EP0094817A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus for adjusting the orientation of rear-view vehicle mirrors
Assignee: SMR Automotive Mirrors UK Ltd
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Filing: 1983-05-16
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2003-05-16
Abstract
Abstract In order to adjust the near-side rear-view mirror (14) of an articulated vehicle combination comprising a tractor (10) and a trailer (12), a retractor (34) is mounted at the rear centre of the cab of the tractor (10). A lanyard (32) is wound on the retractor (34) and has its free end connected to the front right-hand corner (36) of the trailer (12). Thus, when the tractor (10) turns to the left, more of the lanyard (32) is drawn off the retractor (34) and this is used to cause a corresponding movement of the mirror (14) so as to keep the rear left-hand corner of the trailer (12) within the field of view of the mirror (14).
Inventors
- 👤 Brian Pond
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 21:14
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60R; B60R1/00; B60R1/02; B60R1/025
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
81 words
Apparatus for adjusting the orientation of a rear-view mirror for a vehicle combination comprising a tractor (10) and a trailer (12) having sensing means (34) for detecting movement of one part of the vehicle relative to another part thereof and control means responsive to the sensing means for varying the orientation of the mirror (14), characterised in that the sensing means (34) is adapted to be responsive to changes in the orientation of the trailer (12) relative to the tractor (10).
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
81 words
Apparatus for adjusting the orientation of a rear-view mirror for a vehicle combination comprising a tractor (10) and a trailer (12) having sensing means (34) for detecting movement of one part of the vehicle relative to another part thereof and control means responsive to the sensing means for varying the orientation of the mirror (14), characterised in that the sensing means (34) is adapted to be responsive to changes in the orientation of the trailer (12) relative to the tractor (10).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
41 words
Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the sensing means (34) is adapted to cause a single movement of the mirror through a predetermined angle when the angle between the tractor (10) and the trailer (12) crosses a threshold value.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
41 words
Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the sensing means (34) is adapted to cause angular movement of the mirror (14) in proportion to the relative angular movement between the tractor (10) and the trailer (12) over a predetermined range.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
41 words
Apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised by means for inhibiting changes in the orientation of the mirror (14) in response to changes in the relative orientation of the tractor (10) and trailer (12) less than a predetermined value.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
25 words
Apparatus according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the sensing means is incorporated in the coupling between the tractor (10) and the trailer (12).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
41 words
Apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the sensing means is arranged to be responsive to changes in the distance between a point (34) on the tractor (10) and a point (36) on the trailer (12).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
74 words
Apparatus according to claim 6, characterised in that the sensing means comprises a drum (44) mounted at one of said points (34, 36) and having a lanyard (32) wound thereon with its free end connected to the other of said points (34, 36), a spring (48) tending to wind the lanyard (32) on to the drum (44) and means (56, 60) for producing a signal in response to angular movement of the drum (44).
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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