Rear-view mirror with multi-mode display screen, system comprising same, and method of using same
First Claim
1. An image display system, comprising:
- a camera presence detector for detecting presence of a rear-view camera mounted on a towed unit connected to a towing vehicle;
an image display format controller coupled to the camera presence detector, the image display format controller enables a first display mode when the camera presence detector detects that the towed unit has a rear-view camera mounted thereon and enables a second display mode when the camera presence either detector fails to detect that the towed unit has a rear-view camera mounted thereon;
an image display apparatus coupled to the image display format controller, the image display apparatus includes a towed unit rear-view camera input, a towing vehicle rear-view camera input, a viewing substrate having a front surface and a rear surface, and an image output device underlying a central portion of the viewing substrate at the rear surface, the image output device includes an image output surface on which a viewable image is outputted, the viewable image from the rear-view camera on the towed unit is output by the image output device and displayed at the central portion of the viewing substrate, up to a maximum image output area, when the image display format controller enables the image display apparatus to be in the first display mode, the maximum image output area of the image output surface defines perimeter edges of the central portion of the viewing substrate;
the image output device outputs over the maximum image output area of the image output surface the viewable image corresponding to a signal provided at the towed unit rear-view camera input when the image display format controller causes the image display apparatus to be in the first display mode and the camera input selector is selecting the towed unit rear-view camera input;
the image output device outputs over a partial area of the image output surface an image corresponding to a signal provided by the towed unit rear-view camera input when the image display format controller causes the image display apparatus to be in the second display mode and the camera input selector is selecting the towing vehicle rear-view camera input; and
an area of the central portion surrounding the partial area of the image output surface provides reflected rear-view imaging utility when the image display format controller causes the image display apparatus to be in the second display mode and the image provided by the towing vehicle rear-view camera is selected for being displayed.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An image display system comprises a camera presence detector for detecting presence of a rear-view camera mounted on a towed unit connected to a towing vehicle, an image display format controller coupled to the camera presence detector, and a rear-view mirror assembly including an image display apparatus. The image display format controller enables a first display mode when the camera presence detector detects the towed unit rear-view camera and enables a second display mode when the camera presence detector fails to detect presence of the towed unit rear-view camera. An image output device of the image display apparatus underlies a central portion of an image display apparatus viewing substrate at a rear surface thereof. An image outputted is viewable through the central portion when the first display mode is implemented. The central portion can provide reflected rear-view imaging utility when the second display mode is implemented.
-
Citations
13 Claims
-
1. An image display system, comprising:
-
a camera presence detector for detecting presence of a rear-view camera mounted on a towed unit connected to a towing vehicle; an image display format controller coupled to the camera presence detector, the image display format controller enables a first display mode when the camera presence detector detects that the towed unit has a rear-view camera mounted thereon and enables a second display mode when the camera presence either detector fails to detect that the towed unit has a rear-view camera mounted thereon; an image display apparatus coupled to the image display format controller, the image display apparatus includes a towed unit rear-view camera input, a towing vehicle rear-view camera input, a viewing substrate having a front surface and a rear surface, and an image output device underlying a central portion of the viewing substrate at the rear surface, the image output device includes an image output surface on which a viewable image is outputted, the viewable image from the rear-view camera on the towed unit is output by the image output device and displayed at the central portion of the viewing substrate, up to a maximum image output area, when the image display format controller enables the image display apparatus to be in the first display mode, the maximum image output area of the image output surface defines perimeter edges of the central portion of the viewing substrate; the image output device outputs over the maximum image output area of the image output surface the viewable image corresponding to a signal provided at the towed unit rear-view camera input when the image display format controller causes the image display apparatus to be in the first display mode and the camera input selector is selecting the towed unit rear-view camera input; the image output device outputs over a partial area of the image output surface an image corresponding to a signal provided by the towed unit rear-view camera input when the image display format controller causes the image display apparatus to be in the second display mode and the camera input selector is selecting the towing vehicle rear-view camera input; and an area of the central portion surrounding the partial area of the image output surface provides reflected rear-view imaging utility when the image display format controller causes the image display apparatus to be in the second display mode and the image provided by the towing vehicle rear-view camera is selected for being displayed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 8)
-
-
5. The image display system of claim wherein:
-
the image output device includes an image output surface on which the viewable image is outputted; a maximum image output area of the image output surface defines perimeter edges of the central portion of the viewing substrate; the image display apparatus is coupled to the towed unit rear-view camera and to a rear-view camera mounted on the towing vehicle when the towed unit rear-view camera is detected; the image output device outputs over the maximum image output area of the image output surface an image corresponding to a signal provided, by the towed unit rear-view camera when the image display format controller causes the image display apparatus to be in the first display mode and the image provided by the towed unit rear-view camera is selected for being displayed; and the image output device outputs over the maximum image output area of the image output surface an image corresponding to a signal provided by the towing vehicle rear-view camera when the image display format controller causes the image display apparatus to be in the first display mode and the image provided by the towing vehicle rear-view camera is selected for being displayed. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7)
-
-
9. A method, comprising:
-
monitoring a camera detection signal interface for detecting presence of a rear-view camera mounted on a towed unit connected to a towing vehicle; enabling an image output device of an image display apparatus of the towing vehicle to output over at maximum image output area of an image output surface thereof an image captured by the towed unit rear-view camera coupled to the image output device in response to detecting that the towed unit rear-view camera is present and that the image provided by the towed unit rear-view camera is selected for being displayed, the image output device underlies a central portion of as rear surface of a viewing substrate of the image display apparatus, the maximum image output area of the image output surface defines perimeter edges of the central portion of the viewing substrate, and the viewing substrate is configured for enabling the image captured by the towed unit rear-view camera to be viewable while the image is being outputted by the image output device; inhibiting the image captured by the towing vehicle rear-view camera from being outputted over the maximum image output area of the image output surface in response to failing to detect that the towed unit rear-view camera is present; and enabling the image output device to output over the maximum image output area of the image output surface thereof an image captured by a rear-view camera mounted on the towing vehicle in response to determining that the towing vehicle rear-view camera is present and that the image provided by the towing vehicle rear-view camera is selected for being displayed. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
-
Specification