Rear-view mirror with multifunctional signal

• US 20050276059A1
• Filed: 06/20/2005
• Published: 12/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alejandro Rodriguez Barros, Jose Manuel Rodriguez Fernandez
• Original Assignee: Alejandro Rodriguez Barros, Jose Manuel Rodriguez Fernandez
• Inventors: Rodriguez Fernandez, Jose Manuel, Rodriguez Barros, Alejandro
• Granted Patent: US 7,192,171 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/494
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2665 on rear-view mirrors lighting devices for vehicle interior on or for rear-view mirrors B60Q3/258
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/1207 with lamps; with turn indicators
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1215 with information displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1223 with sensors or transducers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/123 with thermometers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1253 with cameras, video cameras or video screens
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode

Abstract

The invention relates to a rear-view mirror for vehicles, which consists of compatible, combinable and exchangeable modules such as: (A) and (B), or integrated (A+B), functional, signal, lighting and sensor modules, and structural (C), (D) and (E) modules; cover-housing, body-housing and support which may include functional modules. (A), (B) and (A+B) fulfill their function even if the rear-view mirror is folded. They use a multifocal light source of LED'"'"'s inserted into a flexible and orientable circuit and/or a mixed rigid-flexible circuit-combining LED'"'"'s+bulbs and other lighting elements, with variable optical and reflective means enabling more than one signal from one same transparent surface with direct light output, indirect-reflected light output and/or through intermediate optical light guides depending on the directions required in the front, the side, the back and the lateral ground for different commands, applications and safety signals.

Claims

1. Vehicle rear-view side mirror which comprises a housing (D) with a first opening with a least one prisms rear-viewing element, camera, or mirrors and a second opening for an emitter assembly for emitting at least luminous signals equipped with a cover with at least one transparent, translucent or in part colorless or tinted surface (1), one interior body (10) or support, one light source and/or one reflector (12), said emitter assembly emitting one or more signals towards the front, side, and rear of the rear-view mirror and vehicle with respect to the driving direction and/or towards the ground in a lateral zone of the rear-view mirror and vehicle through said surface (1), characterized in that said emitter assembly is adapted to produce at least one turn-signal indicator function and to use and/or combine various signals of different types or multiple functions by the application of different commands, different light sources on/off times, and/or is adapted to combine different internal arrangements with intercalated emitter assemblies, of the same or different type, form and color.

2. Rear-view mirror according to claim 1, characterized in that said emitter assembly is also adapted to emit signals of a non-luminous type selected from the group consisting of sound signals, ultrasound signals and radio frequency signals.

3. Rear-view mirror according to claim 2, characterized in that said emitter assembly is adapted to receive signals of different types by means of corresponding sensors, selected from the group consisting of light, temperature, infrared, ultrasound, and radio frequency sensors.

4. Rear-view mirror according to claim 3, characterized in that said sensors and/or emitter assemblies are associated with an electronic control circuit, with the purpose to carry out said multiple functions, said application of different commands and/or of said different on/off times, after having activated said sensors manually or automatically, locally or remotely.

5. Rear-view mirror according to claim 1, characterized in that said intercalated emitter assemblies are selected from the group consisting of LEDs, multichip LEDs, bulbs, neons, OLES, infrared LEDs or combinations thereof.

6. Rear-view mirror according to claim 5, characterized in that said emitter assemblies are associated with one or more catadioptric reflecting elements.

7. Rear-view mirror according to any of claims 1, 5 or 6, characterized in that said emitter assemblies are arranged on the same circuit.

8. Rear-view according to claim 1, characterized in that said emitter assembly comprises a transparent light conductor body (150) with at least one light input aimed to one or more light emitters of a different color, said emitter assembly being capable of alternating and/or combining the turning on of said light emitters.

9. Rear-view mirror according to claim 1, characterized in that said emitter assembly comprises one emitter, externally visible, arranged to emit a colored light in a direct manner, and another emitter, not externally visible, arranged to emit a light with a different color in a diffused reflected manner, being said emitter assembly adapted to produce signals of more than one color by combining said different colored lights.

