An apparatus for monitoring the blind spot of a motor vehicle has a mirror assembly with at least one mirror element that can be moved using an actuator, and a microphone assembly. The microphone assembly is designed to determine the sound direction, and the movable mirror element is in the form of a sound reflector.

A rear-view mirror and modular monitor system and method include an interior mirror that embeds a modular monitor behind see-through mirror glass. In some embodiments, the system includes multiple cameras, some in the vehicle, bus and/or truck, as well as some cameras outside the vehicle, bus and/or truck, advantageously providing the driver an opportunity to view what is happening, for example, in the back rows of the bus and/or cabin, while also using the mirror to look at objects in the bus and/or cabin that are visible using the mirror. The rear-view mirror and modular monitor system is configured to be easily assembled and/or disassembled when necessary for maintenance and/or to replace parts.

A rear-view mirror and modular monitor system and method include an interior mirror that embeds a modular monitor behind see-through mirror glass. In some embodiments, the system includes multiple cameras, some in the vehicle, bus and/or truck, as well as some cameras outside the vehicle, bus and/or truck, advantageously providing the driver an opportunity to view what is happening, for example, in the back rows of the bus and/or cabin, while also using the mirror to look at objects in the bus and/or cabin that are visible using the mirror. The rear-view mirror and modular monitor system is configured to be easily assembled and/or disassembled when necessary for maintenance and/or to replace parts.

A method for assembling an electro-optic mirror reflective element for a vehicular rearview mirror assembly includes providing a container having a plurality of holes for dispensing spacer beads, supporting the container over a dispensing area via an electrically powered shaking device, positioning a glass substrate at the dispensing area, and automatically shaking the container so that spacer beads fall through the holes in the container and onto the glass substrate. The shaking of the container is controlled so that the shaking device is deactivated after an appropriate amount of spacer beads are dispensed onto the glass substrate. The glass substrate is mated with another glass substrate with the dispensed spacer beads between the glass substrates and bounded by a perimeter seal. The cavity between the glass substrates is filled with an electro-optic medium, and the cavity is sealed with the electro-optic medium and spacer beads disposed therein.

A vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly includes a mirror head and a mounting assembly. The mirror casing includes a sidewall having an outer end region that circumscribes an open portion of the mirror casing. The outer end region includes a rounded outer surface curving between the open portion and a less-curved outer surface of the sidewall. The mirror reflective element is disposed at the open portion of the mirror casing. The mirror reflective element has a glass substrate having a rounded perimeter edge of at least 2.5 mm and a thickness of less than 2 mm. Curvature of the rounded outer surface of the outer end region of the sidewall matches curvature of the rounded perimeter edge of the glass substrate to provide a curved transition between a flat region at the front surface of the glass substrate and the less-curved outer surface of the sidewall of the mirror casing.

A rearview system may comprise a light sensor assembly having: a photosensor operable to detect light and generate a signal based, at least in part, on the detected light; a dichroic filter in optical communication with the photosensor and operable to filter light; and a rearview assembly having an electro-optic element may comprise an electro-optic medium and operable to variably change the amount of light passing through the electro-optic medium based, at least in part, on the signal. The dichroic filter may be configured to substantially inhibit light having a wavelength of less than 400 nm or greater than 650 nm from transmitting therethrough.

A vehicular rearview assembly includes an electro-optic element. A first substrate defines a first element surface and a second element surface. A first polarizer is coupled to the second element surface. A second substrate is spaced away from the first substrate and defines a third element surface and a fourth element surface. An electro-optic material is positioned between the first and second substrates. A second polarizer is coupled to the second substrate. A display is configured to emit light having a first polarization toward the second polarizer.

A rear-view mirror includes a body, wherein the body includes a first polarizer, a dimming layer, a transflective polarizer, and a display component which are sequentially laminated. The dimming layer is configured to adjust a polarization direction of light passing through the dimming layer. By adjusting the polarization direction of the light passing through the dimming layer via the dimming layer, the reflectivity and transmittance of the transflective polarizer to the light can be changed, such that both an anti-glare function and a display function of the rear-view mirror can be achieved.

A vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly includes a mounting arm and a mirror head at one end of the mounting arm distal from an attachment portion of the mounting arm that is configured for attachment at a vehicle. A mirror reflective element is fixedly attached at the mirror head. An innermost side of the mirror reflective element is attached at a front side of an attachment plate. The mirror reflective element moves in tandem with movement of the mirror head relative to the mounting arm when the driver of the vehicle operates an electrically-operable actuator. The attachment plate includes wall structure that extends from the front side of the attachment plate and circumscribes and spans the perimeter circumferential edge of the glass substrate and does not encroach onto and does not overlap the front surface of the glass substrate of the exterior mirror reflective element.

The invention relates to a sensor module for a vehicle, the sensor module comprising at least one housing which houses at least one first detection device that is adapted to collect information about the vehicle's environment; the housing comprising one base adapted to be fixed to the vehicle, at least one cover joined to the base and at least one optical face joined to both the cover and the base; characterized in that the first detection device comprises at least one sensor, a casing which receives the sensor and an electric motor adapted to rotate the casing at sufficiently high-speeds.