Vehicle rearview mirror assembly incorporating a communication system

• US 6,980,092 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2001
• Issued: 12/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Inventors: Roberts, John K., Watson, Alan R., Walstra, Eric J., Turnbull, Robert R., Knapp, Robert C., Poe, G. Bruce, Rumsey, Wayne J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland, Donnie L.
• Application Number:
  US09/827,304
• Publication Number:
  US 20020032510A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,727 Days
• Field of Search: 340/425.5, 340/426.2, 340/426.36, 340/937, 307/9.1, 307/10.1, 379/441, 379/455, 379/420.01, 379/420.02, 379/420.03, 379/420.04, 379/454, 379/431, 455/73, 455/569.2, 455/569.1, 455/90.3, 381/86, 381/91, 362/494, 359/838, 359/841
• US Class Current: 340/425.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/12 Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/1207 with lamps; with turn indicators
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1223 with sensors or transducers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1261 with antennae
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1284 with communication systems other than radio-receivers, e.g. keyless entry systems, navigation systems; with anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3266 using the mirror of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/30 Combinations of separate antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/371 Branching current paths
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0407 Substantially flat resonant element parallel to ground plane, e.g. patch antenna dipole H01Q9/285; monopole H01Q9/40
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/30 with feed to end of elongated active element, e.g. unipole H01Q9/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3805 with built-in auxiliary receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/08 : Mouthpieces; Microphones; Attachments therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 : Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle communication and control system is provided that may be more readily installed in a vehicle and that utilizes minimal additional wiring. According to some of the disclosed embodiments, the electrical components of the “brick” of a communication and control system are integrated into a rearview mirror assembly. Preferably, the microwave antenna for the GPS and the cellular telephone antenna are also integrated into the rearview mirror assembly. Various functions and features of the system are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A vehicle rearview assembly for providing an image of a scene to the rear of the driver of the vehicle, said rearview assembly comprising:

a mounting structure for mounting to the vehicle;

an audio and data transceiver supported by said mounting structure, capable of receiving both audio and data signals from a second audio and data transceiver of at least one portable device associated with the vehicle; and

a control circuit coupled to said audio and data transceiver, said control circuit determines whether one of said portable devices is within range of said audio and data transceiver, and processes a data signal received by said audio and data transceiver from said one of said portable devices, and generates a control signal in response to such a data signal.

2. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 1, wherein said audio and data transceiver is configured to receive a data signal from a remote RF ID device tag associated with the vehicle.

3. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 2, wherein the remote RF ID device tag is provided on a vehicle ignition key associated with the vehicle.

4. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 3, wherein said control circuit enables the vehicle ignition to be turned on by the vehicle ignition key upon detection that the remote RF ID device tag is within range of said audio and data transceiver.

5. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 2, wherein said control circuit generates a control signal to unlock doors of the vehicle upon detecting that the remote RF ID device tag is within range of said audio and data transceiver.

6. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 1, wherein said control circuit responds to a data signal received from a portable device associated with the vehicle by personalizing vehicle accessories in accordance with previously stored criteria associated with a personal identification code transmitted in the data signal.

7. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 6, wherein said control circuit adjusts at least one of (a) a vehicle seat position, (b) a vehicle mirror position, (c) vehicle telephone presets, and (d) vehicle radio presets, in response to a data signal having a particular personal identification code.

8. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 1, wherein said audio and data transceiver is configured to receive a data signal from a portable telephone associated with the vehicle.

9. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 8, wherein said control circuit generates a control signal to unlock doors of the vehicle upon detecting that the portable telephone is within range of said audio and data transceiver.

10. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 8, wherein said control circuit generates a control signal to unlock doors of the vehicle upon detecting a sequence of numbers that are entered into the portable telephone through its keypad and subsequently transmitted to said audio and data transceiver.

11. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 8, and further including a voice recognition circuit coupled to said audio and data transceiver and to said control circuit, wherein said control circuit generates a control signal to unlock doors of the vehicle upon said voice recognition unit detecting a corresponding voice command received from the portable telephone through said audio and data transceiver.

12. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising a telephone transceiver supported by the mounting structure, wherein said rearview assembly exhibits an electromagnetic interference level less than about 61 dBμ

V/m for emissions in the frequency range from about 0.4 MHz to about 20 MHz.

13. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 12, wherein said mounting structure includes a housing in which said telephone transceiver is mounted.

14. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 13, wherein said housing includes an electrically conductive layer.

15. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 14, wherein said electrically conductive layer is a coating of electrically conductive material disposed on an inside surface of said housing.

16. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 12 and further including a control circuit coupled to said telephone transceiver and supported by said mounting structure.

17. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 16 and further including a display coupled to said control circuit and supported by said mounting structure.

18. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 17 and further including a microphone supported by said mounting structure and coupled to said telephone transceiver.

19. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 17 and further including an antenna supported by said mounting structure and coupled to said telephone transceiver.

20. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 12, wherein said rearview mirror exhibits an electromagnetic interference level less than about 51 dBμ

V/m for emissions in the frequency range from about 0.4 MHz to about 20 MHz.

21. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 12, wherein said rearview mirror exhibits an electromagnetic interference level less than about 41 dBμ

V/m for emissions in the frequency range from about 0.4 MHz to about 20 MHz.

22. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 1, wherein said mounting structure including a housing having an electrically conductive layer, and wherein a telephone transceiver is mounted within said housing.

23. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 22, wherein said rearview assembly exhibits an electromagnetic interference level less than about 41 dBμ

V/m for emissions in the frequency range from about 0.4 MHz to about 20 MHz.

24. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 22, wherein said electrically conductive layer is a coating of electrically conductive material disposed on an inside surface of said housing.

25. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 22, wherein said housing is made of plastic.

26. The rearview mirror of claim 1 and further comprising at least a portion of a telephone system, the vehicle having a stereo audio system with at least two speakers disposed on opposite sides of the vehicle interior, said speakers configured to play back one of two stereo audio signals output from an audio receiver, wherein said audio and data transceiver has an audio output through which an audio signal is transmitted for playback on the stereo audio system, said telephone system comprising:

a microphone coupled to said audio and data transceiver and mounted in the interior of the vehicle between the at least two speakers; and

a phase inverter coupled to said audio output of said audio and data transceiver and to the audio receiver such that said audio receiver provides the speaker disposed on one side of the vehicle with an audio signal whose phase is inverted relative to an audio signal provided to the speaker disposed on the opposite side of the vehicle.

27. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising at least a portion of a telephone system, the telephone system comprising:

an audio speaker mounted to said mounting structure, wherein said audio and data transceiver has an audio output coupled to said audio speaker for delivering an audio output signal for playback on said speaker;

an acoustic port acoustically coupled to said speaker so as to project sounds generated by said audio speaker that are out of phase with respect to the same sounds generated at said audio speaker; and

a microphone coupled to said audio and data transceiver and positioned between said audio speaker and said acoustic port.

28. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising at least a portion of a heading indication system, the heading indication system comprising:

a microwave receiver configured to receive signals from a global position satellite constellation;

a turn sensor for sensing turning of the vehicle;

wherein said control circuit is coupled to said microwave receiver and to said turn sensor for determining vehicle heading from signals received from said microwave receiver and for generating a control signal representative of the vehicle heading, wherein, when said control circuit determines that the vehicle heading has changed based upon the signals received from said microwave receiver and when said turn sensor does not sense that the vehicle has turned, said control circuit does not change the control signal thereby indicating that the vehicle heading has not changed; and

a heading indictor coupled to said control circuit for providing an indication of the vehicle heading in response to the control signal.

29. The rearview assembly of claim 28, wherein said microwave receiver is a GPS receiver.

30. The rearview assembly of claim 28, wherein said turn sensor is a gyroscope.

31. The rearview assembly of claim 28, wherein said turn sensor includes wheel speed sensors.

32. The rearview assembly of claim 28, wherein following a determination that the vehicle heading has changed based upon the signals received from said microwave receiver and that said turn sensor does not sense that the vehicle has turned, said control circuit monitors the signals received from said microwave receiver for a predetermined time period and, if the vehicle heading derived from the signals provided by said microwave receiver does not change during the predetermined time period, said control circuit changes the control signal to represent the heading derived from the signals received from said microwave receiver.

33. The rearview assembly of claim 28, wherein one of said microwave receiver and control circuit is carried by said mounting structure of the rearview mirror assembly.

34. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising at least a portion of a network-aided navigation system, the network-aided navigation system comprising:

a microwave receiver configured to receive signals from a global position satellite constellation; and

a wireless communication transceiver coupled to said microwave receiver for transmitting signals corresponding to the signals received by said microwave receiver to a network processor, and for receiving signals from the network processor from which the location of the vehicle may be derived.

35. The rearview assembly of claim 34, wherein said control circuit is coupled to said wireless communication transceiver, said control circuit being responsive to the signals received by said wireless communication transceiver to generate a control signal representing a heading of the vehicle, and wherein the rearview assembly further comprises a heading indicator coupled to said control circuit for receiving the control signal and indicating the vehicle heading.

36. The rearview assembly of claim 35, wherein said heading indicator is a display.

37. The rearview assembly of claim 36, wherein at least one of said control circuit, display, wireless communication transceiver, and microwave receiver is carried by said mounting structure of the rearview mirror assembly.

38. The rearview assembly of claim 34, wherein at least one of said wireless communication transceiver and said microwave receiver is carried by said mounting structure of the rearview mirror assembly.

39. The rearview assembly of claim 34, wherein said wireless communication transceiver is a telephone transceiver.

40. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising at least a portion of a navigation system, wherein said control circuit supplies travel directions, and wherein the navigation system comprises a speech synthesizer coupled to said control circuit for receiving the travel directions and for reproducing the travel directions in an audible speech message.

41. The rearview assembly of claim 40, wherein at least one of said control circuit and said speech synthesizer is carried by said mounting structure of the rearview mirror assembly.

