What is the Principle of Anti-glare Rearview Mirrors?
2 Answers
Manual anti-glare mirrors reduce glare through optical principles, while automatic ones use electronic principles to minimize glare. Below is the related knowledge about rearview mirror principles: Principle of Manual Anti-glare Rearview Mirrors: The mirror of a manual anti-glare rearview mirror is not a flat mirror with uniform thickness but a wedge-shaped mirror with an angle of approximately 10°. When the anti-glare lever is pushed forward, the entire mirror tilts upward by about 10°. At this point, only the semi-transparent coating layer of the rearview mirror is observed. This coating layer has a lower refractive index to light, thus providing a certain anti-glare effect. Principle of Automatic Anti-glare Rearview Mirrors: An automatic anti-glare rearview mirror consists of a special mirror, two photodiodes (front and rear), and an electronic controller.
I often wonder about the principle of anti-glare rearview mirrors while driving, which is quite interesting. Simply put, it works through a technology called electrochromism. The mirror is coated with a special material. When strong light from the car behind hits it, the sensor detects that the light is too bright, and then the system applies a small voltage to darken the material, absorbing excess light so the reflected light doesn't dazzle. This is much better than the old manual ones, where you had to flip a small lever to change the angle—it was troublesome and not very responsive. The automatic ones are much more convenient, react quickly, and make driving on highways at night much safer. Car manufacturers are still improving them, with some high-end models adding more sensors to enhance precision. In short, this little gadget makes driving much easier, and you no longer have to worry about being blinded.
