JP7285611B2 - vehicle mirror - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to vehicle mirrors.

Patent Document 1 discloses an image display unit that emits image light for displaying a desired image, an image transmission state that transmits the image light and a mirror that reflects external light, which are superimposed on the image display unit. and a mirror function unit capable of switching between a state and a state, and the mirror function unit includes reflective polarization selection means, transmission polarization axis varying means, and absorption polarization selection means, which are arranged in order from the image display unit side. wherein the reflective polarization selection means transmits a first polarized light having a predetermined polarization axis and reflects a second polarized light whose polarization axis intersects with the first polarized light; It is possible to switch between a state in which the first polarized light is changed to the second polarized light and transmitted, and a state in which the incident light is transmitted without changing the polarization axis of the incident light. and the second polarized light, one of which is transmitted and the other is absorbed, the image display unit includes image light polarization selection means for transmitting the first polarized light and absorbing the second polarized light, wherein the image light polarized light A device capable of switching between an image display state and a mirror state is disclosed, characterized in that the first polarized light that has passed through a selection means is emitted as image light.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-318374

By the way, when outputting a vehicle rearward image obtained by a camera to a vehicle mirror, information can be obtained from a relatively wider viewing angle than when the vehicle mirror is in a full mirror state. However, at present, the image behind the vehicle output to the vehicle mirror and the image reflected in the vehicle mirror in the full mirror state are different in appearance, so that some users (typically, the driver) feel uncomfortable. There is a risk. For this reason, it is difficult for the above conventional technology to appropriately provide the user with information obtained from a relatively wide viewing angle.

Accordingly, in one aspect, an object of the present invention is to appropriately provide a user with information obtained from a relatively wide viewing angle.

In one aspect, a vehicle mirror having an electronically controllable control area, comprising:
a camera image acquisition unit that acquires a vehicle rear image obtained by an in-vehicle camera;
At least one of the left and right ends of the control area is used as an image output area for outputting image information based on the vehicle rearward image, and the image information in the control area is used as the image output area. A vehicular mirror is provided, comprising: a control unit that sets a predetermined portion other than the output end portion as a mirror area or an anti-glare control area.

In one aspect, according to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately provide the user with information obtained from a relatively wide viewing angle.

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; It is a front view which shows a lower electrode part roughly. It is a front view which shows an upper electrode part roughly. It is a front view which shows an image display part roughly. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the vehicle mirror of the present embodiment when it is in a mirror mode; It is a figure for demonstrating operation|movement in case the mirror for vehicles of this embodiment is in camera mode. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing time-series waveforms of voltages applied to the lower electrode section and the upper electrode section in the camera mode; FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing time-series waveforms of voltages applied to the lower electrode portion and the upper electrode portion in the antiglare mirror mode; It is a table|surface which put together the operation state of this embodiment. 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. 4 is an explanatory diagram of viewing angles of an in-vehicle camera; FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the state of the vehicle mirror in the wide viewing angle mode; 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.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a vehicle mirror 1 of this embodiment. 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. 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. FIG. 4A is a front view schematically showing the lower electrode portion 33B (first area electrode 33B1, second area electrode 33B2, and third area electrode 33B3). FIG. 4B is a front view schematically showing the upper electrode portion 33C. 4C is a front view schematically showing the liquid crystal monitor 23 of the image display section 20. FIG. 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 etc. which are provided outside the vehicle may be sufficient.

Further, in the present embodiment, the vehicle (hereinafter also referred to as “own vehicle”) in which the vehicle mirror 1 is mounted is equipped with an on-vehicle camera 96 (see FIG. 7) for imaging the rear of the own vehicle. It is assumed that an image (such as a through image) captured by the vehicle-mounted camera 96 is displayed on the vehicle mirror 1 .

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. and a mirror unit 30 arranged on the image output side (the upper side in FIGS. 2 and 3) of the image display unit 20 and accommodated in the housing 10 .

(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.