42. The rearview assembly of claim 40 and further including a microwave receiver coupled to said control circuit and configured to receive signals from a global position satellite constellation.

43. The rearview assembly of claim 42, wherein at least one of said control circuit, said speech synthesizer, and said microwave receiver is carried by said mounting structure of the rearview mirror assembly.

44. The rearview assembly of claim 40 and further including a wireless communication receiver coupled to said control circuit.

45. The rearview assembly of claim 44, wherein at least one of said control circuit, said speech synthesizer, and said wireless communication receiver is carried by said mounting structure of the rearview mirror assembly.

46. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising at least a portion of a navigation system, the navigation system comprising:

a navigation circuit for providing navigational information to a driver of the vehicle based in part on information stored in a navigation database; and

a wireless communication transceiver coupled to said navigation circuit for receiving navigational data from a remote source and for supplying the received navigational data to said navigation circuit for storage in said navigation database.

47. The rearview assembly of claim 46, wherein the remote source from which navigation data is retrieved and transmitted to said wireless navigation circuit is the Internet.

48. The rearview assembly of claim 46, wherein at least a portion of said wireless communication transceiver is carried by said mounting structure of the rearview mirror assembly.

49. The rearview assembly of claim 46, wherein said wireless communication transceiver is a telephone transceiver.

50. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising a blackbox recorder comprising:

a camera mounted to the vehicle for imaging a scene proximate or within the vehicle; and

a non-volatile memory device for storing information pertaining to the vehicle including at least one image obtained from said camera.

51. The rearview assembly of claim 50 and further including:

a volatile memory device for storing a sequence of images obtained by said camera, wherein said control circuit is coupled to said volatile memory device and said non-volatile memory device for determining when a vehicle crash has occurred and for transferring at least one image stored in said volatile memory into said non-volatile memory when a crash has occurred.

52. The rearview assembly of claim 50, wherein said non-volatile memory device further stores information pertaining to the vehicle including at least one of vehicle speed history, vehicle rollover indication, air bag deployment indication, and deceleration data.

53. The rearview assembly of claim 50, wherein at least one of said camera and said non-volatile memory device is carried by said mounting structure of the rearview mirror assembly.

54. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising a blackbox recorder comprising:

a camera mounted to the vehicle for imaging a scene proximate or within the vehicle;

a memory device for storing information pertaining to the vehicle including at least one image obtained from said camera; and

a back-up battery for providing power to the blackbox recorder in the event of a disruption of power supplied from a primary power source in the vehicle.

55. The rearview assembly of claim 54, wherein at least one of said camera, said back-up battery, and said memory device is carried by said mounting structure of the rearview mirror assembly.

56. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising a blackbox recorder comprising a memory device for storing information pertaining to the vehicle including at least one of vehicle speed history, vehicle rollover indication, air bag deployment indication, and deceleration data.

57. The rearview assembly of claim 56 and further including a wireless communication transceiver for reading the information stored in said memory device and transmitting the information to a remote emergency services facility.

58. The rearview assembly of claim 56, wherein said memory device is carried by said mounting structure of the rearview mirror assembly.

59. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising:

a first switched power supply operating at a first frequency; and

a second switched power supply operating at a second frequency, wherein said first frequency is a multiple of said second frequency and said first and second switched power supplies are synchronized.

60. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 59, wherein said first switched power supply provides power at a first voltage and said second switched power supply provides power at a second voltage different from said first voltage.

61. The rearview assembly of claim 1, wherein said mounting structure comprises:

a housing for housing an imaging component that provides the image of a scene to the rear of the driver of the vehicle; and

a mounting bracket for mounting said housing to the vehicle, said mounting bracket having two rotary joints,

wherein said housing has a mass in excess of 580 grams.

62. The rearview assembly of claim 61, wherein said imaging component is a mirror.

63. The rearview assembly of claim 62, wherein said mirror is an electrochromic mirror.

64. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising:

a pushbutton mounted on said mounting structure,

wherein said control circuit is coupled to said pushbutton for performing a selected function in response to actuation of said pushbutton, wherein said control circuit is programmable to allow personalization of the selected function that is performed in response to actuation of said pushbutton.

65. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising:

a pushbutton mounted on said mounting structure, wherein said control circuit is coupled to said pushbutton for performing a selected function and generating a display signal representing the function to be performed in response to actuation of said pushbutton; and

a display supported by said mounting structure and coupled to said control circuit for displaying the function to be performed by said control circuit,

wherein said control circuit is programmable to allow personalization of the selected function that is performed in response to actuation of said pushbutton.

66. The rearview assembly of claim 1 wherein said mounting structure comprises:

a housing for housing an imaging component that provides the image of a scene to the rear of the driver of the vehicle; and

a mounting bracket for mounting said housing to the vehicle,

wherein said housing includes a contoured wall defining an interior cavity, said wall having a thickness that is non-uniform and that is greater at a central region to which said mounting bracket attaches to said housing than at other regions of said housing.

