Abstract: A user-interactive display system for a vehicle includes a portable hand-held device capable of being carried into and out of the vehicle and a display device viewable by the driver of the vehicle. The portable hand-held device is operable to communicate with a vehicle-based receiver, and the display device is operable to display a listing of choices in response to the communication. A user input of an interior rearview mirror assembly is actuatable by a user to select an item from the displayed listing of choices. The user-interactive display system is operable to at least one of (a) display at the display device data associated with the selected item in response to the user-selection of the selected item from the listing of choices and (b) audibly play at an audio device in the vehicle data associated with the selected item in response to the user-selection of the selected item from the listing of choices.

Abstract: An exterior sideview mirror system includes an exterior sideview mirror assembly including a reflective element having a rearward field of view when attached to a side of an automobile. The reflective element includes has a plano reflective element and a separate auxiliary reflective element having a curvature. The plano reflective element and the auxiliary reflective element are supported adjacently at a backing plate element having a first support portion supporting the plano reflective element and a second support portion supporting the auxiliary reflective element. The auxiliary reflective element is positioned at an outboard portion of the reflective element assembly when the exterior sideview mirror assembly is attached to the side of the automobile. When the exterior sideview mirror assembly is attached to and operated at the side of the automobile, the field of view of the auxiliary reflective element overlaps with the field of view of the plano reflective element.

Abstract: A driver assistance system for a vehicle includes a display screen disposed within an interior cabin of the vehicle and a camera disposed at the vehicle and having a rearward field of view. The display screen displays video information captured by the camera for assisting the driver during a reversing maneuver. When the vehicle is not executing a reversing maneuver, the information display screen is operable to display information wirelessly communicated to the vehicle from a remote communication system. The information from the remote communication system may include traffic information or traffic related information, such as traffic flow, congestion, stalled vehicle or accident information, alternate routes for the vehicle, and/or traffic information derived from sensors or signs positioned along the road that the vehicle is traveling or on other roads near or associated with that road. The remote communication system may include a highway/road management monitoring system.

Abstract: An automotive communication system for a vehicle includes a global positioning system and a display device disposed at an interior portion of a vehicle. Data is wirelessly communicated to and is received by electronic circuitry of the vehicle and the data is at least in part customized to the geographic location of the vehicle as determined by the global positioning system. Information derived at least in part from the data is displayed by the display device and is viewable by a driver of the vehicle. A user input for the wireless communication is operable within the interior cabin of the vehicle. The automotive communication system includes at least one of (i) voice input, (ii) voice detection, (iii) voice recognition and (iv) voice generation.

Abstract: A variable reflectance mirror reflective element for a vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly includes a front substrate and a rear substrate, with an electrochromic medium disposed therebetween. A mirror reflector is disposed at a third surface of the rear substrate and includes a stack of thin films and has a sheet resistance of less than about 5 ohms per square. Light that reflects off of the mirror reflector and passes through the electrochromic medium and the front substrate exhibits a substantially non-spectrally selective reflectance characteristic to a person viewing the exterior mirror reflective element when no voltage is applied to the electrochromic medium. At least a portion of the mirror reflector extends out under the seal towards a perimeter edge of the rear substrate. An electrical connection, which may include a conductive epoxy, is made to the portion of the mirror reflector outboard of the perimeter seal.

Abstract: A system and method of automatically controlling vehicle exterior lights including an image sensor and a controller to generate headlamp control signals.

Abstract: A mirror reflective element sub-assembly for an exterior rearview mirror assembly includes an electrochromic mirror reflective element and a heater pad disposed at a fourth surface of the rear substrate, with the heater pad having a substantially non-light transmitting portion and a light transmitting portion. A mirror back plate is disposed at said heater pad and has a plate portion having a rear plate surface and having a front plate surface facing the heater pad. The mirror back plate has a first structure at the rear plate surface that is configured to attach at an actuator of an exterior rearview mirror assembly. An indicator element is disposed at a second structure at the rear plate surface of the mirror back plate. The indicator element, when its light source is activated, emits light through the light transmitting portion of the heater pad and through the mirror reflective element.

