Patent Application
20090040635
The present invention relates to mirrors for use with vehicles, and more particularly, to exterior side view mirror assemblies for a vehicle.
Automotive vehicles are typically equipped with an exterior side view mirror assembly. In general, the exterior side view mirror assembly comprises a reflective mirror adapted to provide a rearward field of view of the side lane adjacent the vehicle so as to allow the driver to see whether a side-approaching vehicle is present when the driver is contemplating a lane change. However, even with such mirrors, drivers may still have difficulty seeing nearby vehicles, objects and pedestrians in some regions depending on the driver's position in the driver's seat and the location of the external objects. Such regions are commonly referred to as “blind spots”. For example, the angles between 90 degrees and 170 degrees from the forward direction of a vehicle, i.e., to the immediate right and left of the driver and slightly behind the driver, are common problematic blind spots. This presents a potential safety hazard as the driver, upon checking the view in the side view mirror assembly and seeing no overtaking vehicle therein, may deem it safe to makes a turn or initiate a lane change, unaware that there is a vehicle immediately adjacent at flank or in a blind-spot of the side view mirror assembly.
To reduce the likelihood of collisions, an exterior side view mirror assembly equipped with LED turn signal has been proposed to help in the above situation. The LED turn signal includes at least one LED light bank and is attached to the frame of the side view mirror assembly on the far side of the vehicle door. By blinking the LED turn signal in response to a control signal asserted from a control mechanism, the light provided by the LED turn signal is slightly outward, so that drivers at a side in the blind spot of a driver with a vehicle so equipped will receive a warning.
However, the LED turn signal of this type of side view mirror assembly would be largely obscured by the surface of the reflective mirror. When the LED turn signal of this side view mirror assembly mounted upon a leading vehicle is activated, the driver of a trailing vehicle that is momentarily located in the leading vehicle's side blind spot area may not notice the intention of the leading vehicle since the LED turn signal of the leading vehicle is not fully visible to the driver of trailing vehicle. This can cause the trailing vehicle to be run off the road or to collide with another vehicle located on the opposite side of the trailing vehicle because the driver of the trailing vehicle was not alerted in time to take evasive action, such as honking or slowing.
Further, by using the conventional exterior side view mirror assembly or the above-mentioned exterior side view mirror assembly with the LED turn signal, the driver of the leading vehicle may inadvertently steer into an adjacent lane where the vehicle in front is located or may veer towards the vehicle that is approaching from the side or rearward without being aware of other vehicles in close proximity to the side of the leading vehicle. As a result, accidents and near accidents occur because drivers, relying upon the above conventional exterior side view mirror assembly, are unable to see or to be seen by the mirror(s).
Moreover, the above-mentioned exterior side view mirror assembly with the LED turn signal is only suitable for new car manufacture. Thus, this conventional design is not readily adaptable for retrofitting onto existing vehicles.
Also, the LED turn signal can emit light on the mirror, which is likely to cause distraction or temporarily impaired vision. That is, the use of LED turn signal will cause glare and consequently reduce the driver's vision. Thus, this conventional design increases the risk of accidents.
In light of the above prior-art drawbacks, a primary objective of the present invention is to provide an exterior side view mirror assembly for a vehicle that can effectively improve visibility between vehicles and enhance safe operation of the vehicle on which the mirror assembly is installed, with a consequent increase in safety for vehicles nearby.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an exterior side view mirror assembly for a vehicle that can effectively provide a simplified mirror assembly.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide an exterior side view mirror assembly for a vehicle that can be incorporated into new car manufacture or readily installed on existing vehicles.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide an exterior side view mirror assembly for a vehicle that can decrease glare.
In accordance with the foregoing and other objectives, the present invention proposes an exterior side view mirror assembly for a vehicle.
According to one version of the invention, the exterior side view mirror assembly comprises: a cover installed on a side portion of the vehicle; a mirror installed to the cover and arranged to face rearward with respect to the vehicle; a first turn signal extended from the cover and arranged to face forward with respect to the vehicle; and a second turn signal extended from the cover and arranged to face rearward with respect to the vehicle.
