Electrochromic Inside Mirror, Digital Compass, Garage Door Opener
Electrochromic Inside Mirror, Digital Compass, Garage Door Opener
Electrochromic inside mirror, digital compass, garage door opener
The main task of inside mirror is to allow the driver to look through the vehicle from the inside to the rear. The centre position in the control box means the inside mirror is also suitable to accommodate sensors and buttons.
Brief component description
The following components are described for the inside mirror:
- Inside mirror
- Junction Box Electronics (JBE)
Inside mirror
The centre position in the control box means the inside mirror assumes a number of operating and display functions.
The inside mirror sends its information via a local interconnect network bus to the junction box electronics (JBE).
Junction Box Electronics (JBE)
The JBE control unit receives the information from the inside mirror via the local interconnect network bus and makes the information available also to other control units via the K-CAN.
System functions
Depending on the equipment specification, various system functions are available for the inside mirror. The following system functions are described:
- Electrochromic
- Garage door openers
- Digital compass
Electrochromic
The electrochromic inside mirror automatically dims the mirror glass if a light source from the rear is detected. The electrochromic inside mirror has two sensors that measure incident light from the front and the rear. When the light source from the rear is strength, a voltage signal is output. The strength of the voltage signal depends on the light difference between the front and rear. The greater the voltage signal, the more the mirror glass is dimmed. The electrochromic inside mirror controls the electrochromic outside mirror via the junction box electronics (JBE).
Garage door openers
The garage door opener replaces up to three different hand-held transmitters. The Integrated universal remote control can learn various radio-remote-controlled facilities, e.g. garage doors and garden gates or lighting systems. The Integrated universal remote control detects and learns the sent signal from each original hand-held transmitter.
The frequency of the transmitter must be adjusted for the respective country (see operating instructions). There are different country settings for the following:
- USA
- France
- Italy
- U.K. (Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
- Rest of Europe
Digital compass
The compass offers an additional benefit especially in the USA. In large cities the streets are frequently arranged according to the points of the compass. The signposts are also specified with points of the compass.
However, the compass also assists orientation in large European cities on the basis of the points of the compass. The magnetic field sensor is on the PCB in the inside mirror. The magnetic field sensor measures the current alignment of the magnetic field.
The control electronics for the compass are integrated into the printed circuit board for the inside mirror. The signals from the magnetic field sensor are received by the control electronics. The liquid crystal display is activated directly by the control electronics.
The following system functions for the digital compass are described:
- Display
The point of the compass is displayed in transparent light technology in the inside mirror. The display is at the top right in the inside mirror. The display is divided into eight compass points. The display is available in English and German (delivery status: English LHD)
N: North
NE: North East (German: NO)
E: East (German: O)
SE: South East (German: SO)
S: South
SW: South West
W: West
NW: North West
The changeover between displays is carried out as follows:
- The current vehicle position is the centre of a 360° circle.
- The eight points of the compass divide these 360 degrees into sixteen 22.5 degree segments.
- The display changes over if the direction of travel changes by more than 22.5°.
- Brightness control of display
2 photocells in the electrochromic inside mirror record the ambient brightness (1 photocell for the ambient brightness coming from the front, 1 photocell for the ambient brightness coming from the rear). The photocells deliver the signals for the display brightness control. The brightness of the display is adjusted by the inside mirror control electronics to suit the ambient brightness.
- Adjustment of magnetic field zones and calibration
The worldwide magnetic field zones are permanently stored in the inside mirror. The magnetic field zones represent the deviations in relation to an ideal magnetic field for earth. The orientation "North" is precisely determined by the magnetic field zones. The current magnetic field zone may be adjusted according to the geographic location. For example, Germany is located in magnetic field zone "8". A vehicle has its own magnetic field. This makes it possible for the magnetic field sensor to measure an overlapping of the magnetic field with the Earth's magnetic field. This overlapping is "worked out" by calibrating the compass.
A changed magnetic field is normally calibrated "automatically". The vehicle's magnetic field may change under the following special circumstances:
- Powerful vibration during an accident
- Very large external magnetic field - e.g. if a vehicle passes under a train when travelling through an underpass
No liability can be accepted for printing or other faults. Subject to changes of a technical nature.