Vehicle exterior rear view mirror

A vehicle having a driver's eyellipse, and an exterior rear view mirror for providing a driver with a rearward required field of view comprising a base member mounted on the vehicle, a pivotal coupling member secured to said base member and having a pivot axis, and a reflective member mounted on said pivotal coupling member for angular movement about said pivot axis;

• a single drive element operative to effect movement of said reflective member about said axis wherein said pivot axis extends perpendicular to a plane containing both a first line and a second line, the first line bisecting the angle between a first incident ray from a predetermined point within said required field of view impinging on said reflective member and a reflection of said incident ray extending to a first end of a major axis of a vertical section through the eyellipse, and the second line bisecting the angle between a second incident ray and a reflection of said second incident ray extending to a second end of said major axis.

A rear view mirror according to clairn 28, wherein said second component is in the range of about 15° to about 20°.

An exterior rear view mirror configured for providing a 95th percentile driver eyellipse for a vehicle comprising pivotal coupling means, a reflective member mounted on said pivotal coupling means which allows angular movement of the reflective member about a pivot axis perpendicular to a plane containing both a first line and a second line, a major axis comprising an axis of a vertical section taken through said eyellipse wherein the first line of said plane bisects the angle between an incident ray and a reflection of said incident ray extending to a first end of said major axis of said vertical section through the eyellipse, and the second line bisects the angle between said incident ray and a reflection of said incident ray extending to a second end of said major axis, said pivot axis being inclined to the longitudinal central plane of the vehicle body at an angle of from about 27° to about 28° and to a transverse plane angle of from about 15° to about 20°.

An exterior rearview mirror configured for providing a 95th percentile eyellipse for use on the driver's side of a vehicle, said eyellipse including a major axis comprising an axis through a vertical section taken through said eyellipse for a vehicle comprising pivotal coupling means, a reflective member mounted on said pivotal coupling means which allows angular movement of the rectangular member about a pivotal axis perpendicular to a plane containing both a first line and a second line, wherein the pivotal axis is inclined to the longitudinal central plane of the vehicle body at an angle of 28° and a transverse plane at an angle of 15°, wherein the first line of said plane bisects an angle between an incident ray and a reflection of said incident ray extending to a first end of said major axis of said vertical section through an eyellipse, and a second line bisects an angle between said incident ray and a reflection of said incident ray extending to a second end of said major axis.

An interior rear view mirror configured for providing a 95th percentile drive eyellipse for use on a passenger's side of a vehicle, a eyellipse including a major axis comprising an axis through a vertical section taken through said eyellipse for a vehicle comprising pivotal coupling means, a reflective member mounted on said pivotal coupling means which allows angular movement of the reflective member about a pivotal axis perpendicular to a plane containing both a first line and a second line, wherein the pivot axis is inclined to the longitudinal central plane of the vehicle body at an angle of 27° and a transverse plane at an angle of 20°, wherein the first line of said claim bisects the angle between the incident ray and a reflection of said incident ray extending to a first end of said major axis of said vertical section through the eyellipse, and the second line bisects the angle between said incident ray and a reflection of said incident ray extending to a second end of said major axis.

A vehicle having a driver's eyellipse and an exterior rear view mirror for providing a driver with a rearward required field of view comprising a base member mounted on the vehicle, a pivotal coupling member secured to said base member and having a pivot axis, and a reflective member mounted on said pivotal coupling member for angular movement about the pivot axis;

• a single drive element operative to affect movement of said reflective member about said axis wherein said pivot axis extends perpendicular to a plane containing both a first line and a second line, the first line bisecting the angle between a first incident ray from a predetermined point within said required field of view impinging said reflective member and a reflection of said incident ray extending to a first end of a major axis of a vertical section through the eyellipse, and a second line bisecting the single angle between a second incident ray and a reflection of said second incident ray extending to a second end of said major axis, wherein the pivotal axis is inclined from a plane extending parallel to a vertical longitudinal central plane of said vehicle body at an angle of about 28° and to a vertically extending transverse plane at an angle of about 15°.

A vehicle having a driver's eyellipse and an exterior rear view mirror for providing a driver with a rearward required field of view comprising a base member mounted on the vehicle, a pivotal coupling member secured to said base member and having a pivot axis, and a reflective member mounted on said pivotal coupling member for angular movement about the picot axis;

• a single drive element operative to affect movement of said reflective member about said axis wherein said pivot axis extends perpendicular to a plane containing both a first line and a second line, the first line bisecting the angle between a first incident ray from a predetermined point within said required field of view impinging said reflective member and a reflection of said incident ray extending to a first end of a major axis of a vertical section through the eyellipse, and a second line bisecting the single angle between a second incident ray and a reflection of said second incident ray extending to a second end of said major axis, wherein the pivotal axis is inclined from a plane extending parallel to a vertical longitudinal central plane of the vehicle body at an angle of about 27° and to vertically extending transverse plane at an angle of about 20°.

A vehicle having a driver's eyellipse and an exterior rear view mirror for use on the passenger's side of a vehicle for providing a driver with a rearward required field of view comprising a base member mounted on the vehicle, a pivotal coupling member secured to said base member and having a pivot axis, and a reflective member mounted on said pivotal coupling member for angular movement about the picot axis;

• a single drive element operative to affect movement of said reflective member about said axis wherein said pivot axis extends perpendicular to a plane containing both a first line and a second line, the first line bisecting the angle between a first incident ray from a predetermined point within said required field of view impinging said reflective member and a reflection of said incident ray extending to a first end of a major axis of a vertical section through the eyellipse, and a second line bisecting the single angle between a second incident ray and a reflection of said second incident ray extending to a second end of said major axis, wherein the pivotal axis is inclined from a plane extending parallel to the longitudinal central plane of the vehicle body at an angle of about 27° and to vertically extending transverse plane at an angle of about 20°.

An exterior rearview mirror configured for providing a 95th percentile eyellipse for use on the driver's side of a vehicle, a said eyellipse including a major axis comprising an axis through a vertical section taken through said eyellipse for a vehicle comprising pivotal coupling means, a reflective member mounted on said pivotal coupling means which allows angular movement of the rectangular member about a pivotal axis perpendicular to a plane containing both a first line and a second line, wherein the pivotal axis is inclined to the longitudinal central plane of the vehicle body at an angle of 28° and a transverse plane at an angle of 15°, wherein the first line of said plane bisects an angle between an incident ray and a reflection of said incident ray extending to a first end of said major axis of said vertical section through an eyellipse, and a second line bisects an angle between said incident ray and a reflection of said incident ray extending to a second end of said major axis.

An interior rear view mirror configured for providing a 95th percentile drive eyellipse for use on a passenger's side of a vehicle, a eyellipse including a major axis comprising an axis through a vertical section taken through said eyellipse for a vehicle comprising pivotal coupling means, a reflective member mounted on said pivotal coupling means which allows angular movement of the reflective member about a pivotal axis perpendicular to a plane containing both a first line and a second line, wherein the pivot axis is inclined to the longitudinal central plane of the vehicle body at an angle of 27° and a transverse plane at an angle of 20°, wherein the first line of said claim bisects the angle between the incident ray and a reflection of said incident ray extending to a first end of said major axis of said vertical section through the eyellipse, and the second line bisects the angle between said incident ray and a reflection of said incident ray extending to a second end of said major axis.