(Image display unit 20)
The image display unit 20 is a part that displays an image (through image) or the like from an in-vehicle camera 96 (see FIG. 7) provided on the rear side of the own vehicle, and the image is displayed on the image output side (upper side in FIGS. 2 and 3). and a liquid crystal monitor 23 arranged in the case 21 and provided closer to the opening 21A than a control board 22 (an example of a control unit). 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 or the like as necessary, in addition to displaying the image (through image) of the vehicle-mounted camera 96, as will be described later.

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 which part of the liquid crystal monitor 23 (whole surface or a predetermined part described later) and how the image (through image) of the vehicle-mounted camera 96 is displayed. It also controls the mirror unit 30 and serves as a control unit that controls the vehicle mirror 1 as a whole. 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 section arranged on the light output side of the backlight. A rear-side polarizing plate, a rear-side glass substrate, a liquid crystal layer, RGB color filters, a front-side glass substrate, and a front-side polarizing plate are provided in this order.
As shown in FIG. 4C, the liquid crystal monitor 23 has pixel regions G1, G2, and G3 that overlap three areas (first area B1, second area B2, and third area B3) to be described later when viewed from the front. In this embodiment, the images formed by the pixel regions G1, G2, and G3 can be individually controlled. For example, the pixel area G1 may be turned off (black state), and a part of the image of the vehicle-mounted camera 96 (both left and right ends) may be output to the pixel areas G2 and G3.

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 functioning as a mirror (hereinafter simply referred to as a region functioning as a mirror) excluding the fixed mirror portion M is defined as a first area B1 (first area B1). area), a second area B2 (an example of the second area), and a third area B3 (an example of the third area). 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 first area B1 occupies the central portion, the second area B2 occupies the left edge, and the third area B3 occupies the right edge. The horizontal width of the first area B1 is set to be relatively long. For example, the width of the first area B1 in the left-right direction is set so that at least the rear scenery in the same lane can be seen.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, the region functioning as a mirror is divided into three areas, the first area B1, the second area B2, and the third area B3. 33B, as shown in FIG. 4A, includes a first area electrode 33B1 provided in a region corresponding to the first area B1, a second area electrode 33B2 provided in a region corresponding to the second area B2, and a third area electrode 33B2. A third area electrode 33B3 provided in a region corresponding to the area B3 is formed by three area electrodes. That is, the first area electrode 33B1 is arranged to overlap the first area B1 when viewed from the front, the second area electrode 33B2 is arranged to overlap the second area B2 when viewed from the front, and the third area electrode 33B1 is arranged to overlap the second area B2 when viewed from the front. 33B3 is arranged so as to overlap the third area B3 in a front view.

More specifically, the first area electrode 33B1, the second area electrode 33B2, and the third area electrode 33B3 are formed on the surface of the glass substrate 32 facing the liquid crystal layer 33A using a transparent electrode material such as ITO. there is

As shown in FIG. 4B, 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 such as ITO.

However, as will be understood later, the upper electrode portion 33C also includes a common electrode provided in a region corresponding to the first area B1, a common electrode provided in a region corresponding to the second area B2, and a third electrode portion 33C. and a common electrode provided in a region corresponding to the area B3. That is, 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, and the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the third area B3 can be individually controlled, and the alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the first 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. It is sufficient if the direction and the alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the third area B3 can be individually controlled.

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, and the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the third area B3. It is sufficient if the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the corresponding liquid crystal layer 33A can be individually controlled. 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, a second area electrode provided in a region corresponding to the second area B2, and a third area electrode provided in a region corresponding to the third area B3.

Even in this case, the lower electrode portion 33B serving as a common electrode is a plurality of common electrodes (three common electrodes in this example) respectively corresponding to the first area B1, the second area B2, and the third area B3. (to be an electrode).

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, the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the second area B2, and the third The voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the area B3 can be individually controlled.

For this reason, for example, while setting the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the first area B1 to the maximum value (for example, 5 (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 applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the third area B3 to a variable value (eg, 2.5 (V)) and set the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the third area B3 to a minimum value (eg, 0 (V)). However, it is also possible to set the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of each liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to each of the first area B1, the second area B2, and the third area B3 to a minimum value (for example, 0 (V)). .

