Information display in a rearview mirror
AssigneeDonnelly Corporation
InventorsKonrad H. Marcus, Niall R. Lynam
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An information display system for a vehicle includes a reverse image display and a rearview mirror. The reverse image display is positioned rearwardly of a driver of the vehicle such that an image of the message being displayed is reflected from the rearview mirror and received in reverse order and thus readable by the driver. A control may be included which activates the reverse image display in response to an input and may vary the intensity, color and/or frequency of repeat of the display in response to other inputs. The control may convey multiple messages through a single reverse image display or through multiple displays.
Claims35
A display system of a vehicle comprising:
- a display, said display being positionable on the vehicle rearward of a driver of the vehicle, said display being operable to provide a reverse image display of information to be received by the driver;
- and
- a rearview mirror assembly positionable forwardly of the driver and comprising a mirror reflective element, said display being remotely and rearwardly positioned from said rearview mirror assembly, said reverse image display being viewable by the driver as a readable mirror image of said reverse image display at said mirror reflective element of said rearview mirror assembly, said display being operable to vary an intensity of said reverse image display in response to a level of ambient light present at the vehicle.
A display system for use in a vehicle having a rearview mirror assembly which includes a reflective element, said display system comprising:
- a reverse image display, said reverse image display be positionable on the vehicle rearward of a driver of the vehicle, said reverse image display being operable to provide a display of information to be received by the driver via reflection from the reflective element of the rearview mirror assembly toward the driver;
- and
- a control which activates said reverse image display in response to an input, said display of information being viewable by the driver as a mirror image reflected by the reflective element, the reflected image being readable and understandable by the driver, said control being operable to vary an intensity of said reverse image display in response to an input from a photo-sensor, said photo-sensor determining a level of ambient light present at the vehicle.
A display system for use in a vehicle comprising:
- a reverse image display positionable at the vehicle and rearwardly of a driver of the vehicle, said reverse image display being operable to provide visible reverse image information in a forward direction with respect to the vehicle;
- and
- a variable reflectance rearview mirror assembly comprising a variable reflectance rearview mirror element, said variable reflectance rearview mirror assembly being operable to adjust a degree of reflectivity from said variable reflectance rearview mirror element, the visible information of said reverse image display being viewable by the driver as a reflection from said variable reflectance rearview mirror element, said reverse image display being operable to adjust an intensity of the visible information in response to a level of reflectivity of said variable reflectance rearview mirror element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.