Patent Application
20050264890
1). Field of the Invention
This invention relates to headlight glare attenuation viewed by rear view mirror systems mounted exterior to the human operator enclosure cabin of a motor vehicle traveling on the public highway. This invention relates to same mirror device mounted inside the motor vehicle.
2). Background Information
Every motor vehicle traveling on the public highway in conformity to government motor vehicle regulations has a rear view mirror. Many of such motor vehicles have a rear view mirror mounted to the left side of the driver, outside the window. All such motor vehicles (that have no visual obstruction toward the rear along the centerline of the vehicle) have also an inside rear view mirror. In such instance it is common for the inside mirror to have adjustment means for deflecting the intensity of the mirror image away from the face or visual field of the driver. The deflection attenuates the glare of head lights of following motor vehicles during night driving. Prior to creation of this present invention there has been no equivalent means offered to the motoring public to enable attenuation of the head light glare that is reflected off the rear view mirror mounted to the left outside the window where the motor vehicle driver sits.
There appears to be no prior patent that anticipates specifically the full functionality of the present invention. If the invention is analyzed by separating each of its functional components then the analysis can find in general principles comparable light attenuation means, device mounting means, offending light glare origin, etc. The inventive quality lies in identifying a specific problem of significant importance, heretofore not solved and then providing a workable, practical solution. In such an abstract assembly approach, several “prior art” concepts are cited. The requisite assembly process involves inventive steps that would not be obvious to a mechanic of ordinary skill.
There is advertised for sale by others a tinted plastic transparent panel that is to be attached to a sun visor lower edge. The utility of that device is to dim low lying sun rays without completely obscuring an essential portion of the forward view needed for safe operation of the motor vehicle by the driver. The sun visor is hinged and the assembly flips up against the motor vehicle interior ceiling when not needed.
Another light attenuation situation is illustrated by sun glass lenses that clip onto regular optical vision correction lenses. The sun glass lenses can be flipped up out of the field of vision while remaining attached to the full eye glass frame.
The common interior rear view mirror comes with several different glare attenuation activation means. Some have a lever tab that is pulled back. Others have a shaft with tab that is rotated. Each such systems has a full opaque back structure for mounting to the motor vehicle. To that are attached a silvered reflecting surface, and a forward second glass layer which is both transparent and capable of limited reflection from its front surface. The switching lever tab or switching shaft simply acts to deflect the silvered mirror image. That design technique economizes upon device component travel distance. I.e., to disable the arrival of an intense image coming directly from the rear of the motor vehicle requires imparting only a slight tilt to the silvered mirror. That design system also points out the need for an easy method for repositioning with some precision to “off” state and “on” state. I.e., the primary silvered mirror reflector is always restored to its same preferred orientation angle. The overlay transparent glass sustains the delivery of an attenuated image when the main silvered mirror is deflected. The present invention observes that detail of desirable protocol of maintaining a sustained attenuated image by interposing a tinted transparent layer over the silvered mirror layer.
The broad concept for which letters patent is sought is to attenuate the headlight glare, viewed by a motorist, reflected on an outside rear view mirror. One subset of that class is to intercept the light beam with a tinted transparent layer of material that reduces the intensity of the optical image. Such an approach has been presented in some detail above. Another subset class that can solve the problem is to alter the reflectivity of the mirror surface. Within that scope of the invention the following prior art is cited.
It is common to see on the highways advertising signs which carry three different images within the same display area. There are vertical display bars of triangular cross section. Accordingly there are three display surfaces on each bar. By successively in coordination rotating the bars and pausing with a flat bar surface displayed to the viewer there are seen three different advertising images. Per the invention as subject matter of this petition for letters patent that same design structure can be used to display successively either a bright optically clear image reflection surface or an optically clear, attenuating intensity, image reflection surface.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a means for attenuating rear view head light glare that reaches a motor vehicle driver that comes via an outside mirror.
Another object of the present invention is to achieve the first stated objective with a device that is easily retrofitted to existing outside mirrors and does the job required at a very modest equipment cost.
Another object of the present invention is to achieve the first stated objective with a device that operates automatically, without intervention and without decision required of the motorist.
Another object of the present invention is to incorporate the automatic operation features referenced above into the rear view mirror commonly located inside the motor vehicle.
A purpose of the present invention is to protect the field of vision of a night time driver of a motor vehicle from the glare of head lights of following motor traffic when the glare comes from reflection from the outside rear view mirror of the lead motor vehicle. A solution is to place a tinted transparent cover over the silvered mirror optical system. Another solution is to rotate the silvered mirror surface out of view.
Typically during the daylight hours the outside rear view mirror is needed with full optical transmission with no loss of image intensity. (A possible exception might occur with a low lying intense morning sun producing a disturbing glare from the rear.) In any case, it is incumbent that the glare attenuation be activated and deactivated easily and quickly.
Improvements that make automatic the apparatus performance as stated above for an outside mirror are then incorporated into the motor vehicle rear view mirrors used inside the motor vehicle.
All of the above considerations are addressed further in the detailed description of the invention below.
The light attenuating tinted transparent shade may be fabricated from plastic polymer sheet stock readily available from any of many supply stores. The tinted transparent shade could be of any transparent material including glass. The material is cut to the size of the rear view mirror face to be covered. A mounting means is attached to the shade and the shade attached to the mirror housing shell by threaded fastener, polymer cement, rivet, melt fastening or whatever.
