Vehicular prismatic interior rearview mirror assembly with driver monitoring camera

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12043179-B2
Application number	US-202218057849-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2022
Priority date	Nov 23, 2021
Publication date	Jul 23, 2024
Grant date	Jul 23, 2024

Abstract

A vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly includes a mirror head adjustably attached at a mounting base. The mirror head includes a prismatic mirror reflective element having a wedge-shaped, reflector-coated glass substrate having a front side and a rear side separated by a thickness of the glass substrate, with the thickness of the glass substrate varying between a lower edge region of the glass substrate and an upper edge region of the glass substrate. A driver monitoring camera is accommodated by the mirror head and views through the prismatic mirror reflective element. A refraction-compensating element is disposed between a lens of the driver monitoring camera and the rear side of the glass substrate of the prismatic mirror reflective element. The refraction-compensating element is a wedge-shaped element that offsets refraction of light that passes through the wedge-shaped, reflector coated glass substrate of the prismatic mirror reflective element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly, the vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly comprising:
a mirror head adjustable relative to a mounting base, the mounting base configured to attach at an interior portion of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly;
wherein the mirror head comprises a prismatic mirror reflective element;
wherein the prismatic mirror reflective element comprises a wedge-shaped, reflector-coated glass substrate;
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 viewing the prismatic mirror reflective element;
wherein the driver monitoring camera comprises an imager and a lens;
wherein the driver monitoring camera views through the prismatic mirror reflective element;
a refraction-compensating element disposed between the lens of the driver monitoring camera and the prismatic mirror reflective element;
wherein the refraction-compensating element comprises a wedge-shaped element; and
wherein the refraction-compensating element offsets refraction of light that passes through the wedge-shaped, reflector coated glass substrate of the prismatic mirror reflective element.

2. The vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein light passing through the wedge-shaped, reflector coated glass substrate of the prismatic mirror reflective element toward the driver monitoring camera is refracted in a first direction, and wherein the light is refracted in a second direction when passing through the refraction-compensating element, and wherein the second direction is opposite the first direction.

3. The vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein a lower edge region of the wedge-shaped, reflector coated glass substrate of the prismatic mirror reflective element is thinner than an upper edge region of the wedge-shaped, reflector coated glass substrate of the prismatic mirror reflective element, and wherein a lower edge region of the refraction-compensating element is thicker than an upper edge region of the refraction-compensating element.

4. The vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein a front side of the refraction-compensating element is parallel to a rear side of the wedge-shaped, reflector coated glass substrate of the prismatic mirror reflective element, and wherein a rear side of the refraction-compensating element is parallel to a front side of the wedge-shaped, reflector coated glass substrate of the prismatic mirror reflective element.

5. The vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein the refraction-compensating element is disposed at a rear side of the wedge-shaped, reflector coated glass substrate of the prismatic mirror reflective element.

6. The vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein the refraction-compensating element is disposed at the lens of the driver monitoring camera.

7. The vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , comprising a near infrared light emitter accommodated by the mirror head, wherein the near infrared light emitter moves in tandem with the mirror head.

8. The vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 7 , wherein the near infrared light emitter, when electrically powered to emit light, emits near infrared light that passes through the prismatic mirror reflective element.

9. The vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 7 , wherein the near infrared light emitter, when electrically powered to emit light, emits near infrared light that passes through the refraction-compensating element and the prismatic mirror reflective element.

10. The vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein, with the mounting base attached at the interior portion of the vehicle, a 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.

11. The vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein the driver monitoring camera views through a transflective mirror reflector of the prismatic mirror reflective element.

12. The vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein the interior portion of the vehicle comprises a portion of a windshield at an in-cabin side of the windshield of the vehicle.

13. A vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly, the vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly comprising:
a mirror head adjustable relative to a mounting base, the mounting base configured to attach at an interior portion of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly;
wherein the mirror head comprises a prismatic mirror reflective element;
wherein the prismatic mirror reflective element comprises a wedge-shaped, reflector-coated glass substrate;
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 viewing the prismatic mirror reflective element;
wherein the driver monitoring camera comprises an imager and a lens;
wherein the driver monitoring camera views through the prismatic mirror reflective element;
a refraction-compensating element disposed between the lens of the driver monitoring camera and the prismatic mirror reflective element;
wherein the refraction-compensating element comprises a wedge-shaped element;
wherein the refraction-compensating element offsets refraction of light that passes through the wedge-shaped, reflector coated glass substrate of the prismatic mirror reflective element;
wherein a lower edge region of the wedge-shaped, reflector coated glass substrate of the prismatic mirror reflective element is thinner than an upper edge region of the wedge-shaped, reflector coated glass substrate of the prismatic mirror reflective element, and wherein a lower edge region of the refraction-compensating element is thicker than an upper edge region of the refraction-compensating element; and
wherein, with the mounting base attached at the interior portion of the vehicle, a 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.

14. The vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 13 , wherein light passing through the wedge-shaped, reflector coated glass substrate of the prismatic mirror reflective element toward the driver monitoring camera is refracted in a first direction, and wherein the light is refracted in a second direction when passing through the refraction-compensating element, and wherein the second direction is opposite the first direction.

15. The vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 13 , wherein a front side of the refraction-compensating element is parallel to a rear side of the wedge-shaped, reflector coated glass substrate of the prismatic mirror reflective element, and wherein a rear side of the refraction-compensating element is parallel to a front side of the wedge-shaped, reflector coated glass substrate of the prismatic mirror reflectiv

Assignees

• Magna Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Liu Zhongyao
• Sobecki Justin E
• Conger Jonathan D
• Byrne Steven V
• Peterson Austen C

Classifications

• H04N23/695

  Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects · CPC title

• H04N23/21

  from near infrared [NIR] radiation · CPC title

• H04N23/56

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title

• H04N23/55

  Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof · CPC title

• H04N7/18

  Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast · CPC title