This short article describes a device which will prevent drivers from being dazzled by the reflection of car headlamps in their rear mirror. The device is composed of a digital image sensor and a microchip. The sensor consists of an array of capacitors. An electrical charge is built up when light strikes the capacitors. The sensor captures images of the light coming from the rear, which are then analysed by the microchip. Depending on the pattern of light it receives, the device changes the current passing through sheets of electrochromic glass covering the mirrors, which darken or lighten in response. This device is a specialized version of the general purpose miniature image processing system called Imputer, made by the Edinburgh based firm VLSI Vision.
Abstract