Rear Backup Sideview Mirror Assembly

Abstract

A rear backup sideview mirror assembly to be used in conjunction with a vehicle's interior or exterior rearview mirrors to view other motor vehicles moving in a side to lateral direction with three embodiments. The first embodiment is the rearview mirror assembly, located on the rear of the vehicle that allows the user to see laterally away from the vehicle in both directions and down behind the vehicle. The second embodiment is the driver's sideview mirror assembly that allows the user to see laterally away from the vehicle in both directions for oncoming obstructions. The third embodiment is the passenger's sideview mirror assembly that allows the user to see laterally away from the vehicle in both directions for oncoming obstructions.

Claims

1. A rear backup sideview mirror assembly to enable the driver of the vehicle to see the lateral views from the back of a vehicle to aid in the prevention of accidents when operating the vehicle in reverse comprising: a base and a plurality of convex mirrors wherein each of the plurality of convex mirrors is attached to the base to form a single assembly; wherein a rearview mirror is located centrally in the front window, within the compartment of a vehicle; wherein the base is attached to the rear of said vehicle by a plurality of attachment means; wherein the plurality of convex mirrors are attached to the base; wherein the first of the plurality of convex mirrors is a driver's side lateral mirror; wherein the second of the plurality of convex mirrors is a passenger's side lateral mirror; wherein there is a third of the plurality of convex mirrors is a rear assembly mirror; wherein the driver's side lateral mirror is positioned on the base such that, when the driver of the vehicle looks into the rearview mirror, the view of the driver includes the driver's side lateral mirror and the perspective presented to the driver from the driver's side lateral mirror is of potential oncoming traffic heading towards the driver's side of the vehicle; wherein the passenger's side lateral mirror is positioned on the base such that, when the driver of the vehicle looks into the rearview mirror, the view of the driver includes the passenger's side lateral mirror and the perspective presented to the driver from the passenger's side lateral mirror is of potential oncoming traffic heading towards the passenger's side of the vehicle; and wherein the rear assembly mirror is positioned on the base such that when the driver looks into the rearview mirror, the perspective presented to the driver includes the rear assembly mirror, which provides the driver a view downward and behind the rear of the vehicle so that the driver can see if something is behind the vehicle but not otherwise visible.

2. The rear backup sideview mirror assembly of claim 1 where at least one of the plurality of convex mirrors is adjustable to optimize the view of oncoming traffic once the rear backup sideview mirror assembly is attached to the vehicle.

3. The rear backup sideview mirror assembly of claim 3 where at least one of the plurality of convex mirrors is adjustable to optimize the view of oncoming traffic once the rear backup sideview mirror assembly is attached to the vehicle.

4. A rear backup sideview mirror assembly to enable the driver of the vehicle to see the lateral views from the back of a vehicle to aid in the prevention of accidents when operating the vehicle in reverse comprising: a base and a plurality of convex mirrors wherein each of the plurality of convex mirrors is attached to the base to form a single assembly; wherein a driver's side mirror is located on the exterior, driver's side of the vehicle forward of the driver's door window; wherein the base is attached to the driver's side rear of said vehicle by a plurality of attachment means; wherein the plurality of convex mirrors are attached to the base; wherein the first of the plurality of convex mirrors is a driver's side lateral mirror; wherein the second of the plurality of convex mirrors is a passenger's side lateral mirror; wherein the driver's side lateral mirror is positioned on the base such that, when the driver of the vehicle looks into the driver's side mirror, the view of the driver includes the driver's side lateral mirror and the perspective presented to the driver from the driver's side lateral mirror is of potential oncoming traffic heading towards the driver's side of the vehicle; and wherein the passenger's side lateral mirror is positioned on the base such that, when the driver of the vehicle looks into the driver's side mirror, the view of the driver includes the passenger's side lateral mirror and the perspective presented to the driver from the passenger's side lateral mirror is of potential oncoming traffic heading towards the passenger's side of the vehicle.

5. The rear backup sideview mirror assembly of claim 5 where at least one of the plurality of convex mirrors is adjustable to optimize the view of oncoming traffic once the rear backup sideview mirror assembly is attached to the vehicle.

