JP7281615B2 - vehicle mirror - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to vehicle mirrors.

A substrate with a partially transmissive coating, a light sensor (light detection means) in close proximity to the substrate, and a secondary configured to have limited reflectivity between the substrate and the light sensor. Vehicle mirrors with target optics are known.

JP 2018-076062 A

However, in the prior art as described above, the area in which the light amount detecting means is embedded is configured to have a limited reflectance, and therefore cannot function as a mirror area.

Therefore, according to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to selectively function as a mirror area an area of the vehicle mirror in which the light amount detection means is embedded while the light amount detection means is embedded inside the vehicle mirror. intended to

In one aspect, a vehicle mirror comprising a region forming a light reflecting surface and functioning as a mirror, comprising:
a liquid crystal layer in which the alignment direction of liquid crystal molecules changes according to the applied voltage;
a first electrode layer provided on the side of the liquid crystal layer on which external light is incident;
a second electrode layer facing the first electrode layer through the liquid crystal layer;
a surface polarizing layer provided on the incident side of external light with respect to the first electrode layer;
a polarizing layer provided behind the second electrode layer in the incident direction of external light and forming the reflective surface;
light amount detection means provided behind the polarizing layer in the incident direction of external light and generating an electrical signal corresponding to the amount of incident light;
A control unit that controls the voltage applied to the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer,
At least one of the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer is provided with respect to the first electrode portion overlapping the light amount detecting means when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the reflecting surface and the other second electrode portion. Accordingly, a vehicle mirror is provided that can be individually energized.

In one aspect, according to the present invention, it is possible to selectively function as a mirror area an area of the vehicle mirror in which the light amount detection means is embedded while the light amount detection means is embedded inside the vehicle mirror. Become.

It is a top view of the mirror for vehicles of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section taken along the line AA of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a BB line cross section of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a front view showing an example of patterns of first area electrodes and second area electrodes; FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the vehicle mirror of the present embodiment when it is in a full-view mirror mode; It is a figure for demonstrating operation|movement in case the mirror for vehicles of this embodiment is in partial camera mode. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing time-series waveforms of voltages applied to the second area electrode and the upper electrode portion in the partial antiglare mirror mode; FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing time-series waveforms of voltages applied to the first area electrode and the upper electrode portion in the partial anti-glare mirror mode; 4 is a block diagram showing an example of main functions of a control board; FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the relationship between the intensity|strength of glare light, and a reflectance. FIG. 5 is a table diagram for explaining a mode determination method by a mode determination unit; FIG. 3 is a plan view of a vehicle mirror according to a comparative example; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of Modification 1; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of Modification 2; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of Modification 2;

Each embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same numbers or symbols are given to the same elements throughout the description of the embodiment.

1 is a plan view of a vehicle mirror 1 of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section along line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section along line BB in FIG. is. In FIG. 1, three mutually orthogonal X, Y, and Z directions are defined in a right-handed coordinate system. Hereinafter, the Z direction is the front direction, and in each cross section, the positive side in the Z direction is the upper side and the negative side is the lower side. Thus, for example, a front view means a view in the Z direction. In FIG. 1, the first area B1 and the like are bounded by dotted lines, but the dotted lines are only for explanation and are not actually visible.

In addition, although this embodiment shows the rearview mirror provided in the vehicle as the vehicle mirror 1, the door mirror provided outside the vehicle may be sufficient.

Further, in the present embodiment, for example, the vehicle in which the vehicle mirror 1 is mounted is equipped with an in-vehicle camera 96 (see FIG. 6A) that captures the rear of the vehicle. ) is displayed on the vehicle mirror 1 . However, in the modified example, although the vehicle-mounted camera 96 is mounted, even if there is no partial camera mode described later, or if the vehicle-mounted camera 96 is not mounted and the partial camera mode described later does not exist, good.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the vehicle mirror 1 includes a housing 10, a transparent cover 11 attached to close an opening 10A of the housing 10, and an image display unit housed in the housing 10. 20 , a mirror unit 30 arranged on the image output side of the image display unit 20 (upper side in FIGS. 2 and 3 ) and accommodated in the housing 10 , and a light amount sensor 90 .

(Case 10)
The housing 10 is a portion that accommodates each member described below and forms the appearance of the vehicle mirror 1 .
2 and 3, the housing 10 is drawn as an integral type, but the housing 10 is not necessarily limited to an integral type, and the image display section 20 and the mirror are not limited to the molding point of view. From the viewpoint of accommodating the portion 30, it may be separable into a plurality of portions.

The housing 10 has a frame portion 10a. In the present embodiment, since the light amount sensor 90 is not embedded in the frame portion 10a, the frame portion 10a can be designed without considering mounting of the light amount sensor 90 thereon. Therefore, the frame portion 10a can have a substantially constant width L1 (see FIG. 1). It should be noted that the smaller the width L1, the more advantageous it is in terms of miniaturization of the vehicle mirror 1 itself, and it is also advantageous in terms of design. Here, "substantially constant" is a concept that allows a change within 10% of the width L1.

(Image display unit 20)
The image display unit 20 is a part that displays an image (through image) of an in-vehicle camera 96 (see FIG. 6A) provided on the rear side of the vehicle. The image display section 20 has a case 21 and a liquid crystal monitor 23 . The case 21 has an opening 21A through which an image can be output on the image output side (upper side in FIGS. 2 and 3). The liquid crystal monitor 23 is arranged in the case 21 and provided closer to the opening 21A than the control board 22 (an example of the control section). The control board 22 is arranged inside the case 21 and provided on the bottom side of the case 21 (lower side in FIGS. 2 and 3). Note that the control board 22 may be provided separately from the image display section 20 .

It goes without saying that the image display unit 20 may display a warning as necessary, in addition to displaying the image (through image) of the vehicle-mounted camera 96, as will be described later. Also, in a modified example, the image display section 20 (the configuration excluding the control board 22) may be omitted. Hereinafter, such a modified example is also simply referred to as "a modified example in which the image display unit 20 is omitted".

A processing device such as a microcomputer is mounted on the control board 22 . The control board 22 forms an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The control board 22 controls how the image (through image) of the vehicle-mounted camera 96 is displayed on which part (the entire surface or a predetermined part described later) of the liquid crystal monitor 23, and also controls the mirror portion described later. 30 and serves as a control unit that controls the vehicle mirror 1 as a whole. In a modification in which the image display section 20 is omitted, the control board 22 performs various controls (particularly, control of the mirror section 30) excluding display control of the liquid crystal monitor 23, among various controls described below. A detailed example of the control board 22 will be described later with reference to FIG. 6A and the like.

