Auto Dimming Mirror

Auto dimming mirrors are an important safe driving accessory. Ordinary rear view mirrors can lead your vehicle to accidents as they reflect the glare of the approaching vehicle lights. Automatic dimming rearview mirrors or auto dimming mirrors as they are called are a kind of rearview mirror that automatically go into ‘night’ mode when they sense bright lights.

Auto dimming mirrors eliminate the dangerous glare from the approaching headlights of vehicles traveling behind your vehicle on the road. Automatic dimming mirrors as the name implies, senses the glare automatically from the vehicles following yours and dims automatically so as to conserve the driver’s vision. This in turn makes night-time driving safer - the brighter the glare the darker the mirror turns into.

Research indicates that while driving in the night, headlight glare from vehicles traveling behind you can blind your vision. Even after the glare shifts out, after-image remains on the eye's retina causing a blind spot which you may not even know persists. This is called the Troxler Effect which can be dangerous. Auto dimming mirrors help you avoid accidents due to this effect. An auto dimming mirror senses ambient light and then fine-tunes the glass’s tint.

Many Indian car manufacturers have started to use these mirrors in their cars taking into account the safety aspect of consumers. Vehicle manufacturers equip vehicles with these mirrors right in the factory; these mirrors can also be purchased in any auto-part stores. Few of these mirrors include specialized features such as:

• A built-in compass, this helps you to track the direction in which you are traveling.
  
• An outside temperature read out, this tracks temperature for you.
  
• Wide-angle mirrors, they offer a wider view than the customary mirror.

Principle behind auto dimming mirrors

Leading manufacturers of auto dimming mirrors use the science of electrochromics, a method through which equipments are reversibly darkened by applying electricity. During night driving, the auto dimming mirrors use a combination of high-technology sensors and electronic circuitry to identify glare from vehicles approaching from the rear side and darken as a result to eliminate the glare and preserve the driver’s vision. These mirrors offer improved vision and safety while driving at night.

Functioning of auto dimming mirrors

An electrochromic gel is sandwiched between two pieces of glass; each of these glasses is previously treated with a transparent, electrically conductive coating, and one with a reflector.

• A frontward-facing sensor identifies low ambient light levels and signals the mirror to start looking for glare.
  
• A backward-facing sensor subsequently senses glare from the vehicles traveling behind your vehicle, thus transmitting voltage to the mirror's EC gel which will be in proportion to the quantity of the glare sensed.
  
• The mirror dims proportionately to the glare and later clears automatically when the glare is no longer sensed. The inside mirror's sensors and control electronics, drive the dimming of both the inside and outside mirrors.