6. The rear backup sideview mirror assembly of claim 7 where at least one of the plurality of convex mirrors is adjustable to optimize the view of oncoming traffic once the rear backup sideview mirror assembly is attached to the vehicle.

7. A rear backup sideview mirror assembly to enable the driver of the vehicle to see the lateral views from the back of a vehicle to aid in the prevention of accidents when operating the vehicle in reverse comprising: a base and a plurality of convex mirrors wherein each of the plurality of convex mirrors is attached to the base to form a single assembly; wherein a passenger's side mirror is located on the exterior, passenger's side of the vehicle forward of the passenger's door window; wherein the base is attached to the passenger's side rear of said vehicle by a plurality of attachment means; wherein the plurality of convex mirrors are attached to the base; wherein the first of the plurality of convex mirrors is a driver's side lateral mirror; wherein the second of the plurality of convex mirrors is a passenger's side lateral mirror; wherein the passenger's side lateral mirror is positioned on the base such that, when the driver of the vehicle looks into the passenger's side mirror, the view of the driver includes the driver's side lateral mirror and the perspective presented to the driver from the driver's side lateral mirror is of potential oncoming traffic heading towards the driver's side of the vehicle; and wherein the passenger's side lateral mirror is positioned on the base such that, when the driver of the vehicle looks into the passenger's side mirror, the view of the driver includes the passenger's side lateral mirror and the perspective presented to the driver from the passenger's side lateral mirror is of potential oncoming traffic heading towards the passenger's side of the vehicle.

8. The rear backup sideview mirror assembly of claim 9 where at least one of the plurality of convex mirrors is adjustable to optimize the view of oncoming traffic once the rear backup sideview mirror assembly is attached to the vehicle.

9. The rear backup sideview mirror assembly of claim 11 where at least one of the plurality of convex mirrors is adjustable to optimize the view of oncoming traffic once the rear backup sideview mirror assembly is attached to the vehicle.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0024] FIG. 1 is a view of the three embodiments of the rear backup sideview mirror assembly;

[0025] FIG. 2 is a view of the optical perspective difference between the use of a flat mirror and a convex mirror;

[0026] FIG. 3A is a view of the first embodiment of the rear backup sideview mirror assembly, the rearview mirror assembly;

[0027] FIG. 3B is a view of the first embodiment of the rear backup sideview mirror assembly, the rearview mirror assembly and where the plurality of convex mirrors are adjustable;

[0028] FIG. 3C is a view of the rearview mirror assembly in association with the rearview mirror of the vehicle, indicating the perspective visible to the driver relative to the driver's side lateral mirror, the passenger's side lateral mirror and the downward perspective visible to the driver relative to the rear assembly mirror with the use of a convex mirror;

[0029] FIG. 3D is a view of the underside of the rearview mirror assembly indicating the location of some of the plurality of attachment means;

[0030] FIG. 3E is a view of the rearview mirror assembly indicating as it is attached to a vehicle by a plurality of straps;

[0031] FIG. 4A is a view of the second embodiment of the rear backup sideview mirror assembly, the driver's sideview mirror assembly;

[0032] FIG. 4B is a view of the driver's sideview mirror assembly with convex mirrors and where the plurality of convex mirrors are adjustable;

[0033] FIG. 4C is a view of the driver's sideview mirror assembly in association with the rearview mirror of the vehicle, indicating the perspective visible to the driver relative to the driver's side lateral mirror and the passenger's side lateral mirror where the mirrors are convex;

[0034] FIG. 4D is a view of the underside of the driver's sideview mirror assembly indicating the location of some of the plurality of attachment means;

[0035] FIG. 4E is a view of the driver's sideview mirror assembly indicating as it is attached to a vehicle by a plurality of straps;

[0036] FIG. 5A is a view of the third embodiment of the rear backup sideview mirror assembly, the passenger's side mirror assembly;

[0037] FIG. 5B is a view of the passenger's side mirror assembly with convex mirrors and where the plurality of convex mirrors are adjustable;

[0038] FIG. 5C is a view of the passenger's side mirror assembly in association with the rearview mirror of the vehicle, indicating the perspective visible to the driver relative to the driver's side lateral mirror and the passenger's side lateral mirror;

[0039] FIG. 5D is a view of the underside of the passenger's side mirror assembly indicating the location of some of the plurality of attachment means;

[0040] FIG. 5E is a view of the passenger's side mirror assembly indicating as it is attached to a vehicle by a plurality of straps;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0041] A rear backup sideview mirror assembly 1 to enable the driver 2 of a vehicle 3 to see the lateral views from the back of the vehicle 3 to aid in the prevention of accidents when operating the vehicle 3 in reverse wherein there are three embodiments, a rearview mirror assembly 4, a driver's sideview mirror assembly 5 and a passenger's sideview mirror assembly 6.

