초록 ▼

A rearview mirror assembly having a pivot structure and first and second pairs of helical structures consisting of shape memory alloy wires which serve to adjust the position of the mirror. The wires may be individually heated by conducting an electrical current to effect the contracted memory posit

A rearview mirror assembly having a pivot structure and first and second pairs of helical structures consisting of shape memory alloy wires which serve to adjust the position of the mirror. The wires may be individually heated by conducting an electrical current to effect the contracted memory position. When the current is switched off, a wire cools and can easily be stretched to mechanically transform the wire to a martensitic phase.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A rearview mirror for a vehicle comprising:a supporting assembly for attachment to a vehicle structure; a mirror assembly; a pivot structure between said assemblies for pivoting said mirror assembly relative to said supporting assembly about first and second perpendicular and intersecting axes; a

1. A rearview mirror for a vehicle comprising:a supporting assembly for attachment to a vehicle structure; a mirror assembly; a pivot structure between said assemblies for pivoting said mirror assembly relative to said supporting assembly about first and second perpendicular and intersecting axes; a first electrically actuated moving mechanism disposed to selectively effect movement of said mirror assembly with respect to said supporting assembly about said first axis; a second electrically actuated moving mechanism disposed to selectively effect movement of said mirror assembly with respect to said supporting assembly about said second axis; characterized by including a temperature sensitive element consisting of an alloy which undergoes thermoelastic, martensitic phase transformation in response to heat and reacting between said assemblies for straining said element during a first phase and for unstraining said element during a second phase, and in response to a supply of electrical power said element is actuated causing said phase transformation of said element to unstrain said element extracting energy from said element during said unstraining thereof to move said mirror assembly relative to said supporting assembly.