According to another version of the invention, an exterior side view mirror assembly for a vehicle is provided to cover an existing exterior side view mirror assembly of the vehicle, comprising: a cover provided to hood the existing exterior side view mirror assembly; a reflective mirror installed to the cover and arranged to face rearward with respect to the vehicle; and at least a turn signal extended from the cover. Preferably, there are two turn signals comprising a first turn signal and a second turn signal extended from the cover, wherein the first turn signal is arranged to face forward with respect to the vehicle and the second turn signal is arranged to face rearward with respect to the vehicle. Alternatively, a turn signal can be arranged to emit light over its entirety. More preferably, an anti-glare member is provided for the cover.
According to another version of the invention, the exterior side view mirror assembly for a vehicle comprises: a cover provided on a side portion of the vehicle; a reflective mirror installed to the cover and arranged to face rearward with respect to the vehicle; and a turn signal extended from the cover and arranged to emit light over its entirety. Preferably, an anti-glare member is provided to the cover.
In the invention, the first turn signal is upwardly extended from the top of the cover, and the second turn signal is downwardly extended from the bottom of the cover, so as to provide light from the side portion of the vehicle. Thus, the present invention can utilize an indicator light to alert nearby drivers with a visual warning. In another version of the invention, the first turn signal and the second turn signal both are extended from the cover, the first turn signal disposed correspondingly to the front-side portion of the vehicle and the second turn signal disposed correspondingly to the rear-side portion of the vehicle being formed in one housing. Therefore, air resistance caused by the exterior side view mirror assembly can be reduced.
Compared with the conventional technique, the exterior side view mirror assembly in the present invention can advantageously increase visibility. Accordingly, not only can the danger presented by a driver's traditional blind spots at the rear and sides of the vehicle can be effectively reduced using the exterior side view mirror assembly, but also the front side of the vehicle can be seen more readily with the exterior side view mirror assembly. Therefore, the exterior side view mirror assembly in the present invention enhances a vehicle's visibility in daylight, darkness and other conditions of reduced visibility.
Also, drivers in the vehicles approached thereto can see the light at the front and rear side of the vehicle equipped with the exterior side view mirror assembly in the present invention. Thus, the present invention make changing lanes or making a turn easier and less dangerous due to effectively improved conspicuity.
Further, since the first turn signal and the second turn signal both extended from the cover can be integrated with the cover or separated from it, the present invention is suitable for both new car manufacture and for retrofitting existing vehicles.
The object, features, and advantages of the present invention can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, with reference made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Preferred embodiments of an exterior side view mirror assembly for a vehicle proposed in the present invention are described in detail as follows.
A first embodiment in which the exterior side view mirror assembly is provided for the vehicle is described with reference to
Referring to
Referring specifically to
The first turn signal 15 is upwardly extended from the top of the cover 11 and is connected to the cover 11 by a connecting portion 151. Likewise, the second turn signal 17 is downwardly extended from the bottom of the cover 11 and is connected to the cover 11 by a connecting portion 171. In this particular embodiment, the connecting portion 151 and the connecting portion 171 have a neck-like shape and are integrated with the cover 11 respectively, but in other embodiments, the connecting portion 151 and the connecting portion 171 can be attached with the cover 11 by means of screws (not shown), or, alternately, the connecting portion 151 and the connecting portion 171 can be fixed by rivets, pins, and so on (not shown) rather than screws. Moreover, the connecting portion 151 and the connecting portion 171 may be adhered to the cover 11 with an adhesive or other suitable means in other embodiments.
As such, it is possible that the first turn signal 15 and the second turn signal 17 are available for purchase as separate stand-alone products, respectively. This adds to the design flexibility of the overall assembly and makes retrofitting existing vehicles easier. Therefore, the present invention is suitable for both new car manufacture and retrofitting existing vehicles.
The first turn signal 15 comprises a housing 153 and at least one light source 155 accommodated within the housing 153. The housing 153 can be made of a translucent material, such as glass, plastic, etc, that allows light from the light source 155 to pass. Note that the housing 153 can be partially made of a translucent material as long as light emitted from the light source 155 of the first turn signal 15 can be forwardly emitted and light emitted from the light source (not shown) of the second turn signal 17 can be rearwardly emitted, this particular description not being intended to limit the design. Further, the housing 153 illustrated in
The above-mentioned control mechanism for enabling the turn signal is provided at the door frame of the vehicle 10 and is well-known, e.g., see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. JP 2001-6495 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,038,580. Since the control mechanism is not a technical feature of the present invention, and the electrical connection structure between the exterior side view mirror assembly 1 and the control mechanism is known, the electrical connection structure therebetween will not to be further described herein.
