Abstract: An image sensing system for a vehicle includes an imaging sensor and a control. The imaging sensor has a two-dimensional array of light sensing pixels, and has a forward field of view through the windshield of a vehicle equipped with the image sensing system to the exterior of the equipped vehicle. The imaging sensor is operable to capture image data and the control includes an image processor. The image sensing system determines an object of interest present in the forward field of view of the imaging sensor via processing of the captured image data by the image processor. The image processing includes spatial filtering. The spatial filtering may, at least in part, identify atmospheric conditions. The spatial filtering may include analysis of a spectral signature representative of at least one detected light source present in the forward field of view of the imaging sensor.

Abstract: A vehicular interior rearview mirror system includes an attachment element at an in-cabin surface of a vehicle windshield and an interior rearview mirror assembly that includes a housing having a mount for attaching the mirror assembly to the attachment element. An interior rearview mirror head is pivotable about the housing by a single ball and socket pivot joint and is adjustable by a driver of the vehicle about the single pivot joint to adjust a rearward field of view. The housing houses a forwardly-viewing camera and, with the interior rearview mirror assembly attached at the attachment element, the forwardly-viewing camera views through the vehicle windshield. The interior rearview mirror assembly includes a control that may receive an input and/or deliver an output via a bus communication, and that may at least partially control a braking system and/or a traction control system of the equipped vehicle.

Abstract: A vehicular vision system includes a photosensor array having a forward field of view to the exterior of the vehicle through the windshield of the vehicle. A portion of the photosensor array captures image data representative of an item of interest exterior the vehicle and within the forward field of view. A control is responsive to an output of the photosensor array and includes an image processor for processing the image data. At least responsive to the control analyzing the image data, the image sensing system senses the presence of an object within the field of view of the photosensor array, and the image sensing system, responsive at least in part to sensing the presence of the object, at least one of (i) controls a vehicle system using forward field of view information and (ii) supplements control of a vehicle system using forward field of view information.

Abstract: A vision system for a vehicle includes a first imaging sensor having a first forward field of view and a second imaging sensor spaced from the first imaging sensor and having a second forward field of view, which at least partially overlaps with the first forward field of view. A control processes image data captured by at least one of the first and second imaging sensors to determine an object present in the first and/or second forward fields of view. The control is operable to modulate a headlamp of the vehicle responsive to the processing of image data captured by the at least one of the first and second imaging sensors. The control may process image data captured by both of the imaging sensors to determine a distance between the equipped vehicle and an object present in the overlap of the first and second forward fields of view.

Abstract: An imaging system for a vehicle includes an imaging array sensor and a control. The imaging array sensor is disposed at least partially within an exterior rearview mirror assembly that is attached at a side of a vehicle. The field of view of the imaging array sensor encompasses at least one of a rearward field of view, a sideward field of view and a forward field of view. The control may utilize edge detection in processing captured image data. Responsive at least in part to processing of captured image data by the control, the control determines an object of interest present in the field of view of the imaging array sensor. A portion of the equipped vehicle is present in the field of view of the imaging array sensor and the control may be operable to determine that the portion of the equipped vehicle is not an object of interest.

Abstract: A video mirror system for a vehicle includes an interior rearview mirror assembly having an electrochromic reflective element and a video display screen disposed to the rear of the reflective element. The video display screen, when actuated, emits light that passes through a transflective mirror reflector of the reflective element to be visible to a driver of the vehicle viewing the reflective element. The video display screen includes a thin film transistor liquid crystal display element that is back lit by a plurality of white light emitting light emitting diodes. A camera having a field of view rearward of the vehicle is mounted at the rear of the vehicle and, during a reversing maneuver of the vehicle, a video output of the camera is displayed by the video display screen as video images so as to assist the driver in reversing the equipped vehicle.

Abstract: A video mirror system suitable for use in a vehicle includes an interior rearview mirror assembly having a reflective element and a video display screen module. The video display screen module may have a metallic enclosure and at least one of (a) a polarizer film and (b) a brightness enhancing film, and includes a liquid crystal display panel that is back lit by a plurality of white light emitting light emitting diodes. The video display screen module is fixedly disposed to the rear of the reflective element or near the reflective element or is extendable from a position at the rear of the reflective element to a position near the reflective element. The video display screen module, when activated, displays video images viewable by the driver and having a driver-viewable display luminance of at least about 700 candelas per square meter when viewable by the driver during daytime viewing.