The liquid crystal monitor 23 may be a commonly known one, and includes, for example, a backlight and a color liquid crystal display portion arranged on the light output side of the backlight. The color liquid crystal display section includes, in order from the backlight side, a back-side polarizing plate, a back-side glass substrate, a liquid crystal layer, RGB color filters, a front-side glass substrate, and a front-side polarizing plate.

Further, the color liquid crystal display portion is provided on the surface of the rear glass substrate on the liquid crystal layer side, and includes a plurality of pixel electrodes formed for each sub-pixel corresponding to RGB provided in each pixel of the color filter, and and one counter electrode (also called a common electrode) provided on the surface on the liquid crystal layer side and formed so as to correspond to the entire liquid crystal layer.

Needless to say, the pixel electrode and the counter electrode are transparent electrodes using a transparent electrode material of ITO. For example, each of the pixel electrodes is provided with a thin film transistor (TFT) controlled by an address line and a data line, so that voltage application to the pixel electrodes is individually controlled.

In the color liquid crystal display unit, for example, the voltage of the counter electrode is kept constant and the voltage of the pixel electrode is controlled so as to correspond to the image to be output, so that the light from the backlight is transmitted or blocked for each sub-pixel. A color image is displayed by

In this manner, the color liquid crystal display unit controls the output of image light based on the principle of liquid crystal shutters, so that the light corresponding to the sub-pixels forming the image is polarized light. is referred to as the first polarized light.
Therefore, the image display section 20 displays an image with the light of the first polarized light.

In the following description, the first polarized light means the light having the same polarization state as the light output from the color liquid crystal display unit, and the light polarized perpendicularly to the first polarized light is the second polarized light. This is called polarized light.

The light output from the color liquid crystal display unit of this embodiment is P-polarized light. Therefore, in this embodiment, the first polarized light is P-polarized light, and the second polarized light is P-polarized light. The light is S-polarized light.

However, depending on the type of color liquid crystal display unit, the output light may be S-polarized light. In this case, the first polarized light is the S-polarized light and the second polarized light is the light. It becomes P-polarized light.

(mirror section 30)
As shown in FIG. 2, the mirror unit 30 includes, in order from the image display unit 20 side, a first polarizing plate 31 (polarized layer example), a transparent glass substrate 32 provided with a first polarizing plate 31 on the surface facing the image display unit 20, a polarization control unit 33 for controlling the polarization state of light, and a transparent glass substrate 34 , a second polarizing plate provided on the surface of the glass substrate 34 facing the image output side (upper side in FIG. 2), which transmits the first polarized light (P-polarized light) and absorbs the second polarized light (S-polarized light). 35 (an example of a front polarizing layer).

In addition, the first polarizing plate 31 and the second polarizing plate 35 are not necessarily formed as plate materials with high rigidity, and may be formed as film materials with low rigidity. A film-like material is used for the first polarizing plate 31 and the second polarizing plate 35 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the polarization control section 33 includes a liquid crystal layer 33A, a lower electrode section 33B provided on the first polarizing plate 31 side of the liquid crystal layer 33A, and an electrode section 33B provided on the second polarizing plate 35 side of the liquid crystal layer 33A. and an upper electrode portion 33C provided. In the liquid crystal layer 33A, the alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules changes according to the applied voltage. The liquid crystal layer 33A may be of any type such as TN liquid crystal.

Here, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a region that functions as a mirror (hereinafter simply referred to as a region that functions as a mirror) excluding the fixed mirror portion M (see FIGS. 2 and 3). is divided into a first area B1 and a second area B2. Correspondingly, as shown in FIG. 3, the lower electrode portion 33B is formed of a plurality of area electrodes. The fixed mirror portion M is a mirror-finished portion that is always functioning as a mirror by depositing or painting silver. The mirror finish of the fixed mirror portion M is applied to the surface of the cover 11 that is received by the housing 10 . It should be noted that the mirror finish is not necessarily limited to vapor deposition or painting as described above, but means a finish capable of reflecting light as a mirror.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the second area B2 is the upper and central part of the area functioning as a mirror. However, in other embodiments, the second area B2 may be set at other locations in the area functioning as a mirror.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, the area functioning as a mirror is divided into two areas, the first area B1 and the second area B2, so that the lower electrode portion 33B is located in the first area. A first area electrode 33B1 (an example of a second electrode portion) provided in a region corresponding to B1, and a second area electrode 33B2 (an example of a first electrode portion) provided in a region corresponding to the second area B2. , are formed by two area electrodes. That is, the first area electrode 33B1 is arranged to overlap the first area B1 when viewed from the front, and the second area electrode 33B2 is arranged to overlap the second area B2 when viewed from the front.

More specifically, the first area electrode 33B1 and the second area electrode 33B2 are formed on the surface of the glass substrate 32 facing the liquid crystal layer 33A using a transparent electrode material such as ITO.

The second area electrode 33B2 is an electrode provided corresponding to the light amount sensor 90, and does not substantially hinder the function of the light amount sensor 90 (the function of measuring the amount of incident external light), and detects the amount of light when viewed from the front. Overlapping the sensor 90 has a function of enhancing the appearance of the mirror section 30 (appearance in the whole mirror mode, which will be described later).

FIG. 4 is a front view showing an example of patterns of the first area electrode 33B1 and the second area electrode 33B2.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the first area electrode 33B1 extends over substantially the entire portion of the area functioning as a mirror, excluding the second area B2, and extends to the positive side in the Y direction with the lead-out portion 33B1- for energization. 1. The second area electrode 33B2 extends in a region corresponding to the second area B2 in the region functioning as a mirror, and has a leading portion 33B2-1 for energization on the positive side in the Y direction. The lead portion 33B1-1 and the lead portion 33B2-1 are electrically connected to the control board 22. As shown in FIG. Note that the positions of the lead-out portion 33B1-1 and the lead-out portion 33B2-1 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 4, and are arbitrary.
In addition, in the present embodiment, the shape of the second area B2 is circular when viewed from the front, and accordingly the shape of the second area electrode 33B2 is also substantially circular. As long as the second area electrode 33B2 at least partially overlaps the light amount sensor 90, it may be rectangular, elliptical, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 3, the upper electrode portion 33C is formed of one common electrode provided over the entire region functioning as a mirror (the entire liquid crystal layer 33A). A common electrode is formed on the surface of the layer 33A using a transparent electrode material of ITO.

