Patent ID: 7467883

Claim:
An interior rearview mirror system for a vehicle, said interior rearview mirror system comprising: an interior rearview mirror assembly, said interior rearview mirror assembly comprising a mirror reflective element; said reflective element comprising one of (a) a variable reflectance reflective element having a reflectivity which is variable in accordance with a voltage applied thereto and (b) a prismatic reflective element; said reflective element disposed in a mirror housing; said interior rearview mirror assembly comprising a mounting portion for attaching said interior rearview mirror assembly to a portion of an interior of the vehicle; said reflective element having a field of view rearward of the vehicle when said interior rearview mirror assembly is attached at the portion of the interior of the vehicle; said interior rearview mirror assembly including at least one pivot joint enabling a driver of the vehicle to adjust the rearward field of view of said reflective element to that driver's desired setting; said interior rearview mirror assembly including an information display; wherein said information display comprises a liquid crystal display; wherein said interior rearview mirror assembly comprises a CMOS video microchip, said video microchip having, when said interior rearview mirror assembly is normally mounted in the vehicle, a field of view through the windshield forward of the vehicle; wherein said interior rearview mirror assembly comprises electronic circuitry, said circuitry responsive to an input from said video microchip, said circuitry controlling at least one headlamp of the vehicle; said interior rearview mirror assembly including a compass sensor comprising a magneto-responsive sensor; and said compass sensor disposed in said mirror housing behind and supported by said reflective element such that adjustment about said at least one pivot joint by the driver to set the rearward field view of said reflective element moves said compass sensor in tandem with movement of said reflective element.