Antiglare inner mirror

• US 5,973,805 A
• Filed: 03/10/1998
• Issued: 10/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Murakami Corporation
• Original Assignee: Murakami Corporation
• Inventors: Iwanabe, Naoto, Yamana, Toru, Komatsu, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): Spyrou, Cassandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Curtis, Craig
• Application Number:
  US09/038,180
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 359/1, 359/13, 359/15, 359/850, 359/884
• US Class Current: 359/15
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/086 using a mirror angularly movable between a position of use and a non-glare position reflecting a dark field to the user, e.g. situated behind a transparent glass used as low-reflecting surface; Wedge-shaped mirrors

Abstract

An antiglare inner mirror includes a housing which is supported by a stay and is capable of inclining by an inclining device. A mirror main body is mounted on a front opening portion of the housing. The mirror main body includes a front glass, a hologram element and a seal glass bonded integrally together. A reflecting film is formed on the rear surface of the seal glass. The hologram element consists of a reflecting type hologram element having a reflecting plane made of interference fringes which is arranged non-parallel to the front surface of the hologram element. Incident light from outside is reflected both by the reflecting film and by the interference fringes of the hologram element to form rays of light reflected in different directions.

Claims

1. An antiglare inner mirror comprising:

a reflecting member including;

a substantially transparent substrate;

a hologram element, having a front and a rear surface, said hologram element being mounted fixedly on the rear surface of the substrate;

a substantially transparent member mounted fixedly on the rear surface of the hologram element;

a reflecting film mounted fixedly on the rear surface of the transparent member; and

an inclining device for inclining the reflecting member;

said hologram element being made of a reflecting type hologram element having interference fringes therein which constitute a reflecting plane which is nonparallel to the front surface of the hologram element;

wherein said inclining device inclines the reflecting member in a first position and a second position, respectively;

wherein the inclining device in the second position inclines the reflecting member such that reflectance of light which is incident from the surface of the substrate and is reflected by the interference fringes of the hologram element, and that, subsequently, comes out of the surface of the substrate, is determined at a value which is lower than a value of reflectance of light obtained when the inclining device is in a first position in which the reflecting member is inclined such that light is reflected by the reflecting film and then comes out of the surface of the substrate through the hologram element.

2. An antiglare inner mirror as defined in claim 1 wherein said substrate consists of a glass substrate having a constant thickness.

3. An antiglare inner mirror as defined in claim 1 wherein said interference fringes are arranged with a plurality of different intervals existing between adjacent ones of the interference fringes.

6. An antiglare inner mirror as defined in claim 2 wherein said substrate is formed as a convex surface.

8. An antiglare inner mirror as defined in claim 1 wherein said substrate is formed in a flat plate and said interference fringes are arranged in such a manner that the reflecting plane made of the interference fringes of the hologram element constitutes a convex mirror.

4. An antiglare inner mirror comprising:

a reflecting mirror including;

a hologram element mounted fixedly on the rear surface of the substrate;

a substantially transparent member mounted fixedly on the rear surface of the transparent member;

a housing holding the reflecting member fixedly with a front surface of the reflecting member being exposed to the outside;

a stay for mounting the housing to a vehicle and supporting the housing; and

an inclining device provided between the stay and the housing for inclining the housing with respect to the stay;

said hologram element being made of a reflecting type hologram element having interference fringes therein which constitute a reflecting plane which is non-parallel to said front surface of the hologram element;

wherein said inclining device inclines the reflecting member in a first position and a second position, respectively;

wherein the inclining device in the second position inclines the reflecting member such that reflectance of light which is incident from the surface of the substrate and is reflected by the interference fringes of the hologram element, and that, subsequently, comes out of the surface of the substrate, is determined at a value which is lower than a value of reflectance of light obtained when the inclining device is in a first position in which the reflecting member is inclined such that light is reflected by the reflecting film and then comes out of the surface of the substrate through the hologram element.

5. An antiglare inner mirror as defined in claim 4 wherein said substrate consists of a glass substrate having a constant thickness.

7. An antiglare inner mirror as defined in claim 5 wherein said substrate is formed as a convex surface.

9. An antiglare inner mirror as defined in claim 4 wherein said substrate is formed in a flat plate and said interference fringes are arranged in such a manner that the reflecting plane made of the interference fringes of the hologram element constitutes a convex mirror.

10. An antiglare inner mirror as defined in claim 4 wherein said interference fringes are arranged with a plurality of different intervals existing between adjacent ones of the interference fringes.