Patent ID: 7490007

Claim:
A video mirror system for a vehicle, said video mirror system comprising: an interior electrochromic rearview mirror assembly mountable at an interior portion of a vehicle, said interior electrochromic rearview mirror assembly comprising a reflective element, said reflective element having a front portion that faces generally towards a driver of the vehicle when said interior rearview mirror assembly is mounted in the vehicle, and having a rear portion that is generally opposite said front portion; said reflective element comprising a transflective mirror reflector, said reflective element being at least about 15 percent transmitting to visible light incident at said rear portion of said reflective element, and at least about 60 percent reflective to visible light incident at said front portion of said reflective element, and said transflective mirror reflector of said reflective element comprising a third-surface transflective mirror reflector of said interior electrochromic rearview mirror assembly; a video display screen disposed to the rear of said rear portion of said reflective element, said video display screen emitting light when actuated that passes through said reflective element to be visible to a driver of the vehicle viewing said front portion of said reflective element; wherein said video display screen comprises a liquid crystal display element that is back lit by at least one of (i) a cold cathode vacuum fluorescent light source when said light source is powered and (ii) at least one white light emitting light emitting diode when said light emitting diode is powered; wherein said video display screen is operable to exhibit a display intensity as viewed by the driver viewing through said front portion of at least about 400 candelas per square meter when said interior electrochromic rearview mirror assembly is mounted, operated and viewed in the vehicle; wherein a camera having a field of view rearward of the vehicle is mounted to the rear of the vehicle and wherein, upon selecting a reverse gear, a video output of said camera is displayed by said video screen so as to assist the driver in reversing the vehicle; and wherein the presence of said video display screen is only principally visible to the driver of the vehicle, who is viewing said interior electrochromic rearview mirror assembly when it is mounted at said interior portion of a vehicle, when said liquid crystal display element is back lit.