Patent ID: 8304711
Filing Date: 2012-11-06
Classification: B60R,G01J,G02B

Abstract:
1. An interior rearview mirror system for a vehicle, said interior rearview mirror system comprising: an interior rearview mirror assembly having an electrochromic reflective element, said electrochromic reflective element comprising a front substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite said first surface, and said electrochromic reflective element comprising a rear substrate having a third surface and a fourth surface opposite said third surface, wherein said third surface of said rear substrate is closer to the driver of a vehicle than said fourth surface of said rear substrate when said interior rearview mirror assembly is normally mounted in a vehicle equipped with said interior rearview mirror system; wherein said electrochromic reflective element comprises a mirror reflector disposed at said third surface of said rear substrate and a transparent electrically conductive layer disposed at said second surface of said front substrate; wherein said electrochromic reflective element comprises an electrochromic medium disposed between said second surface of said front substrate and said third surface of said rear substrate; wherein said interior rearview mirror assembly comprises (i) an ambient light sensor operable to sense ambient light and (ii) a glare light sensor operable to sense glare light; a control circuit operable to establish a reflectance level of said transflective electrochromic reflective element, wherein said control circuit is responsive to light detection by at least one of said ambient light sensor and said glare light sensor; and wherein at least one of (a) said interior rearview mirror system includes a charge accumulation device selectively connected with one of said ambient light sensor and said glare light sensor and wherein said control circuit establishes the ambient and glare light levels as a function of time for an output of said charge accumulation device to reach a reference level when connected to a respective one of said ambient light sensor and said glare light sensor, (b) a common element is used to measure outputs of said ambient light sensor and said glare light sensor sequentially to correspond errors due to component variations, and (c) said interior rearview mirror system comprises temperature compensation of at least one of said ambient light sensor and said glare light sensor and wherein said temperature compensation is responsive to a reference light sensor that is substantially not exposed to light.