US 5,669,699 · Granted 1997-09-23
The LED Mirror Light That Turns Your Car Into a Mobile Security Zone
Imagine your side mirror doesn't just reflect — it also shines a bright LED light down at the ground next to your car to illuminate dark spots where someone could be hiding. This patent covers that security feature: putting one or more small lights into the mirror housing so you can see what's around your vehicle before you get in or drive away.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a mirror assembly that combines a reflective mirror element with integrated light-emitting diodes built into the mirror's housing. What's protected here is the specific arrangement of LEDs — whether as individual lights in separate holes or as an array of LEDs in one opening — that project light downward and outward to illuminate the ground and adjacent areas around a vehicle. A protective lens can cover the LED aperture. The patent guards the whole system: the mirror, the housing structure, the LED placement, and the light projection pattern.
Why it matters
This patent arrived in 1997 when LED technology was becoming practical for automotive use, and it addressed a real safety concern: visibility around parked or moving vehicles, especially at night or in low-light conditions. By embedding security lighting directly into a mirror assembly — a part every car already has — the inventor created a low-cost way to expand a driver's field of view without adding bulky external hardware. For Donnelly Corporation, a major automotive supplier, this kind of integrated lighting innovation helped differentiate their mirror products in a competitive market.
Real-world use
When you park your car at night and the mirror lights activate, casting a glow on the pavement beside your door, you're seeing this patent in action — the LEDs illuminate blind spots so you can spot obstacles or hazards before stepping out.
Original USPTO abstract
A mirror assembly security system for a vehicle includes an exterior mirror assembly and having a reflective element and a housing for the reflective element. A security light made up of at least one light-emitting diode projects light from the housing on an area adjacent the vehicle to create a lighted security zone in the area. An actuator is provided for the security light. The security light may be a plurality of light-emitting diodes either each positioned in its own aperture in the housing, or arranged as an array of LEDs in a common aperture. A lens may be provided covering the aperture.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,669,699
- Filing date
- 1996-01-08
- Grant date
- 1997-09-23
- Assignee
- Donnelly Corporation
- Inventor(s)
- PASTRICK; TODD W., VELDMAN; ROGER L.
- CPC class
- B60Q1/2665
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