US 12,128,827 B2
Vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly
Gregory A. Huizen, Hudsonville, MI (US); Justin E. Sobecki, Rockford, MI (US); Austen C. Peterson, Hudsonville, MI (US); Ian A. McCabe, Holland, MI (US); Rodney K. Blank, Zeeland, MI (US); and Niall R. Lynam, Holland, MI (US)
Assigned to Magna Mirrors of America, Inc., Holland, MI (US)
Filed by Magna Mirrors of America, Inc., Holland, MI (US)
Filed on Feb. 5, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/432,366.
Application 18/432,366 is a continuation of application No. 18/308,775, filed on Apr. 28, 2023, granted, now 11,890,990.
Application 18/308,775 is a continuation of application No. 17/905,109, granted, now 11,639,134, issued on May 2, 2023, previously published as PCT/US2022/070882, filed on Mar. 1, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/267,316, filed on Jan. 31, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/262,642, filed on Oct. 18, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/260,359, filed on Aug. 18, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/201,757, filed on May 12, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/201,371, filed on Apr. 27, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/200,451, filed on Mar. 8, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/200,315, filed on Mar. 1, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0217438 A1, Jul. 4, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B60R 1/12 (2006.01); B60R 1/04 (2006.01); B60R 11/04 (2006.01); H04N 23/56 (2023.01); H04N 25/10 (2023.01); B60R 11/00 (2006.01); G02B 5/20 (2006.01)
CPC B60R 1/12 (2013.01) [B60R 1/04 (2013.01); B60R 11/04 (2013.01); H04N 23/56 (2023.01); H04N 25/10 (2023.01); B60R 2001/1253 (2013.01); B60R 2011/0033 (2013.01); G02B 5/208 (2013.01)] 77 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly, the vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly comprising:
an interior rearview mirror head adjustably disposed at a mounting base that is configured to attach the vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly at an interior portion of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly;
wherein the interior rearview mirror head accommodates an interior rearview mirror reflective element;
wherein the interior rearview mirror reflective element comprises a planar transparent glass substrate having a planar first glass surface and an opposing planar second glass surface that is separated from the planar first glass surface of the planar transparent glass substrate by a thickness dimension of the planar transparent glass substrate;
a mirror transflector disposed at one selected from the group consisting of (i) the planar first glass surface of the planar transparent glass substrate and (ii) the planar second glass surface of the planar transparent glass substrate;
wherein the mirror transflector transmits near infrared (near-IR) light incident thereon, transmits visible light incident thereon and reflects visible light incident thereon;
wherein near-IR light transmission at 940 nm of the interior rearview mirror reflective element is at least 50% of near-IR light at 940 nm incident thereon;
wherein visible light transmission in the 380-750 nm spectral region of the interior rearview mirror reflective element is at least 15% of visible light in the 380-750 nm spectral region incident thereon;
wherein visible light transmission in the 380-750 nm spectral region of the interior rearview mirror reflective element is less than 35% of visible light in the 380-750 nm spectral region incident thereon;
wherein visible light reflectivity of the interior rearview mirror reflective element (as measured in accordance with SAE J964a) is at least 40% of visible light incident thereon;
wherein the mirror transflector comprises a multilayer stack formed by a plurality of thin film coating layers;
wherein the multilayer stack comprises repeating alternating layers of a higher refractive index layer and a lower refractive index layer;
wherein the higher refractive index layer has a refractive index greater than 2 and the lower refractive index layer has a refractive index less than 1.5;
wherein the refractive index of the higher refractive index layer is bigger than the refractive index of the lower refractive index layer by at least 0.5;
wherein the plurality of thin film coating layers comprises at least five thin film coating layers;
wherein the plurality of thin film coating layers of the mirror transflector comprises an innermost thin film coating layer that is closest to the planar glass surface of the planar transparent glass substrate at which the mirror transflector is disposed;
wherein the multilayer stack forming the mirror transflector comprises an outermost thin film coating layer that is farthest from the planar glass surface of the planar transparent glass substrate at which the mirror transflector is disposed;
wherein the innermost thin film coating layer of the plurality of thin film coating layers of the mirror transflector that is closest to the planar glass surface of the planar transparent glass substrate at which the mirror transflector is disposed comprises the higher refractive index layer;
wherein the next closest thin film coating layer to the planar glass surface of the planar transparent glass substrate at which the mirror transflector is disposed comprises the lower refractive index layer;
a megapixel camera disposed within the interior rearview mirror head behind the interior rearview mirror reflective element;
wherein the megapixel camera comprises an imaging sensor, the imaging sensor comprising a CMOS imaging array having at least one million photosensor elements arranged in rows and columns;
wherein the megapixel camera views through the mirror transflector of the interior rearview mirror reflective element;
wherein the megapixel camera is operable to capture frames of image data at a frame capture rate of at least 60 frames per second;
electronic circuitry disposed within the interior rearview mirror head behind the interior rearview mirror reflective element;
wherein the electronic circuitry comprises a data processor;
wherein the data processor comprises an integrated circuit chip operable to process image data captured by the megapixel camera;
wherein a near infrared illumination source is disposed within the interior rearview mirror head behind the interior rearview mirror reflective element;
wherein the near infrared illumination source, when powered, emits near infrared light that passes through the mirror transflector of the interior rearview mirror reflective element;
wherein the interior rearview mirror reflective element and the megapixel camera and the near infrared illumination source and the electronic circuitry move in tandem with the interior rearview mirror head when, with the vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly attached at the interior portion of the equipped vehicle, the interior rearview mirror head is adjusted by a driver of the equipped vehicle to set a rearward view of the interior rearview mirror reflective element for the driver;
wherein, with the vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly attached at the interior portion of the equipped vehicle and with the interior rearview mirror head adjusted by the driver to set the rearward view of the interior rearview mirror reflective element for the driver, (i) the megapixel camera views at least the eyes of the driver of the equipped vehicle when the driver is seated at a front driver seat region of the equipped vehicle and (ii) the near infrared illumination source, when powered to emit near infrared light, illuminates at least the eyes of the driver of the equipped vehicle when the driver is seated at the front driver seat region of the equipped vehicle;
wherein, with the vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly attached at the interior portion of the equipped vehicle and responsive at least in part to the data processor processing captured image data, at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) driver attentiveness is monitored, (ii) driver drowsiness is monitored and (iii) driver gaze direction is monitored;
wherein a heatsink is thermally conductively connected to heat generating components of the electronic circuitry disposed within the interior rearview mirror head behind the interior rearview mirror reflective element; and
wherein, with the vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly attached at the interior portion of the equipped vehicle and with the data processor processing captured image data, any surface of the interior rearview mirror head touchable by the driver of the equipped vehicle is at a temperature below 60 degrees Celsius.