Patent ID: 7198394

Claim:
A vehicle rearview mirror system, said rearview mirror system comprising: a rearview mirror assembly comprising an electro-optic reflective element; said mirror assembly comprising at least a first and a second photo-sensor, both facing generally in a common direction; said mirror assembly comprising a light piping element; said light piping element piping light to said first photo-sensor from a light environment different from the light environment to which said second photo-sensor is exposed; said first photo-sensor comprising a semiconductor photo-sensor sensitive both to visible light and to infrared radiation; a spectral filter disposed in front of said first photo-sensor to reduce the amount of infrared radiation incident at said first photo-sensor; said spectral filter comprising at least one chosen from: (a) a filter element having at least about 60% visible light transmission and having less than about 10% transmission in the near-infrared spectral region; and (b) an infrared attenuating dye in a polymer material.