FR2644413A1 - Covering sheath for an element for supporting an external rear-view mirror intended for a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A covering sheath 15 for a C-shaped support element 3 of an exterior mirror assembly 1 intended for an industrial vehicle, of the type comprising a mirror 6 housed in an outer housing 7 held by the support element 3, and wherein the sheath 15 is of a pear-shaped cross section, different from the circular cross section of the support member 3, and this sheath 15 comprises, inside itself, a first cavity longitudinal 18, capable of accommodating the support element 3, and a second longitudinal cavity 19, capable of accommodating at least one electric wire 20 for supplying the internal devices of the rear-view mirror assembly 1.

Description

COVERING GAIXM FOR AN UX ELKIT TO SUPPORT AN ENSEKBLE

  EXTERIOR MIRROR FOR A VEXICLE

  The present invention relates to a set of exterior mirrors and in particular, but not exclusively, a set of

  exterior mirror for an industrial vehicle.

  Known exterior mirror assemblies for industrial vehicles normally include a substantially C-shaped support member which is adapted to be mounted, by hinges, at its ends on a wing of the vehicle body, and a mirror housed in a outer shoemaker assembled on a central part of the support element; at least one of the points at which the support element is assembled on the vehicle body consists of a hinge capable of defining at least one preferential stable position for the support element relative

to the vehicle body.

  Said support element is generally formed of a metal tube which therefore has a circular cross section, and which houses the wires which bring the electrical energy to the devices for adjusting the mirror position and, possibly, to the

defrosting devices.

  The circular cross section of said support element is often an obstacle to stylistic and / or aerodynamic considerations in the layout of the complete assembly of the mirror, since these considerations require sections of different shapes or, even, sections of the element support whose shapes differ in different areas; the production, in a single piece, of said support element comprising several different cross sections leads to manufacturing difficulties

  larger and therefore an increase in production costs.

  The object of the present invention is to provide an exterior mirror assembly, intended for an industrial vehicle, by means of which the above-mentioned drawback is remedied, which makes it possible to obtain a support element in a simple and economical manner.

  of non-circular cross section.

  Other objects and advantages achieved by the present invention

  will emerge from the description which follows.

  According to the present invention, a covering sheath is provided for at least one section of a support element of an exterior mirror assembly intended for a vehicle, of the type comprising at least one mirror housed in at least one exterior casing held by said support element, characterized in that said sheath is, in cross section, of a shape different from that of said

  support element, in the covered area.

  We will now describe the present invention using a preferred embodiment, which should be considered as a non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE 1 is a front view of an assembly exterior mirror for an industrial vehicle, equipped with the covering sheath of the support element, according to the present invention; FIGURE 2 is a partial side view, orthogonal to the view shown in FIGURE 1, of the exterior mirror assembly fitted with the covering sheath of the support element, according to the present invention; FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of the covering sheath and the support member of the mirror assembly shown in FIGURE 1; FIGURE 4 is a front end view of the covering sheath and of the support element of the mirror assembly shown in FIGURE 1; FIGURE 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of part of the covering sheath and of the support element of the mirror assembly shown in FIGURE 1; FIGURE 6 is a sectional view along line VI-VI of the covering sheath and the support element shown i

FIGURE 5;

  FIGURE 7 is a view in longitudinal section of a different embodiment of part of the covering sheath and of the support element of the mirror assembly shown in FIG.

FIGURE 1;

  FIGURE 8 is a sectional view along line VIII-VIII of the covering sheath and of the support element shown in the

FIGURE 7;

  FIGURES 9, 10 and 11 are sectional views, respectively, along lines IX-IX, X-X and XI-XI of the covering sheath and the support member of FIGURE 2; FIGURE 12 is a side sectional view of a portion of the support member with the covering sheath, in the area in which it fits over the outer housing of the mirror assembly shown in FIGURE 2 ; and FIGURE 13 is a side sectional view of part of the support member and the covering sheath of the mirror assembly shown in FIGURE 2, in the area in which

  it adjusts to the end means forming hinges.

  Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, the reference numeral 1 designates, in its entirety, a set of exterior mirrors capable of being applied to an industrial vehicle, in a known manner and not shown. Said assembly 1 comprises, in a known manner, a support element 3 (FIGURES 9, 10 and 11) mounted with hinges to project relative to the body of the vehicle, by means of two sets of hinges, the upper one and the other lower, designated by 4 and 5 respectively, and a mirror 6 housed at its outer edges in an outer casing 7 which is assembled on said support element 3, which consists of a bent metal tube substantially in the form of C and which comprises a vertical central part 8, on which the case 7 can be adjusted, which can be adjusted, and a pair of approximately horizontal arms 9 and 10, one upper and the other lower, which have at their free ends, respectively, hinge assemblies 4 and, which are covered, respectively, by bellows 12 and 13. According to the present invention, on the support element 3 are placed, on the sections situated above and above below the housing 7, two sheaths 15 and 15 ', respectively, which have, in the covered area, a cross section of a type different from that of the support element 3; in particular, said sheaths 15 and 15 ′ have a pear-shaped cross section, which is substantially the shape of an isosceles triangle with rounded corners and a convex base. Said sheaths 15 and 15 ′ are most suitably made of plastic, for example PVC, and they can be colored; they comprise a first cylindrical longitudinal cavity 18, in the zones of greater cross section of said sheaths 15 and 15 ', and a second cylindrical longitudinal cavity 19, of smaller diameter, towards the zone of sheaths 15 and 15' opposite the base convex: the first cavity is capable of accommodating the support element 3, the external profile of which thus corresponds to that of the cavity 18, and the second cavity 19 is capable of accommodating an electric wire 20 for supplying the devices, d 'a known type and not shown, which adjust the position and / or the temperature of the mirror 6. In diametrically opposite positions of the cavity 18 are formed, in the sheaths 15 and 15', two longitudinal cavities 22 (FIGURE 3), able to accommodate respective ends of transverse plugs 23 placed perpendicular to the axis of the support element 3 (FIGURES 5 and 6); in this way, the sheaths 15 and 15 ′ are positioned so that their external profiles are in a stable relationship and

  determined beforehand on the support element 3.

  FIGURES 7 and 8 show a variant of the means for angular assembly of the sheaths 15 and 15 'on the support element 3 in that the transverse plugs 23 are replaced by longitudinal strips 24 fixed in diametrically opposite positions on the surface of the support element 3, and that said strips 24 are thus housed in longitudinal cavities 22 of the

ducts 15 and 15 '.

  FIGURE 12 shows a section of the central vertical part 8 of the support element 3, which passes into the external housing 7, which comprises a main part 26 and a rear cover 27, .- and said main part 26 supports means tightening 28 and 29 around said central part 8, to fix the boot on the support element 3. The sheath 15 'which covers both the vertical part 8 of the support element 3 below the housing 7 and the lower arm 10, ends at the top in a bowl 31, the upper edge of which is housed in a corresponding groove 33 formed in the main part 26 and the rear cover 27 of the housing 7; said bowl 31 has an outside diameter substantially equal to the maximum distance between the outside surface of the sheath 15 ′ and

26 4 4 4 1 3

  the axis of the cavity 18, which corresponds to the distance between the said axis and the curved upper surface opposite the convex base, and it has an opening 34 of the same shape as the sheath 15 ′ is slightly larger low, which adjusts to the sheath in an airtight and airtight manner: said bowl 31, which, at the same time as it makes a seal, allows rotation of said shoemaker 7 relative to the support element 3 , is of the type described in the Italian public utility model certificate application filed the same day by the same applicant entitled "Airtight assembly element between an exterior case and a support element for a mirror assembly exterior intended for a vehicle ", the content of which, with regard to the necessary parts, is incorporated here, for reference purposes. From the cavity 19 of the sheath ', an electric wire 20 projects inwards from the main part 26, and the broken lines indicate another wire 20' which can continue upwards towards other devices contained in another set of exterior mirrors, placed in a known manner above the assembly 1 and fixed to said support element 3, and said wire 20 'between the two sets of mirrors can pass through a cavity 19 of a similar sheath on a support element 3, interposed between said two sets of mirrors. FIGURE 13 shows a section of the end part of the lower arm 10 of the support element 3, which is partially covered by the end part of the sheath 15 ', and which ends in a flat flat section 40 on the diametral plane of said element 3; said flat section 40 is assembled to a C-shaped support 41 fixed to project from the outside of the wall 42 of the vehicle, by hinged means 5, means defining a preferred angular position of the mirror assembly 1 by compared to the wall 42 of the vehicle and of the type described in the Italian public utility model certificate application filed the same day by the same applicant entitled "Hinged assembly for a support element of an exterior mirror unit intended for a vehicle "the content of which, as far as the necessary parts are concerned, is incorporated here, for reference purposes. In particular, between the wings of a console 41 is positioned a pin 44 with a threaded end, which passes through the flat part 40 of the support element 3, on one side of which is placed, coaxially with the pin 44, a spring of thrust 46, and, on the other side of which are suspended on the spindle 44 a pair of members 47 and 48 which have a preferred angular assembly position, and which are respectively assembled to the console 41 and to the flat section 40 From the cavity 19 of the sheath 15 ′ an electric wire 20 projects, which passes through holes made in the console 41 and! 0 the wall 42 of the vehicle, towards the interior of the vehicle, while the console 41 is fixed to the wall 42, and to another interior wall 52 of the vehicle, by a pair of bolts 53 locked by nuts 54 on the threaded ends on the other side of the wall 52; said bolts 53 are, in particular, housed in flanges, which are incorporated in the wall 60 between the console 41 and an exterior wall of the vehicle, and which rest like spacers

on the inner wall 52.

  The ducts 15 and 15 ′ can therefore be obtained in the most appropriate manner by cutting sections of the corresponding lengths 2_ in structural shapes having the desired cross section, and these can be adjusted respectively to the upper arm 9 and to the fraction upper part of the central vertical part 8 of the support element 3, and the lower arm 10 and the lower fraction of the central vertical part 8 of said element 3. When applied, the sheaths and 15 ′ are guided by cavities 22 which accommodate respective ends of the plugs 23 (FIGURES 5 and 6) or bands 24 (FIGURES 7 and 8) and which thus determine a stable and predetermined angular position of the sheaths 15 and 15 'on the support element 3 ; as can be seen in FIGURE 9, on the central vertical part 8 of the support element 3, the sheath 15 (and the sheath 15 'which is placed in the same position) is placed so that the axis of symmetry of said sheath, which is thus perpendicular to the convex face, or substantially parallel to the wall 42 of the vehicle, while the sheaths 15 and 15 'are placed with respect to the upper and lower arms 9 and 10, respectively, as it can be seen in FIGURES 2, 10 and 11. The sheath 15 'is applied to the flat end fraction 40 of the lower arm 10, which is wider than the diameter of the support element 3, taking advantage of the greater width of the cavity 18, in line with the diametrically opposite cavities 22 (FIGURE 4) which also determine an initial position of the sheath '. An electric wire 20 is inserted into the cavity 19 of the sheath

  ', before applying it on the support element 3.

  The advantages provided by the covering sheath constituting

  the present invention are evident from the description

  given; in particular, it is possible, simply and economically, to obtain a desired external profile of a support element 3, with particular aesthetic and / or aerodynamic characteristics, without having to modify the basic tubular shape of said element 3 , so that said element can be used for all the various configurations requested, simply by using structured shapes for sheaths 15 and 'of the corresponding shape and color. The positioning of the sheaths 15 and 15 'on the support element 3 can be defined and modified as desired, simply by varying the position of the plugs 23 or of the strips 24. In addition, the cavity 19 of the sheaths 15 and' provides a housing for the wire which supplies power to the electrical devices of the mirror assembly, and makes

  no need to make holes in the support element 3.

  Finally, it is clear that modifications and variants can be made to the embodiments of the sheath described and represented above, without departing from the scope of the present invention; for example, modifications can be made, as required, to the shape of the sheath, to the guidance system on

  the support element 3, in the form of the support element, etc.

2644 4 13

Claims (11)

  1. Covering sheath (15, 15 ') for at least one section (8, 9, 10) of a support element (3) of an exterior mirror assembly (1) intended for a vehicle, of the type comprising at least one mirror (6) housed in at least one outer case (7) held by said support element (3), said sheath (15, 15 ') comprising at least one longitudinal cavity (18) capable of accommodating said element support (3).   2. Sheath according to claim 1, characterized in that said   outer profile of said sheath (15, 15 ') is pear-shaped.   3. Sheath according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said sheath (15, 15 ') comprises, inside itself, a first longitudinal cavity (18), capable of accommodating said support element ( 3) and a second longitudinal cavity (19), capable of accommodating at least one electric wire (20).   4. Sheath according to claim 3, characterized in that said first longitudinal cavity (18) is, in cross section, of a   shape substantially identical to that of said support element (3).   5. Sheath according to any one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that it comprises assembly means (23, 24) for said support element (3) in order to achieve, for said sheath (15, 15 '), a stable angular position and adjusted beforehand on zones corresponding to said support element (3M. 6. Sheath according to claim 5, characterized in that said assembly means comprise parts (23, 24) projecting from the surface of said support element (3), and cavities   corresponding (22) formed in said sheath (15, 15 ').   7. Sheath according to claim 6, characterized in that   said cavities (22) consist of continuous channels.   8. Sheath according to any one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that it is made of plastic.   9. Sheath according to any one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that said support element (3) is substantially -5 in the shape of a C and comprises a central part (8) on which is assembled, being able to be adjusted, said external case (7) of said mirror (6), and a pair of arms, one upper (9) and the other lower (10), assembled by hinge means (5) to the bodywork of said vehicle.   10. Sheath according to claim 9, characterized in that it comprises a pair of parts (15, 15 ') intended to cover, respectively, said pair of arms (9, 10) and sections of said central part (8) above and below the shoemaker exterior (7).   11. Exterior mirror assembly (1) for an industrial vehicle, comprising a support element (3) to which is assembled at least one exterior housing (7) housing at least one mirror (6), characterized in that it comprises at at least one covering sheath (15, 15 ') for said support element (3), according to any one of the preceding claims.