Pic. 1.13. Cross section of an outside rear view mirror
The electrochromic mirror element consists of two layers of glass with an electrochromic filler between them. An electrochromic element changes color due to electrochemical oxidation. These features are used to electronically change the reflectance of the mirror (pic. 1.13).
Pic. 1.14. Scheme for changing the reflection coefficient of the internal and external rear-view mirrors
The electrochromic mirror system provides two control modes, AUTO and DAY, which can be selected by the mode selector switch. In AUTO mode, the system changes (pic. 1.14) the reflection coefficient of the interior and exterior rear-view mirrors according to the difference in the intensity of the ambient light and the light entering the rear-view mirrors.
When the mode select switch is set to DAY mode, the reflectance of the interior and exterior rearview mirrors is set to provide maximum reflection regardless of the amount of ambient or rear-view mirror light. When AUTO is selected, the system will only activate when the ignition switch is in the ON position.
During daytime, the interior and exterior mirrors remain in DAY mode. The automatic anti-glare circuit detects ambient light through sensor number 1 and light hitting the rear mirrors through sensor number 2 and determines the time of day (day or night) by the intensity of the ambient light. At the same time, the intensity of the light hitting the mirrors from behind is determined by the difference in intensity between the ambient light and the light hitting the mirror from behind. When the automatic anti-glare circuit detects increased brightness of rear light, the electrochromic control circuit applies voltage to the interior and exterior rear-view mirrors to change their reflectance.
According to the intensity of the light hitting the rearview mirror, the reflectance of the inside and outside rearview mirror changes steplessly.