US 6,198,409 · Granted 2001-03-06
The Blind Spot Warning Patent That Made Mirrors Talk to Drivers
Imagine your car's side mirrors could warn you when another vehicle is hiding in your blind spot. This patent describes a system that puts warning lights both on your exterior mirror and your interior rearview mirror, so you get a heads-up from two places before you change lanes.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The patent covers a dual-indicator blind spot detection system where electronic indicators are mounted near both the exterior side mirrors and the interior rearview mirror. What's protected here is the specific arrangement of having redundant warning signals—meaning the same blind spot detection alert shows up in two locations simultaneously—to help drivers spot vehicles in their blind zones before maneuvering. The claim covers both the hardware placement and the coordinated display logic between interior and exterior indicators.
Why it matters
This patent tackles a real safety problem: drivers can't see vehicles directly beside or behind them on either side. By putting warning lights in two places—where drivers naturally look (the side mirror and the center mirror)—it increases the odds a driver will actually notice the alert before attempting a dangerous lane change. Donnelly Corporation, a major supplier to automakers, used this technology to differentiate its mirror systems and offer safety features that competing suppliers didn't have at the time.
Real-world use
When you're driving and a car sneaks into your blind spot, an amber or red light flashes on your side mirror or dashboard to catch your eye before you turn into them.
Original USPTO abstract
A vehicle blind spot detection display system displays indications from a blind spot detector. The system includes a first indicator assembly positioned on the vehicle in the vicinity of an exterior mirror and adapted to producing an indication at least of the presence of an object adjacent the corresponding side of the vehicle. A second indicator assembly is provided on the vehicle interior mirror assembly and adapted to producing an indication at least of the presence of an object adjacent the same corresponding side of the vehicle. In this manner, redundant indications are provided at both the interior and exterior mirrors in order to assist the driver in a premaneuver evaluation of conditions surrounding the vehicle.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,198,409
- Filing date
- 1999-05-03
- Grant date
- 2001-03-06
- Assignee
- Donnelly Corporation
- Inventor(s)
- SCHOFIELD KENNETH, LYNAM NIALL R.
- CPC class
- B60R21/01566
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