67. The rearview assembly of claim 66, wherein said imaging component is a mirror.

68. The rearview assembly of claim 67, wherein said mirror is an electrochromic mirror.

69. The rearview assembly of claim 66, wherein said mounting bracket has two rotary joints, and said housing has a mass in excess of 580 grams.

70. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising:

a display circuit supported by said mounting structure for displaying information to occupants of the vehicle, said display circuit configured to display at least ten characters simultaneously and to operate at a voltage of less than 42 volts.

71. The rearview assembly of claim 70, wherein said display circuit is configured to display at least sixteen characters simultaneously.

72. The rearview assembly of claim 70, wherein said display circuit includes at least ten multi-segmented character display regions.

73. The rearview assembly of claim 72, each said multi-segmented character display region includes at least seven segments.

74. The rearview assembly of claim 70, wherein said display circuit includes a switched power supply.

75. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising at least a portion of a telephone system, said telephone system comprising:

a transparent antenna including a transparent substrate having at least one electrically conductive region configured to receive RF signals from a wireless telephone network and to transmit RF signals to the wireless telephone network; and

a telephone transceiver coupled to said transparent antenna and mounted in the vehicle.

76. The rearview assembly of claim 75, wherein said telephone transceiver is carried by said mounting structure of the rearview mirror assembly and said transparent antenna is mounted to a window of the vehicle.

77. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising a global position system comprising:

a transparent antenna including a transparent substrate having at least one electrically conductive region configured to receive microwave signals from satellites of a global position system constellation; and

a microwave receiver coupled to said transparent antenna and mounted in the vehicle.

78. The rearview assembly system of claim 77, wherein said microwave receiver is carried by said mounting structure of the rearview mirror assembly and said transparent antenna is mounted to a window of the vehicle.

79. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising:

a hands-free microphone carried by said mounting structure and in communication with said audio and data transceiver,

wherein said audio and data transceiver receives audio and data signals from a portable telephone associated with the vehicle, and

wherein said control circuit determines whether a portable telephone having a predetermined identification number is within the range of said audio and data transceiver and exchanges data with the portable telephone through said audio and data transceiver, said control circuit selectively performs functions in response to the data exchanged with the portable telephone, said control circuit adapted to exchange data with the portable telephone through the audio and data transceiver causing the portable telephone to disable its microphone, wherein said control circuit enables speech to be picked up by said hands-free microphone and transmitted to a called party through said audio and data transceiver and a transceiver provided in the portable telephone.

80. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising:

a hands-free microphone in communication with said audio and data transceiver; and

at least one hands-free speaker in communication with said audio and data transceiver,

wherein said audio and data transceiver receives audio and data signals from a portable telephone associated with the vehicle.

81. The rearview assembly of claim 80, wherein said control circuit exchanges data with the portable telephone through the audio and data transceiver causing the portable telephone to disable its microphone, wherein said control circuit enables speech to be picked up by said hands-free microphone and transmitted to a called party through said audio and data transceiver and a transceiver provided in the portable telephone.

82. The rearview assembly of claim 80, wherein said control circuit exchanges data with the portable telephone through the audio and data transceiver causing the portable telephone to disable its speaker, wherein said control circuit enables audio signals received through a transceiver provided in the portable telephone and through said audio and data transceiver to be played back over said hands-free speaker.

83. The rearview assembly of claim 82, wherein said control circuit exchanges data with the portable telephone through the audio and data transceiver causing the portable telephone to disable its microphone, wherein said control circuit enables speech to be picked up by said hands-free microphone and transmitted to a called party through said audio and data transceiver and a transceiver provided in the portable telephone.

84. The rearview assembly of claim 80, wherein said at least one hands-free speaker includes at least one speaker of vehicle audio system.

85. The rearview assembly of claim 80 and further comprising a telephone transceiver mounted to the vehicle.

86. The rearview assembly of claim 85, wherein said control circuit causes voice signals received from a microphone on the portable telephone to be transferred to said audio and data transceiver for transmission through said telephone transceiver in the vehicle.

87. The rearview assembly of claim 85, wherein said control circuit exchanges data with the portable telephone through the audio and data transceiver causing the portable telephone to disable its microphone, wherein said control circuit enables speech to be picked up by said hands-free microphone and transmitted to a called party through said telephone transceiver.

88. The rearview assembly of claim 85, wherein said control circuit enables both said telephone transceiver and the portable telephone to be utilized upon detection that an airbag within the vehicle has been deployed.

89. The rearview assembly of claim 85, wherein at least one of said telephone transceiver, audio and data transceiver, and control circuit is supported on or within the rearview assembly of the vehicle that provides an image of a scene to the rear of the driver of the vehicle.

90. The rearview assembly of claim 89, wherein each of said telephone transceiver, audio and data transceiver, and control circuit is supported on or within said rearview assembly.

91. The rearview assembly of claim 85, wherein said control circuit exchanges data with the portable telephone through the audio and data transceiver causing the portable telephone to disable its speaker, wherein said control circuit enables audio signals from the called party that are received through said telephone transceiver to be played back over said hands-free speaker.

