Magna Mirrors of America, Inc.

Donnelly Corporation

Magna Electronics Inc.

Michael J Baur

Hamid R Habibi

Niall R Lynam

Ian A McCabe

Mark L Larson

Rodney K Blank

Darryl P De Wind

Timothy G Perkins

John T Uken

Keith D Foote

Gregory A Huizen

Craig Kendall

Donald S Rawlings

Hans J Fuchs

Tyson P DeJonge

Mitchell D Burkert

Mitchell D Burkhert

Darryl P Dewind

A vehicular cabin monitoring system includes an interior rearview mirror assembly having a mirror head adjustable relative to a mounting structure. A camera is accommodated by and moves with the mirror head when the mirror head is adjusted. A first subset of image data captured by the camera is processed for monitoring the driver of the vehicle. A spectrally reflecting mirror element is disposed within the interior cabin and spaced from the rearview mirror. The mirror element spectrally reflects light toward the camera that is representative of an obstructed region within the interior cabin not directly viewable by the camera. The mirror element is disposed at an accessory module of the vehicle. A second subset of image data is representative of light reflected from the mirror element. The cabin monitoring system determines presence of an object within the obstructed region based on processing of the second subset of image data.

Vehicular driver monitoring system with camera at interior mirror assembly

A vehicular driver monitoring system includes a vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly having a mirror head that accommodates a variable reflectance mirror reflective element. A camera is accommodated by the mirror head and views through the variable reflectance mirror reflective element. A light emitter is accommodated by the mirror head and is electrically operable to emit near infrared (NIR) light that passes through the mirror reflective element. Responsive to detection of glare light at the variable reflectance mirror reflective element, the vehicular driver monitoring system electrically reduces the reflectance of the variable reflectance mirror reflective element. Responsive to determining presence of a passenger, the vehicular driver monitoring system limits electrical reduction of the reflectance of the variable reflectance mirror reflective element so that the variable reflectance mirror reflective element provides at least a first minimum threshold transmission level of NIR light passing through the variable reflectance mirror reflective element.

Vehicular driver monitoring system with camera and light emitter in interior rearview mirror

A vehicular vision system includes a video display screen disposed behind a transflective mirror reflector of an electrochromic mirror reflective element of an interior rearview mirror assembly. Image data captured by a rearward-viewing camera is provided to the mirror assembly as digital signals carried by a coaxial cable. Electronic circuitry of the mirror assembly includes (i) auto dimming circuitry and (ii) video processing circuitry. The video display screen (i) displays at a left display region video images derived from captured image data to display a scene occurring in a left side lane, (ii) displays at a right display region video images derived from captured image data to display a scene occurring in a right side lane and (iii) displays at a middle display region video images derived from captured image data to display a scene occurring rearward of the vehicle in the lane the equipped vehicle is travelling in.

Vehicular vision system

A vehicular driver monitoring system includes a driver monitoring camera disposed at an interior rearview mirror assembly of a vehicle. The driver monitoring camera views a driver of the vehicle when the driver is driving the vehicle. The driver monitoring camera captures image data. An image processor is operable to process image data captured by the driver monitoring camera. The vehicular driver monitoring system determines driver performance based at least in part on (i) image processing by the image processor of image data captured by the driver monitoring camera, (ii) a vehicle characteristic and (iii) a condition exterior of the equipped vehicle. The vehicle characteristic includes at least one selected from the group consisting of (a) vehicle speed, (b) vehicle acceleration and (c) vehicle orientation.

Vehicular driver monitoring system

A method for assembling an electrochromic mirror reflective element includes providing front and rear glass substrates, disposing a transparent electrically conductive coating at a second surface of the front glass substrate, and disposing an electrically conductive coating at a third surface of the rear glass substrate. The front and rear glass substrates are joined via a perimeter seal and an electrochromic medium is disposed within an interpane cavity established between the front glass substrate and the rear glass substrate and bounded by the perimeter seal. With the front glass substrate joined with the rear glass substrate, and with the electrochromic medium disposed within the interpane cavity, the first and second perimeter edges are ground to round the first and second perimeter edges to provide a rounded perimeter edge of the electrochromic mirror reflective element that has a radius of curvature of at least 2.5 mm.

Method for assembling an electrochromic mirror reflective element

A vehicular driver monitoring system includes an interior rearview mirror assembly having a mirror head accommodating a mirror reflective element and adjustable about a mounting structure. The mirror head is adjustable relative to the mounting structure to adjust a rearward view provided by the mirror reflective element. A driver monitoring camera is accommodated by the mirror head behind the mirror reflective element. With the mirror head adjusted to provide the rearward view, a normal vector extending perpendicular to the mirror reflective element is directed toward a driver side of the cabin of the vehicle and, responsive to determination that a passenger is present at a passenger side of the cabin of the vehicle, a principal viewing axis of the driver monitoring camera is angled more toward a centerline axis of the vehicle than the normal vector of the mirror reflective element.

A plurality of vehicular electrochromic mirror reflective elements includes first and second vehicular electrochromic mirror reflective elements, each having a respective planar rear glass shaped substrate and a respective planar front glass substrate. The planar front glass shaped substrates are cut out from a planar glass sheet. Each planar rear glass shaped substrate is joined with a respective planar front glass substrate portion of the planar glass sheet via a respective perimeter seal. With the planar rear glass shaped substrate joined with the planar front glass shaped substrate, the circumferential perimeter cut edge of the planar front glass shaped substrate and the circumferential perimeter cut edge of the planar rear glass shaped substrate are processed to provide a circumferential rounded perimeter edge of the respective vehicular electrochromic mirror reflective element having a radius of curvature of at least 2.5 mm.