10. Rear-view mirror according to claim 1, characterized in that said emitter assembly is adapted to produce signals of more than one color based upon combining a reflected colored light and an indirect light of another color, through some optical bodies (150) included in the emitter assembly.

11. Rear-view mirror according to claim 1, characterized in that said emitter assembly is adapted to produce signals of more than one color by combining one light emitter with at least one mask that lets a part of the light pass through and reflects other part of the light, or with a color filter for a determined function and direction.

12. Rear-view mirror according to claim 1, characterized in that said emitter assembly is adapted to produce light signals of more than one color by combining alternated, sectorized emitter assemblies of different colors and/or different colored emitter assemblies assemblies projected on a diffuser or collimator reflector.

13. Rear-view mirror according to claim 1, characterized in that said emitter assembly is adapted to produce signals of more than one color and/or of the same color by combining an electroluminescent substrate OLES with LEDs.

14. Rear-view mirror according to claim 1, characterized in that said emitter assembly is adapted to produce at least one signal of the same color using as a light source at least one bulb parallel interconnected with at least a series of LEDs.

15. Rear-view mirror according to claim 1, characterized in that said emitter assembly is adapted to carry out a door opening pre-warning function by means of one or various emitter assemblies governed by a controller circuit (320) that produces a different on/off frequency than that of an emitter which acts as a turn-signal indicator, or a stroboscopic effect.

16. Rear-view mirror according to claim 15, characterized in that said emitter assembly uses the same emitter that acts as a turn-signal indicator in order to carry out said opening pre-warning function.

17. Rear-view mirror according to claim 15, characterized in that said controller circuit (320) is driven by a switch command in the inside opening lever of each door (308) and/or by a centralized switch in the vehicle'"'"'s interior, and/or by an inverse switch that is activated when a taximeter (307) is stopped, and/or by a photodiode of any wavelength placed in the internal door lever that closes the circuit when a hand approaches the lever.

18. Rear-view mirror according to claim 1, characterized in that said emitter assembly has in a part of said surface (1) an interior mechanized prisms that produces a catadioptric reflective surface which reflects the exterior white light towards the front and/or the yellow light to the side in order to make the vehicle'"'"'s presence known.

19. Rear-view mirror according to claim 1, characterized in that said emitter assembly is adapted to carry out through the use of one or more non intermittent light emitter assemblies, at least one of the functions selected from the group consisting of end-outline marker light, position light, frontal and lateral illumination complementing the function carried out by the vehicle'"'"'s front lights, and fog lights.

20. Rear-view mirror according to claim 1, characterized in that the emitter assembly is adapted to carry out a deceleration warning function that anticipates the brake, using a complementary signal to said vehicle'"'"'s rearward signals.

21. Rear-view mirror according to claim 20, characterized in that said emitter assembly is adapted to carry out said deceleration warning function by using one or more emitter assemblies activated by a combined, automatic controller command (300), (305) integrated and synchronized with the vehicle'"'"'s emergency lights, which when activated it initiates three road signal actions and combines two different coloured signal areas.

22. Rear-view mirror according to claim 20, characterized in that said emitter assembly is adapted to carry out said deceleration warning function by means of a connection of a controller (300) done voluntarily by the driver that synchronizes the following actions upon its connection:

deceleration warning upon making contact with a switch (301) placed at any part of the acceleration system that is activated when releasing the accelerator pedal, provoking the turning on of one or more emitter assemblies (4) at a low intensity through a resistor attenuator circuit (306),

turning on of the above-mentioned emitter assemblies (4) at full intensity, upon activating the brake (302) together with the vehicle'"'"'s brake lights, and activating, at the same time, a temporizer controller (305), which is voluntarily adjusted with respect to time and/or velocity,

activating some emitter assemblies that act as turn-signal indicators when the programmed time in said temporizer controller (305) is passed, and

ending and restarting the process when deactivating the brake (302).

23. Rear-view mirror according to claim 1, characterized in that said emitter assembly is adapted to carry out a bodies or vehicles detection function, manually or automatically selectable, by the use of one or more photodiodes (25-B) orientated towards an area to be covered.