92. The rearview assembly of claim 1, wherein said control circuit is configured to exchange data with more than one portable telephone through said audio and data transceiver.

93. The rearview assembly of claim 1, wherein said control circuit enables said audio and data transceiver to receive data entered through a keypad on a portable telephone and wherein said control circuit performs control functions in response to data entered through the portable telephone keypad.

94. The rearview assembly of claim 1, wherein said control circuit selectively assumes control of a telephone call received or initiated by a portable telephone when the portable telephone is within range of said audio and data transceiver.

95. The rearview assembly of claim 94, wherein said control circuit assumes control of a telephone call received or initiated by the portable telephone as soon as the portable telephone is within range of said audio and data transceiver.

96. The rearview assembly of claim 94 and further including a call transfer switch coupled to said control circuit, wherein said control circuit assumes control of a telephone call received or initiated by the portable telephone in response to an activation of said call transfer switch.

97. The rearview assembly of claim 94, wherein said control circuit assumes control of a telephone call received or initiated by the portable telephone as soon as said control circuit detects that the vehicle ignition has been turned on.

98. The rearview assembly of claim 94, wherein said control circuit assumes control of a telephone call received or initiated by the portable telephone as soon as said control circuit detects that the vehicle is moving.

99. The rearview assembly of claim 94, wherein said control circuit assumes control of a telephone call received or initiated by the portable telephone as soon as said control circuit detects that the vehicle is traveling at a speed exceeding a predetermined threshold speed.

100. The rearview assembly of claim 94, wherein said control circuit assumes control of a telephone call received or initiated by the portable telephone as soon as said control circuit detects that a person using the portable telephone is within the vehicle.

101. The rearview assembly of claim 94, wherein said control circuit transfers any control for functions it had assumed from the portable telephone back to the portable telephone upon the occurrence of a predetermined event.

102. The rearview assembly of claim 101, wherein the predetermined event is the detection by said control circuit that the person using the telephone has exited the vehicle.

103. The rearview assembly of claim 102, wherein said control circuit determines that the person using the telephone has exited the vehicle when said control circuit detects that a door of the vehicle has been opened.

104. The rearview assembly of claim 101, wherein the predetermined event is the detection by said control circuit that the vehicle ignition has been turned off.

105. The rearview assembly of claim 101 and further including a call transfer switch, wherein the predetermined event is the actuation of said call transfer switch.

106. The rearview assembly of claim 101, wherein the predetermined event is the detection by said control circuit that an airbag within the vehicle has been deployed.

107. The rearview assembly of claim 1, wherein said control circuit enables said audio and data transceiver to receive audio signals received through a microphone on a portable telephone.

108. The rearview assembly of claim 107 and further including a voice recognition circuit coupled to said audio and data transceiver and to said control circuit, wherein said control circuit performs control functions in response to audio commands received by said audio and data transceiver from the portable telephone.

109. The rearview assembly of claim 1, wherein said rearview assembly exhibits an electromagnetic interference level less than about 61 dBμ

V/m for emissions in the frequency range from about 0.4 MHz to about 20 MHz.

110. The rearview assembly of claim 1, wherein said mounting structure includes a housing, and wherein an antenna for a wireless telephone is mounted to said mounting structure.

111. The rearview assembly of claim 110, wherein said antenna is mounted to said housing.

112. The rearview assembly of claim 110 and further including:

electronic circuitry contained in said housing; and

an electromagnetic shield provided between said electronic circuitry and said antenna to substantially block electromagnetic radiation generated by said electronic circuitry from reaching said antenna.

113. The rearview assembly of claim 112, wherein said electromagnetic shield is electrically coupled to a ground of said antenna to function as a ground plane.

114. The rearview assembly of claim 112, wherein said electromagnetic shield includes a conductive coating on an inside surface of said housing.

115. The rearview assembly of claim 114, wherein said housing includes an aperture extending from an outside surface of said housing to the inside of said housing and through said conductive coating, said antenna is part of an antenna structure that is mounted to said housing, and a portion of said antenna structure extends through said aperture.

116. The rearview assembly of claim 115, wherein at least one electrical lead from said antenna extends through said aperture.

117. The rearview assembly of claim 112, wherein said electronic circuitry is disposed between two circuit boards, and wherein said electromagnetic shield includes a shielding gasket disposed between the two circuit boards and surrounding said electronic circuitry.

118. The rearview assembly of claim 112, wherein said housing exhibits an electromagnetic interference level less than about 41 dBμ

V/m for emissions in the frequency range from about 0.4 MHz to about 20 MHz.

119. The rearview assembly of claim 110, wherein said antenna is coupled to said audio and data transceiver, which is mounted in said housing.

120. The rearview assembly of claim 110, wherein said antenna is substantially transparent.

121. The rearview assembly of claim 1, wherein a speech synthesizer circuit is carried by said mounting structure, for generating synthesized voice audio signals.

122. The rearview assembly of claim 121, wherein said speech synthesizer circuit is in communication with a voice recognition circuit.

