Exterior rearview mirror

#1. Field of the Invention

#The invention relates to an exterior rearview mirror for vehicles, in particular, motor vehicles, comprising an adjusting device for adjusting a mirror pane support which adjusting device is arranged in a housing that is secured by means of at least one holding member in the form of a spring element on the mirror pane support.

#2. Description of the Related Art

#In the drawing:

#FIG. 1 is a plan view of a mirror pane support of an exterior rearview mirror according to the invention;

#FIG. 2 is a plan view of the mirror pane support of the exterior rearview mirror according to the invention, as illustrated in FIG. 1, with a housing secured thereon;

#The exterior rearview mirror has a mirror base with which it is fastened to the motor vehicle. A mirror head is supported on the mirror base and comprises a mirror housing in which a mirror pane support 1 (FIG. 1 through FIG. 4) is mounted in an adjustable way. It supports on the front side a mirror pane (not illustrated). At the backside 2 of the mirror pane support 1 several spring elements 3 to 6 are provided with which a housing 7 of an adjusting device or drive for the mirror pane support 1 can be secured by a snap connection.

#The housing 7, which is approximately of a semi-spherical shape, has a flat underside 67 (FIG. 4) with which it rests on the backside 2 of the mirror pane support 1 when in the mounted position. Locking counter members 8, 10, 12, 13 project radially from the circumferential rim 7′ of the housing 7. The counter members 8, 10, 12, 13 are engaged by the spring elements 3 to 6 in the locked position of the housing 7 in that the spring elements 3 to 6 extend across them, respectively. The locking counter members 8, 10, 12, 13 are formed as rectangular, narrow stays which extend in the circumferential direction and whose underside 67 is positioned preferably in a common plane with the underside of the housing 7.

#The spring elements 3 to 6 are monolithic parts of the mirror pane support or support plate 1. The mirror pane support or support plate 1 and the spring elements 3 to 6 are manufactured by injection-molding in an injection mold. The spring elements are preferably of identical configuration and are positioned approximately on an imaginary circle with approximately identical circumferential spacing from one another (FIG. 1). The diameter of this circle is somewhat smaller than the width of the mirror pane support 1 in the area of half its length. The mirror pane support 1 is provided with a cutout 14 to 17 in the area of each spring element 3 to 6.