Dimmable Visor Provides Vision Where it Matters Most

The Gentex Dimmable Visor applies auto-dimming technology to reduce glare while restoring visibility for drivers.

If the standard sun visor in your car was introduced today, it might be considered a safety hazard.

Most vehicle codes prohibit solid materials immediately in front of the driver, including signs and films. Even tinted windshields are highly regulated and often outlawed. And yet, the standard visor in your car severely limits the full view of the road, especially when used on side windows. Sunlight glare is such a serious hazard that an obstructed view of the road is considered a fair trade-off for shielding drivers’ eyes.

By applying auto-dimming technology found in Gentex auto-dimming mirrors, however, a modern, transparent visor is now a reality.  Gentex technology can eliminate daytime glare while restoring visibility exactly where drivers need it the most. The dimmable visor brings a much-needed tech update to an outdated piece of automotive technology that all of us still use today.

The Problem: 1920s Technology in 2020s Cars

Sunlight glare has been a problem for drivers since the invention of the automobile. Early innovators quickly realized that a solution was needed to keep reflections and glare out of drivers’ eyes, especially as vehicles were reaching the masses.

The solution for early cars will look familiar to drivers of today’s vehicles – a stiff flap of material, matching the interior of the car, mounted to a hinge, that can flip down and provide shade to the driver’s eyes.  Patent drawings from the 1930s show visors that aren’t much different from today’s sun shields that are standard on all levels of vehicles, from economy Fords to exotic Ferraris.

The century-old design comes with major disadvantages, however. A large amount of the driver’s field of vision is obscured, depending on how the visor is set and where the driver sits. It fills in the space in the driver’s cabin, creating a claustrophobic feel in certain interiors, especially with today’s larger windshields. Swiveling the visor to cover the side window usually means even more vision is covered up.

Standard visors become potential safety hazard for drivers. Visors have even been implicated in serious car accidents, where drivers couldn’t see into an intersection because of an obscured field of vision.    

But there are modern alternatives to the hundred-year-old visor we’re all used to.

The Solution: Electricity, Chemistry, and Dimming Technology

Gentex is a pioneer in dimmable vision for automobiles. Since the introduction of the original electro-chromic rearview mirror in the 1980s, dimmable technology has been refined and applied to rearview and outside mirrors for all major automakers, as well as in aviation on long-haul passenger jets.

Visors are the newest application for dimming technology. By replacing the standard “fabric flap on a hinge” with electronically controlled dimmable glass, drivers can enjoy a visor that is nearly invisible in the cabin, and provides adjustable glare control without blocking the view of the road.

While the concept debuted at the Gentex booth at CES several years ago, the technology has already been refined by testers and user feedback. Today’s dimmable visor not only provides pristine visibility, but is a seamless experience for anyone who has flipped down a standard visor while driving.

The Experience: A Modern Solution to an Age-Old Problem

The current dimmable visor automatically dims when flipped down, and moves in the same way as a regular visor – allowing it to be adjusted by the driver. A wide range of settings allows drivers to set the dimming to the level that works best for them. And a textured border protects the edge of the glass and electronic components, while giving drivers a way to move the visor without fingerprints showing up.

The verdict is in not only from the public, who have shared very positive reviews of the visors during test drives and in the media, but also from automotive manufacturers, who have reviewed the technology. Gentex also is working with interiors supplier Antolin to bring the visor to European automakers.

The dimmable visor shows one way that Gentex dimming technology can move out of the mirror and find new ways to provide drivers with visibility where it matters the most.  

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