US 8,138,903 B2Granted

Mirror assembly

AssigneeDonnelly Corporation

InventorsJohn O. Lindahl, Peter J. Whitehead, Niall R. Lynam, John T. Uken, Lee Karner, Richard R. Hook

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle includes a mirror casing having a human machine interface thereat. The mirror assembly includes a display device disposed behind the transflective mirror reflector of the interior rearview mirror assembly and visible through the transflective mirror reflector to the driver when displaying information. The display device may include a video screen. The user actuatable input may be actuatable by a user to operate at least one element of circuitry disposed in the mirror casing. The human machine interface may be at least partially at a bezel portion of the casing, or may be at least partially at a rear casing portion of the mirror casing.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said interior rearview mirror assembly comprising:

a mirror casing and a transflective reflective element;
wherein said mirror casing has a human machine interface thereat;
wherein said interior rearview mirror assembly comprises an electrochromic interior rearview mirror assembly and wherein said transflective reflective element comprises an electrochromic transflective reflective element having a transflective mirror reflector that is partially transmissive of light and partially reflective of light incident thereon;
wherein said human machine interface comprises at least one user actuatable input accessible at a bezel portion of said mirror casing;
wherein said at least one user actuatable input comprises at least one of a user actuatable button, a touch sensor and a proximity sensor;
wherein said mirror casing is adjustably mounted at an in-cabin surface of a windshield of a vehicle equipped with said interior rearview mirror assembly via a pivot mounting arrangement;
wherein adjustment of said mirror casing 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 the equipped vehicle;
circuitry disposed in said mirror casing;
wherein said at least one user actuatable input provides user input to at least one element of said circuitry;
wherein said circuitry is associated with a display device disposed behind said transflective mirror reflector of said interior rearview mirror assembly and visible through said transflective mirror reflector to the driver when displaying information, and wherein said display device comprises a video screen;
and
wherein said circuitry comprises, at least in part, a part of a humidity control system of the equipped vehicle.

9 more elements

An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said interior rearview mirror assembly comprising:

a mirror casing and a transflective reflective element;
wherein said mirror casing has a human machine interface thereat;
wherein said interior rearview mirror assembly comprises an electrochromic interior rearview mirror assembly and wherein said transflective reflective element comprises an electrochromic transflective reflective element having a transflective mirror reflector that is partially transmissive of light and partially reflective of light incident thereon;
wherein said human machine interface comprises at least one user actuatable input accessible at a bezel portion of said mirror casing;
wherein said at least one user actuatable input comprises at least one of a user actuatable button disposed generally at a bezel portion of said mirror casing;
wherein said mirror casing is adjustably mounted at an in-cabin surface of a windshield of a vehicle equipped with said interior rearview mirror assembly via a pivot mounting arrangement;
wherein adjustment of said mirror casing 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 the equipped vehicle;
wherein a display device is disposed behind said transflective mirror reflector of said interior rearview mirror assembly and visible through said transflective mirror reflector to the driver when displaying information, and wherein said display device comprises a video screen;
and
a sensor that senses a condition at the in-cabin surface of the windshield of the equipped vehicle.

7 more elements

An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said interior rearview mirror assembly comprising:

a mirror casing and a transflective reflective element;
wherein said mirror casing has a human machine interface thereat;
wherein said interior rearview mirror assembly comprises an electrochromic interior rearview mirror assembly and wherein said transflective reflective element comprises an electrochromic transflective reflective element having a transflective mirror reflector that is partially transmissive of light and partially reflective of light incident thereon;
wherein said human machine interface comprises at least one user actuatable input accessible at a bezel portion of said mirror casing;
wherein said at least one user actuatable input comprises at least one of a user actuatable button disposed generally at a bezel portion of said mirror casing;
wherein said mirror casing is adjustably mounted at an in-cabin surface of a windshield of a vehicle equipped with said interior rearview mirror assembly via a pivot mounting arrangement;
wherein adjustment of said mirror casing 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 the equipped vehicle;
wherein a display device is disposed behind said transflective mirror reflector of said interior rearview mirror assembly and visible through said transflective mirror reflector to the driver when displaying information, and wherein said display device comprises a video screen;
and
a sensor that senses a condition at the in-cabin surface of the windshield of the equipped vehicle, and wherein said condition comprises the presence of moisture at the in-cabin surface of the windshield of the equipped vehicle, and wherein said sensor comprises a capacitive moisture sensor.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/693,740Filed 26 Jan 2010 · continuation
Priority: 19 May 2003
Published: US 2010/0195229 A15 Aug 2010
Granted: 20 Mar 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

B60R 1/12
Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or…:…
B60R 1/08
Rear-view mirror arrangements: involving special optical features, e.g. avoiding blind spots , e.g. convex mirrors; Side-by-side associations of…
G02F 1/157
Constructional details: structural association of cells with optical devices, e.g. reflectors or illuminating devices
G06F 3/04817
Based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like…:…

Family

Application60/471,546Us provisional application · filed 19 May 2003
Application60/525,537Us provisional application · filed 26 Nov 2003
Application60/535,559Us provisional application · filed 9 Jan 2004
Application60/553,517Us provisional application · filed 16 Mar 2004
Application60/556,259Us provisional application · filed 25 Mar 2004
PCT/US2004/015424Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 18 May 2004
Application11/029,695Parent of this continuation · filed 5 Jan 2005
Application11/829,578Parent of this continuation · filed 27 Jul 2007
US 2010/0195229 A1Pre-grant publication · published 5 Aug 2010
US 7,683,768 B2Parent of this continuation
US 7,253,723 B2Parent of this continuation
Application11/029,695Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2005/0169003 A1Published application
US 2007/0285789 A1Published application
US 8,138,903 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.