IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
UP-0268685
(2008-11-11)
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등록번호 |
US-7540620
(2009-07-01)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Weller, Andrew D.
- Blank, Rodney K.
- Schierbeek, Kenneth L.
- Schofield, Kenneth
- Lynam, Niall R.
- Cooprider, Troy O.
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출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
Van Dyke, Gardner, Linn & Burkhart LLP
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
109 인용 특허 :
65 |
초록
▼
A video mirror system for a vehicle includes an interior rearview mirror assembly and a video display screen disposed in a mirror housing and behind a transflective mirror reflector of a transflective reflective element of the interior rearview mirror assembly. Information displayed by the video dis
A video mirror system for a vehicle includes an interior rearview mirror assembly and a video display screen disposed in a mirror housing and behind a transflective mirror reflector of a transflective reflective element of the interior rearview mirror assembly. Information displayed by the video display screen is viewable by a driver of the equipped vehicle viewing through the transflective mirror reflector when the video display screen is activated and, when the video display screen is not activated, the presence of the video display screen behind the transflective mirror reflector is substantially not discerned by a driver of the equipped vehicle normally viewing the transflective reflective element when operating the equipped vehicle. A compass sensor may be disposed within the mirror housing and behind the transflective reflective element, and the compass sensor may adjust in tandem with adjustment of a rearward field of view of the transflective reflective element.
대표청구항
▼
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 1. A video mirror system for a vehicle, said video mirror system comprising: an interior rearview mirror assembly having a mirror housing and a transflective reflective element; wherein s
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 1. A video mirror system for a vehicle, said video mirror system comprising: an interior rearview mirror assembly having a mirror housing and a transflective reflective element; wherein said mirror housing is adjustably mounted at an interior portion of the vehicle via a double pivot mounting arrangement; wherein said transflective reflective element comprises a transflective mirror reflector that is partially transmissive of light and partially reflective of light incident thereon; wherein adjustment of said mirror housing via said double pivot mounting arrangement adjusts a rearward field of view of said transflective reflective element when said interior rearview mirror assembly is normally mounted in a vehicle equipped with said video mirror system; a video display screen disposed in said mirror housing and behind said transflective mirror reflector of said transflective reflective element, wherein information displayed by said video display screen is viewable by a driver of the equipped vehicle viewing through said transflective mirror reflector of said transflective reflective element when said video display screen is activated and wherein, when said video display screen is not activated, the presence of said video display screen behind said transflective mirror reflector of said transflective reflective element is substantially not discerned by a driver of the equipped vehicle normally viewing said transflective reflective element when operating the equipped vehicle; a compass sensor disposed within said mirror housing and behind said transflective reflective element, wherein said compass sensor adjusts in tandem with adjustment of the rearward field of view of said transflective reflective element; compass circuitry responsive to said compass sensor for determining a directional heading of the vehicle; a compass display in the vehicle for displaying directional heading information to the driver of equipped vehicle; and wherein said compass circuitry at least partially compensates for movement of said compass sensor caused by adjustment of said mirror housing via an algorithm processed by a microprocessor. 2. The video mirror system of claim 1 further comprising a physical mount for mounting said compass sensor at said transflective reflective element. 3. The video mirror system of claim 2, wherein said compass circuitry automatically at least partially compensates for a deviating magnetic field of the vehicle and generates a compensated signal indicative of the directional heading of the vehicle. 4. The video mirror system of claim 2, wherein said compass sensor comprises first and second magnetoresponsive sensing elements. 5. The video mirror system of claim 4, wherein said physical mount is configured to orient said first magnetoresponsive sensing element to be substantially parallel to a direction of travel of the vehicle and said second magnetoresponsive sensing element to be substantially orthogonal to the direction of travel of the vehicle when said reflective element is at a selected angled. 6. The video mirror system of claim 1, wherein said compass circuitry enters a rapid compensating mode in response to an ignition cycle of the vehicle. 7. the video mirror system of claim 6, wherein said compass circuitry automatically exits said rapid compensating mode and enters a less aggressive calibration mode that distinguishes the Earth's magnetic field from magnetic anomalies and non-abrupt changes in the vehicle magnetic signature. 8. The video mirror system of claim 7, wherein said compass circuitry automatically exits said rapid compensating mode after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the ignition cycle. 