Abstract: A mirror assembly includes a reflective element portion and a molded portion formed of a multi-void, lightweight structure. The multi-void, lightweight structure may be formed by injecting a gas into an injection mold while the molded portion is being molded, resulting in a multi-void aerated molded structure having multiple-voids introduced during the molding step. A window assembly for a vehicle may include an outer frame portion, an inner frame portion hingedly attached to the outer frame portion, and at least one sealing element established along a sealing portion of the outer and/or inner frame portions. The outer frame portion may be pivoted relative to the inner frame portion and about the hinge portions to a closed position. The outer frame portion may be connected to the inner frame portion when in the closed position to secure the at least one sealing element therebetween.

Abstract: A vision system for a vehicle includes an imaging device having an imaging sensor with a field of view exterior the vehicle, a camera controller, a display device and a display controller. The display device is operable to display information for viewing by a driver of the vehicle. The imaging device communicates an image signal to the display device via a link. The display controller may affect the image signal, such as in response to a user input, and the camera controller may adjust a function of the imaging device in response to a detection of the affected image signal. The vision system may adjust an image displayed by the display device in response to a signal from an auxiliary sensing system of the vehicle, such as a distance sensing system of the vehicle that is operable to determine a distance to an object exterior the vehicle.

Abstract: A forward facing imaging system for a vehicle includes an interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at an interior portion of a vehicle and a camera disposed at the interior rearview mirror assembly. The camera has a forward field of view through a windshield of the vehicle. The camera captures image data and captured image data is recorded by a recording system. During operation of the vehicle, the recording system records image data, as it is captured over a given period of operation of the vehicle, in a closed-loop fashion onto electronic memory. Image data, as captured by the camera, is processed by an image processor in order to determine the presence of at least one object forward of the equipped vehicle.

Abstract: An interior rearview mirror system for a vehicle includes an interior rearview mirror assembly having a reflective element and ambient and glare light sensors. A control circuit is operable to establish a reflectance level of the reflective element. At least one of (a) the mirror system includes a charge accumulation device selectively connected with the ambient or glare light sensor and the control circuit establishes the ambient and glare light levels as a function of time for an output of the charge accumulation device to reach a reference level when connected to the respective light sensor, (b) a common element is used to measure outputs of the light sensors sequentially to correspond errors due to component variations, and (c) the mirror system includes temperature compensation of the glare and/or ambient light sensor and the temperature compensation is responsive to a reference light sensor that is substantially not exposed to light.

Abstract: A rearview mirror assembly includes an electrochromic reflective element having a front substrate and a rear substrate and an electrochromic medium sandwiched therebetween. The reflective element includes a resin material disposed at least at a portion of a fourth surface of the rear substrate. While the resin material is in its uncured state at the rear substrate, an electrical connector is engaged with the uncured resin material. The electrical connector is electrically conductively connected with the resin material and is substantially affixed at the fourth surface of the rear substrate via curing of the resin material while the electrical connector is engaged with the resin material. The electrical connector may establish electrical conductivity between the cured resin material and one of (i) a transparent electrically conductive coating at the second surface of the front substrate and (ii) a mirror reflector at the third surface of the rear substrate.

Abstract: An accessory system for a vehicle includes an accessory module, at least one accessory and an attachment member at an interior surface of a vehicle windshield. The at least one accessory comprises a camera having a lens, with the camera being disposed in the accessory module, and the accessory module comprising structure to angle the camera with respect to a windshield facing portion of the accessory module. The camera has a forward field of view through the vehicle windshield when the accessory module is mounted to the attachment member. The accessory system may include a resilient element disposed between the windshield facing portion and the interior surface of the vehicle windshield to cushion and/or seal the accessory module relative to the interior surface when the accessory module is mounted to the attachment member at the interior surface of the vehicle windshield.

Abstract: An interior rearview mirror system for a vehicle includes an interior rearview mirror assembly having a mirror housing, an electro-optic reflective element and an information display. The information display is disposed in the mirror housing rearward of the transflective mirror reflector of the reflective element and is operable to display information for viewing by the driver of the vehicle, with the information including video images captured by a camera of the vehicle. Information displayed by the information display is viewable by the driver of the vehicle viewing through the transflective mirror reflector of the reflective element when the information display is displaying information, and, when the information display is not displaying information, the presence of the information display behind the transflective mirror reflector of the reflective element is substantially not discerned by the driver of the vehicle normally viewing the reflective element in the vehicle.