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. , and the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 33A corresponding to the third area B3 are individually controlled to form a mirror mode, a camera mode, an antiglare mirror mode, and a wide viewing angle mode. The mirror mode is a state in which the first area B1, the second area B2 and the third area B3 all function as mirrors. The camera mode is a state in which the first area B1, the second area B2 and the third area B3 are all transparent and the image display section 20 functions. In the antiglare mirror mode, the first area B1, the second area B2 and the third area B3 all function as antiglare mirrors. In the wide viewing angle mode, the first area B1 is in the mirror state or the anti-glare control state, the second area B2 and the third area B3 are in the transparent state, and the image display section 20 is displayed on the second area B2 and the third area B3. functioning. Hereinafter, when distinguishing between the mode in which the first area B1 is in the mirror state and the mode in which the first area B1 is in the anti-glare control state among the wide viewing angle modes, the term "first wide viewing angle mode" and "second wide viewing angle mode".

(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 mirror mode, and is basically the same as in FIG. 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 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 mirror mode, the voltage ΔV applied to the liquid crystal layer 33A is 0 (V). When the 1-polarized light (P-polarized light) exits the liquid crystal layer 33A, it changes to the 2nd-polarized light (S-polarized light). has become light.

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 mirror mode, the first polarized light (P-polarized light) of the external light is reflected, thus functioning as a mirror. That is, a mirror state is realized in the first area B1, the second area B2, and the third area B3.

On the other hand, in the mirror mode, since the image display unit 20 is not used, it is in an OFF (backlight off) state, and the liquid crystal monitor 23 is in a black display state.

(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 camera mode. is shown in the figure. FIG. 5C is a diagram schematically showing time-series waveforms of voltages applied to the lower electrode portion 33B and the upper electrode portion 33C in the camera mode.

In the camera mode, the image display unit 20 is turned on (backlight (lighting), the image (through image) of the in-vehicle camera 96 is displayed on the entire liquid crystal monitor 23 .

As expected from the above description, in the camera mode, the voltage ΔV applied to the liquid crystal layer 33A is maximized, and the liquid crystal layer 33A exhibits the function of changing the polarization state of light. be discouraged from doing so.

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. That is, the image output state is realized in the first area B1, the second area B2, and the third area B3. The image output to the first area B1 is formed by the image light output from the pixel area G1 overlapping the first area B1 of the liquid crystal monitor 23 of the image display unit 20 when viewed from the front. The image output to B2 is formed by the image light output from the pixel area G2 overlapping the second area B2 of the liquid crystal monitor 23 when viewed from the front, and the image output to the third area B3 is formed from the image light output to the third area B3 when viewed from the front. , formed by image light output from the pixel region G3 of the liquid crystal monitor 23 overlapping the third area B3.

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 external light incident on the vehicle mirror 1 is not reflected by the first polarizing plate 31 as in the mirror mode described earlier, and is directed toward the image display unit 20 side. The light is not emitted from the mirror 1 to the outside.

In the camera mode, as shown in FIG. 5C, a positive voltage is applied to the lower electrode portion 33B and the upper electrode portion 33C every frame so that the voltage ΔV applied to the liquid crystal layer 33A becomes the maximum value Vmax. Negative voltages are applied alternately. The difference between the positive and negative voltages is the voltage ΔV (=Vmax). In other words, the voltage waveform V1 is applied to the lower electrode portion 33B, 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.

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

In the anti-glare mirror mode, unlike in the mirror mode, the first polarized light (P It is not performed to irradiate all of the polarized light to the outside of the vehicle mirror 1 at all times.

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 anti-glare mirror mode, as shown in FIG. 5D, the lower electrode portion 33B and the upper electrode portion 33C are applied with one frame so that the voltage ΔV applied to the liquid crystal layer 33A becomes a predetermined voltage. A positive voltage and a negative voltage are alternately applied every time, and the difference between them is the voltage ΔV. 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 voltage ΔV applied to the liquid crystal layer 33A control to increase

Then, as described in the mirror mode, 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 was reflected in the mirror mode, but part of the light reaching the first polarizing plate 31 was reflected in the anti-glare mirror mode, and the rest of the light was reflected. Part of the light is transmitted through the first polarizing plate 31 and directed toward the image display section 20 .

