INTERIOR REARVIEW MIRROR ASSEMBLY WITH FULL SCREEN VIDEO DISPLAY
First Claim
1. A dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly comprising:
- a mirror head pivotable about a mirror support configured to attach at an interior portion of a vehicle equipped with said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly;
wherein said mirror head comprises a mirror reflective element;
wherein said mirror reflective element comprises an electro-optic mirror reflective element having a front substrate and a rear substrate with an electro-optic medium disposed therebetween, and wherein said front substrate has a first surface and a second surface and said rear substrate has a third surface and a fourth surface, said second surface and said third surface opposing said electro-optic medium;
wherein a transflective mirror reflector is disposed at said third surface, and wherein said transflective mirror reflector at least partially reflects light incident thereon and at least partially transmits incident light therethrough;
wherein said electro-optic 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 rearward of the viewable reflective region of said electro-optic mirror reflective element;
wherein said video display device comprises a display screen that occupies at least 75 percent of the viewable reflective region of said electro-optic mirror reflective element;
wherein, with said mirror support attached at the interior portion of the equipped vehicle, said 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 at the viewable reflective region by the driver of the equipped vehicle;
wherein, with said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly operating in a first state, said video display device does not display video images at said display screen and the driver views rearward via reflection at the viewable reflective region, and wherein, with said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly operating in a second state, said video display device displays video images at said display screen for viewing at the viewable reflective region by the driver of the equipped vehicle;
an actuator, wherein, with said mirror support attached at the interior portion of the equipped vehicle, said actuator is operable by the driver of the equipped vehicle to toggle said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly between operation in the first state and operation in the second state;
wherein the viewable reflective region comprises a center zone, a driver-side zone and a passenger-side zone;
wherein the center zone is larger than any of the driver-side zone and the passenger-side zone;
wherein, with said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly operating in the second state, video images displayed by said display screen at the center zone of the viewable reflective region are at unit magnification; and
wherein, with said 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.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly includes a mirror head including an electro-optic mirror reflective element having a transflective mirror reflector. A video display device is disposed rearward of the viewable reflective region and occupies at least 75 percent of the 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 and the driver views rearward via reflection at the viewable reflective region and, with the mirror assembly operating in a second state, the video display device displays video images at the display screen for viewing at the viewable reflective region by the driver. Video images displayed by the display screen at a center zone of the viewable reflective region are at unit magnification, and video images displayed at driver-side and passenger-side zones are not displayed at unit magnification.
0 Citations
42 Claims
-
1. A dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly comprising:
-
a mirror head pivotable about a mirror support configured to attach at an interior portion of a vehicle equipped with said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly; wherein said mirror head comprises a mirror reflective element; wherein said mirror reflective element comprises an electro-optic mirror reflective element having a front substrate and a rear substrate with an electro-optic medium disposed therebetween, and wherein said front substrate has a first surface and a second surface and said rear substrate has a third surface and a fourth surface, said second surface and said third surface opposing said electro-optic medium; wherein a transflective mirror reflector is disposed at said third surface, and wherein said transflective mirror reflector at least partially reflects light incident thereon and at least partially transmits incident light therethrough; wherein said electro-optic 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 rearward of the viewable reflective region of said electro-optic mirror reflective element; wherein said video display device comprises a display screen that occupies at least 75 percent of the viewable reflective region of said electro-optic mirror reflective element; wherein, with said mirror support attached at the interior portion of the equipped vehicle, said 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 at the viewable reflective region by the driver of the equipped vehicle; wherein, with said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly operating in a first state, said video display device does not display video images at said display screen and the driver views rearward via reflection at the viewable reflective region, and wherein, with said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly operating in a second state, said video display device displays video images at said display screen for viewing at the viewable reflective region by the driver of the equipped vehicle; an actuator, wherein, with said mirror support attached at the interior portion of the equipped vehicle, said actuator is operable by the driver of the equipped vehicle to toggle said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly between operation in the first state and operation in the second state; wherein the viewable reflective region comprises a center zone, a driver-side zone and a passenger-side zone; wherein the center zone is larger than any of the driver-side zone and the passenger-side zone; wherein, with said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly operating in the second state, video images displayed by said display screen at the center zone of the viewable reflective region are at unit magnification; and wherein, with said 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. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
-
-
25. A dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly comprising:
-
