Vehicular driver monitoring system with driver monitoring camera and near IR light emitter at interior rearview mirror assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11780372-B2
Application number	US-202217905119-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2022
Priority date	Mar 1, 2021
Publication date	Oct 10, 2023
Grant date	Oct 10, 2023

Abstract

A vehicular driver monitoring system includes an interior rearview mirror assembly having a driver monitoring camera and first and second near-infrared light emitting elements accommodated by a mirror head. The light emitting elements are oriented at the mirror head so that (i) a beam of light emitted by the first light emitting element would be directed toward a driver's region of a left hand drive vehicle if the mirror assembly were installed in the LHD vehicle, and (ii) a beam of light emitted by the second light emitting element would be directed toward a driver's region of a right hand drive vehicle if the mirror assembly were installed in the RHD vehicle. The system enables and/or operates the first or second light emitting element for a driver monitoring function responsive to indication that the mirror assembly is installed or will be installed in a LHD vehicle or a RHD vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicular driver monitoring system, the vehicular driver monitoring system comprising:
a vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly comprising a mirror head adjustably attached at a mounting base, the mounting base configured to attach at an interior portion of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular driver monitoring system;
wherein the mirror head comprises a mirror reflective element;
wherein the mirror head accommodates electronic circuitry;
a driver monitoring camera accommodated by the mirror head, wherein the driver monitoring camera moves in tandem with the mirror head when, with the mounting base attached at the interior portion of the vehicle, the mirror head is adjusted relative to the mounting base to adjust a rearward view of a driver of the vehicle;
a first near infrared light emitter and a second near infrared light emitter accommodated within the mirror head, wherein the first and second near infrared light emitters move in tandem with the mirror head when, with the mounting base attached at the interior portion of the vehicle, the mirror head is adjusted relative to the mounting base to adjust the driver's rearward view;
wherein the first near infrared light emitter is accommodated within the mirror head so that a beam of light emitted by the first near infrared light emitter is directed toward a driver's region of a left hand drive vehicle when the vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly is installed in the left hand drive vehicle and is adjusted by the driver of the vehicle to set the driver's rearward view;
wherein the second near infrared light emitter is accommodated within the mirror head so that a beam of light emitted by the second near infrared light emitter, when electrically powered to emit light, is directed toward a driver's region of a right hand drive vehicle when the vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly is installed in the right hand drive vehicle and is adjusted by the driver of the vehicle to set the driver's rearward view;
wherein, when the vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly is installed or will be installed in a left hand drive vehicle, the first near infrared light emitter, when electrically powered to emit light, emits light for a driver monitoring function; and
wherein, when the vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly is installed or will be installed in a right hand drive vehicle, the second near infrared light emitter, when electrically powered to emit light, emits light for the driver monitoring function.

2. The vehicular driver monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the electronic circuitry comprises a processor operable to process image data captured by the driver monitoring camera, and wherein, with the mounting base attached at the interior portion of the left hand drive vehicle or the right hand drive vehicle, the processor processes image data captured by the driver monitoring camera to determine at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) driver attentiveness, (ii) driver drowsiness and (iii) driver gaze direction.

3. The vehicular driver monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the driver monitoring camera and the first and second near infrared light emitters are accommodated by the mirror head behind the mirror reflective element, and wherein the driver monitoring camera views through the mirror reflective element and the first and second near infrared light emitters, when electrically powered to emit light, emit near infrared light through the mirror reflective element.

4. The vehicular driver monitoring system of claim 3 , wherein the driver monitoring camera views through a transflective mirror reflector of the mirror reflective element, and wherein the first and second near infrared light emitters, when electrically powered to emit light, emit near infrared light that passes through the transflective mirror reflector of the mirror reflective element.

5. The vehicular driver monitoring system of claim 4 , wherein the mirror reflective element comprises an electrochromic mirror reflective element having a front planar glass substrate and a rear planar glass substrate, and wherein the front planar glass substrate comprises a first planar glass surface separated from a second planar glass surface by a plate thickness dimension of the front planar glass substrate, and wherein the rear planar glass substrate comprises a third planar glass surface separated from a fourth planar glass surface by a plate thickness dimension of the rear planar glass substrate, and wherein the second planar glass surface of the front planar glass substrate has a transparent electrically conductive coating disposed thereat, and wherein the third planar glass surface of the rear planar glass substrate has the transflective mirror reflector disposed thereat, and wherein an electrochromic medium is disposed between and contacts the transparent electrically conductive coating disposed at the second planar glass surface of the front planar glass substrate and the transflective mirror reflector disposed at the third planar glass surface of the rear planar glass substrate.

6. The vehicular driver monitoring system of claim 5 , wherein the transflective mirror reflector comprises alternating thin film layers of Nb 2 O 5 and SiO 2 .

7. The vehicular driver monitoring system of claim 6 , wherein the transflective mirror reflector comprises no more than five layers of Nb 2 O 5 and five layers of SiO 2 .

8. The vehicular driver monitoring system of claim 7 , wherein the transflective mirror reflector comprises a first layer of Nb 2 O 5 having a physical thickness of 37.62 nm, a first layer of SiO2 having a physical thickness of 77.41 nm, a second layer of Nb 2 O 5 having a physical thickness of 40.67 nm, a second layer of SiO2 having a physical thickness of 83.25 nm, a third layer of Nb 2 O 5 having a physical thickness of 53.29 nm, a third layer of SiO2 having a physical thickness of 96.76 nm, a fourth layer of Nb 2 O 5 having a physical thickness of 64.55 nm, a fourth layer of SiO2 having a physical thickness of 135.11 nm, a fifth layer of Nb 2 O 5 having a physical thickness of 82.21 nm, a fifth layer of SiO2 having a physical thickness of 68.21 nm, and a layer of ITO having a physical thickness of 120 nm.

9. The vehicular driver monitoring system of claim 4 , wherein the mirror reflective element comprises a prismatic mirror reflective element, and wherein the prismatic mirror reflective element comprises a glass substrate, and wherein the glass substrate has a wedge-shaped cross-section having a first planar glass surface separated from a second planar glass surface, and wherein the plane of the first planar glass surface slopes at an angle relative to the plane of the second planar glass surface, and wherein the second planar glass surface is an uncoated glass surface, and wherein the transflective mirror reflector is disposed at the second planar glass surface of the glass substrate of the prismatic mirror reflective element.

10. The vehicular driver monitoring system of claim 3 , wherein the mirror head comprises a stray light blocking element disposed between a lens of the driver monitoring camera and the mirror reflective element.

11. The vehicular driver monitoring system of claim 10 , wherein the stray light blocking element circumscribes the lens and engages a rear surface of the mirror reflective element to block stray light from entering the lens.

12. The vehicular driver monitoring system of claim 11 , wherein the stray light blocking element comprises a cone-shaped element attached to the driver monitoring camera.

13. The vehicular driver monitoring system of claim 11

Assignees

• Magna Mirrors Of America Inc
• Magna Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Sobecki Justin E
• Peterson Austen C
• Huizen Gregory A
• Ruse James A
• Lu Yuesheng
• Solar Martin

Classifications

• B60R1/30 Primary

  providing vision in the non-visible spectrum, e.g. night or infrared vision · CPC title

• B60R1/04

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

• B60R1/12 Primary

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

• B60R1/29

  for viewing an area inside the vehicle, e.g. for viewing passengers or cargo · CPC title

• B60R11/04

  Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle · CPC title