Rearview mirror element having a circuit mounted to the rear surface of the element
First Claim
1. A rearview mirror element for use in a vehicle, the mirror element comprising:
- a first substrate having a front surface and a rear surface;
a reflective coating disposed on a surface of said first substrate; and
an electronic circuit component secured to the rear surface of said first substrate.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
According to the present invention, a rearview mirror comprises a first substrate having a front surface and a rear surface, a reflective coating disposed on a surface of the first substrate, and an electronic circuit component secured to the rear surface of the first substrate. The mirror element may be an electrochromic mirror element comprising a transparent second substrate positioned in front of the first substrate. The electronic component secured to the rear surface may be a component of a drive circuit for the electrochromic mirror element. The rearview mirror element may further comprise electrically conductive tracings provided on the rear surface of the first substrate electrically coupled to the electrical component. The tracings may be used to electrically couple the drive circuit to the electrodes of the electrochromic mirror element. The tracings may be deposited on the rear surface using numerous methods including inkjet printing techniques.
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Citations
61 Claims
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1. A rearview mirror element for use in a vehicle, the mirror element comprising:
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a first substrate having a front surface and a rear surface;
a reflective coating disposed on a surface of said first substrate; and
an electronic circuit component secured to the rear surface of said first substrate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An electrochromic rearview mirror element for use in a vehicle, the electrochromic mirror element comprising:
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a first substrate having a front surface and a rear surface;
a transparent second substrate positioned in front of said first substrate;
an electrochromic medium disposed between said first and second substrates;
first and second electrically conductive layers disposed between said first and second substrates and electrically coupled to said electrochromic medium; and
electrically conductive tracings disposed on said rear surface of said first substrate and electrically coupled to said first and second electrically conductive layers. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A rearview mirror element for use in a vehicle, the rearview mirror element comprising:
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a first substrate having a front surface and a rear surface;
a reflective coating disposed on a surface of said first substrate; and
a switch comprising a first electrical contact disposed on a surface of said first substrate. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A rearview mirror element for use in a vehicle, the rearview mirror element comprising:
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a first substrate having a front surface and a rear surface;
a reflective coating disposed on a surface of said first substrate; and
an LED secured to the rear surface of said first substrate. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A rearview mirror element for use in a vehicle, the rearview mirror element comprising:
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a first substrate having a front surface and a rear surface;
a reflective coating disposed on a surface of said first substrate; and
a light sensor secured to the rear surface of said first substrate. - View Dependent Claims (42, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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51. A method of forming electrically conductive tracings on a mirror element, the method comprising:
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providing a mirror element having a rear surface; and
inkjet printing conductive tracings on the rear surface of the mirror element. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
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57. A rearview mirror element for use in a vehicle, the rearview mirror element comprising:
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a first substrate having a front surface and a rear surface;
a reflective coating disposed on a surface of said first substrate; and
a heat sink mounted to said first substrate. - View Dependent Claims (58, 59, 60, 61)
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Specification