An exterior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle includes a mirror head and a mounting base, with a camera module disposed at the mirror head. The camera module includes a camera having a field of view exterior of the vehicle when the mirror assembly is attached at the vehicle. The camera module is extendable and retractable relative to a mirror casing of the mirror head. With the camera module retracted and with the mirror assembly attached at the vehicle, the camera module is oriented such that its field of view encompasses a blind spot region at least at the body side of the vehicle. With the camera module extended and with the mirror assembly attached at the vehicle, the camera module may be oriented such that its field of view encompasses a region at least along a body side of a trailer being towed by the vehicle.

An asymmetrical mirror lens, usable on front fenders of school buses and similar vehicles, which has a plurality of mirror sections, each having a distinct constant radius of curvature to reduce image distortion. Optional sections located between sections of the constant radius of curvature have a step-wise changing radii of curvature to smooth the image sizes as an object moves across the mirror lens.

A method of forming a mirror reflector sub-assembly suitable for use in an exterior rearview mirror assembly of a vehicle includes providing a glass substrate and physically removing glass from a portion of a second surface of the glass substrate to form a curved recess locally thereat, and coating via a vacuum deposition process the second surface of the glass substrate with a mirror reflector to form a mirror reflective element suitable for use in an automotive exterior rearview mirror assembly. The method includes forming a mirror back plate in a plastic molding operation and providing a heater pad and disposing the heater pad between the coated second surface of the glass substrate and the first side of the mirror back plate.

A vehicular exterior sideview mirror assembly includes a main mirror element having a first primary field of view rearward of the vehicle and an auxiliary curved mirror element having a second auxiliary field of view rearward of the vehicle. The main mirror element and the auxiliary mirror element are adjacently disposed at a mirror backing plate element in a side-by-side relationship. The first primary field of view of the main mirror element may overlap the second auxiliary field of view of the auxiliary mirror element by between about 2 degrees and about 20 degrees. When used in an exterior sideview mirror assembly of a vehicle, the main mirror element may have a rearward field of view that subtends an angle of less than about 20 degrees relative to the side of the vehicle.

A camera monitoring system for a vehicle includes an interior rearview mirror assembly with a video display screen disposed behind the interior mirror reflective element. The video display screen is operable to display video images derived at least in part from image data captured by at least one video camera of a plurality of video cameras of the equipped vehicle. Image data captured by at least a driver-side viewing video camera and a passenger-side viewing video camera is provided to an image processor and is processed by the image processor to detect vehicles present exterior of the equipped vehicle. Responsive at least in part to detection of another vehicle, video images derived at least in part from image data captured by the driver-side viewing video camera, a rear viewing video camera and/or the passenger-side viewing video camera are displayed by the video display screen.

An exterior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle includes a mirror head pivotally mounted at a mounting base configured for attachment at a side of a vehicle, and a camera module disposed at the mirror head and operable to capture image data. The camera module is adjustably disposed at the mirror head and pivots about a generally vertical pivot axis as the camera module is extended and retracted relative to the mirror casing. When extended, the camera module is disposed laterally sideward away from the mirror casing and is pivoted so as to have a rearward field of view, and when retracted, the camera module is disposed at the mirror casing and is pivoted so as to have an outboard field of view that is directed outward away from the side of the vehicle and from the rearward field of view of the camera module when extended.

A blind spot assistance device whereby an image of a blind spot area can be more easily shown continuing on from an image directly viewed by a viewer. The blind spot assistance device shows an image of a blind spot area obscured by an obstacle and comprises a pair of flat mirrors arranged so as to be mutually facing, said pair of mirrors being: a semi-transmissive flat mirror to which light indicating an image is incident, said mirror provided on the viewer side, reflecting some of the light, and transmitting some of the light; and a flat mirror that reflects the light towards the semi-transmissive mirror. The semi-transmissive flat mirror is arranged having a prescribed angle open on the viewer side, relative to the flat mirror.

An asymmetrical mirror lens, usable on front fenders of school buses and similar vehicles, which has a plurality of mirror sections, each having a distinct constant radius of curvature to reduce image distortion. Optional sections located between sections of the constant radius of curvature have a step-wise changing radii of curvature to smooth the image sizes as an object moves across the mirror lens.

Cross-view mirrors for buses and other vehicles which provide modified image sizes. The mirror assemblies have lens members created from the shape of a portion of an elliptical or circular toroid volumetric shape with an elliptical or circular cross-sectional shape. A first embodiment has an elliptical toroid volumetric shape with an elliptical cross-sectional shape. A second embodiment has an elliptical toroid volumetric shape with a circular cross-sectional shape. A third embodiment has a circular toroid volumetric shape with an elliptical cross-sectional shape.

A vehicle mirror assembly having a housing and dome-type mirror lens. The lens has a first base footprint portion with a constant radius of curvature and a diameter, and a second base footprint portion comprised of an elliptical portion with a base major axis and a base minor axis. The mirror lens includes a first surface portion having a first surface radius and conforming to the first base footprint portion. The lens additionally includes a second surface portion conforming to the second base footprint portion. The second surface portion is comprised of a second surface major radius of curvature corresponding to a major surface axis and a second surface minor radius of curvature corresponding to a minor surface axis.