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 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 and irradiated to the outside of the vehicle mirror 1. will be That is, the antiglare control state is realized in the first area B1, the second area B2, and the third area B3. As a result, 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.

In another embodiment, an anti-glare control state may be realized in which the reflectance is different for each of the first area B1, the second area B2, and the third area B3. For example, the second area B2 and the third area B3 may be in a mirror state considering that the headlights of the vehicle behind are less likely to be reflected in the second area B2 and the third area B3. That is, only the first area B1 out of the first area B1, the second area B2, and the third area B3 may be in the antiglare control state.

(First wide viewing angle mode)
The first wide viewing angle mode is a combination of the above-described mirror mode and the above-described camera mode. Specifically, the first area B1 is in a mirror state, and the second area B2 and the third area B3 are in an image display state.

At this time, the pixel region G1 is turned off (black state), the left end portion (left rear image portion) of the image of the vehicle-mounted camera 96 is output to the pixel region G2, and the image of the vehicle-mounted camera 96 is output to the pixel region G3. The right end portion (right rear image portion) of the image is output. In the first wide viewing angle mode, the details of the images output to the pixel regions G2 and G3 will be described later.

(Second wide viewing angle mode)
The second wide viewing angle mode is a combination of the antiglare mirror mode described above and the camera mode described above. Specifically, the first area B1 is put into the anti-glare control state, and the second area B2 and the third area B3 are put into the image display state.

At this time, the pixel region G1 is turned off (black state), the left end portion (left rear image portion) of the image of the vehicle-mounted camera 96 is output to the pixel region G2, and the image of the vehicle-mounted camera 96 is output to the pixel region G3. The right end portion (right rear image portion) of the image is output. In the second wide viewing angle mode, the details of the images output to the pixel regions G2 and G3 will be described later.

FIG. 5E is a table diagram summarizing the operation states of the present embodiment described above. In FIG. 5E, the column "state" represents the state of each area, "mirror" indicates the mirror state, "anti-glare" indicates the anti-glare control state, and "display output" indicates the display output state. show. The column "voltage ΔV" indicates the voltage ΔV applied between the first area electrode 33B1 and the upper electrode portion 33C for the first area B1, and the second area electrode 33B2 for the second area B2. and the upper electrode portion 33C, and for the third area B3, the voltage ΔV applied between the third area electrode 33B3 and the upper electrode portion 33C. "0" is 0 (V), "maximum" is the maximum value (for example, 5 (V)), and "variable" is, for example, between 0 (V) and 5 (V). It means that Further, the column "LCD" indicates the ON/OFF state of the image display section 20. Regarding the first area B1, the ON/OFF state of the pixel region G1 corresponding to the first area B1 in the image display section 20 is displayed. , and the second area B2 represents the on/off state of the pixel region G2 corresponding to the second area B2 in the image display section 20, and so on. Note that when the image display unit 20 is in the OFF state, the screen of the image display unit 20 is substantially black.

(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 , a camera mode selection switch 95 , and an in-vehicle camera 96 are electrically connected to the control board 22 .

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. For example, the light intensity sensor 90 may be embedded in the frame portion 10a of the housing 10 (see FIG. 1). 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 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 camera mode selection switch 95 is a switch for selecting an OFF state, a camera mode, or a wide viewing angle mode, and can be operated by the user. The camera mode selection switch 95 may be provided, for example, on the side of the housing 10 of the vehicle mirror 1 . Camera mode selection switch 95 may be integrated with auto-dimming switch 94 .

The vehicle-mounted camera 96 images the scenery behind the vehicle as described above.

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 state of the camera mode selection switch 95 . In this embodiment, as an example, as described above, the mode is switched between five modes (mirror mode, camera mode, anti-glare mirror mode, first wide viewing angle mode, and second wide viewing angle mode). mode).