However, as will be understood later, the upper electrode portion 33C is also formed of a common electrode provided in a region corresponding to the first area B1 and a common electrode provided in a region corresponding to the second area B2. It may be the one that was That is, the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the first area B1 and the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the second area B2 can be individually controlled, and It is sufficient if the alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the area B1 and the alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the second area B2 can be individually controlled.

As described above, if the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the first area B1 and the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the second area B2 can be controlled separately. good. Therefore, the lower electrode portion 33B is formed by one common electrode provided in the entire area (entire liquid crystal layer 33A) functioning as a mirror, and the upper electrode portion 33C is provided in the area corresponding to the first area B1. It may be formed of a first area electrode and a second area electrode provided in a region corresponding to the second area B2.

Even in this case, the lower electrode portion 33B serving as a common electrode is formed of a plurality of common electrodes (two common electrodes in this example) respectively corresponding to the first area B1 and the second area B2. It may be the one that has been done.

In this manner, at least one of the lower electrode portion 33B and the upper electrode portion 33C can It suffices that the electrode part formed by a plurality of area electrodes corresponding to the area and not formed by the area electrodes is formed by one common electrode or a plurality of common electrodes corresponding to the area.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the first area B1 and the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the second area B2 are separately applied. can be controlled to

For this reason, for example, while the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the first area B1 is set to the minimum value (for example, 0 (V)), the voltage is applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the second area B2. It is also possible to set the voltage to the maximum value (for example, 5 (V)). Further, while setting the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the first area B1 to the minimum value (for example, 0 (V)), the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the second area B2 is set to A minimum value (for example, 0 (V)) is also possible.

In the present embodiment, as an example, the control substrate 22 has a voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the first area B1 and a voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the second area B2. , to form a full mirror mode, a partial camera mode, and a partial anti-glare mirror mode. The entire mirror mode is a state in which the entirety of the first area B1 and the second area B2 functions as a mirror. The partial camera mode is a state in which the first area B1 becomes transparent and the image display section 20 functions. The partial antiglare mirror mode is a state in which only the first area B1 functions as an antiglare mirror and the second area B2 is transparent. Note that, as described above, in the modified example in which the image display section 20 is omitted, the camera mode is omitted.
(whole mirror mode)
FIG. 5A is a diagram for explaining the operation of the vehicle mirror 1 of the present embodiment when it is in the full-view mirror mode. is shown in the figure.

First, when no voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer 33A, that is, when the voltage V1 of the lower electrode portion 33B and the voltage V2 of the upper electrode portion 33C are the same voltage and the voltage difference ΔV is 0 (V), The alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer 33A does not change.

In this embodiment, if the light incident on the liquid crystal layer 33A from the lower side is the second polarized light (S polarized light), the light emitted from the upper side of the liquid crystal layer 33A becomes the first polarized light (P polarized light), and vice versa. If the light incident on the liquid crystal layer 33A from the upper side is the first polarized light (P polarized light), the light emitted from the lower side of the liquid crystal layer 33A becomes the second polarized light (S polarized light).
In addition, hereinafter, this voltage difference ΔV is also referred to as the voltage ΔV applied to the liquid crystal layer 33A.

On the other hand, as the voltage ΔV applied to the liquid crystal layer 33A increases, the alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A changes. It does not exhibit the function of changing the polarization state.
That is, when the voltage ΔV applied to the liquid crystal layer 33A is the maximum, if the light incident on the liquid crystal layer 33A is the second polarized light (S-polarized light), the light emitted from the liquid crystal layer 33A is also the second polarized light (S-polarized light). Similarly, if the light incident on the liquid crystal layer 33A is the first polarized light (P polarized light), the light emitted from the liquid crystal layer 33A will also be the first polarized light (P polarized light).

As the voltage ΔV applied to the liquid crystal layer 33A increases, if the light incident on the liquid crystal layer 33A is the second polarized light (S-polarized light), the second polarized light (S-polarized light) is emitted from the liquid crystal layer 33A. ) is increasing.
Similarly, as the voltage ΔV applied to the liquid crystal layer 33A increases, if the light incident on the liquid crystal layer 33A is the first polarized light (P polarized light), the light emitted from the liquid crystal layer 33A also becomes the first polarized light. The proportion of light that is (P-polarized) increases.

In the whole mirror mode, the voltage V1 of the lower electrode portion 33B and the voltage V2 of the upper electrode portion 33C are controlled so that the voltage ΔV applied to the liquid crystal layer 33A is 0 (V).
For example, control is performed such that the voltage V1 of the lower electrode portion 33B is set to 0 (V) and the voltage V2 of the upper electrode portion 33C is set to 0 (V).

Of course, even if the voltage V1 of the lower electrode portion 33B is set to 5 (V) and the voltage V2 of the upper electrode portion 33C is set to 5 (V), the voltage ΔV applied to the liquid crystal layer 33A is 0. Since it becomes (V), there is no problem.

Here, the external light contains light of the first polarized light (P polarized light) and light of the second polarized light (S polarized light) at approximately the same ratio. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5A, the second polarized light (S-polarized light) is absorbed by the second polarizing plate 35, and the external light that enters through the cover 11 is absorbed by the second polarizing plate 35, and the first polarized light (P-polarized light) is absorbed. Only light passes through the second polarizing plate 35 .

The light of the first polarized light (P-polarized light) transmitted through the second polarizing plate 35 is incident on the glass substrate 34. However, since the glass substrate 34 does not have the function of changing the polarization state, The 1-polarized light (P-polarized light) is incident on the next liquid crystal layer 33A.

Here, as described above, in the full mirror mode, the voltage ΔV applied to the liquid crystal layer 33A is 0 (V). The first polarized light (P polarized light) changes to the second polarized light (S polarized light) when exiting the liquid crystal layer 33A. is the light of

Therefore, the light is reflected by the first polarizing plate 31 and enters the liquid crystal layer 33A again. , the first polarized light (P-polarized light).

Therefore, the light emitted from the liquid crystal layer 33 A is transmitted through the glass substrate 34 and then through the second polarizing plate 35 , and is irradiated to the outside of the vehicle mirror 1 through the cover 11 .
In this way, in the overall mirror mode, the first polarized light (P polarized light) of the external light is reflected, so that it functions as a mirror.

On the other hand, in the whole mirror mode, since the image display section 20 is not used, it is in the OFF state (the backlight is extinguished), and the liquid crystal monitor 23 is in the black display state.
(partial camera mode)
FIG. 5B is a diagram for explaining the operation of the vehicle mirror 1 of the present embodiment when it is in the partial camera mode. is shown in the figure.

In the partial camera mode, the entire first area B1 is set to function as a monitor. image) is displayed.

