The present invention relates to a mirror arrangement for commercial vehicles, in particular for large trucks.
Commercial vehicles such as busses and trucks are equipped with mirror arrangements, giving those inside the vehicle a view of the surroundings behind or next to the vehicle. Normally, for this purpose, a mirror head having a mirror pane and housing is attached to the body of the vehicle via a mirror foot. The attachment is routinely accomplished by means of a mount affixed to the vehicle by screws or similar fasteners in a detachable manner.
The detachable attachment is necessary because the mirror arrangement is produced externally as a semi-finished product and so the product can be purchased separately. Furthermore, the detachable attachment allows for easy replacement of a damaged mirror arrangement or a change to different mirror heads, e.g. to a mirror pane that is adjustable by motorized means.
In the case of buses, “horn-shaped” mirrors are being used more. In a horn mirror, the mirror foot extends forward essentially in the direction of travel from a forward upper corner of the vehicle body. The mirror foot is also inclined to the side and/or down if necessary. These “horn” mirrors are more aerodynamic than conventional mirror arrangements, allow for a better geometric and optical positioning of the mirror pane, and reduce the lateral overall width of the bus. With these “horn” mirrors the mirror foot is also attached to the vehicle body in a detachable manner.
For a mirror arrangement according to the present state of the art, the connection between the mirror foot and the vehicle body must be detachable in order to make replacement possible. However, this connection bears the entire weight of the mirror arrangement. Since the vibrations of the vehicle body are transmitted to the connection, which consists generally of screws, the danger exists that the connection may loosen and detach.
Especially for this reason, the horn mirrors described above are not being used with trucks operating under rough environmental conditions, e.g. on building sites and subjected to frequent impact loads.
The above problems are overcome by the present invention by providing a mirror support mount permanently affixed to a frame element at an overhead portion of a vehicle cab.
A generally L-shaped mirror housing carried by the mirror base member comprises a mirror pane carried by the mirror housing for providing a view of the area behind the mirror arrangement, a support arm disposed between the mirror housing and the vehicle for providing support to the mirror arrangement, and a connector coupling disposed between the mirror base member and the mirror housing for connecting the mirror base member to the mirror. Further, a moveable joint disposed between the connector coupling and the support arm allows the mirror head to move relative to the connector coupling.
The support arm is an elongate support arm extending generally horizontal from the vehicle. The mirror base member further comprises a sheathing for enclosing the support arm. The mirror pane is adjustably attached to the mirror housing.
The horn shaped mirror arrangement for commercial vehicles comprises a mirror support mount adapted for permanent attachment to an associated commercial vehicle, and thus, is made integral with the frame of the commercial vehicle. The mirror housing is operatively associated with the mirror support mount and a connector coupling disposed between the mirror base member and the mirror housing for connecting the mirror foot to the mirror head.
Further, the mirror arrangement comprises a support arm disposed between the connector coupling and the mounting bracket for providing support to the mirror arrangement. The elongate support arm, enclosed by a sheathing, extend essentially horizontally from the vehicle. A moveable joint disposed between the connector coupling and the support arm allows the mirror head to move relative to the vehicle. Further the mirror housing comprises a mirror pane carried by the housing for providing a view of the area behind the mirror arrangement. The mirror pane is adjustably attached to the mirror housing.
The construction designed to carry out the invention will hereinafter be described, together with other features thereof.
The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein an example of the invention is shown and wherein:
As can best be seen in
The mirror assembly as described above and shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 comprises mirror housing 1 with two mirror panes 11 and 12, the main mirror and the wide-angle mirror, respectively, which preferably are located in a housing 1 so as to be adjustable by an associated motor. In this manner, the mirror pane may be adjusted. In certain embodiments, a motor may be provided to position the mirror pane in any desired position.
Referring now to
As can best be seen in
Referring now to
The mirror foot, in further embodiments, may comprise a support, in particular made of metal and/or synthetic material, to increase the stability. A sheathing may also be included such that it may enclose the housing of the mirror head. As a result the mirror foot can be both very stable in its design, and be made with any desired shape, in particular with aerodynamically favorable outer contour.
When installed, the mirror foot extends essentially forward in the direction of travel, generally horizontal. The mirror foot is connected to the commercial vehicle in a non-detachable manner. The increased stability makes it now possible to use horn mirrors with trucks. This support member is able to provide support to the exterior mirror arrangement due to its permanent attachment. The rotary joint coupling discussed above is shown generally as 4, between connector coupling 3 and support arm 21.
Connector coupling 3 may be provided between the mirror head 1 and the mirror foot 2. This connector coupling can include, as can best be seen schematically in
Connector coupling 3 makes it possible, in addition to the stable attachment to the commercial vehicle, to replace a damaged mirror head easily. Since the mirror head projects the furthest from the vehicle, it is replaced most frequently. A replacement may be needed in case of retrofitting. For example, when switching from manually adjustable to motorized mirror panes. It is nevertheless still possible to manufacture the mirror arrangement externally and to purchase it in addition, since the expensive mirror head with mirror pane, adjusting devices, etc., can easily be installed afterwards by means of the connector coupling. In addition, a mirror foot suitable for a plurality of possible mirror heads may be provided such that when manufacturing the commercial vehicle, it may be integrated into the commercial vehicle.
All suitable known devices can be used as the connection device, in particular, screw connections, bayonet locks, plug-in connections etc. Since these connection devices do not support the weight of the entire mirror arrangement, but only the mirror head, less stability is required than for conventional attachments of the entire mirror arrangement to the commercial vehicle.
As can be seen best in
While an embodiment of the invention has been described using specific terms, such description is for illustrative purposes only, and it is to be understood that changes in variations may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the following claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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102004021582.0 | May 2004 | DE | national |
Applicant claims priority on pending U.S. application Ser. No. 10/053,830, filed on Jan. 22, 2002, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/304,001, filed on Apr. 30, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,554,436 B1 incorporated by reference.