GB2088799A

GB2088799A - Vehicle forward view mirror

Info

Publication number: GB2088799A
Application number: GB8132949A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: BLATCHFORD WILLIAM
Current assignee: BLATCHFORD WILLIAM
Priority date: 1980-11-29
Filing date: 1981-11-02
Publication date: 1982-06-16
Also published as: GB2088799B

Abstract

A mirror assembly (10) is attachable to a vehicle windscreen to increase the drivers field of view when driving on the "wrong side of the road" and comprises a housing (12) having a light entry aperture (20) and a light exit aperture (22). Located within the housing are first reflector (24), for reflecting light entering the housing via aperture (20) and second reflector (26), for reflecting light reflected by the first reflector so that light exits the housing (12) via the aperture (22) when the housing (12, 52) is attached to the windscreen interior. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in and relating to mirror assemblies Field of Invention This invention relates to mirror assemblies and concerns a mirror assembly adapted for attachment to the interior of a vehicle windscreen for the purpose of increasing the effective field of view of a driver to assist in overtaking and similar manoeuvres when driving on the "wrong side of the road", for example when driving a right-hand drive car in countries where the convention is to drive on the right-hand side of the road, as when using a British car on the Continent.

Background to the Invention It is well known that overtaking and other similar manoeuvres are difficult in such circumstances because the driver's seat is on the "wrong side" of the car and so the driver has a restricted view of oncoming traffic, particularly when travelling directly behind the vehicle to be overtaken. In such circumstances it is often necessary to pull out a considerable distance into the opposite lane, facing any oncoming traffic, for the driver to be able to see and assess traffic conditions ahead, which can be a very hazardous procedure. A person sitting in the front passenger seat has a much better view of the road ahead and can assist the driver by advising of the oncoming traffic situation. However, if no reliable person is available to assist in this way, the driver has to rely on his own view.

The present invention thus has as an objective the provision of a mirror assembly adapted for attachment to the interior of a vehicle windscreen to increase the effective field of view of a driver and so assist in overtaking and other similar manoeuvres in such circumstances.

The Invention According to the present invention there is provided a mirror assembly adapted for attachment to the interior of a vehicle windscreen, comprising a housing adapted for attachment to the interior of a vehicle windscreen, the housing having a light entry aperture and a light exit aperture; first reflective means attached to the housing for reflecting light entering the housing via the light entry aperture; and second reflective means attached to the housing for reflecting light reflected by the first reflective means so that light exits the housing via the exit aperture; the assembly being so constructed and arranged that, when appropriately attached to the interior of a vehicle windscreen, light from in front of the passenger's side of the vehicle is reflected by the reflective means and leaves the housing so as to be visible by a person sitting in the driver's seat of the vehicle, thus increasing the effective field of view of such a person.

It is clear that use of such a mirror assembly enables a driver to see not only direct light from in front of his side of the car but also, indirectly, via the mirror assembly light from in front of the passenger's side of the car, thus increasing the effective field of view of the driver. Of course, in circumstances where the direct view of the driver is not impeded this increase in field view is of little effect or importance. However, where the direct view of the driver is significantly impeded, for example when driving on the "wrong side of the road" closely behind a vehicle to be overtaken, then the ability to see light from directly in front of the passengers side of the vehicle, which light is reflected by the mirror assembly, significantly increases the useful view of the driver, so facilitating overtaking and other similar manoeuvres.

It is to be noted that in order to perform a useful function, the mirror assembly need not provide a driver with a full and complete view of the road in front at the passenger's side, but need merely supply the driver with sufficient information to enable him to determine whether it is safe for him to pull out and view conditions directly. Thus, image quality and definition need not be very high and a certain degree of distortion is tolerable.

The housing may be of any suitable configuration, and may, for example, be fabricated from separate plastics parts. For instance in one embodiment the housing comprises front and rear frame members interconnected together so as to define the light entry and exit apertures by means of upper and lower cover members. In another embodiment, the housing comprises upper and lower housing members which, when fitted together, define the apertures.

