Rearview assembly for a vehicle including a light sensor having first and second light transducers that are not exposed to the same optical spectrum
First Claim
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1. A rearview assembly for a vehicle, said rearview assembly comprising:
- a housing for mounting to the vehicle;
a rearview element disposed in said housing for providing an image of a scene to the rear of the vehicle, the brightness of the image being variable;
a light sensor comprising;
a support member,a first light transducer mounted on said support member,a second light transducer mounted on said support member such that said second light transducer faces in substantially the same direction as said first light transducer, anda filter for separating infrared radiation from visible radiation,wherein said second light transducer is not exposed to the same optical spectrum as said first light transducer; and
a control circuit for varying the brightness of the image in response to an output of said light sensor.
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Abstract
Light sensors having a wide dynamic range are used in a variety of applications. A wide dynamic range light sensor includes an exposed photodiode light transducer accumulating charge in proportion to light incident over an integration period. Sensor logic determines a light integration period prior to the beginning of integration and the charge is reset. Charge accumulated by the exposed light transducer over the light integration period is measured and a pulse having a width based on the accumulated charge is determined.
53 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A rearview assembly for a vehicle, said rearview assembly comprising:
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a housing for mounting to the vehicle; a rearview element disposed in said housing for providing an image of a scene to the rear of the vehicle, the brightness of the image being variable; a light sensor comprising; a support member, a first light transducer mounted on said support member, a second light transducer mounted on said support member such that said second light transducer faces in substantially the same direction as said first light transducer, and a filter for separating infrared radiation from visible radiation, wherein said second light transducer is not exposed to the same optical spectrum as said first light transducer; and a control circuit for varying the brightness of the image in response to an output of said light sensor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said rearview mirror assembly comprising:
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a housing for mounting to the vehicle; a rearview mirror element disposed in said housing for providing an image of a scene to the rear of the vehicle, the reflectivity of said rearview mirror element being variable; a light sensor comprising; a support member, a first light transducer mounted on said support member, a second light transducer mounted on said support member such that said second light transducer faces in substantially the same direction as said first light transducer, a filter for separating infrared radiation from visible radiation, and a sensor logic circuit for subtracting the output of one of said light transducers from the other of said light transducers, wherein said second light transducer is not exposed to the same optical spectrum as said first light transducer; and a control circuit for varying the reflectivity of said rearview mirror element in response to an output of said light sensor. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification