EXTERIOR MIRROR ELEMENT WITH WIDE ANGLE PORTION
First Claim
1. An electrochromic mirror reflective element suitable for use in an exterior rearview mirror assembly of a vehicle, said electrochromic mirror reflective element comprising:
- a front glass substrate having a first surface and a second surface;
a rear glass substrate having a third surface and a fourth surface;
an electrochromic medium disposed between said front and rear glass substrates, wherein said electrochromic medium is bounded by a seal;
said electrochromic mirror reflective element comprising a principal planar reflector portion and an auxiliary wide angle curved portion;
wherein said principal planar reflector portion comprises a principal mirror reflector disposed at said rear glass substrate;
wherein said auxiliary wide angle curved portion comprises one of (a) a curved recess established at a region of said second surface of said front glass substrate by at least one of grinding and ablating and (b) a curved recess established at a region of said fourth surface of said rear glass substrate by at least one of grinding and ablating;
wherein said auxiliary wide angle curved portion comprises an auxiliary mirror reflector coated at said curved recess;
wherein said first surface of said front glass substrate comprises a generally planar surface;
wherein said third surface of said rear glass substrate comprises a generally planar surface;
wherein said curved recess has a cross-dimension size that is in the range from about 30 millimeters to about 80 millimeters;
wherein said curved recess comprises a radius of curvature that is in the range from about 200 millimeters to about 1,000 millimeters; and
wherein said curved recess has a maximum recess depth that is in the range from about 0.11 millimeters to about 4.04 millimeters.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electrochromic mirror reflective element suitable for use in an exterior rearview mirror assembly of a vehicle includes a front substrate and a rear substrate and an electrochromic medium disposed therebetween. A principal planar reflector portion has a principal mirror reflector disposed at the rear substrate and an auxiliary wide angle curved portion has an auxiliary mirror reflector coated at a curved recess established at a region of a second surface of the front substrate or a third surface of the rear substrate by at least one of grinding and ablating. The curved recess has a cross-dimension size that is in the range from about 30 millimeters to about 80 millimeters, and has a radius of curvature that is in the range from about 200 millimeters to about 1,000 millimeters, and has a maximum recess depth that is in the range from about 0.11 millimeters to about 4.04 millimeters.
98 Citations
103 Claims
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1. An electrochromic mirror reflective element suitable for use in an exterior rearview mirror assembly of a vehicle, said electrochromic mirror reflective element comprising:
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a front glass substrate having a first surface and a second surface; a rear glass substrate having a third surface and a fourth surface; an electrochromic medium disposed between said front and rear glass substrates, wherein said electrochromic medium is bounded by a seal; said electrochromic mirror reflective element comprising a principal planar reflector portion and an auxiliary wide angle curved portion; wherein said principal planar reflector portion comprises a principal mirror reflector disposed at said rear glass substrate; wherein said auxiliary wide angle curved portion comprises one of (a) a curved recess established at a region of said second surface of said front glass substrate by at least one of grinding and ablating and (b) a curved recess established at a region of said fourth surface of said rear glass substrate by at least one of grinding and ablating; wherein said auxiliary wide angle curved portion comprises an auxiliary mirror reflector coated at said curved recess; wherein said first surface of said front glass substrate comprises a generally planar surface; wherein said third surface of said rear glass substrate comprises a generally planar surface; wherein said curved recess has a cross-dimension size that is in the range from about 30 millimeters to about 80 millimeters; wherein said curved recess comprises a radius of curvature that is in the range from about 200 millimeters to about 1,000 millimeters; and wherein said curved recess has a maximum recess depth that is in the range from about 0.11 millimeters to about 4.04 millimeters. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. An electrochromic mirror reflective element suitable for use in an exterior rearview mirror assembly of a vehicle, said electrochromic mirror reflective element comprising:
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a front glass substrate having a first surface and a second surface; a rear glass substrate having a third surface and a fourth surface; an electrochromic medium disposed between said front and rear glass substrates, wherein said electrochromic medium is bounded by a seal; said electrochromic mirror reflective element comprising a principal planar reflector portion and an auxiliary wide angle curved portion; wherein said principal planar reflector portion comprises a principal mirror reflector disposed at said rear glass substrate; wherein said principal mirror reflector of said principal planar reflector portion disposed at said rear glass substrate is disposed at said third surface of said rear glass substrate between said rear glass substrate and said electrochromic medium; wherein said auxiliary wide angle curved portion comprises a curved recess established at a region of said second surface of said front glass substrate by at least one of grinding and ablating; wherein said auxiliary wide angle curved portion comprises an auxiliary mirror reflector coated at said curved recess; wherein said first surface of said front glass substrate comprises a generally planar surface; wherein said third surface of said rear glass substrate comprises a generally planar surface; wherein said auxiliary wide angle curved portion is inboard of a perimeter edge of said electrochromic mirror reflective element, and wherein said principal planar reflector portion of said electrochromic mirror reflective element surrounds said auxiliary wide angle curved portion of said electrochromic mirror reflective element; wherein said curved recess has a cross-dimension size that is in the range from about 30 millimeters to about 80 millimeters; wherein said curved recess comprises a radius of curvature that is in the range from about 200 millimeters to about 1,000 millimeters; wherein said curved recess has a maximum recess depth that is in the range from about 0.11 millimeters to about 4.04 millimeters; and wherein said curved recess is generally circular-shaped and comprises a spherical convex-curved surface. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