When the vehicle 10 is moving straight ahead, no turn signal is generally activated, except prior to an anticipated lane change or turn. As shown in
In the aforementioned embodiment, the first turn signal 15 is arranged to face forward with respect to the vehicle 10 and the second turn signal 17 is arranged to face rearward with respect to the vehicle 10 so as to provide light toward the front side and rear side of the vehicle 10. That is, the presence of the vehicle 10 can be seen by the first turn signal 15 and the second turn signal 17 from the side. Therefore, this arrangement can effectively improve visibility between vehicles and enhance safe operation of the vehicle on which the mirror assembly is installed, as well as the safety for vehicles traveling in close proximity to the vehicle equipped with the invention.
Alternatively, in another embodiment, in practice, the first turn signal 15 may be arranged to face rearward with respect to the vehicle 10 and the second turn signal 17 may be arranged to face forward with respect to the vehicle 10.
A second embodiment in which the exterior side view mirror assembly is provided for the vehicle is described with reference to
As shown in
The first turn signal 15′ and the second turn signal 17′ are accommodated within a housing 19′. The housing 19′ is downwardly extended from the bottom of the cover 11 and is formed with two translucent portions 191′, 193′. The translucent portion 191′ facing reward with respect to the vehicle 10 is connected to the first turn signal 15′ so as to be previous to light emitted reward with respect to the vehicle 10. The translucent portion 193′ facing forward with respect to the vehicle 10 is connected to the second turn signal 17′ so as to be previous to light emitted forward with respect to the vehicle 10. Although the first turn signal and the second turn signal shown in
As shown in
A third embodiment in which the exterior side view mirror assembly is provided for a vehicle is described with reference to
As shown in
Therefore, the exterior side view mirror assembly 1″ can be installed or replaced without altering the structure of the exterior side view mirror assembly 10. Thus, the present invention is suitable for existing vehicles
A fourth embodiment in which the exterior side view mirror assembly is provided for a vehicle is described with reference to
As shown in
Further, the anti-dazzling member 113′ can be used not only vertically but also horizontally or randomly as long as it blocks the light emitted from the first turn signal 15′ and the second turn signal 17′.
A fifth embodiment in which the exterior side view mirror assembly is provided in the vehicle is described with reference to
As shown in
In this embodiment, the turn signal 16′″ can emit light in every direction. However, in another embodiment, for example, the turn signal 16′″ can also be arranged to rotate freely like a warning light. In other words, the turn signal 16′″ can be designed to emit multi-directional light or to be rotatable, in order to be conspicuous from every angle.
Compared with the conventional technique, the exterior side view mirror assembly in the present invention can advantageously provide light toward the front side and rear side of a vehicle via the turn signal extended from the side view mirror assembly. Thus, visibility is assured by the light over the entire exterior side of the vehicle. This thereby enhances safe operation of the vehicle. Further, turn signals for providing light toward the front side and rear side of the vehicle can be provided in one housing, such that the structure of an exterior side view mirror assembly can be effectively simplified in the present invention. Also, the exterior side view mirror assembly in the present invention can be incorporated into new car manufacture or readily installed on existing vehicles since the structure of the exterior side view mirror assembly can be composed of separate parts. In addition, since the exterior side view mirror assembly of the present invention can prevent the eyes from being dazzled by stray light, safer driving conditions are provided.
The embodiments provided above are clearly for description purposes and shall not be used to limit the actual scope of the present invention. For example, the shape of the housing of the turn signal is not limited to those shown in figures; other shapes, i.e. rectangle, triangle, etc., also fall in the scope of the present invention. And, in addition to automobiles, other vehicles such as buses, trucks, mini buses, SUVs, vans, trailers and so on may employ the exterior side view mirror assembly of the present invention. Also, depending on actual design choices, the exterior side view mirror assembly illustrated in
The invention has been described using exemplary preferred embodiments. However, it is to be understood that the scope of the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements. The scope of the claims therefore should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.