For safety purposes the housing is preferably formed from a crushable material, such as foamed polystyrene, to reduce or eliminate the risk of any facial or other damage occuring to a passenger in the event of an accident.

The housing is adapted for attachment to the interior of a vehicle windscreen by any suitable means: for stability preferably at least two points of attachment are provided. For example one or more of the following, or a combination thereof, may be used: a suction pad attached to the housing and adapted to be adhered to the windscreen; a lug attached to the housing and adapted to be fitted under the rubber surround to the windscreen; a hook with spring jaws attached to the housing and adapted to grip the passenger's side visor.

Such attachment means is preferably adjustable to permit appropriate adjustment of the location and/or orientation of the mirror assembly to accommodate variations in different vehicles and also different drivers. For example the various attachment means such as rubber suckers, lugs, hooks or the like may be attached to the housing by adjustable legs or arms, the length and/or orientation of which may be adjusted as desired.

The housing is preferably adapted to be removably attached to a vehicle windscreen and to be readily attached and detached therefrom to permit removal of the mirror assembly when not required for use, for instance when a reliable passenger is available to assist the driver or when returning home from a continental holiday, and also reattachment of the assembly when desired.

It is to be noted that all of the attachment means discussed above satisfy this preferred requirement. Further, by having the mirror assembly attachable to the inside of a vehicle windscreen fitting and removal is facilitated.

The reflective means may each comprise any suitable reflective member including, for example, a mirror, a mirror strip (metalised plastics), metalising applied to an internal surface of the housing, or the like. For safety reasons, the use of glass-based reflective means is preferably avoided and the use of metalised plastics materiais is to be preferred on these grounds.

At least one of the reflective means, preferably the second reflective means, is adjustably attached to the housing in preferred embodiments of the invention to permit adjustment of the path of light reflected by the reflective means. For instance, the or each reflective means may be in the form of a mirror or like member attached to the housing by means of a ball and socket connection which permits adjustment of the mirror in two planes, frictional forces in the connection serving to retain the reflective means in any set position. Alternatively, the or each reflective means may comprise a mirror or the like mounted to the housing upon a pivot pin arranged to permit movement of the reflective means in one plane, the pin itself being attached to the housing by an appropriate bearing to permit movement in a further plane.Again, with this arrangement the frictional forces act to retain the reflective means in any set position.

in the case where the or each reflective means is adjustable in this way, an adjustment member adapted for engagement by a user and preferably protruding from the housing is conveniently associated with the reflective member to facilitate adjustment thereof. For instance in one preferred embodiment the first reflective means is fixed with respect to the housing and the second reflective means is adjustably attached thereto, for example by means of a ball and socket connection as discussed above, a tab being fixed to the second reflective means and protruding from the housing through the light exit aperture so that the second reflective means may be readily adjusted by a user gripping the protruding tab.

Different versions of a mirror assembly in accordance with the present invention may be produced for use with left-hand drive and righthand drive cars respectively, the two different arrangements being mirror images of one another.

In order to improve the field of view of light reflected by the assembly, a Fresnel lens or like component may be located in the light entry or exit aperture of the housing.

The present invention also includes within its scope a vehicle when fitted with a mirror assembly in accordance with the present invention.

The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the Drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a prototype embodiment of a mirror assembly in accordance with the present invention with the lid member thereof removed; Fig. 2 is a schematic top plan view of a mirror assembly in accordance with the present invention illustrating the path of a light ray through the assembly, Fig. 3 is a front perspective view of a further embodiment of a mirror assembly in accordance with the present invention; and Fig. 4 is a rear perspective view of the assembly of Fig. 3.

Detailed Description of the Drawings Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 illustrates a prototype mirror assembly 10 in accordance with the present invention. The mirror assembly 10 comprises a housing generally designated 12, formed from a series of separate components of plastics material assembled together.

In particular, the housing 12 comprises a front frame member 14 and a rear frame member 1 6, both of rigid P.V.C. (polyvinyl chloride) jig formed to the illustrated configuration. The front and rear frame members include a number of circular apertures, the purpose of which will be discussed below.