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56. An electrochromic mirror reflective element suitable for use in an exterior rearview mirror assembly of a vehicle, said electrochromic mirror reflective element comprising:
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a front glass substrate having a first surface and a second surface; a rear glass substrate having a third surface and a fourth surface; an electrochromic medium disposed between said front and rear glass substrates, wherein said electrochromic medium is bounded by a seal; said electrochromic mirror reflective element comprising a principal planar reflector portion and an auxiliary wide angle curved portion; wherein said principal planar reflector portion comprises a principal mirror reflector disposed at said rear glass substrate; wherein said principal mirror reflector of said principal planar reflector portion disposed at said rear glass substrate is disposed at said third surface of said rear glass substrate between said rear glass substrate and said electrochromic medium. wherein said auxiliary wide angle curved portion comprises a curved recess established at a region of said fourth surface of said rear glass substrate by at least one of grinding and ablating; wherein said auxiliary wide angle curved portion comprises an auxiliary mirror reflector coated at said curved recess; wherein said first surface of said front glass substrate comprises a generally planar surface; wherein said third surface of said rear glass substrate comprises a generally planar surface; wherein said auxiliary wide angle curved portion is inboard of a perimeter edge of said electrochromic mirror reflective element, and wherein said principal planar reflector portion of said electrochromic mirror reflective element surrounds said auxiliary wide angle curved portion of said electrochromic mirror reflective element; wherein said curved recess has a cross-dimension size that is in the range from about 30 millimeters to about 80 millimeters; wherein said curved recess comprises a radius of curvature that is in the range from about 200 millimeters to about 1,000 millimeters; wherein said curved recess has a maximum recess depth that is in the range from about 0.11 millimeters to about 4.04 millimeters; and wherein said curved recess is generally circular-shaped and comprises a spherical convex-curved surface. - View Dependent Claims (57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77)
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78. An electrochromic mirror reflective element suitable for use in an exterior rearview mirror assembly of a vehicle, said electrochromic mirror reflective element comprising:
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a front glass substrate having a first surface and a second surface; a rear glass substrate having a third surface and a fourth surface; an electrochromic medium disposed between said front and rear glass substrates; said electrochromic mirror reflective element comprising a principal planar reflector portion and an auxiliary wide angle curved portion; wherein said principal planar reflector portion comprises a principal mirror reflector disposed at said rear glass substrate; wherein said auxiliary wide angle curved portion comprises a curved recess established at a region of said second surface of said front glass substrate by at least one of grinding and ablating; wherein said auxiliary wide angle curved portion comprises an auxiliary mirror reflector coated at said curved recess; wherein said first surface of said front glass substrate comprises a generally planar surface; wherein said third surface of said rear glass substrate comprises a generally planar surface; wherein said curved recess has a cross-dimension size that is in the range from about 30 millimeters to about 50 millimeters; wherein said curved recess comprises a radius of curvature that is in the range from about 200 millimeters to about 1,000 millimeters; wherein said curved recess has a maximum recess depth that is in the range from about 0.11 millimeters to about 1.57 millimeters; wherein, when an exterior rearview mirror assembly equipped with said electrochromic mirror reflective element is normally mounted at the side of a vehicle, said auxiliary wide angle curved portion is generally disposed at an outboard upper region of said electrochromic mirror reflective element relative to the side of the vehicle; and wherein said front glass substrate has a thickness of no greater than about 2 millimeters. - View Dependent Claims (79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87)
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88. An electrochromic mirror reflective element suitable for use in an exterior rearview mirror assembly of a vehicle, said electrochromic mirror reflective element comprising:
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a front glass substrate having a first surface and a second surface; a rear glass substrate having a third surface and a fourth surface; an electrochromic medium disposed between said front and rear glass substrates; said electrochromic mirror reflective element comprising a principal planar reflector portion and an auxiliary wide angle curved portion; wherein said principal planar reflector portion comprises a principal mirror reflector disposed at said rear glass substrate; wherein said auxiliary wide angle curved portion comprises a curved recess established at a region of said fourth surface of said rear glass substrate by at least one of grinding and ablating; wherein said auxiliary wide angle curved portion comprises an auxiliary mirror reflector coated at said curved recess; wherein said first surface of said front glass substrate comprises a generally planar surface; wherein said third surface of said rear glass substrate comprises a generally planar surface; wherein said curved recess has a cross-dimension size that is in the range from about 30 millimeters to about 50 millimeters; wherein said curved recess comprises a radius of curvature that is in the range from about 200 millimeters to about 1,000 millimeters; wherein said curved recess has a maximum recess depth that is in the range from about 0.11 millimeters to about 1.57 millimeters; wherein, when an exterior rearview mirror assembly equipped with said electrochromic mirror reflective element is normally mounted at the side of a vehicle, said auxiliary wide angle curved portion is generally disposed at an outboard upper region of said electrochromic mirror reflective element relative to the side of the vehicle; and wherein said rear glass substrate has a thickness of no greater than about 2 millimeters. - View Dependent Claims (89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103)
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Specification