123. The rearview assembly of claim 122, wherein said voice recognition circuit is carried by said mounting structure.

124. The rearview assembly of claim 122, wherein said speech synthesizer circuit is in communication with a wireless telephone transceiver for transmitting the synthesized voice audio signals over a wireless telephone link.

125. The rearview assembly of claim 124, wherein said voice recognition circuit is coupled to a microphone, receives voice signals from a vehicle occupant, performs voice recognition on the received voice signals, and supplies data representing the recognized voice signals to said speech synthesizer circuit, which generates and supplies synthesized voice audio signals to said wireless telephone transceiver representing the recognized voice signals from the vehicle occupant.

126. The rearview assembly of claim 120, wherein said speech synthesizer is in communication with a vehicle audio system.

127. The rearview assembly of claim 126, wherein said speech synthesizer is coupled to said audio and data transceiver that transmits the synthesized speech signals to a receiver that is coupled to the vehicle audio system.

128. The rearview assembly of claim 1, wherein said mounting structure includes a housing, and wherein a voice recognition circuit is carried by said mounting structure and is coupled to a microphone for receiving voice signals from a vehicle occupant, said voice recognition circuit performs voice recognition on the received voice signals, and generates data representing the recognized voice signals.

129. The rearview assembly of claim 128, wherein said voice recognition circuit is in communication with said audio and data transceiver, said voice recognition circuit performs voice recognition on a voice signal received from said audio and data transceiver.

130. The rearview assembly of claim 129, wherein said control circuit is coupled to said voice recognition circuit for generating control signals in response to voice commands recognized by said voice recognition circuit.

131. The rearview assembly of claim 130, wherein said audio and data transceiver receives voice signals from a portable telephone.

132. The rearview assembly of claim 130, wherein said audio and data transceiver receives voice signals from a headset having a microphone and a wireless voice/data RF transmitter.

133. The rearview assembly of claim 1, wherein the vehicle has an audio system, said rearview assembly further comprising:

a microphone;

a telephone transceiver coupled to said microphone, said telephone transceiver transmits and receives voice signals via a wireless communication link; and

a voice recognition circuit coupled to said microphone and said telephone transceiver, said voice recognition circuit recognizes spoken words received through said microphone and transmits a signal to said telephone transceiver pertaining to the recognized spoken words, and wherein said telephone transceiver transmits information over the wireless communication link in response to the signal received from said voice recognition circuit during a telephone call.

134. The rearview assembly of claim 133, wherein said audio source includes a CD radio antenna for receiving audio signals from satellites.

135. The rearview assembly of claim 133, wherein said audio source includes a speech synthesizer.

136. The rearview assembly of claim 133, wherein said audio source includes a telephone transceiver.

137. The rearview assembly of claim 133 and further including an antenna mounted to said mounting structure and electrically coupled to said wireless audio and data transceiver.

138. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising:

at least one microphone transducer for generating an electrical signal representing a received audio signal;

a processing circuit coupled to said microphone transducer for processing the electrical signal;

a voice recognition circuit coupled to said processing circuit for performing voice recognition on the processed electrical signals generated by said processing circuit; and

a wireless telephone transceiver coupled to said processing circuit for transmitting the processed electrical signal through a wireless telephone link,

wherein said processing circuit processes the electrical signal received from said microphone transducer differently for output to said voice recognition circuit than for output to said wireless telephone transceiver.

139. The rearview assembly of claim 138, wherein said processing circuit includes a first output terminal coupled to said wireless telephone transceiver and a second output terminal coupled to said voice recognition circuit.

140. The rearview assembly of claim 138, wherein said processing circuit includes a digital signal processor.

141. The rearview assembly of claim 138, wherein at least one of said voice recognition circuit, processing circuit, microphone transducer, and wireless telephone transceiver is supported by said mounting structure of the rearview mirror assembly.

142. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising at least a portion of a telephone system, the telephone system comprising:

a microphone;

a telephone transceiver coupled to said microphone, said telephone transceiver transmits and receives voice signals via a wireless communication link; and

a voice recognition circuit coupled to said microphone and said telephone transceiver, said voice recognition circuit recognizes spoken words received through said microphone and transmits a signal to said telephone transceiver pertaining to the recognized spoken words, and wherein said telephone transceiver transmits information over the wireless communication link in response to the signal received from said voice recognition circuit during a telephone call.

143. The rearview assembly of claim 142, wherein the information transmitted by said telephone transceiver includes one or more DTMF tones that are transmitted over the wireless communication link in response to the information transmitted from the voice recognition circuit.

144. The rearview assembly of claim 142 and further including a speech synthesizer circuit coupled to said telephone transceiver and said voice recognition circuit, wherein the information transmitted by said telephone transceiver includes one or more synthesized words generated by said speech synthesizer that is transmitted over the wireless communication link in response to the information transmitted from the voice recognition circuit.

145. The rearview assembly of claim 144, wherein said speech synthesizer synthesizes words corresponding to the spoken words recognized by said voice recognition circuit.

