The automatic-dip inside and outside mirrors identify excessively bright headlight beams behind the car and darken the mirror glass automatically. An electronic control unit varies the darkening effect quickly and continuously according to actual ambient light conditions.
The automatic dip function makes use of a transparent, electrically conductive material that becomes increasingly impervious to light when an electric current is applied to it. A very thin layer of this material is inserted between the actual mirror reflector and the outer glass.
The mirror also contains two photo-electric cells. One of these faces forward and determines the ambient light intensity, which it converts into an electrical signal. The second is in the rear-facing surface of the mirror, and reacts when a bright light strikes it from behind the car. If this light is very much brighter than the ambient light intensity, the photo-electric cell generates the necessary electrical signal immediately, the electrically conductive layer darkens and the image in the mirror no longer dazzles the driver.
In some models, the automatic-dip inside mirror is available with a
light sensor, which switches the dipped-beam headlights on or off according to the ambient light level.
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