Adjusting system for a rear view element of a rear view device for a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11007941-B2
Application number	US-201715416194-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2017
Priority date	Jan 27, 2016
Publication date	May 18, 2021
Grant date	May 18, 2021

Abstract

An adjusting system for a rear view element of a rear view device for a vehicle, preferably a motor vehicle, comprises a drive housing with an electrical interface, a socket and a mounting plate for the rear view element. The socket is in particular in the form of a jack socket, having a first end attached to the drive housing and an opening accessible at a second end of the socket, which is located opposite the first end of the socket. The mounting plate for the rear view element comprises a pin, in particular in form of a jack plug, wherein at least part of the pin is suited to be inserted into the opening of the socket, and the pin is adapted to mechanically and electrically connect the mounting plate to the drive housing via the socket. Also, the adjusting system relates to a rear view device and to a method for manufacturing the rear view device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An adjusting system for a rear view element of a rear view device for a vehicle, comprising:
a drive housing with an electrical interface;
a socket, configured as a jack socket, having a first end rigidly attached to the drive housing by one of a mechanical connection, a threaded connection, or a bonded connection and an opening accessible at a second end of the socket, which is located opposite the first end of the socket, the socket including a flared socket section integrally formed with or threaded onto the second end of the socket, wherein at least one of the flared socket section or the socket and the flared socket section together are threaded to the drive housing to form the rigid attachment, the socket comprising at least one first socket contact in the opening and at least one second socket contact on a socket circumference which is electrically connected to the at least one first contact as well as the electrical interface, with
the first socket contact being spring loaded and/or being arranged on an inlay in the socket opening, and/or
the second socket contact being spring loaded and/or being connectable to the electrical interface, and

the pin comprises at least one pin contact that is configured to connect to the at least one first socket contact,
wherein the socket comprises at least two first and second socket contacts and the pin comprises at least two corresponding pin contacts; and
a mounting plate for the rear view element connected to a pin configured to be part of a jack plug, wherein at least part of the pin when inserted into the opening of the socket establishes electrical contact between the mounting plate and the drive housing, and the pin mechanically supports the mounting plate for movement relative to the drive housing via the socket.

2. The adjusting system of claim 1 , wherein
the flared socket section includes at least one recess for allowing installation of the flared socket section or the flared socket section and the socket with a mounting tool having a corresponding protrusion, and/or the flared socket section has a general trumpet shape, and/or the flared socket section enables a rocking movement of the mounting plate.

3. The adjusting system of claim 1 , wherein
the socket is arranged on a bottom plate of the drive housing and extends substantially perpendicular to the bottom plate, and/or the longitudinal axis of the socket is arranged on an adjustment axis of the mounting plate, and/or the socket extends through the drive housing.

4. The adjusting system of claim 1 , wherein
a drive housing lid is provided, with the drive housing lid comprising at least one through hole for the socket, the drive housing lid being held on the drive housing by a flared socket section provided at or attached to the second end of the socket.

5. The adjusting system of claim 1 , wherein the socket comprises three first and second socket contacts and the pin comprises three corresponding pin contacts.

6. The adjusting system of claim 1 , wherein the socket comprises five first and second socket contacts and the pin comprises five corresponding pin contacts.

7. The adjusting system of claim 1 , wherein
a printed circuit board (PCB) is provided within the drive housing and/or is electrically and mechanically connected to the socket, with
the socket being soldered on the PCB, or the socket being pressed in the PCB, or the PCB being molded with or to the socket, or the socket attached to the PCB by a hotmelt, and/or
the PCB comprising the electrical interface for connecting the adjusting system to a bus, or a Local Interconnect Network (LIN) Bus, or a control unit of the rear view device and/or the vehicle.

8. The adjusting system of claim 1 , comprising
at least one bendable conductor to electrically and mechanically connect the mounting plate to the pin, so that the mounting plate can pivot
at an angle of up to approximately 15° with respect to the pin and/or
around the longitudinal axis of the pin and/or
on the flared socket section.

9. The adjusting system of claim 8 , wherein
the at least one bendable conductor is at least in part encapsulated in one of a flexible material, an isolating material, or a flexible isolating material, or a plurality of bendable conductors being at least in part encapsulated in the flexible isolating material.

10. The adjusting system of claim 9 , wherein the flexible and/or isolating material is one of a thermoplastic adhesive material or a hotmelt.

11. The adjusting system of claim 8 , wherein
the mounting plate comprises or carries a heating element, which is electrically connected via the pin and the socket, and/or
the mounting plate comprises or carries an electrochromic dimming element, which is electrically connected via the pin and the socket, and/or the mounting plate comprises or carries a display element, which is electrically connected via the pin and the socket, with display element comprising or being comprised by a blind spot indicator.

12. The adjusting system of claim 11 , wherein the heating element is arranged on the mounting plate around the at least one pin.

13. The adjusting system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one bendable conductor is suited to connect to the mounting plate by means of at least one rivet and/or by soldering, with each bendable conductor being suited to connect to at least one pin contact of the pin.

14. The adjusting system of claim 8 wherein, the at least one bendable conductor has a substantially L shaped form, and/or a plurality of bendable conductors are connected in an essentially crown-shaped manner around the at least one pin.

15. The adjusting system of claim 1 , comprising
at least one drive element or at least one electric motor, and/or guide means connected to the at least one drive element or electric motor, for adjusting the mounting plate.

16. The adjusting system of claim 1 , comprising
a rear view element mounted on the mounting plate, wherein the rear view element comprises at least one mirror element and/or camera.

17. A rear view device for a vehicle, comprising at least one adjusting system according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical interface enables an electrical connection of the adjusting system via a single cable to at least one unit of the rear view device and/or the vehicle.

18. The rear view device of claim 17 , wherein
the unit comprises a control unit, a powerfold unit, a turn signal unit, a paddle light unit and/or camera unit, and/or the cable comprises a plus line, a ground line, a bus line and at least one output line.

19. An adjusting system for a rear view element of a rear view device for a vehicle, comprising:
a drive housing with an electrical interface;
a socket, configured as a jack socket, having a first end rigidly attached to the drive housing by one of a mechanical connection, a threaded connection, or a bonded connection and an opening accessible at a second end of the socket, which is located opposite the first end of the socket, the socket including a flared socket section attached to the second end of the socket by a threaded connection wherein at least one of the flared socket section or the socket and the flared socket section together are threaded to the drive housing to form the rigid attachment; and
a mounting plate for the rear view element connected to a pin configured to be part of a jack plug, wherein at least part of the pin when inserted into the opening of the socket establishes electrical contact between the mounting plate a

Assignees

• Smr Patents Sarl

Inventors

• Wieczorek Romeo
• Hein Peter
• Jaeger David

Classifications

• B60R1/072 Primary

  for adjusting the mirror relative to its housing · CPC title

• B60R1/088

  using a cell of electrically changeable optical characteristic, e.g. liquid-crystal or electrochromic mirrors · CPC title

• H05B3/845

  specially adapted for reflecting surfaces, e.g. bathroom - or rearview mirrors · CPC title

• B60R1/12 Primary

  Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks · CPC title

• F16B17/00

  Connecting constructional elements or machine parts by a part of or on one member entering a hole in the other {and involving plastic deformation}(riveting F16B19/04) · CPC title