Vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12246649-B2
Application number	US-202418645672-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 25, 2024
Priority date	Oct 7, 2009
Publication date	Mar 11, 2025
Grant date	Mar 11, 2025

Abstract

A vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly includes a mounting arm and a mirror head at one end of the mounting arm distal from an attachment portion of the mounting arm that is configured for attachment at a vehicle. A mirror reflective element is fixedly attached at the mirror head. An innermost side of the mirror reflective element is attached at a front side of an attachment plate. The mirror reflective element moves in tandem with movement of the mirror head relative to the mounting arm when the driver of the vehicle operates an electrically-operable actuator. The attachment plate includes wall structure that extends from the front side of the attachment plate and circumscribes and spans the perimeter circumferential edge of the glass substrate and does not encroach onto and does not overlap the front surface of the glass substrate of the exterior mirror reflective element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly, said vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly comprising:
a mounting arm;
wherein a mirror head is at one end of said mounting arm, and wherein an attachment portion is at a distal other end of said mounting arm, said attachment portion of said mounting arm configured for attachment at an exterior portion of a vehicle equipped with said vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly;
wherein, with said attachment portion of said mounting arm of said vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly attached at the exterior portion of the equipped vehicle, said mirror head is movable relative to said mounting arm;
an exterior mirror reflective element fixedly attached at said mirror head;
wherein the exterior mirror reflective element comprises an outermost side and an innermost side, with the outermost side of the exterior mirror reflective element separated from the innermost side of the exterior mirror reflective element by a thickness dimension of the exterior mirror reflective element;
wherein the outermost side of the exterior mirror reflective element is closer to a driver of the equipped vehicle than the innermost side of the exterior mirror reflective element when said attachment portion of said mounting arm of said vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly is attached at the exterior portion of the equipped vehicle;
wherein the outermost side of the exterior mirror reflective element is exposed to and is viewable by the driver of the equipped vehicle and is contactable when said attachment portion of said mounting arm of said vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly is attached at the exterior portion of the equipped vehicle;
wherein the exterior mirror reflective element comprises a glass substrate;
wherein the glass substrate of the exterior mirror reflective element comprises a front surface and an opposing rear surface, and wherein the front surface is separated from the rear surface by a thickness dimension of the glass substrate forming a perimeter circumferential edge that circumscribes the glass substrate and that spans between the front and rear surfaces;
wherein the outermost side of the exterior mirror reflective element comprises the front surface of the glass substrate;
wherein said mirror head comprises an attachment plate having a front side and a rear side, with the front side of the attachment plate separated from the rear side of the attachment plate by a thickness dimension of the attachment plate;
wherein the innermost side of the exterior mirror reflective element is attached at the front side of the attachment plate, and wherein a heater pad is disposed between the innermost side of the exterior mirror reflective element and the front side of the attachment plate;
wherein, with said attachment portion of said mounting arm of said vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly attached at the exterior portion of the equipped vehicle, the exterior mirror reflective element moves in tandem with movement of said mirror head relative to said mounting arm when the driver of the equipped vehicle operates an electrically-operable actuator disposed at said vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly that moves said mirror head to adjust the rearward view provided by the exterior mirror reflective element to the driver viewing the exterior mirror reflective element;
wherein the attachment plate of said mirror head comprises wall structure that extends from the front side of the attachment plate;
wherein, with the innermost side of the exterior mirror reflective element attached at the front side of the attachment plate, the wall structure that extends from the front side of the attachment plate circumferentially circumscribes and spans the perimeter circumferential edge of the glass substrate;
wherein the wall structure that extends from the front side of the attachment plate does not encroach onto and does not overlap the front surface of the glass substrate of the exterior mirror reflective element;
wherein the wall structure that extends from the front side of the attachment plate of said mirror head comprises a curved outermost surface that is exposed to and is viewable by the driver of the equipped vehicle and that is contactable when said attachment portion of said mounting arm of said vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly is attached at the exterior portion of the equipped vehicle;
wherein the wall structure that extends from the front side of the attachment plate is molded from a polymeric material; and
wherein the wall structure that extends from the front side of the attachment plate of said mirror head lacks a sharp edge that is contactable when said attachment portion of said mounting arm of said vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly is attached at the exterior portion of the equipped vehicle.

2. The vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein the wall structure that extends from the front side of the attachment plate of said mirror head abuts the perimeter circumferential edge that circumscribes the glass substrate of the exterior mirror reflective element.

3. The vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein the front surface of the glass substrate of the exterior mirror reflective element is generally flush with the curved outermost surface of the wall structure that extends from the front side of the attachment plate of said mirror head.

4. The vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein the curved outermost surface of the wall structure that extends from the front side of the attachment plate of said mirror head curves to a less-curved portion of the wall structure of the attachment plate of said mirror head.

5. The vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein the curved outermost surface of the wall structure that extends from the front side of the attachment plate of said mirror head comprises at least a portion having a radius of curvature of at least 2.5 mm.

6. The vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein a metallic mirror reflective layer is coated onto the rear surface of the glass substrate.

7. The vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly of claim 6 , wherein the metallic mirror reflective layer comprises chromium.

8. The vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein the front surface of the glass substrate of the exterior mirror reflective element comprises a front curved surface and the rear surface of the glass substrate of the exterior mirror reflective element comprises a correspondingly-curved rear curved surface separated from the front curved surface by a thickness dimension of the glass substrate.

9. The vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly of claim 8 , wherein said vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly comprises a breakaway exterior rearview mirror assembly.

10. The vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly of claim 9 , wherein said vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly comprises a powerfold exterior rearview mirror assembly.

11. The vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly of claim 10 , wherein said attachment portion of said mounting arm of said vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly is configured for mounting at a door of the equipped vehicle.

12. The vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein said mirror head houses a camera module, said camera module comprising a lens system and a CMOS photosensor array.

13. The vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein the glass substrate of the exterior mirror reflective elem

Assignees

• Magna Mirrors Of America Inc

Inventors

• Uken John T
• De Wind Darryl P
• Foote Keith D
• Mambourg Joseph M
• Blank Rodney K
• Larson Mark L
• Lynam Niall R

Classifications

• G06F3/0446

  using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes · CPC title

• G06F3/04883

  for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text · CPC title

• G06F2203/0338

  Fingerprint track pad, i.e. fingerprint sensor used as pointing device tracking the fingertip image · CPC title

• B60R25/252

  Fingerprint recognition · CPC title

• B60R2001/1253

  with cameras, video cameras or video screens · CPC title