[0042] In each of the three embodiments, to optimize the perspective view of the driver, a plurality of convex mirrors 9 are used. Regarding the use of convex mirrors 9, according to the optical principal Snell's Law, as regards to viewing an image 30 in a mirror generally, the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of refraction. When a flat mirror 25 is used to observe a reflection, the angle between the surface 29 of the flat mirror 25 and incoming view, or the angle of reflection 26, is the same as the angle between the surface 29 of the flat mirror 25 and view from the image 30 being viewed, or the angle of incidence 27 and that angle is the same across the entire surface 29 of the flat mirror 25. With the use of a convex mirror 9, the same optical principal applies but because of the curvature 28 of the convex mirror 9 surface 29, a different angle of reflection 26 and angle of incidence 27 across the surface 29 of the convex mirror 9, which results in a wider perspective of view and makes the image 30 being viewed appear closer to the mirror than the actual distance to the source of the image 30. The use of a plurality of convex mirrors 9 with the rear backup sideview mirror assembly 1 means that objects can be detected that would otherwise not be detectable in a flat mirror 25 because of the wider perspective and the enlarged image 30 improves the visibility of those objects in the image 30.

[0043] The first embodiment 4 of the rear backup side view mirror assembly 1 is a rearview mirror assembly 4 that comprises a base 8 and a plurality of convex mirrors 9 wherein each of the plurality of convex mirrors 9 is attached to the base to form a single assembly, wherein the driver 2 of the vehicle 3 can look into the rearview mirror 7 of the vehicle 3 at the rearview mirror assembly 4 located on the rear 10 of the vehicle 3 and obtain the perspectives from the mirrors attached to the base 8. In this embodiment, the rearview mirror 7 is located centrally in the front window, within the compartment of a vehicle 3 and the base 8 and associated plurality of convex mirrors 9 are attached to the rear 10 of said vehicle 3. The first of the plurality of convex mirrors 9 is a driver's side lateral mirror 11. The second of the plurality of convex mirrors 9 is a passenger's side lateral mirror 12. The third of the plurality of convex mirrors 9 is the rear assembly mirror 13.

[0044] In the first embodiment 4, the driver's side lateral mirror 11 is positioned on the base 8 such that, when the driver 2 of the vehicle 3 looks into the rearview mirror 7, the view of the driver 2 includes the driver's side lateral mirror 11 and the perspective presented to the driver 2 from the driver's side lateral mirror 11 is of potential oncoming traffic heading towards the driver's side of the vehicle 3. In the first embodiment 4, the passenger's side lateral mirror 12 is positioned on the base 8 such that, when the driver 2 of the vehicle 3 looks into the rearview mirror 7, the view of the driver 2 includes the passenger's side lateral mirror 12 and the perspective presented to the driver 2 from the passenger's side lateral mirror 12 is of potential oncoming traffic heading towards the passenger's side of the vehicle 3.

[0045] The rear assembly mirror 13 faces downward such that, when the driver 2 looks into the rearview mirror 7, the perspective presented to the driver 2 includes the rear assembly mirror, which provides the driver 2 a view downward and behind the rear of the vehicle 3 so that the driver 2 can see if something is behind the vehicle 3 but not otherwise visible.

[0046] The base 8 of the rearview mirror assembly 4 is attached to the rear 10 of the vehicle 3 by a plurality of attachment means 15, which could include a plurality of threaded fasters, a plurality of suction cups, a plurality of magnets or a plurality of straps 16. Any of the plurality of convex mirrors 9 may be adjustable to optimize the view of oncoming traffic once the rear backup side view mirror assembly 1 is attached to the vehicle 3.

