Automatic control of automotive rearview mirror

A vehicle comprising:

• a rearview mirror assembly including a mirror, said mirror being automatically adjustable relative to the mirror assembly so as to change the rear viewing angle of the mirror;
• a vehicle hand-wheel angle sensor for providing a signal of the position of a vehicle hand wheel;
• a vehicle speed sensor for providing a signal of the vehicle speed;
• a vehicle yaw rate sensor for providing a signal of the vehicle yaw rate;
• a vehicle turn signal sensor for providing a signal that a vehicle turn signal is on;
• a GPS receiver and digital map for providing a signal of the position of the vehicle and road information;
• and
• a rearview mirror controller for controlling the position of the mirror, said rearview mirror controller being responsive to the signals from the vehicle hand-wheel angle sensor, the vehicle speed sensor, the vehicle yaw rate sensor, the vehicle turn signal sensor, the GPS receiver and the digital map, said rearview mirror controller setting the position of the mirror based on the signals, wherein the rearview mirror controller moves the mirror from a normal rear viewing zone to a modified rear viewing zone in response to turning of the vehicle or an anticipated turn of the vehicle, a merge condition or a lane change condition.

A method for automatically setting a position of a vehicle side rearview mirror between a normal rear viewing position and a modified rear viewing position based on a vehicle operating condition, said method comprising:

• determining a current position of the rearview mirror;
• determining whether a turn signal of the vehicle is activated;
• moving the mirror to the modified rear viewing position if the turn signal is activated;
• determining whether the vehicle is or will be traveling a long a curved path;
• moving the mirror to the modified rear viewing position if the vehicle is or will be traveling along the curved path;
• determining whether the vehicle is or will be merging onto a road;
• and
• moving the mirror to the modified rear viewing position if the vehicle is or will be merging onto the road.