The housing 1 2 further comprises a lower cover member 18 and a similar upper cover member (not shown) both of which are of vacuum formed P.V.C. and are appropriately shaped to permit assembly of the housing components in the illustrated condition by use of, for example, suitable adhesive.

When the housing components are assembled as shown they define a generally rectangular light entry aperture 20 in the front wall of the housing and a generally rectangular light exit aperture 22 in a side wall of the housing.

Mounted within the housing are first mirror means in the form of a mirror 24 which is fixedly secured to the rear frame member 16 by means of a bracket 26. The glass of mirror 24 is preferably tinted.

Also mounted within the housing 12 are second reflective means in the form of a further mirror 26' which is adjustably secured to front frame member 14 by means of a ball and socket connection 28 which permits a considerable degree of adjustment of the position of mirror 26', frictional resistance in the mounting acting to retain the mirror 26' in any set position. An adjustment tab 30 is attached to one edge of the mirror 26' and extends outwardly of the housing 12, protruding through the light exit aperture 22, and is adapted to be gripped by a user to facilitate adjustment of the mirror 26.

Means are provided for attaching the housing 1 2 to the interior of a vehicle windscreen in the form of a rubber suction cup 32 adjustably attached to the housing by means of a pair of metal arms 34 which extend adjustably through bores in respective mounting members 36, each associated with a respective aperture (not shown) in the front frame member 14.

Such attachment means additionally comprise a metal fixing bracket 38 which terminates in a lug 40 which is adapted to be secured under the rubber surround of a vehicle windscreen. The bracket 38 is adjustably attached to the housing 12 by suitable fixing means (not shown) such as a nut and bolt passed through an elongate slot 42 in the bracket and through a circular aperture 44 in the rear frame member 16.

In use of the mirror assembly 10, the housing 12 is attached to the interior of a vehicle windscreen on the passenger's side, the lug 40 being passed under the rubber surround to the windscreen and the suction cup 32 being adhered to the windscreen. It is generally found preferable to locate the assembly adjacent the lower corner of the windscreen, although in some cases the upper corner may be preferred. With the assembly appropriately positioned with respect to the windscreen, mirror 26' is then adjusted, if necessary, using tab 30 to bring the mirrors 24 and 26' into the appropriate relationship so that light entering the housing via the light entry aperture 20 is reflected by the mirror 24 onto the mirror 26' and then re-reflected by mirror 26' to exit the housing via the exit aperture 22, as illustrated by light ray X shown in Fig. 2.In this way, light from in front of the passenger's side of the vehicle is diverted by the mirror assembly so as to be visible by a person sitting in the driver's seat of the vehicle, and so the assembly may be used to facilitate in overtaking manoeuvres, as discussed above.

The illustrations embodiment is of course adapted for use with right-hand drive vehicles, being intended to be attached to the windscreen adjacent to the passenger 5 (left-hand) side of the vehicle and to divert light to the right (looking forward) towards the driver. It is, of course, clear that an assembly for use with left-hand drive vehicles may also readily be produced, this being a mirror image of the right-hand drive version.

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate a production version of a further mirror assembly 50 in accordance with the present invention. The assembly 50 is generally similar to the above described assembly 10 and differs only in certain constructional details.

The assembly 50 comprises a housing 52 of two part construction, comprising upper and lower housing members, 54 and 56, moulded of polypropylene. The two housing members 54 and 56 are adapted to be fitted together, as shown, so as to define a generally rectangular light entry aperture 58 and a generally rectangular light exit aperture 60. When in the assembled condition, a lip 62 at the lower edge of the upper housing member 54 overlaps a corresponding part at the upper edge of the lower housing member 56. The two housings are secured together by a number of connectors which pass through aligned apertures in the overlapping regions of the housing members. Not all of the connectors are shown, and some which also perform additional functions will be described in more detail below.

A first mirror 64 is fixedly mounted within the housing 52, in the region of the light entry aperture 58, being fitted in slots in upper and lower retaining brackets (not shown).