As expected from the above description, in the partial camera mode, the voltage ΔV applied to the liquid crystal layer 33A is maximized, and the liquid crystal layer 33A functions to change the polarization state of light. It is made not to demonstrate. At this time, since the light amount sensor 90 is embedded in the second area B2, an image cannot be output. The voltage ΔV applied to is the maximum state.

Then, as described above, the image display section 20 displays an image with light of the first polarized light (P polarized light). Therefore, the image light (also referred to as image light) from the image display unit 20 passes through the first polarizing plate 31 and enters the liquid crystal layer 33A. The polarized light is incident on the glass substrate 34 as it is.

Since the glass substrate 34 also does not change the polarization state, the image light reaches the second polarizing plate 35 and passes through the second polarizing plate 35 to pass through the cover 11 while remaining in the first polarized light (P-polarized light). The outside of the vehicle mirror 1 is irradiated through the light.

Naturally, each member absorbs light to some extent, but almost all of the image light from the image display unit 20 is irradiated to the outside of the vehicle mirror 1 except for the absorption, so that the driver can see a clear image. can see

On the other hand, the outside light incident on the vehicle mirror 1 is not reflected by the first polarizing plate 31 as in the case of the whole mirror mode described above, but is directed toward the image display unit 20, so that the light is reflected by the vehicle again. The light is not emitted from the mirror 1 to the outside.

(partial anti-glare mirror mode)
FIG. 5C is a diagram schematically showing time-series waveforms of voltages applied to the second area electrode 33B2 and the upper electrode portion 33C in the partial antiglare mirror mode. FIG. 5D is a diagram schematically showing time-series waveforms of voltages applied to the first area electrode 33B1 and the upper electrode portion 33C in the partial antiglare mirror mode.
In the partial anti-glare mirror mode, as in the full mirror mode, the image display unit 20 is not used, so it is in the OFF (backlight off) state, and the liquid crystal monitor 23 is in the black display state.

In the partial anti-glare mirror mode, the second area B2 is transparent as in the partial camera mode. That is, in the second area B2, the voltage ΔV applied to the liquid crystal layer 33A is maximized, and the liquid crystal layer 33A does not exhibit the function of changing the polarization state of light.
That is, in the partial anti-glare mirror mode, as in the partial camera mode, as shown in FIG. A positive voltage and a negative voltage are alternately applied to the area electrode 33B2 and the upper electrode portion 33C for each frame, and the difference between them is the voltage ΔV. In other words, the voltage waveform V1 is applied to the second area electrode 33B2, the voltage waveform V2 is applied to the upper electrode portion 33C, and the voltage waveform V1 and the voltage waveform V2 have an amplitude of Vmax and a phase of Vmax. It is an inverted relationship.

On the other hand, in the partial anti-glare mirror mode, unlike in the full mirror mode, the first area B1 always transmits the first polarized (P-polarized) light that passes through the second polarizing plate 35 to the vehicle mirror 1 . Do not irradiate the outside of the This is to prevent the driver from being dazzled by the reflected light of the headlights of the vehicle behind.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the vehicle mirror 1 can measure the amount of light emitted from the headlights of the vehicle behind the vehicle mirror 1 at a position other than the cover 11. A light amount sensor 90 (described later) is provided at a position, and control (automatic anti-glare control) is performed to adjust the voltage ΔV applied to the liquid crystal layer 33A according to the light amount (light intensity) detected by the light amount sensor 90. will be
Specifically, in the partial antiglare mirror mode, as shown in FIG. 5D, in the first area B1, the first area electrode 33B1 and the upper electrode are arranged such that the voltage ΔV applied to the liquid crystal layer 33A is a predetermined voltage. A positive voltage and a negative voltage are alternately applied to the portion 33C every frame. The difference between the positive and negative voltages is the voltage ΔV. Also, at this time, the predetermined voltage is varied between 0 (V) and a maximum value Vmax (for example, 5 (V)) according to the intensity of the glare light.

For example, when the amount of light emitted toward the vehicle mirror 1 from the headlights of the vehicle behind is large and the amount of external light incident on the vehicle mirror 1 is large, the liquid crystal layer Control is performed to increase the voltage ΔV applied to 33A.
Then, as described in the entire mirror mode, in the first area B1, as the voltage ΔV applied to the liquid crystal layer 33A increases, the liquid crystal layer 33A does not exhibit the function of changing the polarization state of light. . Therefore, most of the light reaching the first polarizing plate 31 is reflected in the full mirror mode, but part of the light reaching the first polarizing plate 31 is reflected in the partial anti-glare mirror mode. The remaining part passes through the first polarizing plate 31 and goes toward the image display section 20 side.

Since there is no light reflecting structure on the image display section 20 side, the light transmitted through the first polarizing plate 31 and directed toward the image display section 20 side returns to the first polarizing plate 31 side again. never.

Also, even if the light of the second polarized light (S polarized light) is reflected by the first polarizing plate 31 and re-enters the liquid crystal layer 33A, the light of the first polarized light (P polarized light) is transmitted through the liquid crystal layer 33A. The polarization state changes only partially. Then, only the light whose polarization state has been changed to the first polarized light (P polarized light) passes through the second polarizing plate 35 and is irradiated to the outside of the vehicle mirror 1 through the cover 11 .

Thus, in the partial anti-glare mirror mode, part of the light of the first polarized light (P polarized light) of the external light transmitted through the second polarizing plate 35 is reflected in the first area B1, Since the light is emitted to the outside of the vehicle mirror 1, the amount of light emitted from the vehicle mirror 1 to the outside is reduced, and the driver can be prevented from being dazzled.

If the amount of light emitted from the vehicle mirror 1 to the outside is attenuated too much, the function of the mirror will not be fulfilled. , the vehicle mirror 1 is controlled so that the vehicle mirror 1 can irradiate the light to the outside. A more detailed example of automatic anti-glare control will be described later with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B.

(Light sensor 90)
The light amount sensor 90 is light amount detection means that generates an electric signal corresponding to the amount of incident light. The light intensity sensor 90 may be, for example, a photodiode. The light quantity sensor 90 is provided rearward so as to measure the quantity of light from the headlights of the vehicle behind. The light amount sensor 90 is provided in a region that overlaps the second area B2 (see FIG. 1) when viewed from the front. In cross-sectional view, the light amount sensor 90 is provided on the rear side (lower side) of the mirror section 30, as shown in FIG. Specifically, the light amount sensor 90 is provided on the liquid crystal monitor 23 . The installation area of the light amount sensor 90 on the liquid crystal monitor 23 may be a non-display area. Also, in a modification in which the image display section 20 is omitted, the light quantity sensor 90 may be mounted on the control board 22 .