The shade has two functional service positions. Position one is that the shade covers the silvered mirror surface view. Position two is that the shade is in the horizontal oriented plane. clear of the optical path and in line with the direction of the wind when traveling so as not to be blown out of position by the wind.
The word “silver” or “silvered” or “silvered mirror” as used in this writing is not meant to restrict itself to the metal element silver but is used in the common parlance of designating any opaque shinny reflective surface that is capable of reflecting back a clear optical image.
The term “detent” identifies a mechanical arrangement of a spring loaded (or gravity loaded) object that moves into a recess to act as a shear member to resist movement of one frame piece relative to another frame piece. A reasonable force applied to one frame piece pops the object out of the recess to allow the one frame piece to move relative to the other frame piece. The terms “clip” and “latch” are generically close to being the same mechanism as a detent The reader may note per drawing
The terms “detent” and “holding magnet” (magnet being yet another possible latching means) seem to imply that a holding force is to be overcome suddenly by a greater opposing force. The resultant is a displacement shear force across the detent movement plane. The terms “clip”, “hook”, “hasp”, “latch”, “quick release”, “catch” suggest means for avoiding the requirement for beefed up mounting means required with a detent. Muscular input lifts the latching free. That step then allows easy movement of the shade to its alternate position, and drops the latch into its new holding position. This declaration of terminology is prelude to its usage below in further description of the invention.
The invention solves a need. A casual survey of the cars on the highway today shows a common outside rear view mirror design. There is a shell cowling or shell case that is rigidly fixed to the car. Within the cowling cavity is mounted a silvered mirror. The position angle of the mirror can be reset over small rotational limits. There is a recess slot or gap between the holding cowling (also called case) and the silvered mirror glass. For that specific part design it is feasible to insert a clip that grasps the holding case across the edge of the interior surface and the exterior surface of the case.
The detailed parts description begins with
There are many obvious equivalents of the parts recited so far. A few of such equivalents comprise a latch release mechanism similar to a hook and eyelet, a suction cup attachment means, a strap attachment means, a screw attachment means, a hinge of fiber or flexible plastic, a sliding bolt to lock the shade into position, a spring loaded live latch (as contrasted with a dead bolt), and much more.
This invention has a single effect objective, viz: attenuation of headlight glare from following highway traffic. However, there can be identified two separate marketing patterns manifested in two different design criteria. The simple hinged, manually positioned, flip up tinted plastic shade covers one market which is easy to enter and easy on supply tooling up. Then there are the deluxe model and super deluxe model, to be installed as automobile original equipment.
Turning now to a detailed description of the invention as a totally automatic, self operating unit we begin with a look at the existing outside rear view mirror hardware. Most of the outside rear view mirrors appear to have an electric motor in the shell case. The motor functions to adjust the orientation angle of the mirror. There are four motor drive wires. It would be a simple matter to add several more wires to the harness to drive a motor that operates the reflected light attenuation means.
There are two more electric control features to give full automatic operation. A light sensor such as a photoelectric cell responding to rear view headlight glare can serve to signal the equipment to activate the light attenuation means. There was at one time, and perhaps still available, a photo sensitive device that dimmed the headlights of an automobile in response to the light from an oncoming vehicle. That sensor technology should amply serve on the present invention to react to headlight glare from following traffic, even as it was originally intended to detect on coming traffic.
Another interesting design step follows from the question: “How will the invention know not to attenuate the mirror image during the full light of daytime?” One could add a second sensor such as a solar cell to monitor ambient light level. That seems to be going at the problem the hard way. That which should be the answer is that if the head light switch lever is not pulled on then it is daytime. With the headlight lever off the attenuation mechanism is disabled through a parallel electrical connector in the headlight switch. However, modem cars seem to always have the headlights on when moving Thus a solar cell sensor with a solid state relay would be the strategy if required.
The next design subject is construction of the three-way sign board style mirror illustrated in
Mirror manufacturing is old technology. A vapor deposition, sputtered mirror deposit is an easy way to reduce mirror reflectivity.
Means for rotating an array of display surfaces is old technology. Aside from the advertising sign system referenced above the common venetian blind design is capable of displaying in succession either of two reflective surfaces.
Piece 71 is drive motor at the end of the array of vertical mirror segments, pieces 72.
In
This section of the petition for letters patent seeks to establish unambiguously in the description section of the petition the identification of the key terminology relied upon in the claims section for delimiting the scope of the claims.
The words “light attenuating device” would designate such means as would lower the intensity of radiation, e.g. measured in lumens or in foot candle power, viewed by observer.
A “tinted transparent piece” could be any optical transmission piece such as glass or plastic polymer which by material incorporated into the piece results in lower intensity of transmission of an optical image.
The word “aside” as in the expression “moving the tinted transparent piece aside” means moving up or down or left or right, being any direction except straight along the optical viewing track of the motorist.
The word “hinge” means a flexible bonding structure between two objects.
The term “position holding piece” designates any structure that immobilizes any two objects that might otherwise be capable of moving relative to one another.
The term “friction drag tab” is a mechanism that tends to immobilize an object by virtue of the mechanism being forced against the object.
The word “detent” as used in the claims has the same meaning as stated in the dictionary.
