
3Volume of moving object
If a cantilever-like overhanging projection is created to increase volumetric space, then more space is available for components, but the structural compliance increases causing vibration and movement
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket uses high-stiffness rigid materials such as reinforced plastics (e.g., glass-filled nylon) or metal alloys that provide exceptional structural compliance resistance. These materials maintain dimensional stability and minimize vibration even in extended cantilever configurations, allowing the overhanging projection to provide volumetric space without compromising structural stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket incorporates faceted surfaces and curved geometric features that enhance structural rigidity through optimized stress distribution. The irregular polyhedron-shaped main body portion with strategically placed facets creates geometric reinforcement that reduces structural compliance while maintaining the overhanging projection's volumetric capacity.
Data Source
AI summary
A structurally-reinforced volumetric bracket for a rearview mirror, a rearview mirror assembly for a vehicular windshield, an electronics assembly for a vehicular windshield and a method of making/using a vehicular rearview mirror assembly. By forming the bracket as an irregular polyhedron-shaped plurality of faceted surfaces, a cantilever-like structure is formed that extends along a height-wise dimension of the bracket relative to a windshield inner surface to have an overhang that is situated over at least a portion of an electronics module housing. In this way, a volumetrically-enhanced structure is formed that can accommodate existing or new electronic components without taking up additional windshield surface area or sacrificing structural rigidity. In this way, the rearview mirror that is secured to the bracket does not suffer from increases in vibratory or other load-based response that otherwise arise out of operating a vehicle during normal use.