The electrical signal output by the light amount sensor 90 represents the amount of light (external light) incident on the vehicle mirror 1 . An electrical signal output by the light amount sensor 90 is input to the control board 22 as outside light amount information. The control board 22 controls the mirror section 30 based on the outside light amount information from the light amount sensor 90 . Specifically, external light amount information from the light amount sensor 90 can be used for automatic anti-glare control for reducing glare caused by headlight light (external light) from a vehicle behind the vehicle that is reflected by the mirror section 30 .

(Detailed example of control board 22)
FIG. 6A is a block diagram showing an example of main functions of the control board 22. As shown in FIG. A light amount sensor 90 , a sunshine sensor 92 , an automatic anti-glare switch 94 , and an in-vehicle camera 96 are electrically connected to the control board 22 .

The light amount sensor 90 is as described above.
The sunshine sensor 92 is light amount detection means for generating an electrical signal corresponding to the amount of incident light, like the light amount sensor 90, and may be, for example, a photodiode. Unlike the light amount sensor 90, the sunshine sensor 92 may be provided, for example, on the rear side of the vehicle mirror 1 so as not to be affected by light from the headlights of the vehicle behind.

The automatic anti-glare switch 94 is a switch for switching the ON/OFF state of the automatic anti-glare control, and can be operated by the user. The automatic antiglare switch 94 may be provided, for example, on the side of the housing 10 of the vehicle mirror 1 .

The vehicle-mounted camera 96 images the scenery behind the vehicle as described above. Note that, as described above, in the modification in which the image display unit 20 is omitted, the in-vehicle camera 96 may be omitted.

The control board 22 includes an ambient light information acquisition section 220 , a mode determination section 222 , a reflectance control section 224 , an image output control section 226 and a storage section 228 . The ambient light information acquisition unit 220, the mode determination unit 222, the reflectance control unit 224, and the image output control unit 226 are implemented by, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit, not shown) mounted on the control board 22. 22 by executing a program in a storage device (not shown, for example, ROM (Read Only Memory)). The storage unit 228 can be realized by a storage device (not shown, for example, ROM) mounted on the control board 22 .

The ambient light information acquisition unit 220 acquires ambient light information representing the amount of ambient light from the sunshine sensor 92 . Note that in another embodiment, the ambient light information acquisition unit 220 may acquire ambient light information representing the amount of ambient light from an image sensor. In this case, the image sensor may be a dedicated image sensor, or may be an image sensor used for other purposes (for example, vehicle-mounted camera 96).

The mode determination unit 222 determines the control mode (control state) of the vehicle mirror 1 based on the ON/OFF state of the automatic anti-glare switch 94 and the ambient light information from the ambient light information acquisition unit 220 . In this embodiment, as an example, as described above, the mode is switched (one of the modes is determined) among the three modes (whole mirror mode, partial camera mode, and partial anti-glare mirror mode). Note that, as described above, the partial camera mode is omitted in the modified example in which the image display unit 20 is omitted.

FIG. 7 is a table for explaining the mode determination method by the mode determination unit 222. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the mode determination unit 222 can implement mode determination in the manner shown in FIG.

Specifically, in FIG. 7, "area 1" corresponds to the first area B1, and "area 2" corresponds to the second area B2. "Mirror" corresponds to the mirror state, and "transmissive" corresponds to the transparent state. For example, the “mirror” related to the first area B1 is in a state (hereinafter also referred to as “mirror state”) in which the reflectance of the first area B1 is controlled to be the maximum (maximum within the controllable range). handle. This also applies to the second area B2. In addition, the "transmission" of the second area B2 is controlled so that the reflectance of the second area B2 is the minimum (the minimum within the controllable range) (that is, the transmittance is maximized). (hereinafter also referred to as “transmissive state”). "Daytime" and "nighttime" are periods determined in relation to the amount of ambient light. ” is a period in which the amount of ambient light is relatively small (a period in which the surroundings are relatively dark). Note that “daytime” and “nighttime” can be determined based on the amount of ambient light and a predetermined threshold value for determining daytime and nighttime. In this case, if the amount of ambient light is greater than the threshold for determining day/night (an example of the second amount of light), it is determined to be "daytime", and the amount of ambient light is less than the threshold for determining day/night ( If it is an example of the first amount of light), it may be determined to be "nighttime". The amount of ambient light can be calculated based on the ambient light information from the ambient light information acquisition section 220 . In another embodiment, "daytime" and "nighttime" may be determined by time (clock). Also, "on/off" in the "auto anti-glare" column represents the on/off state of the auto anti-glare.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the mode determination unit 222 determines the mode to be the "whole mirror mode" when the automatic anti-glare control is off in "daytime". In addition, the mode determination unit 222 determines the mode to be the "whole mirror mode" when the automatic anti-glare control is on in the "daytime". In the full mirror mode, the second area B2 is in a mirror state, and the light amount sensor 90 embedded in the second area B2 is not visible to the user.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, the mode determining unit 222 determines the mode to be the "whole mirror mode" when the automatic anti-glare control is in the OFF state at "nighttime". In the full mirror mode (see FIG. 5A), the second area B2 is in a mirror state, so the light amount sensor 90 embedded in the second area B2 is not visible to the user.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the mode determination unit 222 determines the mode to be the "partial anti-glare mirror mode" when the automatic anti-glare control is on in "nighttime". In the partial anti-glare mirror mode, the second area B2 is in a transparent state, so the light amount sensor 90 embedded in the second area B2 can accurately measure external light. As a result, the reflectance control unit 224 (described later) can perform automatic anti-glare control based on highly accurate outside light amount information.

Although not shown in FIG. 7 and will not be described in detail here, when the user designates the camera mode, the mode determination unit 222 determines the mode to be the “partial camera mode”. In this case, the image output control section 226 described above functions based on the image from the vehicle-mounted camera 96 . Note that the camera mode may be specified by operating a mode selection switch (not shown), for example. In this case, the auto-dimming switch 94 may be implemented as a mode selection switch.

When the mode determined by the mode determination unit 222 is the “partial anti-glare mirror mode,” the reflectance control unit 224 performs automatic anti-glare control based on the outside light amount information from the light amount sensor 90 .