a mirror head pivotable about a mirror support configured to attach at an interior portion of a vehicle equipped with said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly; wherein said mirror head comprises a mirror reflective element; wherein said mirror reflective element comprises an electro-optic mirror reflective element having a front substrate and a rear substrate with an electro-optic medium disposed therebetween, and wherein said front substrate has a first surface and a second surface and said rear substrate has a third surface and a fourth surface, said second surface and said third surface opposing said electro-optic medium; wherein a transflective mirror reflector is disposed at said third surface, and wherein said transflective mirror reflector at least partially reflects light incident thereon and at least partially transmits incident light therethrough; wherein said electro-optic 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 rearward of the viewable reflective region of said electro-optic mirror reflective element; wherein said video display device comprises a display screen that occupies at least 75 percent of the viewable reflective region of said electro-optic mirror reflective element; wherein, with said mirror support attached at the interior portion of the equipped vehicle, said video display device is operable to display video images derived from image data captured by a set of cameras of the equipped vehicle for viewing at the viewable reflective region by the driver of the equipped vehicle; wherein, with said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly operating in a first state, said video display device does not display video images at said display screen and the driver views rearward via reflection at the viewable reflective region, and wherein, with said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly operating in a second state, said video display device displays video images at said display screen for viewing at the viewable reflective region by the driver of the equipped vehicle; an actuator, wherein, with said mirror support attached at the interior portion of the equipped vehicle, said actuator is operable by the driver of the equipped vehicle to toggle said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly between operation in the first state and operation in the second state; wherein the viewable reflective region comprises a center zone, a driver-side zone and a passenger-side zone; wherein the center zone is larger than any of the driver-side zone and the passenger-side zone; wherein, with said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly operating in the second state, video images displayed by said display screen at the center zone of the viewable reflective region are at unit magnification; wherein, with said 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; and wherein, with said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly operating in the second state, video images displayed by said display screen at the center zone of the viewable reflective region (i) are demarcated from video images displayed by said display screen at the driver-side zone via a first vertical demarcation and (ii) are demarcated from video images displayed by said display screen at the passenger-side zone via a second vertical demarcation. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
-
-
36. A dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly comprising:
-
a mirror head pivotable about a mirror support configured to attach at an interior portion of a vehicle equipped with said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly; wherein said mirror head comprises a mirror reflective element; wherein said mirror reflective element comprises an electro-optic mirror reflective element having a front substrate and a rear substrate with an electro-optic medium disposed therebetween, and wherein said front substrate has a first surface and a second surface and said rear substrate has a third surface and a fourth surface, said second surface and said third surface opposing said electro-optic medium; wherein a transflective mirror reflector is disposed at said third surface, and wherein said transflective mirror reflector at least partially reflects light incident thereon and at least partially transmits incident light therethrough; wherein said electro-optic 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 rearward of the viewable reflective region of said electro-optic mirror reflective element; wherein said video display device comprises a display screen that occupies at least 85 percent of the viewable reflective region of said electro-optic mirror reflective element; wherein, with said mirror support attached at the interior portion of the equipped vehicle, said 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 at the viewable reflective region by the driver of the equipped vehicle; wherein said video display device is operated responsive at least in part to actuation by the driver of a user input; wherein, with said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly operating in a first state, said video display device does not display video images at said display screen and the driver views rearward via reflection at the viewable reflective region, and wherein, with said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly operating in a second state, said video display device displays video images at said display screen for viewing at the viewable reflective region by the driver of the equipped vehicle; an actuator, wherein, with said mirror support attached at the interior portion of the equipped vehicle, said actuator is operable by the driver of the equipped vehicle to toggle said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly between operation in the first state and operation in the second state; wherein said actuator comprises a toggle mechanism, and wherein said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly changes between operation in the first state and operation in the second state via the toggle mechanism, and wherein the toggle mechanism comprises a motor-powered toggle mechanism operable by the driver of the equipped vehicle to change said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly between operation in the first state and operation in the second state; wherein the viewable reflective region comprises a center zone, a driver-side zone and a passenger-side zone; wherein the center zone is larger than any of the driver-side zone and the passenger-side zone; wherein, with said dual-state interior rearview mirror assembly operating in the second state, video images displayed by said display screen at the center zone of the viewable reflective region are at unit magnification; and wherein, with said 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. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
-
Specification