Glare-shielding type reflector

• US 4,632,509 A
• Filed: 11/15/1984
• Issued: 12/30/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Hara, Kunihiko, Fukada, Tsuyoshi, Ohmi, Shinya, Itoh, Hiroshi, Suzuki, Yasutoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Corbin, John K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ben, Loha
• Application Number:
  US06/671,612
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• Field of Search: 350/276 R, 350/278, 350/283, 350/334, 350/338
• US Class Current: 349/195
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/088 using a cell of electrically changeable optical characteristic, e.g. liquid-crystal or electrochromic mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/1827 Motorised alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/153 Constructional details

Abstract

This invention discloses a glare-shielding reflector which controls light reflectance electrically. The present invention provides a glare-shielding type reflector having a photosensor block which can detect an incident angle of a luminous flux to the reflector and a glare-shielding layer which is divided into plural units and driven individually. A glare-shielding layer formed on a front surface of a mirror is divided into plural units and only the specified glare-shielding units are automatically put into a glare-shielding state, according to the incident angle of the luminous flux to the mirror.

Claims

1. A glare-shielding type reflector comprising:

a reflecting block having a mirror for reflecting incident light rays which impinge upon said reflecting block at different angles;

a plurality of glare-shielding layers individually formed on an incident side of said mirror said layers being driven individually;

a driving means for individually driving said plurality of glare-shielding layers by application of an electric field thereto;

a photosensor means for detecting incident angle and intensity of each of said incident rays reflected on said mirror through each of said glare-shielding layers; and

a control means for generating a control signal to allow said driving means to drive at least one of said glare-shielding layers in response to said incident angles of incident rays.

2. A glare-shielding type reflector according to claim 1, wherein:

said plurality of glare-shielding layers are liquid crystal cells which are formed by dividing at least one of opposing transparent electrode layers of a liquid crystal cell formed on said mirror into a plurality of divisions.

3. A glare-shielding type reflector according to claim 2, wherein

both of said opposing transparent electrode layers are divided into strips respectively and one series of strip electrodes is arranged orthogonally to another series of strip electrodes.

6. A glare-shielding type reflector according to claim 1, wherein said photosensor means has a pinhole and an image sensor situated in the back of said pinhole.

4. A glare-shielding type reflector according to claim 7, wherein

said photosensor means comprises plural photosensors, each of which detects predetermined incident angle of said luminous flux, respectively.

5. A glare-shielding type reflector according to claim 4, wherein

said photosensors have a common aperture and are located at specified positions in the back of said aperture.