INTERIOR REARVIEW MIRROR ASSEMBLY WITH FULL SCREEN VIDEO DISPLAY

• US 20160375833A1
• Filed: 06/24/2016
• Published: 12/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magna Electronics Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Magna Mirrors of America Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Larson, Mark L., Uken, John T., Koetje, Christopher R.
• Granted Patent: US 10,046,706 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/04 mounted inside vehicle B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/12 Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks
• 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: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle includes a mirror head having a mirror reflective element, and a video display device behind the mirror reflective element and viewable through the mirror reflective element when activated. The video display device includes a display screen that occupies at least 75 percent of a reflective region of the mirror reflective element. The video display device includes a backlighting array of light emitting diodes for backlighting the display screen, and the backlighting array of light emitting diodes includes a plurality of zones of light emitting diodes, with each zone having at least two light emitting diodes. The zones of light emitting diodes are independently controlled based on the video images being displayed by the video display device.

Claims

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

a mirror head pivotable about a mirror support configured to attach at an interior portion of a vehicle equipped with said interior rearview mirror assembly;

wherein said mirror head comprises a mirror reflective element having a transflective mirror reflector that at least partially reflects light incident thereon and at least partially transmits incident light therethrough;

wherein said mirror reflective element comprises a reflective region defined by said transflective mirror reflector;

a video display device disposed rearward of said mirror reflective element;

wherein said video display device comprises a display screen that occupies at least 75 percent of said reflective region of said mirror reflective element;

wherein said video display device is operable to display video images captured by a rearward viewing camera of the vehicle and wherein said video display device displays video images captured by said rearward viewing camera;

wherein, when said video display device is operated to display video images, light emitted by said video display device passes through said mirror reflective element for viewing of displayed video images by a driver of the vehicle viewing said mirror reflective element;

wherein said video display device comprises a backlighting array of light emitting diodes for backlighting said display screen, and wherein said backlighting array of light emitting diodes comprises a plurality of zones of light emitting diodes, and wherein each zone of said plurality of zones of light emitting diodes comprises at least two light emitting diodes; and

wherein said zones of light emitting diodes are independently controlled based on the video images being displayed by said video display device.

2. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one zone of said plurality of zones of light emitting diodes is adjusted responsive to a determination of a glare source being present in the rearward field of view of said rearward viewing camera.

3. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one zone of said plurality of zones of light emitting diodes is adjusted responsive to a determination of a headlight of a rear-approaching vehicle being present in the rearward field of view of said rearward viewing camera.

4. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one zone of said plurality of zones of light emitting diodes backlights an upper region of said display screen and wherein said at least one zone is dimmed to reduce the display intensity of a sky region of the displayed video images.

5. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein said backlighting array backlighting array of light emitting diodes of said video display device has at least two dimming ranges configured to increase the overall range of illumination intensity of said backlighting array of light emitting diodes.

6. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein said mirror reflective element comprises an electro-optic mirror reflective element having a front substrate and a rear substrate with an electro-optic medium disposed therebetween, and wherein said front substrate has a first surface and a second surface and said rear substrate has a third surface and a fourth surface, said second surface and said third surface opposing said electro-optic medium, and wherein said transflective mirror reflector is disposed at said third surface.

7. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 6, wherein at least one of said electro-optic mirror reflective element and said video display device is adjustable in response to sensed night-time driving conditions to reduce glare that interferes with visibility of displayed images at an electro-optically active region of said electro-optic mirror reflective element.

8. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 6, comprising a glare light sensor disposed between a plane of said video display device and a plane of said second surface of said front substrate, wherein said glare light sensor is angled relative to said second surface to sense glare at said electro-optic mirror reflective element.

9. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 8, wherein said glare light sensor is integrated with a user input that is configured to actuate based on a touch event at said first surface of said front substrate of said electro-optic mirror reflective element.

10. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein said video display device comprises a video processor that increases background image luminance to limit viewability of reflected images at said reflective region of said mirror reflective element.

11. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein said display screen of said video display device comprises an array of pixels that includes a plurality of sub-arrays of pixels having red, green, blue and clear pixels.

12. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 11, wherein said video display device is operable to display images using clear pixels to provide a brighter displayed image, and wherein said video display device is operable to display images without using clear pixels to reduce the brightness of the displayed images.

13. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 12, wherein said video display device is operable to display images without using clear pixels responsive to a determination of night-time driving conditions.

14. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein said video display device changes from displaying color images to displaying black and white images responsive to a determination of night-time driving conditions.

15. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein said rearward viewing camera is mounted at a movable portion of the vehicle that is movable between a closed position and an opened position, and wherein said video display device is deactivated responsive to a determination that the movable portion of the vehicle has moved toward its opened position.

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

a mirror head pivotable about a mirror support configured to attach at an interior portion of a vehicle equipped with said interior rearview mirror assembly;

wherein said mirror head comprises a mirror reflective element having a transflective mirror reflector that at least partially reflects light incident thereon and at least partially transmits incident light therethrough;

wherein said mirror reflective element comprises a reflective region defined by said transflective mirror reflector;

a video display device disposed rearward of said mirror reflective element;

wherein said video display device comprises a display screen that occupies at least 75 percent of said reflective region of said mirror reflective element;

wherein said video display device is operable to display video images captured by a rearward viewing camera of the vehicle and wherein said video display device displays video images captured by said rearward viewing camera;

wherein, when said video display device is operated to display video images, light emitted by said video display device passes through said mirror reflective element for viewing of displayed video images by a driver of the vehicle viewing said mirror reflective element;

wherein said video display device comprises a backlighting array of light emitting diodes for backlighting said display screen, and wherein said backlighting array of light emitting diodes comprises a plurality of zones of light emitting diodes, and wherein each zone of said plurality of zones of light emitting diodes comprises at least two light emitting diodes;

wherein said zones of light emitting diodes are independently controlled based on the video images being displayed by said video display device;

wherein at least one zone of said plurality of zones of light emitting diodes is adjusted responsive to a determination of a glare source being present in the rearward field of view of said rearward viewing camera; and

wherein at least one zone of said plurality of zones of light emitting diodes is adjusted responsive to a determination of a dark area present in the rearward field of view of said rearward viewing camera.

17. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 16, wherein at least one zone of said plurality of zones of light emitting diodes backlights an upper region of said display screen and wherein said at least one zone is dimmed to reduce the display intensity of a sky region of the displayed video images.

18. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 16, wherein said display screen of said video display device comprises an array of pixels that includes a plurality of sub-arrays of pixels having red, green, blue and clear pixels, wherein said video display device is operable to display images using clear pixels to provide a brighter displayed image, and wherein said video display device is operable to display images without using clear pixels to reduce the brightness of the displayed images.

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

a mirror head pivotable about a mirror support configured to attach at an interior portion of a vehicle equipped with said interior rearview mirror assembly;

wherein said mirror head comprises an electro-optic mirror reflective element having a front substrate and a rear substrate with an electro-optic medium disposed therebetween, and wherein said front substrate has a first surface and a second surface and said rear substrate has a third surface and a fourth surface, said second surface and said third surface opposing said electro-optic medium;

wherein a transflective mirror reflector is disposed at said third surface of said rear substrate and at least partially reflects light incident thereon and at least partially transmits incident light therethrough;

wherein said electro-optic mirror reflective element comprises an electro-optically active region defined by said electro-optic medium;

a video display device disposed rearward of said fourth surface of said electro-optic mirror reflective element;

wherein said video display device comprises a display screen that occupies at least 75 percent of said electro-optically active region of said electro-optic mirror reflective element;

a glare light sensor disposed between a plane of said video display device and a plane of said second surface of said front substrate, wherein said glare light sensor is angled relative to said second surface to sense glare at said electro-optic mirror reflective element;

wherein said video display device is operable to display video images captured by a rearward viewing camera of the vehicle and wherein said video display device displays video images captured by said rearward viewing camera;

wherein, when said video display device is operated to display video images, light emitted by said video display device passes through said electro-optic mirror reflective element for viewing of displayed video images by a driver of the vehicle viewing said electro-optic mirror reflective element;

wherein said video display device comprises a backlighting array of light emitting diodes for backlighting said display screen, and wherein said backlighting array of light emitting diodes comprises a plurality of zones of light emitting diodes, and wherein each zone of said plurality of zones of light emitting diodes comprises at least two light emitting diodes;

wherein said zones of light emitting diodes are independently controlled based on the video images being displayed by said video display device;

wherein at least one zone of said plurality of zones of light emitting diodes is adjusted responsive to a determination of a headlight of a rear-approaching vehicle being present in the rearward field of view of said rearward viewing camera during nighttime driving conditions; and

wherein at least one zone of said plurality of zones of light emitting diodes is adjusted responsive to a determination of a shadow present in the rearward field of view of said rearward viewing camera during daytime driving conditions.

20. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 19, wherein said rearward viewing camera is mounted at a movable portion of the vehicle that is movable between a closed position and an opened position, and wherein said video display device is deactivated responsive to a determination that the movable portion of the vehicle has moved toward its opened position.