Abstract: A vehicular video mirror system includes an interior rearview mirror assembly having a transflective reflective element. The mirror system includes a video display device at a casing of the mirror assembly rearward of the transflective reflective element, with the video display device having a video screen and a plurality of individual white light emitting light sources operable for backlighting the video screen. The intensity of light emitted by the white light emitting light sources is variable responsive to detection of light by at least one photosensor. The video screen may be operable to display video images captured by a rear back-up camera of the equipped vehicle during a reversing maneuver of the equipped vehicle. Light emanating from the white light emitting light emitting diodes may pass through a brightness enhancement film and a light diffuser to be incident at a transflective reflector of a second substrate of the mirror assembly.

Abstract: An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle includes a mirror head having a reflective mirror element, and a mirror mount for attaching the interior rearview mirror assembly to an attachment element attached at an interior portion of the vehicle. When the mirror mount is attached to the attachment element, the reflective mirror element has a field of view rearward of the vehicle. The interior rearview mirror assembly includes a pivot joint enabling a driver of the vehicle to pivotally adjust the mirror head to set the rearward field of view of the reflective mirror element to the driver's desired setting with the interior rearview mirror assembly attached to the attachment element. The interior rearview mirror assembly includes circuitry, and the circuitry comprises at least one of (a) a transmitter for a toll booth transaction function and (b) a receiver for a toll booth transaction function.

Abstract: A vehicular vision system includes a photosensor array having a forward field of view to the exterior of the vehicle through the windshield of the vehicle. A portion of the photosensor array captures image data representative of an item of interest exterior the vehicle and within the forward field of view. A control is responsive to an output of the photosensor array and includes an image processor for processing the image data. At least responsive to the control analyzing the image data, the image sensing system senses the presence of an object within the field of view of the photosensor array, and the image sensing system, responsive at least in part to sensing the presence of the object, at least one of (i) controls a vehicle system using forward field of view information and (ii) supplements control of a vehicle system using forward field of view information.

Abstract: An interior rearview mirror system for a vehicle includes a mirror mounting button adhesively attached at an in-cabin surface of a vehicle windshield, and an interior rearview mirror assembly including a mirror head and a mirror support. The mirror head includes a mirror reflective element and a mirror casing, and the mirror support includes a mirror mount that is configured to mount the interior rearview mirror assembly to the mirror mounting button at the in-cabin surface of the vehicle windshield. A forward facing camera is disposed at the mirror support and has a field of view through the vehicle windshield when the interior rearview mirror assembly is normally mounted at the mirror mounting button at the in-cabin surface of the vehicle windshield. The forward facing camera is a CMOS camera, and the forward facing camera captures images for a collision avoidance system of the equipped vehicle.

Abstract: An information display system for a vehicle includes an interior rearview mirror assembly disposed at the interior cabin of a vehicle and a video display screen disposed in the interior rearview mirror assembly. The video display screen is operable to display video images captured by a backup camera of the equipped vehicle for assisting the driver during a reversing maneuver. A transmitter is disposed at the interior rearview mirror assembly, and a graphical user interface generates instructions for operation of the transmitter. The video display screen is operable to selectively display video images captured by the backup camera and instructions from the graphical user interface. When the equipped vehicle is executing a reversing maneuver, the information display system displays the video images captured by the backup camera. The graphical user interface interactively operates with the user input for display of instructions for operation of the transmitter.

Abstract: An information display system for a vehicle includes an interior rearview mirror assembly disposed at the interior cabin of a vehicle and a video display screen disposed in the interior rearview mirror assembly. The video display screen is operable to display video images captured by a backup camera of the equipped vehicle for assisting the driver during a reversing maneuver. A transmitter is disposed at the interior rearview mirror assembly, and a graphical user interface generates instructions for operation of the transmitter. The video display screen is operable to selectively display video images captured by the backup camera and instructions from the graphical user interface. When the equipped vehicle is executing a reversing maneuver, the information display system displays the video images captured by the backup camera. The graphical user interface interactively operates with the user input for display of instructions for operation of the transmitter.