Outside Mirror for Vehicle

• US 20120069462A1
• Filed: 11/30/2010
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: YU, Byung Seob
• Application Number:
  US12/956,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20120069462A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/843
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/06 mounted on vehicle exterior B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/08 involving special optical features, e.g. avoiding blind spots , e.g. convex mirrors; Side-by-side associations of rear-view and other mirrors B60R1/025, B60R1/10 take precedence

Abstract

An outside mirror apparatus mounted to a sidewall of a vehicle to provide a driver'"'"'s rear view, may include a front glass layer, a transmissivity variation unit attached to a rear surface of the front glass layer, the transmissivity variation unit selectively transmitting light or interrupting light transmission according to an electric signal, a rear glass layer attached to a rear surface of the transmissivity variation unit, and a control unit applying the electric signal to the transmissivity variation unit, wherein the front glass layer and the second glass layer have a different refractive index.

Claims

1. An outside mirror apparatus mounted to a sidewall of a vehicle to provide a driver'"'"'s rear view, comprising:

a front glass layer;

a transmissivity variation unit attached to a rear surface of the front glass layer, the transmissivity variation unit selectively transmitting light or interrupting light transmission according to an electric signal;

a rear glass layer attached to a rear surface of the transmissivity variation unit; and

a control unit applying the electric signal to the transmissivity variation unit,

wherein the front glass layer and the second glass layer have a different refractive index.

2. The outside mirror apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the transmissivity variation unit comprises:

transparent conductive films; and

liquid crystal molecules and a polymer provided between the transparent conductive films, wherein when the electric signal is applied to the transmissivity variation unit, the liquid crystal molecules are arranged in a direction of an electric field to allow light to be transmitted through the transmissivity variation unit.

3. The outside mirror apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein each of the front and rear glass layers is attached to the transparent conductive films by an EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) film.

4. The outside mirror apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the front glass layer comprises a plane mirror to provide a normal driver'"'"'s rear view, and the rear glass layer comprises a convex mirror to partially expand the normal driver'"'"'s rear view when the electric signal is applied to the transmissivity variation unit.

5. The outside mirror apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control unit applies the electric signal to the transmissivity variation unit when the vehicle changes a traffic lane or a gear shift lever is positioned in a reverse gear.

6. The outside mirror apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of the front and rear glass layers is attached to the transmissivity variation unit by an EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) film.

7. The outside mirror apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the rear glass layer has an area corresponding to a portion of the front glass layer and is disposed at a position corresponding to the portion of the front glass layer.

8. The outside mirror apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the rear glass layer has an area corresponding to the entire area of the front glass layer.