(54) EXTERNAL REAR-VIEW MIRROR FOR A VEHICLE(71) We, DAIMLER-BENZAKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, of Stuttgart Untertürkheim, Germany, a Company organised under the laws of the FederalRepublic of Germany, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the foilowing statement:The invention relates to an external rearview mirror for a vehicle, particularly but not exclusively a commercial vehicle.
External rear-view mirrors become dirty during driving on wet roads, whereby the driver's vision to the rear can be considerably impaired. Moreover, the presence of such mirrors can contribute to dirtying of side panes of the vehicle due to dirty water spraying off from the mirror housing.
The present invention seeks to avoid these disadvantages and to provide a rearview mirror, without considerable additional expense, by which both dirtying of the mirror and spraying of dirty water onto side windows are largely prevented.
According to the invention, in an external rear-view mirror, an air-decelerating and guiding body is located to the side of the mirror which, in use, will be towards the side of the vehicle and is so disposed at a distance in front of the plane of the mirror surface with its major dimension at an acute angle to the plane of the said surface that an air passage is formed between the said body and the said surface.
Preferably. the air-guiding body has an aerofoil profile, which is advantageously disposed so that its thickest cross section is towards the rear in the position of use of the mirror. This shape of the body will ensure that the required effect will be achieved over a wide range of angular adjustment of the mirror in use.
It is also advantageous if means are provided for conducting dirty water, running off from the air-guiding body, on the side of the mirror surface along the lower edge to the lower corner of the mirror which is remote from the side of the vehicle in the position of use.
Advantageously also the lower corner remote from the side of the vehicle is shaped as a flat spout or water run-off vane.
The back of the mirror housing may be provided with a peripheral water-collecting gutter with a run-off at the lower corner of the housing remote from the vehicle.
One embodiment of the invention by way of example will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:Figure 1 is a perspective view of a rear-view mirror as it would appear from the rear of the vehicle.
Figure 2 is a perspective view, to a smaller scale, from the front of part of the righthand side of a driver's cab provided with such a mirror, andFigure 3 a section on the line III-III inFigure 2 to a larger scale.
The rear-view mirror 1 illustrated is secured by way of a bracket support 2 to a side wall 3 of the driver's cab of a commercial vehicle. As shown in Figure 2. this wall is the right hand wall, that is the wall remote from the driver of a vehicle with left-hand drive. To the side of the mirror housing 4 towards the wall 3, an air-guiding body 6 is provided at a distance in front of the plane of the mirror surface 5 and inclined so that its major dimension is at an angle (3 (Figure 3) to the said surface. The body 6 is of aerofoil or supporting-wing profile with the thickest portion of its cross-section towards the rear. It forms an air passage 7 of width "h' .
The aerofoil profile of the body 6 has the effect that incident particles of dirt are decelerated. The decelerated particles are channelled away in the region of the rear portion of the body, that is on the side away from the incident wind of travel when the vehicle is being driven so that dirtying of the mirror is largely prevented.
Dirty water flows away, with accelera- tion, at the lower edge of the mirror housing 4 from a zone of the housing rendered calm by a damming configuration 9 and drips off at the lower corner of the housing remote from the wall 3, which corner is shaped as a spout or flat run-off vane 8.
A collar or sleeve 10 pushed onto the mirror support 2 prevents dirty water from running along the support to the side wall 3.
WHAT WE CLAIM IS:1. An external rear-view mirror for a vehicle, wherein an air-decelerating and guiding body is located to the side of the mirror which, in use, will be towards the side of the vehicle and is so disposed at a distance in front of the plane of the mirror surface with its major dimension at an acute angle to the plane of the said surface that an air passage is formed between the said body and the said surface.
2. A mirror according to claim 1. wherein the air-guiding body has an aerofoil profile.
3. A mirror according to claim 2. wherein the aerofoil profile is disposed in that its thickest cross section is towards the rear in the position of use of the mirror.
4. A mirror according to anv one of the preceding claims. wherein means are provided for guiding dirty water, running off from the air-guiding body. on the side of the mirror surface along the lower edge to the lower corner of the mirror which is remote from the vehicle in the position of use.
5. A mirror according to claim 4. wherein the said remote lower corner of the housing is shaped as a flat spout or waterrun-off vane.
6. A mirror according to anv one of the preceding claims. wherein the back of the mirror housing is provided with a peripheral water-collecting gutter with a run-off at the lower corner of the housing remote from the vehicle in the position of use.
7. An external rear-view vehicle mirror substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.