[0047] The second embodiment 5 of the rear backup side view mirror assembly 1 is a driver's sideview mirror assembly 5 that comprises a base 8 and a plurality of convex mirrors 9 wherein each of the plurality of convex mirrors 9 is attached to the base to form a single assembly, wherein the driver 2 of the vehicle 3 can look into the driver's side mirror 17 of the vehicle 3 at the driver's side mirror assembly 5 located on the rear 10 of the vehicle 3 and obtain the perspectives from the plurality of convex mirrors 9 attached to the base 8. In this embodiment the driver's side mirror 17 is located on the exterior, driver's side of the vehicle 3 forward of the driver's door window 18 and the base 8, with the plurality of convex mirrors 9, attached to the base 8 is attached to the driver's side rear 19 of said vehicle 3. The first of the plurality of convex mirrors 9 is a driver's side lateral mirror 11. The second of the plurality of convex mirrors 9 is a passenger's side lateral mirror 12.

[0048] In the second embodiment 5, the driver's side lateral mirror 11 is positioned on the base 8 such that, when the driver 2 of the vehicle 3 looks into the driver's side mirror 17, the view of the driver 2 includes the driver's side lateral mirror 11 and the perspective presented to the driver 2 from the driver's side lateral mirror 11 is of potential oncoming traffic heading towards the driver's side of the vehicle 3. In the second embodiment 5, the passenger's side lateral mirror 12 is positioned on the base 8 such that, when the driver 2 of the vehicle 3 looks into the driver's side mirror 17, the view of the driver 2 includes the passenger's side lateral mirror 12 and the perspective presented to the driver 2 from the passenger's side lateral mirror 12 is of potential oncoming traffic heading towards the passenger's side of the vehicle 3.

[0049] The base 8 of the driver's sideview mirror assembly 5 is attached to the rear 10 of the vehicle 3 on the driver's side 20 by a plurality of attachment means 15, which could include a plurality of threaded fasters, a plurality of suction cups, a plurality of magnets or a plurality of straps 16. Any of the plurality of convex mirrors 9 may be adjustable to optimize the view of oncoming traffic once the rear backup side view mirror assembly 1 is attached to the vehicle 3.

[0050] The third embodiment 6 of the rear backup side view mirror assembly 1 is a passenger's sideview mirror assembly 6 that comprises a base 8 and a plurality of convex mirrors 9 wherein each of the plurality of convex mirrors 9 is attached to the base to form a single assembly, wherein the driver 2 of the vehicle 3 can look into the passenger's side mirror 21 of the vehicle 3 at the passenger's sideview mirror assembly 6 located on the rear 10 of the vehicle 3 and obtain the perspectives from the mirrors attached to the base 8. In this embodiment, the passenger's side mirror 21 is located on the exterior, passenger's side 22 of the vehicle 3 forward of the passenger's door window 23 and the base 8 and associated plurality of convex mirrors 9 are attached to the passenger's side rear 24 of said vehicle 3. The first of the plurality of convex mirrors 9 is a driver's side lateral mirror 11. The second of the plurality of convex mirrors 9 is a passenger's side lateral mirror 12.

[0051] In the third embodiment 6, the passenger's side lateral mirror 12 is positioned on the base 8 such that, when the driver 2 of the vehicle 3 looks into the passenger's side mirror 21, the view of the driver 2 includes the driver's side lateral mirror 11 and the perspective presented to the driver 2 from the driver's side lateral mirror 11 is of potential oncoming traffic heading towards the driver's side 20 of the vehicle 3. In the third embodiment 6, the passenger's side lateral mirror 12 is positioned on the base 8 such that, when the driver 2 of the vehicle 3 looks into the passenger's side mirror 21, the view of the driver 2 includes the passenger's side lateral mirror 12 and the perspective presented to the driver 2 from the passenger's side lateral mirror 12 is of potential oncoming traffic heading towards the passenger's side of the vehicle 3.

[0052] The base 8 of the passenger's sideview mirror assembly 6 is attached to the rear 10 of the vehicle 3 on the passenger's side 22 by a plurality of attachment means 15, which could include a plurality of threaded fasters, a plurality of suction cups, a plurality of magnets or a plurality of straps 16. Any of the plurality of convex mirrors 9 may be adjustable to optimize the view of oncoming traffic once the rear backup side view mirror assembly 1 is attached to the vehicle 3.