Specifically, when the camera mode selection switch 95 is in the off state and the automatic anti-glare switch 94 is in the on state, the mode determination unit 222 sets the anti-glare mirror mode, and the camera mode selection switch 95 is turned off. state and the automatic anti-glare switch 94 is off, the mirror mode is set. Further, when the camera mode is designated by the user, the mode determination unit 222 determines the mode as "camera mode". In this case, the image output control section 226 described above functions based on the image from the vehicle-mounted camera 96 . Further, when the wide viewing angle mode is designated by the user, the mode determination unit 222 switches the mode to the first wide viewing angle mode or the second wide viewing angle mode according to the ON/OFF state of the automatic anti-glare switch 94. decide. That is, when the wide viewing angle mode is specified by the user, the mode determination unit 222 determines the mode to be the first wide viewing angle mode if the automatic anti-glare switch 94 is in the OFF state, and the automatic anti-glare switch 94 is on, the mode is determined to be the second wide viewing angle mode.

Based on the mode determined by the mode determination unit 222, the ambient light information from the ambient light information acquisition unit 220, and the external light amount information from the light amount sensor 90, the reflectance control unit 224 controls the upper electrode unit 33C and the lower electrode unit 33C. It controls the voltage applied to the side electrode portion 33B. Specifically, when the mode determined by the mode determination unit 222 is the “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 20%). 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 so that the control target value is achieved.
Note that in another embodiment, 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 (light intensity) detected by the light amount sensor 90 exceeds a predetermined threshold, or may be detected by a rear radar sensor or the like.

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 “camera mode” or the “wide viewing angle mode”.
(Effects of this embodiment, etc.)

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the field of view of the vehicle-mounted camera 96, and is a schematic top view of the vehicle in which the vehicle mirror 1 is mounted. FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing the state of the vehicle mirror 1 in the wide viewing angle mode.

FIG. 7 shows left and right boundary lines 961 of the field of view of the vehicle-mounted camera 96, left and right boundary lines 111 of the first field of view of the vehicle mirror 1, and left and right boundary lines 112 of the second field of view of the vehicle mirror 1. shown. Also, FIG. 7 shows the relationship between each field of view and various modes. FIG. 7 shows a left-right line L7 located behind D1 (m) from the rear end of the vehicle. Here, each field of view at the position of line L7 will be described.

In the mirror mode (the same applies to the anti-glare mirror mode), the field of view (first field of view) is between the intersection points P2 (two left and right points) between the line L7 and the boundary line 111 . Although the first field of view may change depending on the mounting angle of the vehicle mirror 1, etc., it is assumed here that the first field of view is the field of view at the nominal (neutral) position.

In the camera mode, an image corresponding to the field of view of the in-vehicle camera 96 is displayed. The field of view of the vehicle-mounted camera 96 corresponds, as shown in FIG. 7, to the intersection point P1 (two left and right points) between the line L7 and the boundary line 961 . In this embodiment, the field of view of the onboard camera 96 is significantly wider than the first field of view. That is, the field of view of the vehicle-mounted camera 96 includes the outside of the first field of view.

In the wide viewing angle mode, the first area B1 is in the mirror state as described above. In the first area B1, the field of view (second field of view) is between the intersection point P3 (two left and right points) between the line L7 and the boundary line 112 . The second field of view is determined by the horizontal boundary position of the first area B1, and is narrower than the first field of view by the amount corresponding to the second area B2 and the third area B3. Further, in the wide viewing angle mode, the second area B2 and the third area B3 are in an image output state. At this time, the field of view of the second area B2 is a part of the field of view of the vehicle-mounted camera 96. between P1 and point P3). Similarly, the field of view of the third area B3 is a part of the field of view of the vehicle-mounted camera 96. between point P1 and point P3 of ).

Therefore, in the wide viewing angle mode, as shown in FIG. 8, the second viewing field (between the left and right points P3) is displayed in the first area B1, and the left point P1 and the point P3 are displayed in the second area B2. The image portion of the visual field portion between P3 (part of the image of the vehicle-mounted camera 96) is output, and in the third area B3, the image portion of the visual field portion between the points P1 and P3 on the right side (the image portion of the vehicle-mounted camera 96) is output. part of the image) will be output. Thereby, a user (typically, a driver) looking at the vehicle mirror 1 can recognize the object OB1 in the second field of view from the first area B1, and the object OB1 in the field of view between the points P1 and P3 on the left side can be recognized. The object OB2 can be recognized from the second area B2, and the object OB3 within the field of view between the points P1 and P3 on the right side can be recognized from the third area B3.

