Rear View Mirror:
Rear view mirror is a device that allows the driver to see rearward. It usually finds its place at the top of windscreen inside the cabin. This device is one of the most basic but essential safety devices in the vehicle. It provides assistance to the driver during overtaking, parking in reverse gear etc. Generally, vehicles also have a pair of mirrors attached to the body from outside. They are popular as ‘side mirrors’ or Outer Rear View Mirrors (ORVM) which serve the same purpose.
An anchor holds the rear view mirror to the windscreen with a special type of joint called ‘swivel’ joint. It allows the driver to adjust the mirror according to his/her seating position. Nowadays, manufacturers make mirrors by using convex lens compared to the plain glass used previously. Use of convex lens has substantially increased the capacity of mirrors to grasp the distant images.
However, the objects in the rearview mirror are closer than they actually appear. This is because the convex lens projects smaller images of the objects. Hence, manufacturers print a warning message on the rearview mirror which reads ‘objects in the rearview mirror are closer than they appear.’ Therefore, to avoid accidents, car rear view mirrors carry this warning message.
Types of rear view mirror that modern cars popularly employ :
Anti-glare mirrors: They are also known as ‘Day/Night’ mirrors. You can operate them in two positions i.e. during the day and during the night; hence, the name. So, this could considerably reduce the reflected light beam entering the eyes of the driver. Their wedge shape i.e. slightly triangular shape bestows this property upon them.
Automatic dimming mirrors: These are the advanced type of mirrors which use sophisticated electronic components to reduce the intensity of bright light falling on them. They work on the principle of electrochromism.
For more information, please click here.
Read more: How the defogger works in a car?>>
