Power side-view mirror

Driver's control for side mirrors, with tiny curb-view button (Saab 9-5).

A power side-view mirror (power side mirror, power wing mirror, or simply power mirror) is a side-view mirror equipped with electrical means for vertical and horizontal adjustment from the inside of the automobile.

The glass of a power mirror may also be electrically heated to keep it from fogging or icing. ^[1]

Increasingly, power side mirrors incorporate the vehicle's turn signal repeaters. There is evidence to suggest mirror-mounted repeaters may be more effective than repeaters mounted in the previously predominant fender side location. ^[2]

Operation

Usually, a single control is used to control both left and right side mirrors. A mirror is selected by a switch or a knob. The mirror selector usually has a neutral position with no mirrors selected, to prevent accidental changes of the view. The position of the selected mirror is adjusted by a joystick, a four-way knob, or other type of position control. ^{[3] [4]} In luxury designs, power mirror settings may be memorized together with settings of power seats. ^[4]

History

Remote-control adjustments for outside mirrors began appearing on passenger vehicles starting in the late 1940s, although these did not have electric motors to make the adjustments. However, like the later power mirrors, these mirrors were connected via cable to a joystick, usually on the driver-side door, which allowed the driver to adjust the mirror without having to roll down the window or touch the mirror surface. During the 1960s, some makes began offering remote-control adjustment for the outside mirror on the front passenger door, with the control on the dashboard.

Electrically-controlled adjusters for outside mirrors began appearing in vehicles during the late 1970s, and eventually replaced non-power remote-controlled mirrors.

References

1. Scott, J. How to Rebuild and Modify Your Muscle Car. MotorBooks International. p. 166. ISBN   9781610590181 . Retrieved 5 July 2015.
2. Flannagan, M.J.; Reed, M.P. (2005). "Geometric Visibility of Mirror-Mounted Turn Signals". Ref 2005-01-0449. Society of Automotive Engineers. Archived from the original (paper, PDF) on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 14 August 2006.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
3. Hollembeak, B.; Erjavec, J. (2002). Today's Technician. p. 373. ISBN   9780766820999 . Retrieved 5 July 2015.
4. Haefner, R. (2008). The Car Care Book. Cengage Learning. p. 267. ISBN   9781111780821 . Retrieved 5 July 2015.