Vehicle mirror system for providing views along a side and a blind-spot of a vehicle including at least one prism and two rear-facing, non-parallel flat mirrors

摘要

A mirror system for a vehicle having driver's side viewing device located in a mirror housing mounted on the vehicle wherein a first section of the mirror housing contains a viewing surface in the interior of the vehicle and a second portion of the mirror housing is optically open to the outside of the vehicle; said first section of the mirror housing adapted to contain one or more substantially right angle triangular prisms having two sides of substantially equal length and two vertices of substantially equal angles; said prism mounted in the first section of the mirror housing so that one of the two sides of equal length of said prism is positioned in an opening facing the interior of the vehicle to provide a viewing surface; the second one of the sides of equal length is facing to the exterior of the vehicle; said second section of the mirror housing sized and shaped to contain operative optical elements comprising one or more reflective means mounted in the second section of the mirror housing at an angle to the second one of the sides of equal length of the prism(s) in the first section of the mirror housing so that when the driver looks through the viewing surface of the prism he can see objects to the side and rear of the vehicle.