Rearview mirror assembly with information display

• US 20020005999A1
• Filed: 07/05/2001
• Published: 01/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Donnelly Corporation (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Donnelly Corporation (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Mousseau, Rick, DeWind, Darryl P., Hutzel, Barry W.
• Granted Patent: US 6,648,477 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/838
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/12 Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1215 with information displays

Abstract

An interior rearview mirror assembly provides a display system for displaying light or information to a driver of a vehicle. The display includes a refractive light directing element, which may include a prismatic display lens which refracts and directs the light of the display message downwardly and/or sidewardly toward a driver of the vehicle for improved viewing of the display message by the driver of the vehicle. The display system is mountable to a printed circuit board positioned within the case of the mirror assembly. The printed circuit board may also be connected to a pair of illumination sources positioned at a lower portion of a casing of the mirror assembly.

Claims

1. An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said mirror assembly comprising:

a mirror case having a reflective element, said mirror case being adapted to mount to the vehicle;

a light emitting display element positioned within said mirror case and operable to project light in a direction generally rearwardly with respect to the vehicle; and

a refractive light directing element positioned at a perimeter of said reflective element and generally adjacent to said display element, said refractive light directing element refracting the light from said display element generally downwardly and rearwardly toward a driver of the vehicle.

2. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein said refractive light directing element refracts the light from said display element generally laterally toward the driver of the vehicle.

3. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein said refractive light directing element has a first thickness at an upper portion and a second thickness at a lower portion, said first thickness being greater than said second thickness.

4. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein said display element is removably mounted within said mirror case.

5. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein said refractive light directing element is positioned along a lower portion of said mirror case.

6. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein said mirror assembly is mountable at a mounting base on an interior surface of a windshield of the vehicle.

7. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 6, wherein said mirror assembly is mounted at said mounting base via a double ball mounting arm being pivotally mounted between said mirror case and said mounting base.

8. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein said mirror assembly comprises a prismatic mirror which is pivotable via a toggle assembly between a day and night reflective position.

9. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 8, wherein said toggle assembly comprises a soft touch toggle handle.

10. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 9, wherein said soft touch toggle handle comprises an inner material and an outer material over said inner material, said outer material having a material hardness of less than approximately 70 Shore A Durometer hardness.

11. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 9, wherein said soft touch toggle handle is formed by a two shot molding process.

12. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 11, wherein said two shot molding process includes molding an inner portion having a first hardness and molding an outer portion having a second hardness over said inner portion, said first hardness being greater than said second hardness.

13. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 12, wherein said second hardness is less than approximately 70 Shore A Durometer hardness and said first hardness is greater than approximately 70 Shore A Durometer hardness.

14. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 further including at least one map light assembly positioned at a lower region of said case.

15. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 14 including a pair of said map light assemblies, said map light assemblies comprising a right and left map light, each map light including an illumination source, a reflector element, and a cover, at least a portion of said right and left map lights being interchangeable with one another.

16. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 14, wherein said map light assemblies are removably mounted at said case.

17. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 further including at least one control input for at least one of an accessory and said display, said control input being positioned at said case.

18. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 17, wherein said control input is at least one of operable to activate said display element, operable to deactivate said display element and operable to toggle said display element between two or more functions.

19. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 17, wherein said at least one control input is backlit by an illumination source positioned within said case.

20. A prismatic interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said mirror assembly comprising:

a mirror case having a reflective element, said mirror case being adapted to mount to a vehicle via a mounting arm, said mirror case being pivotable relative to said mounting arm; and

a toggle member which is operable to pivot said mirror case and said reflective element between a day position and a night position, said toggle member having an outer portion and an inner portion, said outer portion comprising a soft touch material, said soft touch material having a first material hardness and said inner portion having a second material hardness, said second material hardness being greater than said first material hardness.

21. The prismatic interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 20, wherein said toggle member is formed by a two step molding process.

22. The prismatic interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 21, wherein said two step molding process includes molding said inner portion of said toggle member and molding said outer portion of said toggle member at said inner portion.

23. The prismatic interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 22, wherein said first material hardness is less than approximately 70 Shore A Durometer hardness and said second material hardness is greater than approximately 70 Shore A Durometer hardness.

24. The prismatic interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 20 further including a display element positioned within said mirror case and operable to project light rearwardly with respect to the vehicle and a refractive light directing element positioned at a perimeter of said reflective element and rearwardly of said display element, said refractive light directing element refracting the light from said display element downwardly toward a driver of the vehicle.

25. The prismatic interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 24, wherein said refractive light directing element refracts the light from said display element generally laterally toward the driver of the vehicle.

26. The prismatic interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 24, wherein said refractive light directing element has a first thickness along an upper portion and a second thickness along a lower portion, said first thickness being greater than said second thickness.

27. The prismatic interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 24, wherein said display element is removably mounted within said mirror case.

28. The prismatic interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 24, wherein said refractive light directing element is positioned along a lower portion of said mirror case.