Here, as shown in FIG. 7, the field of view of the vehicle-mounted camera 96 is significantly wider than the first field of view (the field of view in the mirror mode). Therefore, by selecting the camera mode, the user can obtain a wider rear field of view through the vehicle mirror 1 than in the mirror mode, thereby improving convenience. For example, it becomes possible to recognize objects (objects OB2 and OB3) that cannot be recognized in the mirror mode.

By the way, generally, if the field of view is the same, the amount of information reflected in the vehicle mirror 1 in the mirror mode tends to be larger and more reliable than the information obtained from the vehicle-mounted camera 96 .

In this respect, in the present embodiment, the wide viewing angle mode is set, so that it is possible to provide the user with information that is larger in amount and more reliable than information obtained in the case of the camera mode. That is, the user can obtain information with a large amount of information and high reliability from the first area B1 as in the case of the mirror mode, and can obtain information from the second area B2 and the third area B3 in the mirror mode. It is possible to obtain information (information obtained from a field of view outside the first field of view) that cannot be obtained in the case of .

In this way, according to the present embodiment, information from a relatively wide field of view (information from the second area B2 and the third area B3) and information with a large amount of information and high reliability (information from the first area B1) information) can be obtained at the same time.

In addition, since the image output to the vehicle mirror 1 in the camera mode and the image reflected in the vehicle mirror 1 in the mirror mode look slightly different, the user (typically, the driver) There is a possibility that a sense of incompatibility may occur depending on the situation. Therefore, some users tend not to select the camera mode, and in such a case, the user cannot be provided with information within a relatively wide viewing angle.

In this respect, according to the present embodiment, the wide viewing angle mode is set, so that information can be obtained from familiar images from the first area B1, and information can be obtained from the second area B2 and the third area B3. , information that cannot be obtained in the mirror mode (information obtained from a field of view outside the first field of view) can be obtained. For example, the user normally drives while mainly looking at the first area B1, and can check the second area B2 and the third area B3 as necessary. In this case, since the user can drive while mainly looking at the first area B1, there is a high possibility that the user will use the wide viewing angle mode without discomfort.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since the image portion related to the visual field outside the second visual field is output to the second area B2 and the third area B3, the information obtained from the first area B1 and the second There is no substantial overlap between the information obtained from the area B2 and the third area B3, and the vehicle mirror 1 as a whole can provide the user with information that does not give a sense of discomfort. Also, between the information obtained from the first area B1 and the information obtained from the second area B2 and the third area B3, the relationship (the information obtained from the second area B2 and the third area B3 is the first area It is possible to have a relationship that the information obtained from B1 is the information of the field of view outside the information obtained from B1.

In addition, seamless information can be provided to the vehicle mirror 1 by matching the image portions (cutout portions) to be output to the second area B2 and the third area B3 to the second viewing angle of the vehicle mirror 1. can also be possible. In this case, the image portions (cutout portions) to be output to the second area B2 and the third area B3 may be adjustable by the user as an initial setting. Further, in this case, the image portion (cutout portion) to be output to the second area B2 and the third area B3 is changed according to a change in the second viewing angle (for example, a change in the direction of the vehicle mirror 1, a change in the viewpoint of the user, etc.). By changing, it is possible to maintain highly continuous information. In this case, the change in the second viewing angle may be derived using information from a camera (not shown) that captures the interior of the vehicle.

In this embodiment, the image output to the second area B2 (the same applies to the third area B3) is the image obtained from the vehicle-mounted camera 96 in the field of view between the points P1 and P3 on the left. The corresponding image portion is, but not limited to, this. For example, the image output to the second area B2 is part of the image portion corresponding to the field of view between points P1 and P3 on the left (for example, the field of view between points P1 and P2 on the left). image portion) or may include the image portion within the second field of view.

