Patent ID: 11970115
Assignee: MAGNA MIRRORS OF AMERICA, INC.
Field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  F | IPC B  F

Claim 20:
21. A vehicular lighted exterior rearview mirror system, the vehicular lighted exterior rearview mirror system comprising:
a lighted exterior rearview mirror assembly configured to attach at a side of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular lighted exterior rearview mirror system;
wherein the lighted exterior rearview mirror assembly comprises a mirror head that accommodates a reflective element;
a light module disposed at the mirror head of the lighted exterior rearview mirror assembly;
wherein, with the lighted exterior rearview mirror assembly attached at the side of the equipped vehicle, the light module is at least in part disposed at a portion of the mirror head of the lighted exterior rearview mirror assembly that faces forward in a direction of forward travel of the equipped vehicle;
wherein the light module comprises a two dimensional array of illumination sources, and wherein the two dimensional array of illumination sources comprises at least two rows of illumination sources, each row of illumination sources comprising a plurality of illumination sources;
wherein the light module comprises a light-transmitting cover, and wherein the two dimensional array of illumination sources is disposed behind the light-transmitting cover and operable to emit light that passes through the light-transmitting cover;
wherein the illumination sources of the two dimensional array of illumination sources comprise light emitting diodes;
wherein, with the lighted exterior rearview mirror assembly attached at the side of the equipped vehicle, the two dimensional array of illumination sources, when electrically powered, emits light at least in the direction of forward travel of the equipped vehicle;
wherein the illumination sources of the two dimensional array of illumination sources are controlled responsive to (i) the equipped vehicle being in a forward propulsion mode, (ii) headlights of the equipped vehicle being on and (iii) a turn signal of the equipped vehicle being actuated;
wherein each row of the two dimensional array of illumination sources comprises an inboard illumination source, at least one central illumination source, and an outboard illumination source, and wherein the at least one central illumination source is positioned between the inboard illumination source and the outboard illumination source, and wherein the outboard illumination source is further from the side of the equipped vehicle than the at least one central illumination source; and
wherein, at an initial onset of a turn of the equipped vehicle in a direction towards the side of the equipped vehicle, intensity of the inboard illumination source increases relative to intensity of the at least one central illumination source and the outboard illumination source, and wherein, as the turn progresses, intensity of the inboard illumination source decreases while intensity of the at least one central illumination source increases, and wherein, as the turn further progresses, intensity of the at least one central illumination source decreases while intensity of the at least one outboard illumination source increases.