Rear View Mirrors - Interior

Rear View Mirrors - Interior

Overview

The interior rear view mirror has two pivot points on the support arm which allows adjustment of the the mirror up or down and from side to side. The interior mirror may be equipped with the manual dimming or auto-dimming feature. The manual dimming function is completely controlled by the driver. The auto dimming mirror changes from the normal state to the non-glare state when bright lights (glare) reach the mirror. When the mirror detects bright light from behind the vehicle, it will automatically darken to minimize glare.

System Operation

Rear View Mirrors - Interior

Interior Rear View Mirror-Manual-Dimming

The manual dimming interior rear view mirror has a lever at the back of the mirror that must be pulled forward or pushed rearward by the driver to activate the manual dimming function. Manual dimming is completely controlled by the driver.

Interior Rear View Mirror-Auto-Dimming

The interior auto-dimming rear view mirror automatically reduces the glare caused by headlamps reflecting in the interior rear view mirror. Voltage is supplied to the interior auto-dimming mirror when the ignition is in ACC or ON.

When the forward facing sensor detects daytime conditions, the rearward facing sensor is inactive and the mirror stays in a high reflectance mode. When the forward facing sensor detects nighttime conditions, the rearward facing sensor is active and detects glare from the headlights of vehicles approaching from the rear, or other glare producing light sources. To provide increased visibility when backing up, the interior rear view mirror automatically returns to a high reflectance mode whenever the vehicle is in REVERSE.

Component Description

Interior Rear View Mirror - Auto- Dimming

The auto-dimming rear view mirror has 2 photoelectric sensors, forward facing and rearward facing, that detect forward and rearward light conditions. Based on inputs from these sensors, the automatic dimming feature adjusts the reflectance level of the interior rear view mirror glass to eliminate unwanted glare. The reflectance level of the mirror glass is variable and depends on the amount of rear glare in relation to ambient light conditions in front of the interior mirror.