Further, in the present embodiment, the image output to the second area B2 (the same applies to the third area B3) is formed by directly using the image obtained from the vehicle-mounted camera 96. It may be formed by processing the obtained image. For example, an object recognition result (image recognition result) for calling attention may be added to the image output to the second area B2 (the same applies to the third area B3).

Further, in the present embodiment, the image output to the second area B2 (the same applies to the third area B3) is formed by directly using the image obtained from the vehicle-mounted camera 96. , the information obtained from the portion of the image corresponding to the field of view between points P1 and P3 on the left may be output. For example, when a target to be alerted (for example, a passing vehicle, etc.) is detected by the object recognition result for the image portion corresponding to the field of view between points P1 and P3 on the left side, information indicating that the target to be alerted exists. (warning mark, etc.) may be output.

(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 the 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 modification, the region functioning as a mirror is divided into three areas, ie, the first area B1, the second area B2, and the third area B3. , a first area electrode 33B1 provided in a region corresponding to the first area B1, a second area electrode 33B2 provided in a region corresponding to the second area B2, and a region corresponding to the third area B3. and a third area electrode 33B3.
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 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)), light is emitted from the liquid crystal. 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 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 mirror mode, all the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 330A are oriented in a direction that does not change the polarization state of light. reaches the first polarizing plate 310 while being 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 anti-glare mirror mode and the like is omitted, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained in this modified example 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 diagram in the case where the image display section also functions as the polarization control section, and is a schematic diagram showing a cross section taken along the line BB in 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 order to improve the appearance of the portion of the cover 11 that is received by the case 721 (also referred to as the contact portion), the surface of the contact portion of the cover 11 is colored with silver or the like to have a mirror finish. preferable.
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 an image (through image) or the like from the in-vehicle camera 96 is displayed on the vehicle mirror 1B, and irradiates the mirror portion 730 with light for forming the image (through image) or the like. is.

In accordance with instructions from the control board 22 , the mirror section 730 uses light from the backlight 723 to form an image (through-the-lens image) of the vehicle-mounted camera 96 displayed on the vehicle mirror 1B. When the image display unit 720 is caused to function as a mirror according to the instructions from , it also controls the reflectance of external light incident on the vehicle mirror 1B.

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 and the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 732A corresponding to the third area B3 can be controlled separately. That is, each pixel electrode in the first area B1 in the first electrode portion 732B (an example of the first electrode portion) and each pixel electrode in the second area B2 in the first electrode portion 732B (an example of the second electrode portion) and each pixel electrode (an example of the third electrode portion) in the third area B3 in the first electrode portion 732B, a 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 and the voltage applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 732A corresponding to the third area B3 can be individually controlled. 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.

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, an infrared camera that captures an image behind the vehicle may be used instead of or in addition to the vehicle-mounted camera 96 . In this case, if an infrared camera is used instead of the onboard camera 96, the camera mode is eliminated, and in the wide viewing angle mode, the second area B2 and the third area B3 contain information ( For example, an infrared image or object information recognized from the image) may be output.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the camera that captures the images output to the second area B2 and the third area B3 in the wide viewing angle mode is the vehicle-mounted camera 96, but other cameras may be used. . For example, another camera having a field of view outside the vehicle-mounted camera 96 may be provided, and information based on images from the other camera may be output to the second area B2 and the third area B3.