146. The rearview assembly of claim 142, wherein the information transmitted by said telephone transceiver includes data used to assist a remote voice recognition system to recognize the spoken words received through said microphone.

147. The rearview assembly of claim 142, wherein said telephone transceiver transmits the information while a telephone call to a remote system having voice recognition is in progress such that the information may be used for voice recognition by the remote system.

148. The rearview assembly of claim 142, wherein at least one of said microphone, telephone transceiver, and voice recognition circuit is carried by said mounting structure of the rearview assembly.

149. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising:

an electronic circuit mounted to said mounting structure; and

a battery mounted within said mounting structure for supplying power to said electronic circuit.

150. The rearview assembly of claim 149, wherein said electronic circuit includes a terminal for receiving power from a vehicle battery or ignition, and said electronic circuit draws power from said battery when power is not available from the vehicle battery or ignition.

151. The rearview assembly of claim 149, wherein said mounting structure includes a housing and said battery is mounted in said housing.

152. The rearview assembly of claim 151, wherein said electronic circuit is mounted in said housing.

153. The rearview assembly of claim 149, wherein said mounting structure includes a housing and said electronic circuit is mounted in said housing.

154. The rearview assembly of claim 149, wherein said electronic circuit includes a telephone transceiver, wherein said battery provides power to said telephone transceiver when power from the vehicle battery or ignition is disrupted, and said telephone transceiver is configured to make a distress call while drawing power from said battery.

155. The rearview assembly of claim 149, wherein said telephone transceiver transmits vehicle location while making a distress call.

156. The rearview assembly of claim 149 and further including a heater mounted to said mounting structure for heating said battery.

157. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising:

an electronic circuit configured to receive power from a vehicle battery or ignition;

a back-up battery for providing power to said electronic circuit when power from the vehicle battery or ignition is disrupted; and

a heater circuit for heating said back-up battery.

158. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising:

a telephone transceiver mounted within said mounting structure; and

an energy storage device mounted within said mounting structure for supplying power to said telephone transceiver.

159. The rearview assembly of claim 158, wherein said mounting structure includes a housing, and said telephone transceiver is mounted in said housing.

160. The rearview assembly of claim 158, wherein said energy storage device is a battery.

161. The rearview assembly of claim 158 and further including a heater for heating said battery.

162. The rearview assembly of claim 158, wherein said energy storage device includes a capacitor.

163. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising:

a telephone transceiver configured to receive power from a vehicle battery or ignition; and

a back-up energy source providing power to said telephone transceiver to enable said telephone transceiver to transmit a distress call when power from the vehicle battery or ignition is disrupted.

164. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising at least a portion of a telematics system for installation in a vehicle having an electronic module configured to control a feature of the vehicle that affects the ability of the vehicle to be driven, the telematics system comprising:

a global position identification component for identifying the location of the vehicle;

a telephone transceiver component coupled to said global position identification component for transmitting the location of the vehicle to a remote system; and

a controller component coupled to said global position identification component and said telephone transceiver component,

wherein at least one of said components is configured to periodically communicate with the electronic module and to thereby acknowledge that each of said components is present and functional such that if the electronic module does not receive periodic acknowledgement of the presence and/or functionality of said components, the electronic module affects the ability of the vehicle to be driven.

165. The rearview assembly of claim 164, wherein said at least one component is said controller component, wherein said controller component verifies the presence and status of said telephone transceiver component and said global position identification component.

166. The rearview assembly of claim 165, wherein said controller component periodically transmits a signal to the electronic module to acknowledge the presence and status of the telematics system.

167. The rearview assembly of claim 165, wherein said controller component responds to periodic polling signals from the electronic module to acknowledge the presence and status of the telematics system.

168. The rearview assembly of claim 164, wherein said at least one component and the electronic module communicate with one another using a rolling code sequence.

169. The rearview assembly of claim 164, wherein all of said components are carried by said mounting structure of the rearview mirror assembly.

170. The rearview assembly of claim 164 and further including a battery back-up to allow a distress call to be made when power is otherwise disrupted to the telematics system.

171. The rearview assembly of claim 164, wherein the electronic module disables the vehicle upon detection that one of said components is not present or non-functional.

172. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising at least a portion of a telematics system for installation in a vehicle having an electronic module configured to control the ignition of the vehicle, the telematics system comprising:

a global position identification component for identifying the location of the vehicle;

a telephone transceiver component coupled to said global position identification component for transmitting the location of the vehicle to a remote system; and

a controller component coupled to said global position identification component and said telephone transceiver component,

wherein at least one of said components is configured to communicate with the electronic module and to thereby acknowledge that each of said components is present and functional such that if the electronic module does not receive acknowledgement of the presence and/or functionality of said components, the electronic module disables the vehicle ignition.

173. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising at least a portion of a telephone system for installation in a vehicle having an electronic module for determining whether an ignition key has been inserted into the vehicle ignition and for communicating the presence of the key in the ignition, the telephone system comprising:

a telephone transceiver for transmitting calls over a wireless communication link,

wherein said control circuit is coupled to said telephone transceiver and in communication with the electronic module, said control circuit disables at least some functions of said telephone transceiver when an ignition key is not detected in the vehicle ignition.