9. The video mirror system of claim 1, wherein said compass display is at said interior rearview mirror assembly and is disposed in said mirror housing and comprises a plurality of illumination sources positioned behind said transflective reflective element, said compass circuitry energizing said illumination sources to convey directional heading information to the driver of the vehicle. 10. The video mirror system of claim 9, wherein said compass display is operable to at least one of directly energize each of said illumination sources independently and directly energize two or more of said illumination sources in combination to provide illumination to convey the directional information to the driver of the vehicle. 11. The video mirror system of claim 1 further comprising a global positioning system that is operable to determine a geographical location of the equipped vehicle. 12. The video mirror system of claim 11, wherein said global positioning system provides altitude data and wherein altitude information is displayed to the driver of the vehicle by one of said compass display and said video display screen. 13. The video mirror system of claim 11, wherein said global positioning system provides time data and wherein time information is displayed to the driver of the vehicle by one of said compass display and said video display screen. 14. A video mirror system for a vehicle, said video mirror system comprising: an interior rearview mirror assembly having a mirror housing and an electrochromic transflective reflective element; wherein said mirror housing is adjustably mounted at an interior portion of the vehicle via a pivot mounting arrangement; wherein said transflective reflective element comprises an electrochromic transflective reflective element having a front substrate and a rear substrate and an electrochromic medium disposed between said front and rear substrates; wherein said transflective reflective element comprises a transflective mirror reflector disposed at a surface of said rear substrate, said transflective mirror reflector being partially transmissive of light and partially reflective of light incident thereon, wherein said transflective mirror reflector is at least 15 percent transmissive to visible light; wherein adjustment of said mirror housing via said pivot mounting arrangement adjusts a rearward field of view of said transflective reflective element when said interior rearview mirror assembly is normally mounted in a vehicle equipped with said video mirror system; a video display screen disposed in said mirror housing and behind said transflective mirror reflector of said transflective reflective element, wherein said video display screen comprises a liquid crystal video display screen; wherein information displayed by said video display screen is viewable by a driver of the equipped vehicle viewing through said transflective mirror reflector of said transflective reflective element when said video display screen is activated and wherein, when said video display screen is not activated, the presence of said video display screen behind said transflective mirror reflector of said transflective reflective element is substantially not discerned by a driver of the equipped vehicle normally viewing said transflective reflective element when operating the equipped vehicle; wherein said interior rearview mirror assembly comprises at least one photosensor for detecting ambient light levels at the vehicle, wherein said photosensor comprises a silicon photodiode; wherein said photosensor comprises a photosensor detector surface and wherein near infrared absorbing means are disposed in front of said photosensor detector surface of said photosensor for reducing the intensity of near infrared radiation incident thereon; a compass sensor disposed within said mirror housing and behind said transflective reflective element, wherein said compass sensor adjusts in tandem with adjustment of the rearward field of view of said transflective reflective element; compass circuitry responsive to said compass sensor for determining a directional heading of the vehicle; a compass display in the vehicle for displaying directional heading information to the driver of equipped vehicle; and wherein said compass circuitry at least partially compensates for movement of said compass sensor caused by adjustment of said mirror housing via an algorithm processed by a microprocessor. 15. The video mirror system of claim 14, wherein said near infrared absorbing means comprises at least one of (a) a near infrared absorbing compound established in front of said photosensor detector surface of said photosensor, (b) a near infrared absorbing compound established on or in a lens disposed in front of said photosensor detector surface of said photosensor, (c) a near infrared absorbing filter disposed in front of said photosensor detector surface of said photosensor, and (d) a near infrared absorbing compound established at one of (i) a filter disposed in front of said photosensor detector surface of said photosensor, (ii) a lens disposed in front of said photosensor detector surface of said photosensor, (iii) a lightpipe disposed in front of said photosensor detector surface of said photosensor and (iv) a light conduit disposed in front of said photosensor detector surface of said photosensor. 16. The video mirror system of claim 15, wherein said compass display is at said interior rearview mirror assembly and comprises a plurality of illumination sources positioned behind said transflective reflective element, said compass circuitry energizing said illumination sources to convey directional heading information to the driver of the vehicle. 