A second mirror 66 is adjustably mounted within the housing 52, adjacent to the light exit aperture 60. The mirror 66 is mounted in a frame (not shown) of polypropylene, the frame being adjustably mounted to the housing by a ball and socket connection (not shown). This comprises a socket formed at the rear of the mirror frame and a ball at the end of a stalk secured to the housing by a nut and bolt connection (not shown), the nut passing through aligned apertures in overlapping portions of the two housing members and so assisting in securing these together. An adjustment tab 68, formed as an extension of the mirror frame, extends outwardly of the housing 52, protruding through the light exit aperture 60, to facilitate adjustment of the orientation of the second mirror 66, as in the above described embodiment.

Two attachment arms 70 and 72, also of polypropylene, are adjustably secured to the housing 52 and extend forwardly therefrom. The arms 70 and 72 are each attached to the housing by means of a respective nut and bolt type connection comprising a bolt of plastics material which passes through aligned apertures in overlapping portions of the two housing members 54 and 56 (so retaining these together) and also through an aperture in the relevant arm 70 or 72, with a nut 74 of plastics material screwed onto the protruding end of the bolt. Although not shown, each arm 70, 72 is preferably provided with two or more apertures to enable adjustment of the forwardly extending length of the arm.

Further, the regions of the housing through which the fixing bolts pass are preferably formed with a part-spherical protrusion adapted to co-operate with a corresponding socket indentation surrounding the apertures of the arms, so as to permit a degree of swivelling of the arms 70 and 72 with respect to the housing 52.

The free end of the arm 70 is provided with two plastics suction cups 76 adapted to be attached to the interior of a vehicle windscreen.

The free end of the other arm 72 is formed with outwardly extending lug or flange portions 78 adapted to be secured under the rubber surround of a vehicle windscreen. The portions 78 are preferably provided with apertures (not shown) for receiving further suction cups, similar to cups 76, for use in cases where it is not possible or not desirable to pass the portions 78 under the windscreen surround.

The assembly 50 is used in an identical manner to assembly 10.

Claims

1. A mirror assembly adapted for attachment to the interior of a vehicle windscreen, characterised by a housing (1 2, 52) adapted for attachment to the interior of a vehicle windscreen, the housing having a light entry aperture (20, 58) and a light exit aperture (22, 60); first reflective means (24, 64) attached to the housing for reflecting light entering the housing via the light entry aperture; and second reflective means (26, 66) attached to the housing for reflecting light reflected by the first reflective means so that light exits the housing via the exit aperture; the assembly being so constructed and arranged that, when appropriately attached to the interior of a vehicle windscreen, light from in front of the passenger's side of the vehicle is reflected by the reflective means and leaves the housing so as to be visible by a person sitting in the driver's seat of the vehicle, thus increasing the effective field of view of such a person.

2. A mirror assembly according to claim 1, characterised in that the housing (52) comprises upper and lower housing members (54, 56) which, when fitted together, define the light entry and exit apertures (58, 60).

3. A mirror assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the housing (12, 52) comprises plastics material.

4. A mirror assembly according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that the housing (12,52) is provided with two arms (34, 38; 70, 72) the free ends of which are provided with means for attaching the housing to the interior of a vehicle windscreen.

5. A mirror assembly according to claim 4, characterised in that the free end of one of the arms (34, 70) is provided with one or more suction cups (32, 76) and the free end of the other arm (38, 72) is provided with one or more flanges or lugs (40, 78) adapted to be fitted under the rubber surround to a vehicle windscreen.

6. A mirror assembly according to claim 4 or 5, characterised in that the length and/or orientation of the arms (34, 38; 70, 72) is adjustable.

7. A mirror assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the first reflective means (24, 64) and the second reflective means (26, 66) comprise respective mirrors.

8. A mirror assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the second reflective means (26,66) is adjustably attached to the housing (12,52).

9. A mirror assembly according to claim 8, characterised in that a tab (30 68) fixed with respect to the second reflective means (26, 66) protrudes from the housing (12, 52) through the light exit aperture (22, 60).

1 0. A vehicle characterised by being fitted with a mirror assembly in accordance with any one of the preceding claims.