| 主权项 |
1. An exterior sideview mirror system suitable for use on an automobile, said exterior sideview mirror system comprising:
an exterior sideview mirror assembly adapted for attachment to a side of an automobile equipped with said exterior sideview mirror system; said exterior sideview mirror assembly including a reflective element having a rearward field of view when attached to the side of the equipped automobile; said reflective element attached to an electrically-operated actuator of said exterior sideview mirror assembly and movable by said actuator in order to position said rearward field of view to a driver-desired position when said exterior sideview mirror assembly is attached to and operated at the side of the equipped automobile; wherein said reflective element comprises a plano-auxiliary reflective element assembly, said plano-auxiliary reflective element assembly comprising a plano reflective element having substantially unit magnification and a separate auxiliary reflective element having a curvature; wherein said plano reflective element and said auxiliary reflective element are supported at a backing plate element, said backing plate element mounting to said actuator such that movement of said backing plate element by said actuator simultaneously and similarly moves said plano reflective element and said auxiliary reflective element; wherein said backing plate element comprises a polymeric substrate that is formed as a single element by injection molding of a polymeric resin; said backing plate element having a first support portion supporting said plano reflective element and a second support portion supporting said auxiliary reflective element; wherein said plano reflective element and said auxiliary reflective element of said plano-auxiliary reflective element assembly are supported adjacently at said backing plate element in a side-by-side relationship and not superimposed with one reflective element on top of the other reflective element; said auxiliary reflective element having a wide-angle field of view encompassing a blind spot in the side lane adjacent the side of the equipped automobile at which said exterior sideview mirror assembly is attached and operated; wherein said auxiliary reflective element is positioned at an outboard portion of said plano-auxiliary reflective element assembly when said exterior sideview mirror assembly is attached to the side of the equipped automobile; wherein at least one of said plano reflective element and said auxiliary reflective element comprises one of (a) a glass substrate having a surface coated with a metallic reflector coating and (b) a polymeric substrate having a thin glass element applied to a surface thereof and with an opposing surface thereof having a reflecting layer applied thereto; wherein, when said exterior sideview mirror assembly is attached to and operated at the side of the equipped automobile, the field of view of said auxiliary reflective element overlaps with the field of view of said plano reflective element; wherein said exterior sideview mirror assembly comprises a driver-side exterior sideview mirror assembly; wherein said second support portion of said backing plate element is configured such that said auxiliary reflective element supported thereat is tilted forwardly at an angle α with respect to the X-axis of said plano reflective element supported at said first support portion of said backing plate element; wherein α is in the range from about 0.75 degrees to about 5 degrees; wherein said second support portion of said backing plate element is configured such that said auxiliary reflective element supported thereat is tilted downwardly at an angle β with respect to the Y-axis of said plano reflective element supported at said first support portion of said backing plate element; and wherein β is in the range from about 0.75 degrees to about 5 degrees. |