17. The video mirror system of claim 15 further comprising a global positioning system that is operable to determine a geographical location of the equipped vehicle. 18. The video mirror system of claim 17, wherein said global positioning system provides altitude data and wherein altitude information is displayed to the driver of the vehicle by one of said compass display and said video display screen. 19. The video mirror system of claim 17, wherein said global positioning system provides time data and wherein time information is displayed to the driver of the vehicle by one of said compass display and said video display screen. 20. The video mirror system of claim 14, wherein said pivot mounting arrangement comprises one of (a) a single pivot mounting arrangement and (b) a double pivot mounting arrangement, and wherein an intensity of said video display screen output is adjustable in response to an output of said at least one photosensor. 21. A video mirror system for a vehicle, said video mirror system comprising: an interior rearview mirror assembly having a mirror housing and an electrochromic transflective reflective element; wherein said mirror housing is adjustably mounted at an interior portion of the vehicle via a pivot mounting arrangement; wherein said transflective reflective element comprises an electrochromic transflective reflective element having a front substrate and a rear substrate and an electrochromic medium disposed between said front and rear substrates; wherein said transflective reflective element comprises a transflective mirror reflector disposed at a surface of said rear substrate, said transflective mirror reflector being partially transmissive of light and partially reflective of light incident thereon, wherein said transflective mirror reflector is at least 15 percent transmissive to visible light; wherein adjustment of said mirror housing via said pivot mounting arrangement adjusts a rearward field of view of said transflective reflective element when said interior rearview mirror assembly is normally mounted in a vehicle equipped with said video mirror system; a video display screen disposed in said mirror housing and behind said transflective mirror reflector of said transflective reflective element, wherein said video display screen comprises a liquid crystal video display screen; wherein information displayed by said video display screen is viewable by a driver of the equipped vehicle viewing through said transflective mirror reflector of said transflective reflective element when said video display screen is activated and wherein, when said video display screen is not activated, the presence of said video display screen behind said transflective mirror reflector of said transflective reflective element is substantially not discerned by a driver of the equipped vehicle normally viewing said transflective reflective element when operating the equipped vehicle; wherein said interior rearview mirror assembly comprises at least one photosensor for detecting ambient light levels at the vehicle, wherein said photosensor comprises a silicon photodiode; wherein said photosensor comprises a photosensor detector surface and wherein near infrared absorbing means are disposed in front of said photosensor detector surface of said photosensor For reducing the intensity of near infrared radiation incident thereon; and wherein said near infrared absorbing means comprises at least one of (a) a near infrared absorbing compound established in front of said photosensor detector surface of said photosensor, (b) a near infrared absorbing compound established on or in a lens disposed in front of said photosensor detector surface of said photosensor, (c) a near infrared absorbing filter disposed in front of said photosensor detector surface of said photosensor, and (d) a near infrared absorbing compound established at one of (i) a filter disposed in front of said photosensor detector surface of said photosensor, (ii) a lens disposed in front of said photosensor detector surface of said photosensor, (iii) a lightpipe disposed in front of said photosensor detector surface of said photosensor and (iv) a light conduit disposed in front of said photosensor detector surface of said photosensor. 22. The video mirror system of claim 21, wherein said interior mirror assembly comprises a compass sensor. 23. The video mirror system of claim 22, wherein said compass sensor is disposed within said mirror housing and behind said transflective reflective element, and wherein said compass sensor adjusts in tandem with adjustment of the rearward field of view of said transflective reflective element and wherein said system comprises compass circuitry that at least partially compensates for movement of said compass sensor caused by adjustment of said mirror housing via an algorithm processed by a microprocessor. 24. The video mirror system of claim 21 further comprising a global positioning system that is operable to determine a geographical location of the equipped vehicle. 25. The video mirror system of claim 21, wherein said pivot mounting arrangement comprises a double pivot mounting arrangement and wherein said compass sensor is disposed within said mirror housing and behind said reflective element, and wherein said compass sensor adjusts in tandem with adjustment of the rearward field of view of said reflective element and wherein said mirror system comprises compass circuitry tat at least partially compensates for movement of said compass sensor caused by adjustment of said mirror housing via an algorithm processed by a microprocessor.
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