Nippondenso Co., Ltd.

Shinya Ohmi

Yasutoshi Suzuki

Hiroshi Itoh

Kunihiko Hara

Tsuyoshi Fukada

Dazzle-free mirror with photocell in a non-dazzle-free portion

A control apparatus for controlling the glare shield of a reflecting mirror of a vehicle, wherein the reflecting mirror is provided with on the upper half and lower half portions respectively first and second electro-optic elements whose transmittance of light being variable, and when a first photo detecting circuit determines that incident light on the reflecting mirror detected by an incident light detector is the direct sunlight, a first control circuit applies a voltage to the first electro-optic element to cause the upper half portion of the reflecting mirror to become a glare shield condition, and when a second photo detecting circuit determines that the incident light detected by an incident light detector is light of a headlight of a following vehicle, a second control circuit applies the voltage to the second electro-optic element to cause the lower half portion of the reflecting mirror to become the glare shield condition.

Control apparatus for two section, glare shield mirror

An apparatus for driving a liquid crystal element by an increased voltage and at a lowered frequency in conformity with temperature fall in the liquid crystal element so as to achieve complete driving of the element even in a low temperature range. In order to increase the driving voltage, the apparatus comprises a booster circuit for increasing a battery voltage, and a voltage divider circuit including an element-temperature sensor as a component thereof and serving to produce a control voltage by dividing the output voltage of the booster circuit. In such configuration, the booster circuit performs its operation in such a manner as to maintain constant the control voltage obtained from the voltage divider circuit.

Liquid crystal element driving apparatus

A drive apparatus for a liquid crystal dazzlement preventing mirror arrangement for automatically setting a liquid crystal panel of the mirror arrangment to a dazzlement preventing state by detecting illuminance on the mirror surface and brightness in region near the mirror. An incident light detecting unit detects incident light onto the mirror. An ambient light detecting unit detects brightness in a region around mirror. A control unit receives both the incident light and the ambient light signals and produces a control signal for driving the liquid crystal panel through a drive unit. The apparatus includes an illuminance descrimination function, which is performed in such a manner that in the event of the illuminance on the mirror surface is higher than first prescribed set value of incident light illuminance and the illuminance in region around the mirror is lower than a prescribed set value of ambient light illuminance, the dazzlement preventing state is provided, and that in the event of the incident light illuminance is higher than a second prescribed set value of incident light illuminance which is higher than that of the first set value, irrespective of the ambient light illuminance, the dazzlement preventing state is also provided.

Drive apparatus for a liquid crystal dazzle-free mirror arrangement

A control apparatus for a dazzle-free reflection mirror of a vehicle is disclosed. The control apparatus is provided with a rear light sensor and a circuit for driving the reflection mirror into a dazzle-free condition in accordance with an intensity of a rear light detected by said rear light sensor when a light switch is turned on. The control apparatus is further provided with a winker manipulation detecting switch, a reverse position detecting switch and a steering wheel detecting switch for detecting a change in the moving direction of the vehicle. When one of them detects the change in the vehicle moving direction, the dazzle-free operation of the reflection mirror is disabled even if intensive light is incident to the reflection mirror from the rear of the vehicle.

Control apparatus for a dazzle-free reflection mirror of a vehicle

In a vehicle having an interior room mirror and a pair of exterior right and left side mirrors, a single photo sensor is provided for detecting an intensity of light incident from the rear of the vehicle. A driving circuit drives both the room mirror and the side mirrors into a dazzle-free condition in common when the photo diode detects the intensive rear light. Alternatively two photo sensors are provided for detecting not only the intensity of the rear light but also direction of the rear light and both the room mirror and one of the right and left side mirrors are driven into the dazzle-free condition in accordance with both the intensity and direction of the rear light.

Apparatus for detecting the direction of light for dazzle-free mirrors

A control apparatus for a reflection mirror of a vehicle is disclosed. The control apparatus is provided with a rear light sensor, an exterior light sensor and a circuit for driving the reflection mirror into a dazzle-free condition when it is detected by the sensors that an intensive rear light is incident from the rear of the vehicle and the exterior of the vehicle is dark. The control apparatus is further provided with a delay circuit which delays driving the reflection mirror into the dazzle-free condition for a predetermined interval of time after the exterior light sensor detects that the exterior of the vehicle is dark. The exterior light sensor may be a switching circuit which switches on and off front light bulbs of the vehicle. The control apparatus is still further provided with a delay circuit which keeps the dazzle-free condition for a predetermined interval of time even after the rear light sensor detects that the rear of the vehicle is dark.

Control apparatus with delay circuit for antiglare mirror

A control apparatus for a dazzle-free reflection mirror of a vehicle is disclosed. The control apparatus is provided with a rear light sensor and a circuit for driving the reflection mirror into a dazzle-free operation in accordance with the intensity of the rear light detected by the rear light sensor when a light switch is turned on. The control apparatus is further provided with a mirror adjusting device for adjusting the reflection angle of the reflection mirror and a detecting circuit for detecting the adjusting operation of the mirror adjusting device. When the detecting circuit detects the adjusting operation, the dazzle-free operation of the reflection mirror is disabled even if intensive light is incident to the reflection mirror from the rear of the vehicle.

Detection of manipulation of position apparatus for dazzle-free mirror

A reflection mirror using a liquid crystal cell is disclosed. A first thin film consisting of one of magnesium difluoride, silicon dioxide, silicon monoxide or titanium dioxide is formed on a glass substrate supporting the liquid crystal cell and a thin aluminum film is formed on the first thin film as a reflection mirror layer. Adhesiveness of the thin aluminum film to the glass substrate is strengthened by the first thin film. A second thin film is formed on the thin aluminum film to protect the same from being hurt. The reflection mirror may be used as a dazzle-free reflection mirror of an automotive vehicle.

Automatic antidazzle semitransparent mirror

This invention discloses a glare-shielding reflector which controls light reflectance electrically. The present invention provides a glare-shielding type reflector having a photosensor block which can detect an incident angle of a luminous flux to the reflector and a glare-shielding layer which is divided into plural units and driven individually. A glare-shielding layer formed on a front surface of a mirror is divided into plural units and only the specified glare-shielding units are automatically put into a glare-shielding state, according to the incident angle of the luminous flux to the mirror.

Glare-shielding type reflector

A liquid crystal type dazzle-free reflection mirror arrangement which changes reflectivity of the incident light by way of changing the transmittivity of the incident light through a liquid crystal provided within a frame body is disclosed. A semitransparent mirror is positioned behind the liquid crystal and a photo sensor is positioned behind the semitransparent mirror. When the photo sensor detects that the intensity of the incident light passing through the semitransparent mirror, an alternating current electric field is applied to the liquid crystal which responsively decreases the transmittivity of the incident light. A heater for heating the liquid crystal is activated when a door of an automobile is opened and the temperature of the liquid crystal is low.

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Anjo, Japan

Shinya Ohmi