Rear view mirror arrangement to be mounted on a vehicle door

A rear view mirror arrangement mounted on a side door of an automotive vehicle comprising:

• a reflecting mirror for showing a rear view;
• a mirror housing for supporting said mirror therein, said mirror housing having a plane surface at the portion facing the side door;
• a first pivot means positioned between and connecting said reflecting mirror and said mirror housing permitting universal movement of said mirror about said first pivot means for adjustment of the mirror angle;
• a spring positioned between and connecting said mirror housing and the side door for providing compression force in order to elastically retain said mirror housing onto the vehicle side door with face to face contact between said plane surface of said mirror housing and the side door;
• a mirror angle adjustment lever having an operating handle at the inner end thereof located within the vehicle passenger compartment, said mirror angle adjustment lever being releasably connected to said mirror at the outer end thereof in order to transmit an operational force applied to said handle to said mirror to adjust the mirror angle;
• and
• a second pivot means pivotably connecting said mirror angle adjustment lever to the vehicle side door, said second pivot means permitting the mirror angle adjustment lever to move in any direction.

A method for mounting a rear view mirror onto a side door of an automotive vehicle comprising:

• forming a support plane on the vehicle side door for mounting a mirror housing thereon;
• mounting said mirror housing onto said support plane with face to face contact;
• elastically urging said mirror housing onto said support plane so that said mirror housing is normally retained in a position laterally protruding from said support plane of the vehicle side door;
• releasably connecting a mirror angle adjustment lever to a reflecting mirror so that said mirror angle adjustment lever protrudes into the interior of a vehicle passenger compartment at the inner end thereof for mirror angle adjustment operation within the passenger compartment;
• and
• securing said mirror angle adjustment lever onto the vehicle side door in a position such that said mirror angle adjustment lever is movable in any direction;
• whereby said mirror housing is normally retained on said support plane formed on the vehicle side door and is temporarily displaced from said support plane in response to an impact applied to said mirror housing from any direction in order to absorb the impact.

A rear view mirror arrangement for an automotive vehicle, which is mounted on a surface of the vehicle side door, comprising:

• a reflecting mirror;
• a mirror housing having a first pivot means for pivotably supporting said mirror;
• a mirror angle adjustment lever having an operating handle at the inner end thereof, said lever handle being positioned inside of the vehicle passenger compartment, said lever having an outer end cooperatively and releasably connected to said mirror;
• second pivot means provided on the intermediate portion of said adjustment lever for permitting said adjustment lever to pivot in any direction with relation to the surface of the vehicle side door;
• and
• a spring provided between said mirror housing and the vehicle side door for elastically urging said mirror housing against the vehicle side door in order to retain said mirror housing in the laterally protruded position, said spring permitting said mirror housing to displace from the vehicle side door surface in response to an impact applied to said mirror housing in any direction.