Abstract: A mirror reflective element assembly for an exterior rearview mirror assembly includes a mirror casing, a reflective element, an auxiliary wide angle element and a back plate. The auxiliary wide angle element is disposed at the rear surface of a mirror substrate. A back plate mounting structure may establish a space at the mirror actuator that is sufficient for a portion of the auxiliary wide angle element to be disposed between a rear surface of the reflective element and the mirror actuator. The back plate may have at least one sealing element at least partially around a perimeter region of a wide angle element receiving portion of the back plate, and the sealing element may engage the rear surface of the mirror substrate when the back plate is attached to the reflective element and may limit intrusion of adhesive between the back plate and the mirror substrate.

Abstract: An exterior rearview mirror assembly includes a variable reflectance mirror reflective element. A mirror reflector of the mirror reflective element includes a stack of thin films having at least two thin films. At least one of the thin films is formed of a material that has a specific resistivity of less than about 1×10?2 ohm·cm, and at least one of the thin films is a thin metal film. An electrochromic medium is disposed in an interpane cavity of the mirror reflective element and is bounded by a perimeter seal. A reflective perimeter layer is disposed at a second surface of a front substrate proximate a perimeter edge of the front substrate. The perimeter layer generally conceals the perimeter seal from view by a driver of the vehicle normally viewing the front substrate when the exterior rearview mirror assembly is mounted at the vehicle.

Abstract: A vehicular exterior sideview mirror assembly includes a main plano mirror element fixedly disposed at a first portion of a mirror backing plate element and an auxiliary non-plano curved mirror element fixedly disposed at a second portion of the backing plate element. The main plano mirror element and the auxiliary non-plano curved mirror element are adjacently disposed at the backing plate element in a side-by-side relationship. The field of view of the main plano mirror element overlaps the field of view of the non-plano curved mirror element. The overall rearward field of view of the main plano mirror element and auxiliary non-plano curved mirror element is at least about 25 degrees relative to the side of the vehicle. The overall rearward field of view of the main plano mirror element and auxiliary non-plano curved mirror element is less than about 50 degrees relative to the side of the vehicle.

Abstract: A mirror reflective element assembly for an exterior rearview mirror assembly of a vehicle includes a reflective element, a back plate disposed at a rear surface of the reflective element, a wide angle reflector element received in a receiving portion of the back plate. The reflective element has a first reflective coating disposed thereat and the wide angle reflector element has a curved rear surface with a second reflective coating disposed at the curved rear surface. An optical element or optical adhesive may be disposed between a front surface of the wide angle reflector element and the rear surface of the reflective element.

Abstract: A mirror reflector sub-assembly for a vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly includes a mirror reflective element having a glass substrate with first and second surfaces. The mirror reflective element has a principal reflector portion and an auxiliary reflector portion. The auxiliary reflector portion of the mirror reflective element includes a curved recess established at the second surface of the glass substrate by at least one of grinding and ablating. A reflector is established at the curved recess and a principal mirror reflector is established at the principal reflector portion. The mirror reflective element is supported at a side of a mirror back plate and an opposing side of the mirror back plate is configured for attaching the mirror back plate to a mirror actuator. The opposing side of the mirror back plate includes an attaching portion that snap attaches to the mirror actuator.

Abstract: An interior mirror system for a vehicle includes an interior rearview mirror assembly and a display element disposed within a mirror housing and behind the mirror reflective element. Information displayed by the display element, when backlit by a plurality of white light-emitting light emitting diodes, is viewable through the reflective element. The control is operable to vary the intensity of information displayed by the display element as viewed through the reflective element by the driver of the vehicle. When the display element is backlit during daytime lighting conditions, the control is operable to adjust the intensity of displayed information to at least about 1,000 cd/m2 as viewed through the reflective element by the driver of the vehicle. The interior rearview mirror assembly may include circuitry that shares components with the control and at least one other electrically operable feature of the interior rearview mirror assembly.

Abstract: An integrated automotive compass suitable for use in a vehicle includes an application specific integrated circuit that includes at least first and second magnetoresponsive sensing elements. The first and second magnetoresponsive sensing elements and at least a portion of associated circuitry are established on a common semiconductor substrate using CMOS technology. When powered via a vehicle power source, the application specific integrated circuit, at least in part, generates a compass directional heading of the vehicle. The directional heading of the vehicle is determined, at least in part, responsive to a sensing of a magnetic field by the magnetoresponsive sensing elements. Automatic compensation for a deviating magnetic field during operation of the vehicle is achieved, at least in part, via an algorithm processed by a processor of application specific integrated circuit.