174. The rearview assembly of claim 173, wherein said control circuit disables the ability of the telephone system to make at least some calls using said telephone transceiver.

175. The rearview assembly of claim 173, wherein said control circuit disables the ability to make calls to telephone numbers not previously stored in a memory component of said control circuit.

176. The rearview assembly of claim 1 and further comprising at least a portion of a telephone system, the telephone system comprising:

a telephone transceiver mounted to the vehicle, wherein said audio and data transceiver receives audio and data signals from a portable telephone associated with the vehicle; and

a microwave receiver for receiving satellite signals from which the location of the vehicle may be identified,

wherein said control circuit is coupled to said microwave receiver, said audio and data transceiver, and said telephone transceiver, said control circuit controls operation of said telephone transceiver and selectively enables and disables certain functions of the telephone system in response to information obtained from said microwave receiver.

177. The rearview assembly of claim 176 and further including a microphone mounted in the vehicle and coupled to said telephone transceiver.

178. The rearview assembly of claim 177 and further including a speaker mounted in the vehicle and coupled to said telephone transceiver.

179. The rearview assembly of claim 176, wherein said control circuit causes said audio and data transceiver to transmit a control signal to the portable telephone to transfer any on-going telephone calls from the portable telephone to said telephone transceiver and to disable further use of the portable telephone in the vehicle.

180. The rearview assembly of claim 176, wherein the information obtained from the microwave receiver is whether the vehicle is moving.

181. The rearview assembly of claim 176, wherein the information obtained from the microwave receiver is the location of the vehicle.

182. The rearview assembly of claim 176, wherein the information obtained from the microwave receiver is the speed at which the vehicle is traveling.

183. The rearview assembly of claim 176, wherein the function performed by said control circuit is disablement of said telephone transceiver.

184. The rearview assembly of claim 176, wherein the function performed by said control circuit is disablement of said telephone transceiver with the exception of calls made to a predetermined emergency service operator.

185. A vehicle rearview assembly for providing an image of a scene to the rear of the driver of the vehicle, said rearview assembly comprising:

a mounting structure for mounting to the vehicle;

an audio and data transceiver supported by said mounting structure, capable of receiving both audio and data signals from at least one portable telephone associated with the vehicle; and

a control circuit coupled to said audio and data transceiver, said control circuit determines whether a portable telephone is within the range of said audio and data transceiver and processes a data signal received by said audio and data transceiver from said portable telephone, and generates a control signal in response to such a data signal.

186. The rearview assembly of claim 185 and further comprising:

a hands-free microphone carried by said mounting structure and in communication with said audio and data transceiver,

wherein said control circuit determines whether a portable telephone having a predetermined identification number is within the range of said audio and data transceiver and exchanges data with the portable telephone through said audio and data transceiver, said control circuit is adapted to exchange data with the portable telephone through the audio and data transceiver causing the portable telephone to disable its microphone, wherein said control circuit enables speech to be picked up by said hands-free microphone and transmitted to a called party through said audio and data transceiver and a transceiver provided in the portable telephone.

187. The rearview assembly of claim 185 and further comprising:

a hands-free microphone in communication with said audio and data transceiver; and

at least one hands-free speaker in communication with said audio and data transceiver,

wherein said audio and data transceiver receives audio and data signals from the portable telephone associated with the vehicle.

188. The rearview assembly of claim 187, wherein said control circuit exchanges data with the portable telephone through the audio and data transceiver causing the portable telephone to disable its microphone, wherein said control circuit enables speech to be picked up by said hands-free microphone and transmitted to a called party through said audio and data transceiver and a transceiver provided in the portable telephone.

189. The rearview assembly of claim 187, wherein said control circuit exchanges data with the portable telephone through the audio and data transceiver causing the portable telephone to disable its speaker, wherein said control circuit enables audio signals received through a transceiver provided in the portable telephone and through said audio and data transceiver to be played back over said hands-free speaker.

190. A vehicle rearview assembly for providing an image of a scene to the rear of the driver of the vehicle, said rearview assembly comprising:

a mounting structure for mounting to the vehicle;

an audio and data transceiver supported by said mounting structure, capable of receiving both audio and data signals from at least one portable telephone associated with the vehicle;

a hands-free microphone carried by said mounting structure and in communication with said audio and data transceiver; and

a control circuit coupled to said audio and data transceiver, said control circuit determines whether a portable telephone having a predetermined identification code is within the range of said audio and data transceiver and exchanges data with the portable telephone through said audio and data transceiver, wherein said control circuit enables speech to be picked up by said hands-free microphone and transmitted to a called party through said audio and data transceiver and a transceiver provided in the portable telephone.

191. The rearview assembly of claim 190 and further comprising a mirror, wherein said mounting structure comprises a mirror housing and a mounting bracket for mounting said mirror housing to the vehicle, said mirror being mounted in said mirror housing.

192. The rearview assembly of claim 190, wherein said mirror is an electrochromic mirror.