Afocal optical rearview mirror assembly
AssigneeMagna Donnelly Mirrors North America L.L.C.
InventorsJames A. Ruse, Paul L. Bourget
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention comprises an afocal lens and mirror assembly comprising an objective lens which gathers light from an object and a field lens which transmits light to a driver's eye to provide an image having sufficient brightness, clarity, and accuracy. The light passing between the objective lens and the field lens is conditioned through an assembly of lenses and reflective elements to produce the image.
Claims66
An afocal rearview mirror assembly for a motor vehicle operated by an operator for producing an image of an object located outside the vehicle, comprising:
- an interior element housing having a first longitudinal axis, an exterior element housing having a second longitudinal axis, the interior element housing in cooperative communication with the exterior element housing so that the first longitudinal axis and the second longitudinal axis define an acute angle therebetween,
- a reflective element assembly, at least a portion of which is located at the apex of the angle for reflecting light entering through the exterior element housing to exit through the interior element housing,
- an objective lens assembly adapted to converge light entering the exterior element housing onto the reflective element wherein the image produced on the reflective element is unfocused, and
- a field lens assembly adapted to diverge light reflected from the reflective element through the interior element housing wherein the image produced is focused at the operator's eyes.
A rearview mirror assembly mounted to the side of a motor vehicle operated by an operator for producing an image of an object located outside the vehicle, comprising:
- an interior element housing having a first longitudinal axis, an exterior element housing having a second longitudinal axis, the interior element housing in cooperative communication with the exterior element housing so that the first longitudinal axis and the second longitudinal axis define an acute angle therebetween,
- a reflective element assembly, at least a portion of which is located at the apex of the angle for reflecting light entering through the exterior element housing to exit through the interior element housing,
- a first light conditioning assembly adapted to receive light entering the exterior element housing,
- a second light conditioning assembly adapted to transmit light reflected from the reflective element through the interior element housing wherein the image produced is focused at the operator's eyes, and
- wherein the image projected onto the reflective element assembly is unfocused.
A rearview mirror assembly mounted to the side of a motor vehicle operated by an operator for producing an image of an object located outside the vehicle, comprising:
- an interior element housing having a first longitudinal axis, an exterior element housing having a second longitudinal axis, the interior element housing in cooperative communication with the exterior element housing so that the first longitudinal axis and the second longitudinal axis define an acute angle therebetween,
- a first light conditioning assembly adapted to receive light entering the exterior element housing,
- a second light conditioning assembly adapted to transmit light through the interior element housing, and
- at least one moveable reflective element for adjusting the field of view of the object to adjust the operator's view of the image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.