Rearview vision system for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10486599-B2
Application number	US-201615210222-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 14, 2016
Priority date	Jul 17, 2015
Publication date	Nov 26, 2019
Grant date	Nov 26, 2019

Abstract

A rearview vision system for a vehicle includes a driver side rearview mirror element, a passenger side rearview mirror element, and a camera at or near the rear portion of the vehicle. The rearview mirror elements provide respective regulation required fields of view rearward and sideward of the vehicle to a driver of the vehicle. A driver side display and a passenger side display are configured to be disposed at an interior of the vehicle so as to display images representative of captured image data for viewing by the driver of the vehicle when normally operating the vehicle. The displayed images provide a desired wider sideward and rearward field of view beyond the regulation required fields of view of the mirror elements, such that the side mirror assemblies need not include a larger reflective element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A rearview vision system for a vehicle, the vehicle having a front portion, a driver side portion, a passenger side portion and a rear portion, said rearview vision system comprising:
a driver side exterior rearview mirror assembly configured to be fixed at the driver side portion of the vehicle, wherein said driver side exterior rearview mirror assembly comprises a regulatory non-compliant driver side mirror element that, with said driver side exterior rearview mirror assembly disposed at the driver side portion of the vehicle, provides a driver side rearward field of view that is less than a regulation required driver side rearward field of view to a driver of the vehicle such that said driver side exterior rearview mirror assembly is not compliant with the regulation required driver side rearward field of view;
a passenger side exterior rearview mirror assembly configured to be fixed at the passenger side portion of the vehicle, wherein said passenger side exterior rearview mirror assembly comprises a regulatory non-compliant mirror element that, with said passenger side exterior rearview mirror assembly disposed at the passenger side portion of the vehicle, provides a passenger side rearward field of view that is less than a regulation required passenger side rearward field of view to the driver of the vehicle such that said passenger side exterior rearview mirror assembly is not compliant with the regulation required passenger side rearward field of view;
a rear camera configured to be fixed at or near the rear portion of the vehicle, wherein said rear camera, when disposed at or near the rear portion of the vehicle, has a rearward and sideward field of view and captures image data;
wherein a portion of the driver side rearward field of view provided by said regulatory non-compliant mirror element of said driver side exterior rearview mirror assembly is not encompassed by the field of view of said rear camera, and wherein a portion of the passenger side rearward field of view provided by said regulatory non-compliant mirror element of said passenger side exterior rearview mirror assembly is not encompassed by the field of view of said rear camera;
wherein the field of view of said rear camera at least partially encompasses the regulation required driver side rearward field of view, and wherein the field of view of said rear camera at least partially encompasses the regulation required passenger side rearward field of view;
a driver side display configured to be disposed at a driver side region of an interior of the vehicle, wherein said driver side display, when disposed at the driver side region of the interior of the vehicle, displays images representative of a driver side portion of image data captured by said rear camera for viewing by the driver of the vehicle when normally operating the vehicle;
a passenger side display configured to be disposed at a passenger side region of an interior of the vehicle, wherein said passenger side display, when disposed at the passenger side region of the interior of the vehicle, displays images representative of a passenger side portion of image data captured by said rear camera for viewing by the driver of the vehicle when normally operating the vehicle;
wherein images displayed by said driver side display and images reflected by said driver side mirror element, combined, provide a field of view at the driver side of the vehicle that is compliant with the regulation required driver side rearward field of view at the driver side of the vehicle; and
wherein images displayed by said passenger side display and images reflected by said passenger side mirror element, combined, provide a field of view at the passenger side of the vehicle that is compliant with the regulation required passenger side rearward field of view at the passenger side of the vehicle.

2. The rearview vision system of claim 1 , wherein image data captured by said rear camera is processed by an image processor to determine the presence of an object sideward and rearward of the vehicle.

3. The rearview vision system of claim 1 , wherein said driver side mirror element comprises a curved reflective element and wherein said passenger side mirror element comprises a curved reflective element.

4. The rearview vision system of claim 3 , wherein said curved reflective elements comprise reduced size reflective elements that are smaller than exterior rearview mirror reflective elements that comply with the regulatory requirements.

5. The rearview vision system of claim 3 , wherein said driver side mirror element comprises a convex curved reflective element to provide a wide angle field of view of the area sideward and rearward of the vehicle that is outside of the regulation required driver side rearward field of view, and wherein said passenger side mirror element comprises a convex curved reflective element to provide a wide angle field of view of the area sideward and rearward of the vehicle that is outside of the regulation required passenger side rearward field of view.

6. The rearview vision system of claim 1 , wherein image data captured by said rear camera is used for a multi-camera surround view system of the vehicle.

7. The rearview vision system of claim 1 , wherein image data captured by said rear camera is used as part of a blind zone detection system of the vehicle.

8. The rearview vision system of claim 1 , wherein said driver side exterior rearview mirror assembly includes a driver side wide angle rearview mirror element that, when said driver side exterior rearview mirror assembly is disposed at the driver side portion of the vehicle, provides to the driver of the vehicle a wide angle field of view rearward and sideward of the driver side of the vehicle that is outside of the regulation required driver side rearward field of view, and wherein said passenger side exterior rearview mirror assembly includes a passenger side wide angle rearview mirror element that, when said passenger side exterior rearview mirror assembly is disposed at the passenger side portion of the vehicle, provides to the driver of the vehicle a wide angle field of view rearward and sideward of the passenger side of the vehicle that is outside of the regulation required passenger side rearward field of view.

9. The rearview vision system of claim 8 , wherein said driver side wide angle rearview mirror element comprises a curved recess established at a rear surface of said driver side mirror element.

10. The rearview vision system of claim 9 , wherein said curved recess is curved laterally across said driver side wide angle rearview mirror element and is not curved vertically across said driver side wide angle rearview mirror element.

11. The rearview vision system of claim 1 , wherein said driver side display displays images derived from image data captured by a side camera that has a field of view sideward and forward of a driver side A-pillar of the vehicle.

12. The rearview vision system of claim 11 , wherein the displayed images derived from image data captured by said side camera are displayed around displayed images derived from image data captured by said rear camera.

Assignees

• Magna Mirrors Of America Inc

Inventors

• Baur Michael J

Classifications

• B60R1/007

  specially adapted for covering the lateral blind spot not covered by the usual rear-view mirror · CPC title

• B60R1/06

  mounted on vehicle exterior {(B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B60R2300/8026

  in addition to a rear-view mirror system · CPC title

• B60R2001/1253

  with cameras, video cameras or video screens · CPC title

• B60R2300/8066

  for monitoring rearward traffic · CPC title