When performing automatic anti-glare control, for example, the reflectance control unit 224 determines the intensity of the glare light based on the outside light amount information from the light amount sensor 90 and the ambient light information representing the amount of ambient light from the sunshine sensor 92. The reflectance (control target value) of the vehicle mirror 1 is determined according to . For example, the reflectance (control target value) of the vehicle mirror 1 is determined according to the intensity of the glare so that the relationship (the relationship between the intensity of the glare and the reflectance) shown in FIG. 6B is obtained. FIG. 6B shows a curve 600 of the reflectance (control target value) of the vehicle mirror 1 according to the glare light intensity, with the horizontal axis representing the glare light intensity and the vertical axis representing the reflectance. In this case, the reflectance (control target value) of the vehicle mirror 1 is set to the maximum value (corresponding to the mirror state) until the intensity of the glare exceeds the threshold Th1. , the reflectance (control target value) of the vehicle mirror 1 is gradually reduced toward the minimum value (corresponding to the transmission state, for example, about 10%). Note that the relationship as shown in FIG. 6B is pre-stored in the storage unit 228 as map information. The intensity of the glare light may be calculated based on outside light amount information from the light amount sensor 90 and ambient light information indicating the amount of ambient light from the sunshine sensor 92, or may be calculated based on the amount of outside light from the light amount sensor 90. It may be calculated based on the information. After determining the control target value in this manner, the reflectance control unit 224 controls the voltage ΔV applied to the liquid crystal layer 33A in the first area B1 so as to achieve the control target value.

The image output control unit 226 outputs the image from the vehicle-mounted camera 96 to the image display unit 20 when the mode determined by the mode determination unit 222 is the “partial camera mode”. Note that, as described above, in the modified example in which the image display section 20 is omitted, the image output control section 226 is omitted.

(Effect of this embodiment)
Here, the main effects of the vehicle mirror 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the comparative example of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a vehicle mirror 1' according to a comparative example. As shown in FIG. 8, the vehicle mirror 1' according to the comparative example has a light quantity sensor 90 arranged in the frame portion 10a' of the housing 10'.

In this case, in the vehicle mirror 1′, if the Y-direction dimension H1 of the region that functions as a mirror is the same as the same dimension H1 in this embodiment, the Y-direction dimension H2 as a whole is the same as that in this embodiment. is larger than the same dimension H2 of . Further, since the light amount sensor 90 is arranged in the frame portion 10a' of the vehicle mirror 1', the width L1 of the frame portion 10a' is relatively large.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as described above, the light amount sensor 90 is provided behind the area functioning as a mirror, specifically in the area corresponding to the first area B1. The width L1 of the frame portion 10a of the vehicle mirror 1 can be narrowed. Thereby, for example, the width of the width L1 of the frame portion 10a of the vehicle mirror 1 can be minimized, and the design of the vehicle mirror 1 can be enhanced. In addition, the dimension H2 in the Y direction as a whole can be reduced, and the vehicle mirror 1 can be miniaturized (miniaturized in the Y direction).

Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the first area B1, the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the second area B2, can be controlled individually. Therefore, the second area B2 can be an area in which the light quantity sensor 90 is embedded while being part of the area functioning as a mirror. That is, according to the present embodiment, while the light amount sensor 90 is embedded inside the vehicle mirror 1, the second area B2 in the vehicle mirror, in which the light amount sensor 90 is embedded, can selectively function as a mirror area. can do.

By the way, when the light amount sensor 90 is provided behind the region of the vehicle mirror 1 functioning as a mirror instead of the frame portion 10a as in the present embodiment, the appearance of the region functioning as a mirror may become a problem.

Specifically, in order to allow the light amount sensor 90 to accurately measure the amount of external light incident on the vehicle mirror 1, the external light incident on the vehicle mirror 1 should be reflected as little as possible. Therefore, it is useful to be able to reach the light intensity sensor 90 directly. Therefore, in the second area B2, it is useful to extend a material with high light transmittance (the second area electrode 33B2, etc.) above the light amount sensor 90 as in the present embodiment. However, the state in which the second area B2 is transparent means a state in which only a part of the area functioning as a mirror is transparent. This means that due to the visualization of 90 (becoming visible in front view), the appearance of the area acting as a mirror can be degraded.

In this regard, in the present embodiment, as described above, the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the first area B1 and the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the second area B2 are , can be individually controlled, thus eliminating or minimizing such appearance problems.

For example, in the present embodiment, only the second area B2 of the mirror section 30 reflects light only during a period when outside light amount information from the light amount sensor 90 is required (a period during which automatic anti-glare control is performed, typically at night). The ratio is decreased (transmittance is increased), and the entire mirror section 30 (first area The reflectivity of B1 and the second area B2) can be increased.

When the reflectance of the entire mirror section 30 (the first area B1 and the second area B2) increases, only the second area B2 will not be transparent. No more problems and a better look. In this way, in the present embodiment, the reflectance of the second area B2 can be increased during the period in which the automatic anti-glare control is not executed, so the appearance of the vehicle mirror 1 can be improved. During the period in which the automatic anti-glare control is not executed, the second area B2 itself functions as a mirror. can be

In the present embodiment, only the second area B2 is transparent during the period when the automatic anti-glare control is performed, so the above-described problems related to the appearance may occur. However, since the state in which the above-described appearance-related problems may occur is only during the period in which the automatic anti-glare control is executed, the above-described appearance-related problems are more likely to occur than when the second area B2 is always transparent. can be reduced. In addition, since the period during which the automatic anti-glare control is executed is typically nighttime, it is difficult for the light quantity sensor 90 inside to become substantially visible through the transparent second area B2, and the light quantity sensor 90 from the outside cannot be seen. There are virtually no cosmetic issues due to 90 visualization.

In this manner, according to the present embodiment, the design of the frame portion 10a can be enhanced while appropriately executing the automatic anti-glare control based on the external light amount information from the light amount sensor 90. FIG. Further, during the period in which the automatic anti-glare control is not executed, the reflectance of the second area B2 in which the light amount sensor 90 is embedded is increased, so that the second area B2 is transparent during the period in which the automatic anti-glare control is not executed. It practically eliminates the appearance problems that sometimes arise.

(Modification 1)
In the above embodiments, liquid crystal molecules that align in the same direction when a voltage is applied are used, but liquid crystal molecules that align in the same direction when no voltage is applied may be used. . Such a modified example will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a case where liquid crystal molecules of a type in which the alignment directions are aligned when no voltage is applied are used, and is a schematic diagram showing a cross section along line AA of FIG. 1 in the case of this modification. be. In the vehicle mirror 1A of the modified example shown in FIG. They are different in that they are replaced.

The first polarizing plate 310 has a property of transmitting S-polarized light and reflecting P-polarized light.