Vehicular electrochromic mirror reflective elements

A vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly includes a mounting structure, a plastic mirror casing, and a mirror reflective element having a glass substrate. The glass substrate includes a periphery surface extending between a planar first surface and a planar second surface and spanning a thickness dimension of the glass substrate. The mirror casing includes a central mounting portion and spaced apart attachment portions. The mirror reflective element is adhesively attached the spaced apart attachment portions. The central mounting portion includes a first pivot element and the mounting structure includes a second pivot element, the first pivot element and the second pivot element forming a pivot joint. The periphery surface of the glass substrate includes a curved outer surface that provides a rounded transition between the planar first surface of the glass substrate and a less-curved outer surface of a side wall of the mirror casing.

Vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly

A vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly includes a mirror head mounted at a mounting structure. An electro-optic reflective element is attached at an attachment element that attaches at an electrically powered actuator accommodated by the mirror head. The reflective element has a front glass substrate having a first thickness less than 2.3 mm and a rear glass substrate having a second thickness less than or equal to 1.6 mm. The first and second perimeter edges of the glass substrates combine to provide a curved transition from a first surface of the front glass substrate and an outer surface of the mirror head. The mirror head includes a protruding portion that is at least partially received at a notched region of the rear glass substrate. An outer surface of the protruding portion corresponds with the second perimeter edge of the rear glass substrate at the notched region.

Vehicular rearview mirror assembly

A multi-camera vehicular video display system includes an interior rearview mirror assembly having a mirror head that includes a transflective mirror element and a video display screen disposed behind the transflective mirror element. The mirror assembly includes a mechanism that is operable to change orientation of the transflective mirror element relative to a driver of the vehicle. When the mechanism changes orientation to a second position that is tilted away from the eyes of the driver of the vehicle, the video display screen displays video images viewable through the transflective mirror element. When the mechanism changes orientation to a first position that is tilted towards the eyes of the driver of the vehicle, the video display screen does not display video images. The displayed video images are derived, at least in part, from image data captured by at least one exterior viewing camera of the vehicle.

Multi-camera vehicular video display system

A vehicular vision system includes a forward viewing camera disposed behind a windshield of a vehicle and viewing forward of the vehicle through the windshield. A control is disposed at the vehicle and includes an image processor operable to process image data captured by the forward viewing camera. A drone includes a drone camera that captures image data. The drone is detachably disposed at the vehicle and is detachable from the vehicle and operable to fly above the vehicle. The drone camera captures image data representative of an area viewed by the drone camera with the drone flying above the vehicle. With the drone detached from the vehicle and flying above the vehicle, the drone communicates a signal to the control. Responsive to receiving the signal communicated by the drone, the control determines a traffic condition ahead of the equipped vehicle.

Vehicle vision system using aerial camera

A vehicular vision system includes a camera disposed at a side of a vehicle so as to view at least sideward and forward of the vehicle including a forward blind zone ahead of the vehicle that is caused by a leading vehicle ahead of the equipped vehicle and in the same traffic lane along which the equipped vehicle is traveling. The camera captures image data. An electronic control unit (ECU) includes electronic circuitry and associated software, with the electronic circuitry including an image processor for processing image data captured by the camera. A display screen is disposed in the equipped vehicle and viewable by a driver of the vehicle. The display screen, responsive to processing by the image processor of image data captured by the camera, displays video images derived from image data captured by the camera to provide displayed images of the forward blind zone ahead of the vehicle.

Vehicular vision system with enhanced forward and sideward views

A vehicular variable reflectance mirror reflective element includes a rear glass substrate joined with a front glass sheet via a perimeter seal. An electrochromic medium disposed in an interpane cavity established between the rear glass substrate and the front glass sheet and bounded by the perimeter seal. With the rear glass substrate joined with the front glass sheet, the front glass sheet is cut at a front glass substrate portion to form a front glass substrate. A back plate is attached at the rear of the rear glass substrate. With the front glass sheet cut at the front glass substrate portions to form the front glass substrate having the rear glass substrate joined therewith via the perimeter seal, and with the back plate fixtured at a finishing tool, the cut edges of the front glass substrate are processed to provide a finished perimeter edge of the front glass substrate.

Vehicular variable reflectance mirror reflective element

A vehicular vision system includes a video display screen and a video processor operable to process captured video image data captured by a rearward-viewing color video camera at the vehicle. The video display screen includes a left display region at a left portion, a right display region at a right portion, and a middle display region that spans between the left and right display regions. The video display screen (i) displays at the left display region video images derived from captured image data to display a scene occurring in a left side lane, (ii) displays at the right display region video images derived from captured image data to display a scene occurring in a right side lane and (iii) displays at the middle display region video images derived from captured image data to display a scene occurring rearward of the vehicle in the lane the equipped vehicle is travelling in.

A vehicular rearview mirror assembly includes an electrochromic reflective element having front and rear glass substrates with an electrochromic medium disposed therebetween. The front glass substrate includes a specularly reflective perimeter layer at least partially around a perimeter border region of the rear side of the front glass substrate. At least one light source is disposed behind the perimeter layer. With the vehicular rearview mirror assembly mounted at the vehicle and when the at least one light source is electrically powered, the at least one light source emits light that passes through the perimeter border region of the second side of the front glass substrate and that is visible to a viewer viewing the first side of the front glass substrate of the electrochromic reflective element at the perimeter layer.

Growing community of inventors

Holland, MI, United States of America

Michael J Baur