Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02228825 1998-04-15
O V EW V HI L M O YS E V S VIC
This invention relates to an auxiliary mirror system mounted
externally an a vehicle. The invention is particularly useful in providing
vehicle
operators with an alternate front visual view as their direct line of sight is
blocked
by a darken object. More specifically, this invention is associated with
mirror
systems externally mounted on an automotive vehicle to provide drivers with an
alternative enhanced forward view as their direct line of sight is obstructed
by
other darken vehicles, including vans, trucks, trailers, loaded station-
wagons, and
vehicles with tinted windows, situated on the direct line of sight of the
driver of
the vehicle.
Even though the disclosures of ideas similar to the present invention are
relatively popular in patent offices, the practical znirrar systems for
enhancing
front visual field are not commonly available in the current market. In fact,
the
inventions of vehicle mirror systems to assist drivers for front viewing have
been
developed since i 920s, but the resulting products are not practically perfect
due
to related inconveniences. Most of the prior arts offering assistance for
front
viewing are not for independent minor systems; they are, however, for vehicle
mirror systems that have to bind with other existing vehicle mirrors for
support. If
damage happens to the supporting mirror, the attached front view mirror system
loses its standing base and becomes no longer useful to the vehicle , and it
remauis unworkable until the damaged location is repaired or the crippled
supporting mirror is replaced. The major inconvenience of the prior arts is
that the
vehicle operator has to give up his or her direct line of sight and turn his
head or
move his eyes to the left or right far forward viewing. Such uncomfortable
movements could cost the driver an avoidable car accident because he lost his
actual front view in seeking for images on mirror systems attached on the
doors of
his vehicle. The car accident can be even more likely happening in a long
drive
due to the weariness of the eye and neck muscles of the driver.
The listing disadvantages of the prior arts will be eliminated by introducing
products of the new inventive idea, FVVMSs. The FVVMS is securely and
independently mounted to front end body at comers of a vehicle. The mirror
system is fastened to the vehicle by a mounting base which is solidly affixed
to the
hood of the vehicle .
The principal object of the present invention, FV VMS, is to assist drivers
for an enhanced front visual field without losing the direct line of sight
because
the F'VVMS is situated just right in front of them, not on their left or right
side.The analogy of the situation is the picture-in-picture feature in modern
televisions.
Another object is to provide the existing vehicles with a beautiful new look
as the FVVMS can be seen as a decorative device.
FIG. is a perspective view of
1 the FVVMS
FIG. is an exploded view of the
2 FVVMS.
FIG. is a perspective view of
3 an adjusting knob
FIG. is a bottom view of the FVVMS.
4
CA 02228825 1998-04-15
FIG. S is a sectional view of mounting base without a clamping adaptor.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the clamping adaptor.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the mounting base with the clamping adaptar
fasten to the hood of a vehicle.
FIG. 8 is a new look of the vehicle with the FVVMSs
As used in this description and in the appended claims, the word "groove"
means a gap formed between a side body and the hood covering on top of the
engine chamber of the vehicle.
Referring to the drawing of the exploded view of FVVMS in fig.2, the
plastic or plastic-like case 10 contains two mirrors 17 and 40 placed in
periscopic
positions. The first mirror 17, or object image receiving mirror, is convex
and
movable relative to the case 10 to cover a broad visual field and reflected to
a
second mirror. The first mirror 17 is pivotably attached to the case wall 16
by two
universal pivots 28 and 30 located near the ends of the imaginary horizontal
line
bisecting the convex mirror. The adjustment of the convex mirror 17 is made
possible by manually turning the knob 20, which, as shown in fine details in
fig.3
has an extending arm 22 with a long threaded screw hole 23 accommodating a
holding screw 26, and a coiled spring 24 wrapping around the extending arm 22
to firnlly hold the convex mirror 17 in desired positions. Contrary to the
features
of the convex mirror 17, the second mirror 40, or object image viewing mirror,
is
flat arid immovable. The flat mirror 40 is fixedly mounted side-by-side to the
second case wall 18, which is opposite to the first case wall 16 retaining the
convex mirror 17. The viewing flat mirror 40 is not absolutely upright, but
rather
it is tilted back at a small angle with respect to the perfectly vertical
plane and
faces slightly upward so as to direct the line of sight to the eyes of the
driver,
which are higher than the level of the FVVMS.
