The present invention relates to a vehicle rear-view mirror assembly, comprising an electrochromic mirror element, said element comprising: a substantially transparent first electrically conductive base material, which comprises a first surface and a second surface as well as a first edge surface; a substantially transparent second electrically conductive base material, comprising a third surface and a fourth surface as well as a second edge surface; a sealing piece, approximately circumferentially arranged between peripheral areas of the first electrically conductive base material and the second electrically conductive base material, so as to seal and combine the second surface and the third surface and define an empty cavity; an electrochromic medium, which is arranged within the empty cavity; and a substantially transparent con-cave outer casing, comprising an outer casing upper part which has an upper part outer surface and an upper part inner surface, and an outer casing side part which has a side part outer surface and a side part inner surface, a covering layer being provided along the outer casing side part and an area along the periphery of the outer casing upper part; when examining from the concave outer casing outer surface, the sealing piece is hidden behind the covering layer. The present vehicle rear-view mirror has advantageous qualities such as being aesthetically pleasing as a whole, providing a wide field of view, being safe and injury preventing, and not easily shattering.

A method for assembling a mirror reflective element sub-assembly for a vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly includes providing a support fixture having locator pins disposed at apertures thereof and protruding therefrom. The locator pins are received through corresponding apertures of a heater pad and through corresponding apertures of a back plate to align the back plate at the heater pad at the support fixture. A mirror reflective element is attached at the back plate and heater pad construction, and that construction is disposed at a laser ablation fixture, whereby the locator pins of the laser ablation fixture are received through the apertures of the back plate to align the construction at the laser ablation fixture. After an indicator icon is laser ablated through the mirror reflector, the construction is removed from the laser ablation fixture, and an indicator module is snap attached at a receiving portion of the back plate.

A vehicular accessory system includes an overhead console configured to mount at an interior portion of a vehicle, and an interior rearview mirror assembly having a mirror head mounted via mounting structure at the overhead console. The overhead console includes a base portion configured to attach at the interior portion of the vehicle to mount the overhead console at the interior portion and an extending portion that, with the overhead console mounted at the interior portion of the vehicle, extends from the base portion along and spaced from a headliner of the vehicle. The overhead console includes a light source that, with the overhead console mounted at the interior portion of the vehicle, and when electrically operated to emit light, light emitted by the light source illuminates a surface at the interior portion of the vehicle above the overhead console.

The invention relates to a method for producing a semi-transparent motor vehicle design element (3), comprising the following steps:

A providing a dimensionally stable, at least partially light-permeable substrate (1) which is heat-resistant for a temperature of at least 60° C., the substrate (1) having a front side (1a) and a rear side (1b),

B introducing the substrate (1) into a vacuum chamber (2) and applying a first metallic semi-transparent layer (L1) by means of a PVD process to the substrate (1) according to step a) which is situated in the vacuum chamber (2), and

C applying a light-impermeable cover layer (LD) to the front or rear side (1a, 1b) of the substrate (1), the light-impermeable cover layer (LD) containing at least one light-permeable opening (8) for reproducing at least one graphical symbol (SYM),

steps B and C being carried out such that light (LSQ) passing through the at least one opening (8) in the light-impermeable cover layer (LD) from the rear side (1b) towards the front side (1a) of the substrate (1) is incident on the first metallic semi-transparent layer (L1) and at least partially passes outwards through the first metallic semi-transparent layer (L1) in order to project the at least one graphical symbol (SYM) represented by the at least one opening (8).

A vehicular exterior breakaway rearview mirror assembly includes a skull-cap mirror shell and a reflective element. With the mirror assembly mounted at an exterior side of a vehicle, the skull-cap mirror shell has an inboard wall that faces toward the exterior side of the vehicle. A blind spot indicator is disposed at an aperture established at the inboard wall of the skull-cap mirror shell. An illumination source of the blind spot indicator is activated to illuminate the blind spot indicator responsive to an electronic blind spot monitoring system of the vehicle detecting another vehicle that is approaching or overtaking the equipped vehicle. Illumination of the blind spot indicator by activation of the illumination source is readily viewable by the driver of the equipped vehicle and is not readily viewable by a driver of the detected other vehicle.

A method of making a mirror substrate for a vehicular rearview mirror assembly includes providing a glass substrate having a planar front surface, a planar rear surface and a circumferential perimeter edge. The glass substrate is positioned at a fixture and the front perimeter edge portion of the glass substrate is ground by moving a grinding wheel around the periphery of the glass substrate to establish a rounded surface about and around the periphery of the glass substrate and between the planar front surface and a rear portion of the perimeter edge of the glass substrate. The rounded surface has a radius of curvature of at least 2.5 mm. The rounded surface provides a curved transition between the planar front surface of the glass substrate and the rear portion of the perimeter edge of the glass substrate. The planar rear surface of the glass substrate is coated with a coating.

A vehicular lighted exterior rearview mirror system includes a lighted exterior rearview mirror assembly and a light module disposed thereat. The light module includes at least three forward illuminating illumination sources that, with the lighted exterior rearview mirror assembly attached at the side of the vehicle, are arranged spaced apart at the lighted exterior rearview mirror assembly. With the lighted exterior rearview mirror assembly attached at the side of the equipped vehicle, the at least three forward illuminating illumination sources, when powered, emit light at least in a forward direction with respect to the vehicle. The light module includes a turn signal indicating illumination source and a light piping element. The light piping element guides light emitted by the turn signal indicating illumination source along the light piping element so as to emanate from the light module at an outboard portion of the mirror casing.

The present disclosure refers to a light module, comprising a lens unit, which is formed with a bottom, a lid and one or more side walls between the bottom and the lid, wherein the one or more side walls provide one or more insertion openings; a printed circuit board unit, which carries one or more light sources and is inserted into the lens unit through a first insertion opening of the one or more insertion openings such that light emitted by the one or more light sources exits the light module through the bottom and/or the lid of the lens unit; and a housing unit, which is provided with a bottom opening, a lid opening and one or more side walls between the bottom opening and the lid opening, wherein the lens unit is arranged within the housing unit such that the bottom opening of the housing unit is closed by the bottom of the lens unit, the lid opening of the housing unit is closed by the lid of the lens unit, and the one or more insertion openings of the lens unit is closed by the one or more side walls of the housing unit. It also refers to an external rear view device with such a light unit.

The present invention is directed toward a device that allows auxiliary lights to be mounted to a side view mirror of a motor vehicle. The device includes a shell which is custom manufactured to conform to a shape of a cover of a sideview mirror on a particular make, model, and year of a motor vehicle. The shell is configured to house one or more auxiliary light elements which can be chosen by a motor vehicle owner. The device also includes one or more air passage sections configured on the shell formed to direct air into an interior of the shell to cool the auxiliary light elements. The device also includes one or more through openings configured on the forward-facing side of the shell to which one or more light covers may be positioned over and arranged in front of the auxiliary light elements.

A system includes a server that stores pest data for each region, and a vehicle control device that receives pest data related to a current location of the vehicle from the server, and controls at least one of a sound output device or a lighting device according to driving or stopping based on the pest data received from the server. The system may actively prevent pests from approaching the vehicle according to the location and driving conditions of the vehicle to improve driver satisfaction and prevent the vehicle from being damaged.