24. Rear-view mirror according to claim 23, characterized in that said emitter assembly is adapted to carry out a warning function, in response to said detection function, for which it comprises an operation indicator (51) on the same rear-view mirror, and/or a sonorous indicator (70), and/or a luminous or sonorous indicator in the vehicle'"'"'s interior, to be activated if a detection is produced when the emitter assembly is carrying out said detection function.

25. Rear-view mirror according to claim 23, characterized in that said emitter assembly, in order to carry out said bodies or vehicles detection function, is adapted to use a synchronized signal between the right and left rear-view mirrors, which consists in the codified emission of at least one signal by means of at least one infrared LED (25-A) from each rear-view mirror in the frontal direction (F1) and the detection of the presence or approaching of a body in front of the vehicle by the detection with at least one photodiode (25-B) of the interruption of the signal emitted by said infrared LED (25-A).

26. Rear-view mirror according to claim 25, characterized in that said emitter assembly comprises a sonorous diode and/or a light indicator in the vehicle'"'"'s interior visible by the driver in order to warn of the danger of an approximation from the front, if said photodiode (25-B) detects said interruption of the signal emitted by said infrared LED (25-A), codified or not, by a codifier circuit.

27. Rear-view mirror according to claim 1, characterized in that said emitter assembly is adapted to carry out an indicator function of the presence of the own vehicle carrying the emitter assembly, for which it uses a signal as an indicator to make known the vehicle'"'"'s presence when parked by activating an intermittent LED (00 or 75) in said emitter assembly for each rear-view mirror and for each side of the vehicle, which is susceptible to be activated upon stopping the car, and/or connecting the alarm, and/or activating the central locking system by a remote control (360) or the like, by means of an inverse switch (78) in combination with the ignition key.

28. Rear-view mirror according to claim 1, characterized in that said emitter assembly comprises, with the purpose of carrying out one or more of said multiple functions, elements which are complementary of the signals, as control indicators of their operation by means of a sonorous element (70) and/or visually outwards from the emitter assembly and/or in the vehicle'"'"'s interior, by means of a mini LED (00, 25, 25-A or 30), or by means of an optical output (51) or a small window of light opposite to said surface (1) of said cover, located in the interior of said housing (D) inside a shadowed area (200) and visible to the driver'"'"'s eyes (202).

29. Rear-view mirror according to claim 1, characterized in that the emitter assembly is adapted to use a signal to be emitted in a frontal direction that produces a stroboscopic effect or rapid flash based on a discharging tube (80) and/or some LEDs and an ignition circuit.

30. Rear-view mirror according to claim 1, characterized in that the emitter assembly is adapted to use one single light emitter as a source for two different functions, one as frontal illumination and another as lateral illumination.

31. Rear-view mirror according to claim 1 characterized in that the emitter assembly comprises a mask or filter associated to at least a light-emitter, to give color to the light in at least one direction.

32. Rear-view mirror according to claim 1, characterized in that said emitter assembly is adapted to laterally emit light from the same transparent surface (1) by means of at least one emitter and/or a multi-focal system with more than one emitter positioned with equal or different orientation between them.

33. Rear-view mirror according to claim 1, characterized in that said emitter assembly is adapted to emit light downwards by means of a manual (262) or a motorized (280) rotative module, such that it permits its turning around a vertical axis from 0°

to more than 180°

towards the front or rear wheel for complementary tasks and/or to facilitate maneuvers.

34. Rear-view mirror according to claim 32, characterized in that said rotative module has a device that allows it to be adjusted and retained in a determined position, by means of a piece (251), complementary pressure frame/mark, tooth (214) or screws (250 and 258), halfway between said emitter assembly and the part of the rear-view mirror which contains the same, the housing (D) or chassis.

35. Rear-view mirror according to claim 1, characterized in that said emitter assembly is adapted to be activated, with the purpose to carry out said lateral illumination function, when activating the central locking system and/or alarm (355) and/or voluntarily or by any system that locks and disables the vehicle or automatically upon opening or closing the door, and/or synchronized with any type of gear lever, in memorized first gear and reverse positions, at low velocity (354), and is turned off manually or automatically by a temporizer (310).