The case supporting unit comprises 3 components: one central support pivot
ball 7ti, one pivot ball cover 86, and one L-shaped mounting base 91. T'he
central
support pivot: ball 76, which may be made of metal or durable plastic, bears
the total
weight of the case unit, the case and its contents.
The spherical top of the pivot ball 76 is inserted in the dome-shaped socket
78
located near the center of the case bottom 11 and is kept in place by a pivot
ball
cover 86 holding and wrapping around the middle body of pivot ball 76, As
shown in
Fig 2, the cylindrical part 75 of the pivot ball 76 is provided with a
cylindrically
threaded cavity 89 providing access to a fastening screw 88 to firmly fix the
pivot ball
76 to the supporting arm 90 of the L-shaped mounting base 91. The pivot ball
cover
86, which is preferably made of metal to parkicipate in solidly supporting
role, is
provided with three screw holes 87 providing access to two locking screws 82
and
one adjusting screw 84, as shown in fg.5. Surrounding the middle body of the
pivot
ball 76, the pivot ball cover 86 aIiows the pivot ball 76 to have some linvted
movement within the spherical hollow formed by the dome-shaped socket 78 and a
cup-shaped central hole 85 of the pivot ball cover 86 when the adjusting screw
is
loosened, but immovably grips the pivot ball 76 as the adjusting screw 84 is
tightened.
CA 02228825 1998-04-15
By means of the combination of the pivot ball 76 in the socket 78 and the
pivot ball cover 86, a vehicle operator can easily manipulate the case unit,
the case
and its contents, and set it at any desired position by tightening or
loosening the
adjustable screw 84 to obtain the best front picture of the road condition
while
keeping the L-shaped mounting base 91 stationary on the vehicle.
The cylindrical part 75 of the central support pivot ball 76 is solidly
mounted
on anc; end of the mounting base 9I, the supporting arm 90, by a fastening
screw 88,
as shown in fig. 5. The other end of the Irshaped mounting base 91, the
connecting,
arm 92, which is perpendicular to the supporting arm 90, is provided with two
bolt
holes 93 providing access to two fastening strong bolts 94, which firmly
secure the L-
shaped mounting base 91, together with the case unit 10, to the vertical rim
101 of
the hood 100 covering on top of the engine chamber of the vehicle.
As mounted on the vehicle the connecting arm 92 is inserted into a groove near
a front end of the vehicle and is tightly affixed to the hood 100 by two
fastening
strong bolts 94 and two thick washers, ar cushions, 97 placed between the
connecting arm 92 and the vertical rim l0I to enhance the fastening, as also
shown
in fig.5.
T'he direct binding of the L-shaped mounting unit, along with the case unit
10,
to the hood 100 not only brings the extending portion of FV VMS inside,
reducing
chances of damage caused by hard objects hitting the FVVMS when the vehicle
enters narrow pathways, but also enables a vehicle operator or an auto
mechanic to
easily open and close the hood without adjusting position or direction of the
FVV11r1S, eliminating all possible inconveniences as the FVVMS is mounted on
the
vehicle.
For vehicles that are not conveniently equipped with the vertical rim 101 for
easy 1"WMS installation, a fastening adaptor i02 shown in fig. 6 and 7 proves
useful when it is fzrst clamped to the side border of the hood at either front
end of the
vehicle, providing access to two fastening strong bolts 94 to attach the FVVMS
on
the vehicle.
The fastening adaptor 102 comprises a long thin piece of hard metal shaped
into a hook configuration shaven in ftg.6. The horizontal flat bottom i 02b of
the
fastening adaptor 102 is provided with two screw holes 115 providing access to
two
fastening screws 114 for unshakably affxing the adaptor 102 to the back bone
120
of the hook I00, and the vertical side 102s, with bolt holes 95 providing
access to
two fastening bolts 94, which immovably tighten the L-shaped mounting base 91
and
a durable plastic-like cushion bar 96 to the fastening adapter 102.
As also shown in fig.6 and 7,the top side 1021 of the fastening adaptor I02 is
shaped into a small square hollow compartment 102c to accommodate two clamping
bolts 116, which are inserted into the fastening adaptor compartment through
two
bolt hales I0S and fastened to the fastening adaptor 102 by two clamping bolt
nuts
116n.
As the clamping bolts 116 tighten, pushing the bottom side 102d of the
adapter square compartment 102c against the hood 100, and against the cushion
her 96, the fastening adaptor 102 works as a vise clamping itself to the side
border
of the hood 100 and functions as a vertical rim served to hold up the FVVMS on
the vehicle.
