Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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r~LELD OF THE i~tVENTIQN
This invention reIat~ to shielding devices for external rearview mirrors
mounted on
vehicles. The shielding device of this invention is suitable for use with
rearview mirrors for
S various vehicles including cars, buses, ~n.icks and boats. Although the
invcnrion will be
described with reference to its particular application on a motor vehicle and
more partie;ularly
a motor car it should be appreciated that it is applicable to any vehicle lia
ing an external
rearview mirror positioned adjacent a window.
IO BACKGROUND ART
During incfemeat weather it is often very difficult for the driver of a
vehicle such as
a motor car to have a clear view of the externally mounted rearvision mirror.
This is a
consequence of the water or even snow that will necessarily accumulate on the
outer surface
15 of the vehicle window and upon the surface of the mirror itself. Dust can
also accumulate
on these surfaces especially if the surfaces are damp due to light rain or
dew. These
environmental contaminants can degrade the driver's vision of the imaga
provided by the
mirror to such an extent that the trurror is of little or no value. External
rearview mirrors are,
of course, very important to the safe operation of the vehicle especially when
charging lanes,
20 reversing and parking the vehicle.
Prior art attempts at overcoming this problem have been directed to providing
a
shroud, such as disclosed in U.S. Paten No. 4,750,824, to protect the surface
of the mirror
andlor arrangements a;o direct an air tlnw onto the mirror s.irfxce. While
these approaches
25 provide Borne imp:ovement they only provide partial protection to the
mirror and do not fully
enclose the mirror or provide a complete solution to the problem of
environmental
contamination by rain or spew, which rnay still contact will: the outside
surface of the mirror.
AM~.;VQE~J S'~~T
CA 02287480 1999-10-14
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DISCLOSURE OF THE INy'ENTIOH
It is an object of this invention to provide a shielding device for an
external rearview
mirror which wih overcome, or at leas: ameliorate, the foregoing problem.
.Accordingly, in one aspect this invention provides a shielding device for a
vehicle
external r~arriew mirxor mounted adjacent a side wi~.dow of the vehicle, said
device
comprising a substantially transparent housing mounted to abut a portion ofthe
surface of said
window so as to provide a substantially unobstructed view oI the mirror
surface from within
thr veiicie, characterised in that the device sealingly encloses the nirrar
surface and includes
a rear surface, provided in a protected positiart where the housing surrounds
and eatettds past
the rear surface, to protect the mirror surface from '~.he accumulation of
environmental
contanninants and to provide a substantially unobstructe>~ field of view to
the sews of the
vehicle from the mirror surface.
l5
Preferably, a1: outer side surface of the housing is at least partially
protected from the
accunmlatior~ of envirotunentai eontatr.inants to provide a wider unobstructed
field of view
to the rear and side or the vehicle from the mirror surface.
~0 The housing prefe:ably includes an opening provided ~rith a surrou~aing
seal wluch
gouts against the surface of tlse vehicle windo~~ to facilitate the
unobstructed vices of the
mirror surface from within. the vehic:e. The seal is preferably able to allow
the wirdovv to
be moved in the us,~al mariner without allowing environmea;al contaminants to
enter thr.;
housing .
7S
Yrcferably, the rear surface or the housing is arcuate i.~ cross section W th
a concave
surface presented reanvardly. In one form of the invention the respe~:tive
top, sides and
botrorn of the housing extend past de rear
A~IEiVD~D Si~E~T
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WO 98/46452 PCT/SG98/00027
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surface,
The housing is preferably held in close abutment with the vehicle window by
means of a projection which extends between the vehicle window and the door
S panel. In the preferred form of the invention this projection can be
selectively
moved into and out of engagement.
Preferably, the sides of the housing are angled inwardly from the top to the
bottom of the housing. Preferably, a front surface of housing is convexly
curved
to present an aerodynamic profile and the top of the housing is, in use,
sloped
downwardly toward the front surface to enhance aerodynamic properties of the
housing. Preferably, the curved front surface presents a concave inner profile
for
accommodating therein at least a portion of the mirror.
Preferably a nb protrusion extends along the top of the housing, adjacent the
outer side surface of the housing, remote from the vehicle window, to inhibit
water
or snow run-off from the tope flowing down the side of the housing.
The housing is preferably hingedly mounted to a mounting portion
appropriately fixed to the vehicle. The remainder of the housing is able to be
moved by virtue of its hinged mounting to expose the rearview mirror for
cleaning
and adjustment.
The protection of the outer side surface from the accumulation of
. 25 environmental contaminants is preferably achieved by means of a forwardly
located
protuberance which shields the surface from the air flow. Alternatively, or
additionally, the protection is facilitated by means of the abovedescribed
protrusion
along the top of the side of the housing or by virtue of the convexly curved
front
surface in combination with the angled sides of the housing.
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The shielding device of this invention can be in the form of an after-market
accessory for retrofitting to existing vehicles. Alternatively, it can be
purpose
manufacwred for new vehicles in which case the rearview mirror would
preferably
form part of the structure of the housing.
One embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example
only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a shielding device according to
the
invention;
Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the shielding device in an open
condition;
Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of the
invention;
Figure 4 is a partial plan view of the housing shown in Figure 3; and
Figure 5 is a partial side view of the housing shown in Figure 3.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
The drawings show a shielding device 10 for a vehicle external rearview
mirror 11 mounted adjacent a side window (not shown) of a vehicle. The device
comprises a generally rectangular transparent housing 12 which sealingly
encloses
the surface 13 of mirror 11. A mounting plate or side wall 14 is secured to
the
vehicle by means of screws 15 extending into an appropriate part of the
vehicle
trim (not shown}. The mounting plate extends along the window and includes a
rectangular opening 16 defined by a surrounding rectangular portion 17. A seal
(not shown) is provided between the rectangular portion 17 and the surface of
the
vehicle window so as to prevent the ingress of any environments! contaminants.
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The seal is of a suitably soft and resilient material such as silicon rubber
that will
conform to the shape of the gap and provide a substantially moisture
impervious
' seal. It will be apparent that a seal of this type allows the window to be
wound up
and down in the usual manner. The lower edge of rectangular portion 17 rests
against a ledge provided adjacent the vehicle window. The housing 12 is
hingedly
connected to mounting plate 14 by hinge 18 respectively secured to the plate
14
and housing 12. This hinge may be optional, if the user does not require the
device or housing to be moved forward. The housing 12 comprises an upper
surface 19 a lower surface 20 connected by a rear surface 21, outer side wall
22
a front wall 23, an outer side protruding portion 24 and a side wall extension
25.
When the device 10 is in the use position shown in Figure 1 the housing 12 and
mounting plate 14 sealingly enclose the mirror surface 13. The top sheet 19
and
bottom sheet 20 extend past the rear surface 21 so as to enclose that surface.
The
bottom sheet 20 does not extend as far rearwardly as the top sheet 19.
Similarly,
the outer side wall 22 extends past the rear surface 21 and has an inturned
edge 26.
A locking tab 27 is used to retain the housing 12 in the use position by
engaging
a crack (not shown) between the vehicle window and the door panel. Therefore,
it can also be made at half the thickness of the side wall 14 for easy
insertion or
otherwise it will need to bend to the proper shape for inserting into the
crack. For
the same function, it 27 can be replaced by some clips also.
The hinged connection of the housing 12 with plate 14 allows the housing to
be swung forward in the manner shown in Figure 2 to allow access to the mirror
11 for cleaning and adjustment.
Protruding portion 24 of housing 12 is provided to fit around mirror 11 and
also provide protection of outer side wall 22 from to the air flow generated
as a
consequence of the movement of the vehicle.
In use, the protected position of arcuate rear surface 21 prevents the
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accumulation of environmental contaminants such as dust, water or even snow
from adhering to the rear surface. The rectangular opening 16 provides a
substantially unobstructed view of the mirror surface 13 from within the
vehicle.
Since the rear surface 2I is not obstructed, a substantially unobstructed
field of
view to the rear of the vehicle is observed from within the vehicle. The
protruding
portion 24 of the housing I2 also prevents the accumulation of environmental
contaminants along the outer side wall 22 and side wall extension 25. This
provides a substantially unobstructed field of view from the mirror to the
side of
the vehicle.
It will accordingly be apparent that the shielding device of this invention
allows a driver to see to the rear and the side of the vehicle in an improved
manner
even during quite inclement weather. The sealed nature of the device prevents
contamination of the mirror surface or of the portion of the window through
which
the mirror surface is viewed whilst the exterior design of the device prevents
the
accumulation of contaminants on surfaces providing at least some field of view
to
the rear and side of the vehicle.
A further embodiment which is more aerodynamic and streamlined is shown
in Figures 3 to 5. This is generally similar to that shown in Figures 1 and 2
and
like reference numerals are used to denote like parts. A significant
difference,
however, is that protrubrance 25 is dispensed with and in its place the front
wall
23 is instead formed in a convexly curved configuration, as shown clearly in
Figure 4. The side walls are also angled inwardly from the top sheet 19 to the
bottom sheet 20. Angling the outer side wall provides protection from rain and
the
like to maximise visibility through the housing whilst the inner wall is
angled to
match the angle of the car window, which is usually at about 20° or
more with
respect to the vertical. A rib protrusion 22A extends along the outer edge of
the
tope sheet 19, adjacent the outer side wall to further protect the side wall
from
snow or rain run-off from the top sheet. To further assist the aerodynamic
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properties of the housing, and facilitate water and snow run-off, the top of
the
housing is sloped downwardly Loward the front wall 23, as illustrated in
Figure 5,
while the rear end thereof tapers inwardly.
The front wall 23 preferably has a concave i~er profile shaped to
acxommodate at least a portion of the mirror 11 to provide a seal therearound.
The
wall may, therefore, be substantially rigid or flexible and provided with
means to
adhere it to the mirror.
A further feature of the embodiment of Figures 3 to 5 is a side wall extension
or lip 26 which is provided adjacent the open end 2$ to deflect air-flow away
from
the opening and inhibit ingress of snow or rain which may otherwise be caused
through forward motion of the vehicle.
It will be readily apparent that the shielding device according to this
invention
can be formed so as to be fitted to a vehicle as an after-market item.
Alternatively,
it caa be manufactured with a mirror included for fitting to new vehicles in
lieu of
the standard external mirror.
It will also be apparent that the shielding device can be formed in any
suitable
shape that is capable of enclosing the external mirror and abutting the
appropriate
portion of the side window whilst presenting a generally streamlined profile
to the
air flow generated by movement of the vehicle.
The foregoing describes only one embodiment of the invention and
modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
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