Apparatus for pivoting a mirror assembly
AssigneeLang-Mekra North America, LLC
InventorsHeinrich Lang, Albrecht Popp
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bearing apparatus for pivotally moving a carrying arm relative to an anchorage is provided. The carrying arm may carry a mirror for a vehicle, the anchorage mountable to the vehicle. The bearing apparatus has a bushing located between the carrying arm and the anchorage in which a pivot bearing apparatus is moveably disposed. In one embodiment the pivot bearing apparatus has a control component and a come-along part relationally disposed about a shaft and movably connected to the control component. When the shaft is rotated, the come-along part moves along the shaft to rotate the control component. In turn, the control component transfers its rotation to pivot the carrying arm.
Claims24
A bearing apparatus for pivoting a carrying arm relative to an anchorage having a proximal end and a distal end, the bearing apparatus comprising:
- a bushing carried by the distal end of the carrying arm attached to the bushing such that the bushing is disposed between the carrying arm and the distal end;
- a pivot bearing assembly movably disposed in the bushing and configured to pivotably control the carrying arm, a portion of the pivot bearing assembly configured to slidingly engage a section of the bushing such that the carrying arm pivots when the portion engages the section;
- the pivot bearing assembly has a shaft with a first end and a second end and the portion is a come-along part movably disposed about the shaft, the first end in rotational communication with the carrying arm, the second end configured to be rotationally driven by a drive apparatus, the shaft configured to rotationally engage the come-along part, the come-along part configured to move axially of the shaft to slidingly engage the section upon rotation of the shaft;
- and
- a transfer plate removably attached to an area of the carrying arm and to the bushing proximate the first end, the transfer plate configured to transfer rotational movement of the control component to pivot the carrying arm.
A bearing assembly movably disposed in a bushing of a mountable apparatus for pivoting a mirror carrying arm, the bearing assembly comprising:
- a shaft rotatably disposed in the bushing, the shaft defining a rotation axis substantially coaxial with a longitudinal axis of the bushing;
- a come-along part movably disposed about the shaft and configured to slide parallel to the rotation axis when the shaft is rotated;
- a control component defining a curve transversely disposed adjacent the rotation axis, the control component rotatably disposed about the shaft, the curve configured for penetration by a portion of the come-along part wherein the portion engages the curve and rotates the control component when the come-along part is slidably moved by a shaft rotation;
- and
- a cover pivotably disposed adjacent the bearing assembly proximate the carrying arm, the cover configured to retain the bearing assembly in the bushing and further configured to transfer the rotation of the control component to pivot the carrying arm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.