The polarization control section 330 includes a lower electrode section 33B and an upper electrode section 33C, as in the above-described embodiments. Similarly, in this modified example as well, the region functioning as a mirror is divided into two areas, the first area B1 and the second area B2. A first area electrode 33B1 (an example of a second electrode portion) provided in a corresponding region and a second area electrode 33B2 (an example of a first electrode portion) provided in a region corresponding to the second area B2. It is formed by two area electrodes.
The polarization control section 330 includes a liquid crystal layer 330A in addition to the lower electrode section 33B and the upper electrode section 33C. The liquid crystal layer 330A includes a type of liquid crystal molecules that are oriented in the same direction when no voltage is applied.

For example, in the whole mirror mode, referring to FIG. 9, in this modified example, when no voltage is applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 330A (when the voltage ΔV is 0 (V)), the light is The alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 330A is set so that the polarization state does not change when the light is transmitted through the liquid crystal layer 330A.

Since the external light contains P-polarized light and S-polarized light at substantially the same ratio, as shown in FIG. is absorbed by the second polarizing plate 35, and the P-polarized light is transmitted through the second polarizing plate 35 and enters the liquid crystal layer 330A.

As described above, in the full mirror mode, the alignment direction of the entire liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 330A is such that the polarization state of light is not changed. When passing through 330A, it reaches the first polarizing plate 310 while remaining P-polarized.

Then, the P-polarized light that has passed through the liquid crystal layer 330A is reflected by the first polarizing plate 310 and enters the liquid crystal layer 330A again. , is transmitted through the second polarizing plate 35 without being obstructed by the second polarizing plate 35, and is irradiated to the outside of the mirror portion 30A through the cover 11. As shown in FIG.

Although the description of the partial anti-glare mirror mode and the like is omitted, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained in this modification as well.

(Modification 2)
In the above embodiment, the image display section 20 is provided separately from the liquid crystal layer 33A of the polarization control section 33, but it is also possible to realize the liquid crystal layer 33A of the polarization control section 33 and the image display section 20 integrally. be. That is, it is possible to realize a configuration in which the image display section also functions as a polarization control section. Such a modification will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view in the case where the image display section also functions as the polarization control section, and is a schematic view showing a CC line cross section of FIG. 1 in the case of this modification. Note that, in the following description and FIG. 10, the same reference numerals may be given to components that may be the same as in the above-described embodiment, and the description thereof may be omitted.

In the vehicle mirror 1B, the image display unit 720 is housed in a case 721 having an opening 721A capable of outputting an image on the image output side (upper side in FIG. 10), and the bottom side of the case 721 ( 10), a backlight 723 housed in a case 721 and provided closer to the opening 721A than the control board 22, and a backlight 723 housed in the case 721. and a mirror portion 730 provided on the side of the opening portion 721A, which is the side irradiated with the light from.

In this modified example, the mirror section 730 is arranged on the side of the opening 721A from the backlight 723 by the spacer S and is separated from the backlight 723, but it is not necessarily required to be separated.

In addition, the portion of the cover 11 that is received by the case 721 (also referred to as the contact portion) is preferably mirror-finished by coloring the surface of the contact portion of the cover 11 silver to improve its appearance. .
However, it should be noted that the mirror finish is not limited to coloring, and means a finish that can reflect light as a mirror.

The backlight 723 is a light source that lights up when displaying an image (through image) from the vehicle-mounted camera 96 on the vehicle mirror 1B and irradiates the mirror portion 730 with light for forming the image (through image). .

In accordance with instructions from the control board 22, the mirror unit 730 not only forms an image (through image) of the vehicle-mounted camera 96 displayed on the vehicle mirror 1B using the light from the backlight 723, but also receives an image from the control board 22. When the image display unit 720 is caused to function as a mirror according to the instructions, the reflectance of external light incident on the vehicle mirror 1B is also controlled.

The mirror unit 730 includes, in order from the backlight 723 side, a first polarizing plate 731 (an example of a polarizing layer) that reflects P-polarized light and transmits S-polarized light, and a polarization control unit that controls the polarization state of light. 732 and a second polarizing plate 734 (an example of a front polarizing layer) that transmits P-polarized light and absorbs S-polarized light.

In this modified example, the first polarizing plate 731 is formed by attaching a first polarizing film 731B that reflects P-polarized light and transmits S-polarized light to the surface of the glass substrate 731A facing the backlight 723. However, it is not necessary to be limited to this, and a highly rigid polarizing plate may be used as it is.

In this modification, the second polarizing plate 734 also has a second polarizing film 734B that transmits P-polarized light and absorbs S-polarized light on the surface of the glass substrate 734A that faces the opposite side of the polarization control section 732. Although the polarizing plate is attached, it is not limited to this, and a highly rigid polarizing plate may be used as it is.

In this modified example, a color filter layer 733 is provided between the polarization control section 732 and the second polarizing plate 734 and has a color pattern corresponding to RGB.

The polarization control section 732 includes a liquid crystal layer 732A, a first electrode section 732B provided on the first polarizing plate 731 side of the liquid crystal layer 732A, and a second electrode section 732B provided on the second polarizing plate 734 side of the liquid crystal layer 732A. 732C, and between the liquid crystal layer 732A and the first electrode portion 732B, for example, a polyimide alignment film (also referred to as a first alignment film PAF1) is provided. A polyimide alignment film (also referred to as a second alignment film PAF2), for example, is provided between the portions 732C.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining the first electrode portion 732B.
As shown in FIG. 11, the first electrode portion 732B is provided on the surface of the glass substrate 731A on the liquid crystal layer 732A side (also referred to as the first surface), and is provided for each sub-pixel corresponding to RGB included in each pixel of the color filter. Each pixel electrode is provided with a thin film transistor (TFT), and the driving of the TFT is individually controlled by the source line and the gate line, so that the pixel electrode is controlled.

More specifically, the first electrode portion 732B, which is an electrode portion formed of a plurality of pixel electrodes, includes, in addition to the pixel electrodes, a plurality of gate lines arranged in the Y direction (the vertical direction in FIG. 11) and the gate lines. A thin film transistor ( TFT), and the pixel electrode is provided so as to be connected to the thin film transistor for each region surrounded by at least the gate line and the source line.

Note that the plurality of source lines are connected to the corresponding source electrodes of the TFTs, and the plurality of gate lines are connected to the corresponding gate electrodes of the TFTs. The line and the gate line seem to be in contact at the crossing portion, but this portion is formed so as not to short-circuit the source line and the gate line.

Furthermore, each rectangular region partitioned by the source line and the gate line is a region (also referred to as a sub-pixel region) corresponding to at least a sub-pixel corresponding to RGB included in each pixel of the color filter. A TFT and a pixel electrode are provided for each sub-pixel region such that the drain electrode of the TFT is connected to the pixel electrode.

