Rearview mirror assembly with perimeter lighting device

Abstract

A rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle includes a mirror reflective element, a mirror casing, a mirror backplate, and a perimeter lighting device. The mirror backplate includes a generally planar attachment portion for attaching at a rear surface of the mirror reflective element. The perimeter lighting device is disposed at least partially along a periphery of the mirror reflective element and may emit light so as to generally illuminate at least one of (i) a perimeter region of the mirror casing, (ii) a perimeter region of the mirror reflective element and (iii) a perimeter region of the rearview mirror assembly between the mirror casing and the mirror reflective element.

1 . A rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said rearview mirror assembly comprising:
 a mirror reflective element;   a mirror casing;   a mirror backplate;   wherein said mirror backplate includes a generally planar attachment portion for attaching at a rear surface of said mirror reflective element; and   a perimeter lighting device disposed at least partially along a periphery of said mirror reflective element, wherein said perimeter lighting device is operable to emit light so as to illuminate at least one of (i) a perimeter region of said mirror casing and (ii) a perimeter region of said mirror reflective element.   
     
     
         2 . The rearview mirror assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said mirror backplate comprises a perimeter flange and wherein said mirror casing is configured to at least partially receive said perimeter flange and is configured to attach to said perimeter flange, and wherein said mirror casing comprises a plurality of tabs that are received in respective apertures established at said perimeter flange to attach said mirror casing to said mirror backplate. 
     
     
         3 . The rearview mirror assembly of  claim 2 , comprising a front mirror casing configured to at least partially receive said mirror reflective element therein, wherein said perimeter flange is partially received in said front mirror casing, and wherein said perimeter flange couples said front mirror casing and said mirror casing to said mirror backplate, and wherein said front mirror casing comprises a plurality of tabs that are received in respective apertures established at said perimeter flange to attach said front mirror casing to said mirror backplate. 
     
     
         4 . The rearview mirror assembly of  claim 3 , wherein said mirror casing comprises a forward opening for partially receiving said perimeter flange and said front mirror casing comprises a rearward opening for partially receiving said perimeter flange, and wherein a forward perimeter edge portion of said mirror casing is configured to mate with a rearward perimeter edge portion of said front mirror casing when said perimeter flange couples said front mirror casing and said mirror casing to said mirror backplate. 
     
     
         5 . The rearview mirror assembly of  claim 4 , wherein said forward perimeter edge portion of said mirror casing and said rearward perimeter edge portion of said front mirror casing are configured to limit movement of said front mirror casing relative to said mirror casing when said front mirror casing and said mirror casing are coupled to said mirror backplate. 
     
     
         6 . The rearview mirror assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said mirror backplate includes a pivot element for pivotally mounting said rearview mirror assembly at an interior portion of the vehicle, and wherein said pivot element and said generally planar attachment portion and said perimeter flange are integrally formed to establish a unitary mirror backplate. 
     
     
         7 . The rearview mirror assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said perimeter lighting device comprises at least one light emitting diode and a light guiding element, and wherein, when said at least one light emitting diode is energized, said light guiding element guides the emitted light to and along at least a portion of the periphery of said mirror reflective element so as to glow at at least a portion of the periphery of said mirror reflective element. 
     
     
         8 . The rearview mirror assembly of  claim 7 , wherein said perimeter lighting device is disposed behind said mirror reflective element. 
     
     
         9 . A rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said rearview mirror assembly comprising:
 a mirror reflective element;   a mirror casing;   a mirror backplate;   wherein said mirror backplate includes a generally planar attachment portion for attaching at a rear surface of said mirror reflective element; and   a perimeter lighting device disposed at least partially along a periphery of said mirror reflective element, wherein said perimeter lighting device is operable to emit light so as to illuminate a perimeter region of said rearview mirror assembly between said mirror casing and said mirror reflective element.   
     
     
         10 . The rearview mirror assembly of  claim 9 , wherein said perimeter lighting device is disposed behind said mirror reflective element. 
     
     
         11 . The rearview mirror assembly of  claim 9 , wherein said perimeter lighting device comprises at least one light emitting diode and a light guiding element, and wherein, when said at least one light emitting diode is energized, said light guiding element guides the emitted light to and along at least a portion of the periphery of said rearview mirror assembly between said mirror casing and said mirror reflective element. 
     
     
         12 . The rearview mirror assembly of  claim 11 , wherein said at least one light emitting diode is disposed in said mirror casing and behind said light guiding element. 
     
     
         13 . The rearview mirror assembly of  claim 11 , wherein a front surface of said light guiding element is non-light transmitting so that light emitted by said at least one light emitting diode and received by said light guiding element does not transmit through said front surface of said light guiding element so as to be not viewable through said mirror reflective element. 
     
     
         14 . The rearview mirror assembly of  claim 13 , wherein a perimeter region of said front surface of said light guiding element is at least partially light transmitting so that light emitted by said at least one light emitting diode and received by said light guiding element transmits through said perimeter region of said front surface of said light guiding element so as to be viewable through a perimeter region of said mirror reflective element. 
     
     
         15 . The rearview mirror assembly of  claim 13 , wherein a light transmitting window is established at said front surface of said light guiding element so that light emitted by said at least one light emitting diode and received by said light guiding element transmits through said window of said front surface of said light guiding element so as to backlight indicia that is viewable through at mirror reflective element. 
     
     
         16 . The rearview mirror assembly of  claim 11 , wherein said light guiding element is selectively operable to only illuminate along a lower perimeter region of said rearview mirror assembly. 
     
     
         17 . A rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said rearview mirror assembly comprising:
 a mirror reflective element;   a mirror casing;   a mirror backplate;   wherein said mirror backplate includes a generally planar attachment portion for attaching at a rear surface of said mirror reflective element;   a perimeter lighting device disposed at least partially along a periphery of said mirror reflective element, wherein said perimeter lighting device comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes and a light guiding element disposed behind said mirror reflective element, and wherein said plurality of light emitting diodes is disposed in said mirror casing and behind said light guiding element;   wherein said perimeter lighting device is operable, when said plurality of light emitting diodes is energized, to emit light so as to illuminate a perimeter region of said rearview mirror assembly between said mirror casing and said mirror reflective element;   wherein, when said plurality of light emitting diodes is energized, said light guiding element guides the emitted light to and along at least a portion of the periphery of said rearview mirror assembly between said mirror casing and said mirror reflective element; and   wherein a front surface of said light guiding element is non-light transmitting so that light emitted by said plurality of light emitting diodes and received by said light guiding element does not transmit through said front surface of said light guiding element so as to be not viewable through said mirror reflective element.   
     
     
         18 . The rearview mirror assembly of  claim 17 , wherein a perimeter region of said front surface of said light guiding element is at least partially light transmitting so that light emitted by said plurality of light emitting diodes and received by said light guiding element transmits through said perimeter region of said front surface of said light guiding element so as to be viewable through a perimeter region of said mirror reflective element. 
     
     
         19 . The rearview mirror assembly of  claim 17 , wherein a light transmitting window is established at said front surface of said light guiding element so that light emitted by said plurality of light emitting diodes and received by said light guiding element transmits through said window of said front surface of said light guiding element so as to backlight indicia that is viewable through at mirror reflective element. 
     
     
         20 . The rearview mirror assembly of  claim 17 , wherein said light guiding element is selectively operable to only illuminate along a lower perimeter region of said rearview mirror assembly.