Rearview mirror for a motor vehicle

• US 7,656,586 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2007
• Issued: 02/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Rosario, Daniel, Specks, Will, Stoschek, Arne, Chen, Pao Hsu, Dupont, Cedric
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwartz; Jordan M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): JONES, JAMES
• Application Number:
  US11/738,054
• Publication Number:
  US 20070279756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 359/633
• US Class Current: 359/633
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/12 Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1253 with cameras, video cameras or video screens

Abstract

A rear-view mirror (3) for a motor vehicle is provided with a reflector layer (40) which is used to reflect light which impinges on the rear-view mirror (3) from a first viewing direction, a display layer (36) which is arranged behind the reflector layer (40) in relation to the viewing direction (41) and which is used to emit light, a quarter wave plate (74) which is arranged between the display layer (36) and the reflector layer (40) and a reflecting linear-polarisation layer (73) which is arranged between the display layer and the quarter wave plate (74).

Claims

1. A rearview mirror for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a reflector layer for reflecting light that strikes the rearview mirror from a viewing direction;

a display layer for emitting light arranged behind the reflector layer relative to the viewing direction;

a quarter waveplate arranged between the display layer and the reflector layer; and

a reflecting linear polarization layer arranged between the display layer and the quarter waveplate, wherein the rearview mirror further comprises an absorbing linear polarization layer arranged between the quarter waveplate and the reflecting linear polarization layer.

2. The rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein said rearview mirror further comprises an anti-reflection layer arranged in front of the quarter waveplate relative to the viewing direction.

3. The rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein the anti-reflection layer is connected to the quarter waveplate.

4. The rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein the quarter waveplate is a passive layer.

5. The rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein the reflecting linear polarization layer is a passive layer.

6. The rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein the display layer comprises an OLED layer.

7. The rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein the reflector layer has a transparency of more than 99% for light striking the reflector layer against the viewing direction.

8. The rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein the reflector layer has a transparency of more than 99.5% for light striking the reflector layer against the viewing direction.

9. The rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein the reflector layer includes one or more compounds of the group of TiO₂, SiO₂, and HfO₂.

10. The rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein the reflector layer includes TiO₂, SiO₂, and HfO₂.

11. The rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein at least 40% of the light emittable by the display layer against the viewing direction emerges from the rearview mirror against the viewing direction.

12. The rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein at least 45% of the light emittable by the display layer against the viewing direction emerges from the rearview mirror against the viewing direction.

13. The rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein a brightness of more than 350 cd/m² is achieved for light emerging from the rearview mirror against the viewing direction in the case of a light emitting display layer.

14. The rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein a brightness of more than 400 cd/m² is achieved for light emerging from the rearview mirror against the viewing direction in the case of a light emitting display layer.

15. The rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein a brightness of more than 500 cd/m² is achieved for light emerging from the rearview mirror against the viewing direction in the case of a light emitting display layer.

16. A rearview mirror for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a reflector layer for the reflection of light striking the rearview minor from a viewing direction, said reflector layer including HfO₂;

a display layer arranged behind the reflector layer relative to the viewing direction for emitting light;

a quarter waveplate arranged between the display layer and the reflector layer; and

an absorbing linear polarization layer arranged between the quarter waveplate and the reflector layer.

17. The rearview mirror according to claim 16, wherein the reflector layer contains TiO₂, SiO₂, and HfO₂.

18. The rearview mirror according to claim 16, further comprising an anti-reflection layer arranged between the display layer and the reflector layer.

19. The rearview mirror according to claim 16, further comprising an anti-reflection layer arranged between the quarter waveplate and the reflector layer.

20. The rearview mirror according to claim 16, wherein the display layer comprises an OLED layer.

21. The rearview mirror according to claim 16, wherein the reflector layer has a transparency of more than 99% for light striking the reflector layer against the viewing direction.

22. The rearview mirror according to claim 16, wherein the reflector layer has a transparency of more than 99.5% for light striking the reflector layer against the viewing direction.

23. The rearview mirror according to claim 16, wherein at least 40% of the light emittable by the display layer against the viewing direction emerges from the rearview mirror against the viewing direction.

24. The rearview mirror according to claim 16, wherein at least 45% of the light emittable by the display layer against the viewing direction emerges from the rearview mirror against the viewing direction.

25. The rearview mirror according to claim 16, wherein a brightness of more than 350 cd/m² is achieved for light emerging from the rearview mirror against the viewing direction in the case of a light emitting display layer.

26. The rearview mirror according to claim 16, wherein a brightness of more than 400 cd/m² is achieved for light emerging from the rearview mirror against the viewing direction in the case of a light emitting display layer.

27. The rearview mirror according to claim 16, wherein a brightness of more than 500 cd/m² is achieved for light emerging from the rearview mirror against the viewing direction in the case of a light emitting display layer.

28. A rearview mirror for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a reflector layer for reflecting light that strikes the rearview mirror from a viewing direction;

a display layer arranged behind the reflector layer relative to the viewing direction for emitting light in a direction against the viewing direction, where at least 40% of the light emittable by the display layer against the viewing direction emerges from the rearview mirror against the viewing direction; and

an absorbing linear polarization layer arranged between the display layer and the reflector layer.

29. The rearview mirror according to claim 28, wherein at least 45% of the light emittable by the display layer against the viewing direction emerges from the rearview mirror against the viewing direction.

30. The rearview mirror according to claim 28, wherein a brightness of more than 350 cd/m² is achieved for light emerging from the rearview mirror against the viewing direction in the case of a light emitting display layer.

31. The rearview mirror according to claim 28, wherein a brightness of more than 400 cd/m² is achieved for light emerging from the rearview mirror against the viewing direction in the case of a light emitting display layer.

32. The rearview mirror according to claim 28, wherein a brightness of more than 500 cd/m² is achieved for light emerging from the rearview mirror against the viewing direction in the case of a light emitting display layer.

33. The rearview mirror according to claim 28, further comprising an anti-reflection layer arranged behind the reflector layer relative to the viewing direction.

34. The rearview mirror according to claim 28, further comprising an anti-reflection layer arranged in front of the reflector layer relative to the viewing direction.

35. The rearview mirror according to claim 28, wherein the display layer comprises an OLED layer.

36. The rearview mirror according to claim 28, wherein the reflector layer has a transparency of more than 99% for light striking the reflector layer against the viewing direction.

37. The rearview mirror according to claim 28, wherein the reflector layer has a transparency of more than 99.5% for light striking the reflector layer against the viewing direction.

38. The rearview mirror according to claim 28, wherein the reflector layer includes one or more compounds of the group of TiO₂, SiO₂ and HfO₂.

39. The rearview mirror according to claim 28, wherein the reflector layer contains TiO₂, SiO₂ and HfO₂.