Abstract: A mirror element sub-assembly for a vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly includes a mirror reflective element, a mirror back plate and an indicator. The front side of the mirror back plate includes a reflective element attaching portion and the rear side of the mirror back plate includes (i) an actuator attaching portion and (ii) an indicator attaching portion, all of which are integrally formed during injection molding of the mirror back plate. The indicator attaching portion includes structure extending from the rear side of the mirror back plate and having a passageway therethrough. The indicator is attached at the structure, and light emitted by the indicator passes through the passageway and through an opening of the mirror back plate and through the mirror reflective element so as to exit from the mirror reflective element at an angle relative to the reflective element attaching portion.

Abstract: An exterior mirror reflective element includes front and rear substrates and a mirror reflector having a stack of thin films. No part of the rear substrate extends beyond any part of the front substrate. A perimeter layer is disposed at a second surface of the front substrate proximate a perimeter edge of the front substrate. Light that reflects off of the mirror reflector and passes through the electrochromic medium and the front substrate exhibits a substantially non-spectrally selective reflectance characteristic to a person viewing the reflective element when no voltage is applied to the electrochromic medium. The substantially non-spectrally selective reflectance characteristic is established by the refractive index and physical thickness of the individual thin films of the stack of thin films. At least a portion of the mirror reflector extends out under the seal towards a perimeter edge of the rear substrate.

Abstract: An electronic accessory system for a vehicle includes an accessory module housing electronics, which includes a CMOS camera and a vehicle bus node and a digital signal processor. When the accessory module is mounted at a vehicle windshield, the vehicle bus node is connected to a vehicle bus of the vehicle. At least one of (a) data generated by the electronics is conveyed to the vehicle bus via the vehicle bus node and (b) the vehicle bus conveys data to the electronics via the vehicle bus node. The digital signal processor is operable at a computational speed of at least 75 million instructions per second, and may include at least one of (a) at least 40 kilobytes of on-chip memory, (b) at least one serial port, (c) at least one DMA port, (d) at least one timer and (e) at least one interrupt capability.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a reflective element for a vehicle rearview mirror assembly includes providing front and rear glass substrates and establishing an uncured trace material at least at the rear glass substrate and establishing an uncured seal material along a perimeter region of at least one of the second surface of the front glass substrate and the third surface of the rear glass substrate. The front and rear glass substrates are joined with the uncured seal material disposed therebetween. The uncured seal material and the uncured trace material are cured via a common curing process. The curing of the uncured trace material forms an electrically conductive trace at the rear glass substrate and the curing of the uncured seal material forms a perimeter seal of the reflective element. The electrically conductive trace is in electrical continuity with the electrically conductive mirror reflector.

Abstract: A mirror reflector sub-assembly for a vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly includes a mirror reflective element having a glass substrate with first and second surfaces. The mirror reflective element has a principal reflector portion and an auxiliary reflector portion. The auxiliary reflector portion of the mirror reflective element includes a curved recess established at the second surface of the glass substrate by at least one of grinding and ablating. A reflector is established at the curved recess and a principal mirror reflector is established at the principal reflector portion. The mirror reflective element is supported at a side of a mirror back plate and an opposing side of the mirror back plate is configured for attaching the mirror back plate to a mirror actuator. The opposing side of the mirror back plate includes an attaching portion that snap attaches to the mirror actuator.

Abstract: An integrated automotive compass suitable for use in a vehicle includes an application specific integrated circuit that includes at least first and second magnetoresponsive sensing elements. The first and second magnetoresponsive sensing elements and at least a portion of associated circuitry are established on a common semiconductor substrate using CMOS technology. When powered via a vehicle power source, the application specific integrated circuit, at least in part, generates a compass directional heading of the vehicle. The directional heading of the vehicle is determined, at least in part, responsive to a sensing of a magnetic field by the magnetoresponsive sensing elements. Automatic compensation for a deviating magnetic field during operation of the vehicle is achieved, at least in part, via an algorithm processed by a processor of application specific integrated circuit.