Moreover, although the second area B2 and the third area B3 are set in the above-described embodiment, either one may be omitted. Alternatively, depending on the situation, only one of the second area B2 and the third area B3 may be used, only the other of the second area B2 and the third area B3 may be used, or both may be used. . For example, in the mirror mode or the anti-glare mirror mode, both the second area B2 and the third area B3 are in the image output state when driving backwards, and only the third area B3 is in the image output state when driving in the left lane. (the second area B2 is in the mirror state or the anti-glare control state), and when driving in the right lane, only the second area B2 may be in the image output state (the third area B3 is in the mirror state or the anti-glare control state). state).
Also, in the mirror mode or the anti-glare mirror mode, when a vehicle situation (an example of the first situation) in which a left turn or lane change is made to the left is detected or predicted, only the second area B2 is brought into the image output state. (The third area B3 is in the mirror state or the anti-glare control state.) Only the third area B3 is detected or predicted when a vehicle situation (an example of the second situation) in which a right turn or lane change is made to the right side is detected or predicted. It may be in an image output state (the second area B2 may be in a mirror state or an anti-glare control state). Hereinafter, such a modified example is also referred to as "modified example 3". In the case of Modified Example 3, it is possible to output the image information regarding the situation within the field of view that is appropriate according to the vehicle situation, using the second area B2 or the third area B3. For example, in a vehicle situation where a left turn or lane change is made to the left, the situation of the rear vehicle behind the left is useful. In this modified example, the driver can easily grasp the situation of the left rear vehicle by looking at the second area B2 or the third area B3. In Modified Example 3, the vehicle condition in which a left turn or left lane change is performed may be detected according to the blinking state of the direction indicator (or the state of the turn signal lever switch), or the guidance route from the navigation may be detected. It may be predicted based on information. For example, in the case of prediction based on guidance route information from navigation, when the vehicle reaches a left turn point based on the guidance route information within a predetermined distance, the vehicle situation in which a left turn will be made may be predicted. Note that this also applies to right turns. In the third modification, the second area B2 and the third area B3 may be in the mirror state or the anti-glare control state when the vehicle is in a state other than the above (that is, when the vehicle is traveling straight ahead).

1 vehicle mirror 10 housing 10A opening 11 cover 20 image display unit 21 case 21A opening 22 control substrate 23 liquid crystal monitor 30 mirror unit 31 first polarizing plate 32 glass substrate 33 polarization control unit 33A liquid crystal layer 33B lower electrode unit 33B1 First area electrode 33B2 Second area electrode 33B3 Third area electrode 33C Upper electrode part 34 Glass substrate 35 Second polarizing plate 90 Light amount sensor 92 Sunlight sensor 94 Automatic anti-glare switch 96 Vehicle-mounted camera 220 Ambient light information acquisition part 222 Mode determination Section 224 Reflectance Control Section 226 Image Output Control Section 228 Storage Section B1 First Area B2 Second Area B3 Third Area M Fixed Mirror Section

Claims (3)

A vehicle mirror having an electronically controllable control area,
a camera image acquisition unit that acquires a vehicle rear image obtained by an in-vehicle camera;
At least one of the left and right ends of the control area is used as an image output area for outputting image information based on the vehicle rearward image, and the image information in the control area is used as the image output area. A control unit that uses a predetermined portion other than the end portion to be output as a mirror area or an anti-glare control area ,
The control unit is operable in a mode for simultaneously displaying the image information based on the vehicle rear image and the vehicle rear reflected on the mirror of the predetermined portion,
The field of view of the vehicle-mounted camera is set wider than the field of view of the vehicle mirror,
The vehicle mirror, wherein the image information based on the vehicle rearward image includes an image obtained from a field of view outside a field of view visible to the driver through the predetermined portion. The control unit is operable in multiple modes,
The plurality of modes are
a first mode in which the at least one end is the image output area and the predetermined portion is the mirror area;
a second mode in which the at least one end is the image output area and the predetermined portion is the antiglare control area;
a third mode in which the at least one end portion and the predetermined portion are mirror regions;
a fourth mode in which the at least one end portion and the predetermined portion are set as an antiglare control region;
2. The vehicle mirror according to claim 1, further comprising a fifth mode in which said at least one end portion and said predetermined portion are set as an entire image output area for outputting the entire vehicle rearward image. The control unit
When a first vehicle situation in which a left turn or a left lane change is performed is detected or predicted, the left end of the left and right ends of the control region is used as the image output region to generate the image of the rear of the vehicle. outputting an image portion of the left rear of the vehicle, and setting the predetermined portion as a mirror area or an antiglare control area;
When a second vehicle situation in which a right turn or a right lane change is performed is detected or predicted, the right end of the left and right ends of the control region is used as the image output region to display the image of the rear of the vehicle. 2. The vehicle mirror according to claim 1, wherein an image portion of the right rear portion of the vehicle is output, and the predetermined portion is a mirror area or an antiglare control area.

Images