Frameless interior rearview mirror assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11738686-B2
Application number	US-202318167923-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 13, 2023
Priority date	Apr 23, 2009
Publication date	Aug 29, 2023
Grant date	Aug 29, 2023

Abstract

A vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly includes a mirror head and a mounting portion. The mirror head includes a mirror reflective element and a mirror casing. The mirror reflective element includes a glass substrate having a planar front side and a planar rear side. No portion of the mirror casing overlaps the planar front side of the glass substrate of the mirror reflective element. A camera is disposed within the mirror casing. With the mounting portion of the mirror assembly mounted at an in-cabin side of a windshield of a vehicle, the camera views a driver of the vehicle, and when the mirror head is moved by the driver of the vehicle to adjust the rearward view provided by the mirror reflective element to the driver, the camera moves in tandem with movement of the mirror head. The camera is part of a driver monitoring system of the vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly, the vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly comprising:
a mirror head and a mounting portion;
wherein the mounting portion comprises a mounting base configured to attach the vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly to an attachment element that is adhered at an in-cabin side of a windshield of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly;
wherein the mirror head is pivotable relative to the mounting portion via at least one ball-and-socket pivot joint;
wherein the mirror head comprises a mirror reflective element and a mirror casing;
wherein, when the mirror head is moved relative to the mounting portion, the mirror reflective element and the mirror casing move in tandem with movement of the mirror casing;
wherein the mirror reflective element comprises a glass substrate having a planar front side and a planar rear side;
a circumferential perimeter glass edge circumscribing a periphery of the glass substrate, the circumferential perimeter glass edge spanning a thickness dimension of the glass substrate separating the planar front side from the planar rear side;
wherein no portion of the mirror casing overlaps the planar front side of the glass substrate;
wherein a portion of the mirror casing circumscribes the circumferential perimeter glass edge circumscribing the periphery of the glass substrate;
wherein the portion of the mirror casing that circumscribes the circumferential perimeter glass edge circumscribing the periphery of the glass substrate comprises a plastic molding;
wherein a camera is disposed within the mirror casing;
wherein, with the mounting portion of the vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at the in-cabin side of the windshield of the equipped vehicle, the camera views a driver of the equipped vehicle;
wherein, with the mounting portion of the vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at the in-cabin side of the windshield of the equipped vehicle and when the mirror head is moved by the driver of the equipped vehicle to adjust the rearward view provided by the mirror reflective element to the driver, the camera moves in tandem with movement of the mirror head; and
wherein the camera is part of a driver monitoring system of the equipped vehicle.

2. The vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plastic molding that circumscribes the periphery of the glass substrate without overlapping the planar front side of the glass substrate comprises an outermost part, and wherein the outermost part of the plastic molding lacks an exposed sharp edge that, with the mounting portion of the vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at the in-cabin side of the windshield of the equipped vehicle, is contactable by the driver of the equipped vehicle.

3. The vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 2 , wherein the plane of the planar front side of the glass substrate is generally flush with the outermost part of the plastic molding of the portion of the mirror casing that circumscribes the circumferential perimeter glass edge circumscribing the periphery of the glass substrate.

4. The vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 2 , wherein, with the plastic molding of the mirror casing circumscribing the circumferential perimeter glass edge of the glass substrate, the outermost part of the plastic molding provides a curved transition between the planar front side of the mirror reflective element and another part of the mirror casing.

5. The vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 4 , wherein the outermost part of the plastic molding providing the curved transition between the planar front side of the mirror reflective element and the other part of the mirror casing comprises an outer curved surface.

6. The vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 5 , wherein the outer curved surface of the outermost part of the plastic molding provides a curved transition between the planar front side of the glass substrate and a less-curved part of the plastic molding.

7. The vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 6 , wherein the less-curved part of the plastic molding is contiguous with the outer curved surface of the outermost part of the plastic molding.

8. The vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein the mirror casing contacts the circumferential perimeter glass edge of the glass substrate.

9. The vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein the mirror reflective element nests in the mirror casing.

10. The vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 9 , wherein the mirror casing contacts the circumferential perimeter glass edge of the glass substrate.

11. The vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 9 , wherein the at least one ball-and-socket pivot joint comprises two ball-and-socket pivot joints.

12. The vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 9 , wherein the attachment element that is adhered at the in-cabin side of the windshield of the equipped vehicle comprises a mirror mounting button.

13. The vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 9 , wherein the mounting base attaches to the attachment element at the windshield of the equipped vehicle via a breakaway joint.

14. The vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein the camera is disposed in the mirror casing behind the mirror reflective element.

15. The vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 14 , wherein, with the mounting portion of the vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at the in-cabin side of the windshield of the equipped vehicle and when the mirror head is moved by the driver of the equipped vehicle to adjust the rearward view provided by the mirror reflective element to the driver, the camera views the driver through the mirror reflective element.

16. The vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 15 , wherein the camera is part of an internal cabin surveillance system of the equipped vehicle.

17. The vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 15 , wherein the driver monitoring system detects driver drowsiness.

18. The vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 15 , wherein video images are captured by the camera for a video telephone function of the equipped vehicle.

19. The vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 15 , wherein the vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly comprises an image processor operable to process image data captured by the camera, and wherein, responsive to processing by the image processor of captured image data, at least one object present in an internal cabin of the equipped vehicle that is viewed by the camera is detected.

20. The vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 19 , wherein the image processor comprises an image processing chip.

21. The vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein the vehicular frameless interior rearview mirror assembly comprises a vehicular frameless interior prismatic rearview mirror assembly, and wherein the mirror reflective element of the vehicular frameless in

Assignees

• Magna Mirrors Of America Inc

Inventors

• De Wind Darryl P
• Rawlings Donald S
• Uken John T

Classifications

• B60R1/04 Primary

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

• B60R1/088

  using a cell of electrically changeable optical characteristic, e.g. liquid-crystal or electrochromic mirrors · CPC title

• B60R1/12

  Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks · CPC title

• G02B5/04

  Prisms · CPC title

• G02F1/13338

  Input devices, e.g. touch panels · CPC title