Mirror device for a vehicle
AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho
InventorsHitoshi Kato, Fuminori Teraoka, Hiroki Iwasa, Shigeki Yoshida, Masakazu Aoki, Toshinobu Mizutani
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a door mirror device for a vehicle, an retracting device supports a mirror by coupling a mirror angle adjusting device for holding the mirror with a holding portion of a frame and coupling the retracting device fixed to a vehicle body with a supporting portion of the frame. The frame is provided with the holding portion and the supporting portion formed by drawing a frame-forming metal plate which has been formed by pressing, and a portion connecting the holding portion and the supporting portion is provided with a difference in level. Thus, the frame can have sufficient rigidity.
Claims22
A mirror device for a vehicle, the mirror device comprising:
- (a) a frame including a frame-forming metal plate formed by a pressing process, the frame including a holding portion, a supporting portion, and a drawn portion, the drawn portion being disposed at a position connecting the holding and supporting portions to one another, with the holding, supporting and drawn portions each being formed by a drawing process on the frame-forming metal plate that increases the rigidity of the metal plate in said portions;
- (b) a holding member for holding a rear-view mirror, coupled to the holding portion;
- and
- (c) a supporting member coupled to the supporting portion, with the supporting member mountable to a vehicle
- wherein said drawn portion is offset from and spaced away from a plane of said holding portion.
A mirror device for a vehicle comprising:
- (a) a frame including a frame-forming metal plate for at least one of directly and indirectly holding a rear-view minor, said plate having a supporting portion formed by a drawing process to increase the rigidity of the supporting portion;
- (b) a projecting portion integrally formed at the frame and projecting towards the vehicle front side or the vehicle rear side with respect to the frame when the minor device is in use with a vehicle;
- and
- (c) a supporting member coupled with the supporting portion of the frame and the projecting portion for supporting the minor, and mountable to the vehicle;
- wherein said drawn portion is offset from and spaced away from a plane of said holding portion.
A method of forming a mirror device for a vehicle comprising the steps of:
- (a) pressing a metal into a plate for use as a frame;
- (b) drawing the plate to form a holding portion, a supporting portion, and a drawn portion between the holding and supporting portions, wherein said drawing increases the rigidity of said plate in said portions;
- (c) coupling to the holding portion a holding member for holding a mirror;
- and
- (d) coupling to the supporting portion a supporting member mountable to a vehicle.
A mirror device for a vehicle, the mirror device comprising:
- (a) a frame including a frame-forming metal plate formed by a pressing process, the frame including a holding portion, a supporting portion, and a drawn portion, the drawn portion being disposed at a position connecting the holding and supporting portions to one another, with the holding, supporting and drawn portions each being formed by a drawing process on the frame-forming metal plate that increases the rigidity of the metal plate in said portions;
- (b) a holding member for holding a rear-view mirror, coupled to the holding portion;
- and
- (c) a supporting member coupled to the supporting portion, with the supporting member mountable to a vehicle
- wherein the supporting portion is drawn to a level of depth deeper than the holding portion, and
- wherein the supporting and holding portions are drawn in one direction, and the drawn portion is drawn in an opposite direction.
A mirror device for a vehicle comprising:
- (a) a frame including a frame-forming metal plate for at least one of directly and indirectly holding a rear-view mirror, said plate having a supporting portion formed by a drawing process to increase the rigidity of the supporting portion;
- (b) a projecting portion integrally formed at the frame and projecting towards the vehicle front side or the vehicle rear side with respect to the frame when the mirror device is in use with a vehicle;
- and
- (c) a supporting member coupled with the supporting portion of the frame and the projecting portion for supporting the mirror, and mountable to the vehicle, and
- further including a coupling member, wherein the projecting portion comprises a vertical wall substantially perpendicular with respect to, and integrally connected to the frame, and a parallel wall substantially parallel to the frame, and the supporting member is coupled with the frame and the projecting member by the coupling member being inserted through the frame, the supporting member, and the parallel wall, with the supporting member enclosed by the frame, and the vertical and parallel walls.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.