INTERIOR REARVIEW MIRROR ASSEMBLY WITH DISPLAY

• US 20090015736A1
• Filed: 10/31/2006
• Published: 01/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Donnelly Corporation (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Donnelly Corporation (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Weller, Andrew D., McCabe, Ian A., Lynam, Niall R., Blank, Rodney K., Uken, John T., Larson, Mark L., McCaw, Joseph P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,855,755 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/11
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/02 Rear-view mirror arrangements periscope arrangements B60R1/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/10 Front-view mirror arrangements; specially adapted for covering the peripheral part of the vehicle B60R1/002; Periscope arrangements , i.e. optical devices using combinations of mirrors, lenses, prisms or the like specially adapted for covering the peripheral part of the vehicle B60R1/002; for viewing traffic-lights B60R1/005; Other mirror arrangements giving a view from above or under the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/12 Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1215 with information displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1223 with sensors or transducers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1253 with cameras, video cameras or video screens
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133308 Support structures for LCD panels, e.g. frames or bezels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133385 with cooling means, e.g. fans
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/157 Structural association of cells with optical devices, e.g. reflectors or illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/44 Arrangements combining different electro-active layers, e.g. electrochromic, liquid crystal or electroluminescent layers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/09 transflective

Abstract

A video mirror system for a vehicle comprising an interior rearview mirror assembly having a transflective electro-optic reflective element that transmits at least about ten percent of visible light incident thereon and reflects at least about sixty percent of visible light incident thereon. A display module is disposed at a rear of the transflective electro-optic reflective element and comprises a plurality of individual light sources. A thermally conductive element may be in substantial thermal contact with the display module and is exposed at a rear casing portion of the mirror assembly so as to draw heat generated by the display module away from the display module and to the exterior of the interior rearview mirror assembly. The exposure of the thermally conductive element at the rear casing portion may be substantially not discernible to a viewer viewing the rear casing portion of the interior rearview mirror assembly.

Claims

1. A video mirror system for a vehicle, said video mirror system comprising:

an interior rearview mirror assembly, said interior rearview mirror assembly comprising a transflective electro-optic reflective element having a front substrate and a rear substrate and an electro-optic medium disposed between said front and rear substrates, said rear substrate having a transflective reflector disposed at a front surface of said rear substrate that opposes said electro-optic medium, said transflective electro-optic reflective element transmitting at least about ten percent of visible light incident thereon and reflecting at least about sixty percent of visible light incident thereon;

a display module at a rear of said transflective electro-optic reflective element, said display module comprising a plurality of individual light sources;

a thermally conductive element in substantial thermal contact with said display module;

said thermally conductive element being exposed at a rear casing portion of said interior rearview mirror assembly so as to draw heat generated by said display module during operation of said display module and to draw the heat away from said display module and to the exterior of said interior rearview mirror assembly; and

wherein the exposure of said thermally conductive element at said rear casing portion of said interior rearview mirror assembly is substantially not discernible to a viewer viewing said rear casing portion of said interior rearview mirror assembly from outside of the vehicle and through the windshield of the vehicle when said interior rearview mirror assembly is mounted at the vehicle.

2. The video mirror system of claim 1, wherein said thermally conductive element draws heat from said display module and from a circuit board of said interior rearview mirror assembly and dissipates the heat out of said interior rearview mirror assembly.

3. The video mirror system of claim 1, wherein said thermally conductive element is formed so as to be at least partially hidden from view at said rear casing portion, said thermally conductive element being at least one of molded, contoured, painted and coated to reduce the discernibility of said thermally conductive element at said rear casing portion.

4. The video mirror system of claim 1, wherein said rear casing portion comprises a plurality of ribs at said thermally conductive element to limit access to said thermally conductive element from outside said casing.

5. The video mirror system of claim 4, wherein said ribs are configured to shade said thermally conductive element to reduce solar loading of said thermally conductive element.

6. The video mirror system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of light sources are electrically operated as at least two banks of light sources, with each of said at least two banks of light sources comprising a plurality of light sources.

7. The video mirror system of claim 6, wherein each of said at least two banks of light sources comprise multiple pairs of light sources, with said pairs of light sources being powered in electrical series.

8. The video mirror system of claim 6, wherein said light sources are operated via a current that is applied via a pulse width modulation (PWM).

9. The video mirror system of claim 8, wherein the peak currents of each bank of said light sources is staggered so that the currents are applied at different times.

10. The video mirror system of claim 1 further comprising a transflective polarizing element disposed at said rear of said transflective electro-optic reflective element and between said display module and said transflective electro-optic reflective element.

11. The video mirror system of claim 10, wherein illumination emitted by said plurality of light sources is substantially polarized as it is transmitted through said light transmissive polarizing display element, said transflective polarizing element being arranged so that said polarized light from said display element passes through said transflective polarizing element for viewing by a person viewing a front of said transflective electro-optic reflective element, said transflective polarizing element reflecting other light incident thereon via passage through said transflective electro-optic reflective element.

12. The video mirror system of claim 10, wherein said transflective polarizing element is disposed over substantially all of said rear of said transflective electro-optic reflective element.

13. The video mirror system of claim 10, wherein said transflective polarizing element is disposed only at a display area in front of said display module, a surrounding non-display area of said rear of said transflective electro-optic reflective element having a reflective layer disposed thereat.

14. The video mirror system of claim 13, wherein a reflectance of light incident on said display area is substantially reflectance matching with a reflectance of light incident on said reflective layer at said non-display area.

15. The video mirror system of claim 1, wherein said display module comprises a back lit liquid crystal display element that is backlit by said plurality of light sources.

16. The video mirror system of claim 15, wherein said plurality of light sources comprise a plurality of light emitting diodes.

17. The video mirror system of claim 1, wherein said video mirror system is operated as part of a voice interaction system of the vehicle, said voice interaction system including an artificially generated human voice for providing information to the driver of the vehicle, said artificially generated human voice being selectively generated with a regional accent that is determined by the actual geographic location of the vehicle as determined by a vehicle-based navigational system.