Interior rearview mirror assembly with full screen video display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12240384-B2
Application number	US-202318391951-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2023
Priority date	Jun 26, 2015
Publication date	Mar 4, 2025
Grant date	Mar 4, 2025

Abstract

A vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly includes a mirror head that accommodates an electrochromic mirror reflective element. A video display device is disposed behind a viewable reflective region of the mirror reflective element. With the mirror assembly operating in a first state, the video display device does not display video images at the display screen and the driver of the vehicle views rearward via reflection at the viewable reflective region. With the mirror assembly operating in a second state, the video display device displays video images at the display screen for viewing by the driver. A touch sensor is disposed at an overhang region of the reflective element behind the front substrate and below the video display device. The video display device is operated responsive at least in part to a touch event at the first surface of the front substrate of the electrochromic mirror reflective element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly, the vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly comprising:
a mirror head pivotable about a mirror support, wherein the mirror support is configured to attach at an interior portion of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly;
wherein the mirror head accommodates an electrochromic mirror reflective element;
wherein the electrochromic mirror reflective element has a front substrate and a rear substrate with an electrochromic medium disposed therebetween, and wherein the front substrate has a first surface and a second surface and the rear substrate has a third surface and a fourth surface, the second surface and the third surface opposing the electrochromic medium;
wherein a transflective mirror reflector is disposed at the third surface, and wherein the transflective mirror reflector at least partially reflects light incident thereon and at least partially transmits incident light therethrough;
wherein the electrochromic mirror reflective element comprises a viewable reflective region viewable by a driver of the equipped vehicle with the mirror support attached at the interior portion of the equipped vehicle;
a video display device disposed behind the viewable reflective region of the electrochromic mirror reflective element;
wherein the video display device comprises a display screen that occupies at least 75 percent of the viewable reflective region of the electrochromic mirror reflective element;
wherein the video display device comprises at least one light emitting diode for backlighting the display screen;
wherein, with the mirror support attached at the interior portion of the equipped vehicle, the video display device is operable to display video images derived from image data captured by at least one rearward-viewing camera of the equipped vehicle for viewing by the driver of the equipped vehicle;
wherein, with the vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly operating in a first state, the video display device does not display video images at the display screen and the driver of the equipped vehicle views rearward via reflection at the viewable reflective region, and wherein, with the vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly operating in a second state, the video display device displays video images at the display screen for viewing by the driver of the equipped vehicle;
a toggle mechanism, wherein, with the mirror support attached at the interior portion of the equipped vehicle, the toggle mechanism is operable by the driver of the equipped vehicle to toggle the vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly between operation in the first state and operation in the second state;
wherein the electrochromic mirror reflective element comprises an overhang region where a cross dimension of the front substrate is greater than a corresponding cross dimension of the rear substrate;
wherein a touch sensor is disposed at the overhang region behind the front substrate and below the video display device; and
wherein the video display device is operated responsive at least in part to a sensed touch event at the first surface of the front substrate of the electrochromic mirror reflective element.

2. The vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein a light sensor is disposed at the overhang region behind the front substrate and below the video display device, and wherein the light sensor senses light that passes through the front substrate of the electrochromic mirror reflective element at the overhang region, and wherein light that passes through the front substrate at the overhang region does not pass through the electrochromic medium of the electrochromic mirror reflective element.

3. The vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 2 , wherein the touch sensor and the light sensor are disposed at a circuit board of the vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly.

4. The vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein the touch sensor comprises a capacitive touch sensor.

5. The vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein the touch sensor comprises an optical sensor.

6. The vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein the viewable reflective region comprises a center zone, a driver-side zone and a passenger-side zone, and wherein, with the vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly operating in the second state, video images displayed by the display screen at the center zone of the viewable reflective region are at unit magnification.

7. The vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 6 , wherein, with the vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly operating in the second state, video images displayed at the driver-side zone are not displayed at unit magnification and video images displayed at the passenger-side zone are not displayed at unit magnification.

8. The vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 6 , wherein, with the vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly operating in the second state, video images displayed by the display screen at the center zone of the viewable reflective region (i) are demarcated from video images displayed by the display screen at the driver-side zone via a first vertical demarcation and (ii) are demarcated from video images displayed by the display screen at the passenger-side zone via a second vertical demarcation.

9. The vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one rearward-viewing camera comprises a rear backup camera of the equipped vehicle, and wherein, with the mirror support attached at the interior portion of the equipped vehicle, the video display device, with the vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly operating in the second state and when the equipped vehicle is shifted to a reverse gear, displays video images derived from image data captured by the rear backup camera of the equipped vehicle.

10. The vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one rearward-viewing camera comprises a camera located at one selected from the group consisting of (i) a rear portion of the equipped vehicle and (ii) a side portion of the equipped vehicle.

11. The vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein, with the mirror support attached at the interior portion of the equipped vehicle, and with the vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly operating in the second state, the video display device displays video images derived from image data captured by a set of cameras of the equipped vehicle, the set of cameras including the at least one rearward-viewing camera.

12. The vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein, with the mirror support attached at the interior portion of the equipped vehicle, electrochromic dimming of the electrochromic mirror reflective element varies responsive to a light level detected by a light sensor to enhance visibility of displayed video images at the viewable reflective region of the electrochromic mirror reflective element.

13. The vehicular dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein, with the mirror support attached at the interior portion of the equipped vehicle, display intensity of the video display device varies responsive to a light level detected by a light sensor to enhance visibility of displayed v

Assignees

• Magna Mirrors Of America Inc

Inventors

• Larson Mark L
• Uken John T
• Koetje Christopher R

Classifications

• H04N7/181

  for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources · CPC title

• B60R2001/1223

  with sensors or transducers · CPC title

• B60R2001/1253

  with cameras, video cameras or video screens · 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