The ends of the gate lines are connected to a gate driver (not shown), and the ends of the source lines are connected to a source driver (not shown). The voltage applied to each pixel electrode is individually controlled by controlling the driving of the TFT by the source driver.

On the other hand, the second electrode portion 732C is provided on the surface of the color filter layer 733 on the liquid crystal layer 732A side, and includes, for example, a common electrode formed as a solid electrode corresponding to the entire surface of the liquid crystal layer 732A.
A transparent electrode material such as ITO is used for the common electrode and the pixel electrode.

However, in this modified example, a case is shown in which the first electrode portion 732B is formed of the pixel electrode and the second electrode portion 732C is formed of the common electrode. Either the portion 732B or the second electrode portion 732C is formed of a common electrode, and the electrode portion of the first electrode portion 732B or the second electrode portion 732C that is not the common electrode is formed of a pixel electrode. Just do it.

As described above, the mirror section 730 includes a second electrode section 732C, which is a common electrode, and a first electrode section having a plurality of pixel electrodes that can be driven for each sub-pixel region with respect to the second electrode section 732C. 732B and 732B, the voltage applied to the liquid crystal layer 732A can be applied to each sub-pixel, and the reflectance of the external light and the backlight 723 can be changed for each sub-pixel, as will be understood later. It is possible to control the transmittance of light from.

Specifically, the control substrate 22 controls the driving of the gate driver (not shown) and the source driver (not shown) to control the voltage applied to each pixel electrode, thereby applying the voltage to the liquid crystal layer 732A. By controlling the voltage for each sub-pixel, it is possible to control the reflectance of external light and the transmittance of light from the backlight 723 for each sub-pixel.

Therefore, even in this modification, by controlling the voltage applied to each pixel electrode, the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 732A corresponding to the first area B1 and the liquid crystal layer 732A corresponding to the second area B2 can be controlled individually. That is, each pixel electrode in the first area B1 of the first electrode portion 732B (an example of the second electrode portion) and each pixel electrode in the second area B2 of the first electrode portion 732B (an example of the first electrode portion) can be used to individually control the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 732A corresponding to the first area B1 and the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 732A corresponding to the second area B2. Therefore, this modification can also provide the same effects as the above-described embodiment.

In addition, in the present modification, as in the above-described modification 1, liquid crystal molecules of a type in which the alignment direction is aligned when no voltage is applied are used. A type of liquid crystal molecules that align in the same direction when held may be used.

It should be noted that this modified example can also be partially combined with the above-described embodiment. Specifically, the structure of this modification may be applied to any one of the first area B1 and the second area B2.

Although each embodiment has been described in detail above, it is not limited to a specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope described in the claims. It is also possible to combine all or more of the constituent elements of the above-described embodiments.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, only one second area B2 is provided, but it may be provided at a plurality of separate locations. In this case, the light amount sensor 90 may be provided for one second area B2 out of the plurality of second areas B2. In this case, the other second areas B2 among the plurality of second areas B2 are used for other purposes (for displaying the image of the image display section 20 in a part of the area in the entire mirror state). may be

Also, in the above-described embodiment, the second area B2 is set at the edge of the area functioning as a mirror, but it may be set at a location other than the edge.
In addition, in the above-described embodiment, in the automatic anti-glare control, the reflectance is varied in multiple steps according to the intensity of the glare light based on the relationship shown in FIG. 6B, but the present invention is not limited to this. . For example, as a simple configuration, when a vehicle behind is detected at night, the reflectance may be reduced compared to when a vehicle behind is not detected. In this case, the vehicle behind may be detected depending on whether the amount of light (intensity of light) detected by the light amount sensor 90 exceeds a predetermined threshold.

1 vehicle mirror 10 housing 10a frame portion 10A opening 11 cover 20 image display portion 21 case 21A opening 22 control board 23 liquid crystal monitor 30 mirror portion 31 first polarizing plate 32 glass substrate 33 polarization control portion 33A liquid crystal layer 33B bottom Side electrode portion 33B1 First area electrode 33B2 Second area electrode 33C Upper electrode portion 34 Glass substrate 35 Second polarizing plate 90 Light quantity sensor 92 Sunlight sensor 94 Automatic anti-glare switch 96 In-vehicle camera 220 Ambient light information acquisition unit 222 Mode determination unit 224 Reflectance control unit 226 Image output control unit 228 Storage unit B1 First area B2 Second area M Fixed mirror unit

Claims (4)

A vehicle mirror comprising a region that forms a light reflecting surface and functions as a mirror,
a liquid crystal layer in which the alignment direction of liquid crystal molecules changes according to the applied voltage;
a first electrode layer provided on the side of the liquid crystal layer on which external light is incident;
a second electrode layer facing the first electrode layer through the liquid crystal layer;
a surface polarizing layer provided on the incident side of external light with respect to the first electrode layer;
a polarizing layer provided behind the second electrode layer in the incident direction of external light and forming the reflective surface;
light amount detection means provided behind the polarizing layer in the incident direction of external light and generating an electrical signal corresponding to the amount of incident light;
A control unit that controls the voltage applied to the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer,
At least one of the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer is provided with respect to the first electrode portion overlapping the light amount detecting means when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the reflecting surface and the other second electrode portion. voltage can be applied individually ,
further comprising an ambient light information acquisition unit that acquires ambient light information representing the amount of ambient light,
The control unit controls voltage applied to the first electrode portion based on the ambient light information acquired by the ambient light information acquisition unit,
The control unit controls the control unit to control the amount of ambient light when a specific area overlapping the light amount detecting means when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the reflecting surface, among the areas functioning as a mirror, has a first amount of ambient light. A mirror for a vehicle, wherein the voltage applied to the first electrode portion is controlled so as to have a lower reflectance than when the amount of light is a second amount of light larger than the first amount of light. 2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the amount of ambient light is the first amount of light, the control unit controls the voltage applied to the second electrode portion based on the electrical signal from the light amount detection means. Vehicle mirror as described. the first amount of light is smaller than a threshold value for day/night determination,
the second amount of light is greater than the day/night determination threshold;
When the amount of ambient light is the first amount of light, the control unit sets the reflectance of the specific region to a minimum value within a controllable range and the amount of ambient light is the second amount of light. 3. The vehicle mirror according to claim 1, wherein the voltage applied to said second electrode portion is controlled so that the reflectance of said specific region reaches a maximum value within a controllable range, when . 4. Any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one of the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer has a structure divided into the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion. A vehicle mirror as described in paragraph 1 above.

Images