VEHICULAR REARVIEW MIRROR WITH INCREASED FIELD-OF-VIEW
First Claim
1. An optical substrate, comprising:
- a substrate boundary defining a surface that includesa substantially flat portion having a first perimeter; and
a two-dimensionally (2D) curved portion having a second perimeter, the 2D-curved portion seamlessly adjoining said flat portion along a curved line that is shared by the first and second perimeters,wherein the surface is differentiable.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An optical element such as a reflector defining a differentiable fiducial surface having a first portion, with a flat region, that seamlessly adjoins, along a curved line, a second portion having a two-dimensionally curved region. The quality of optical imaging in the reflector is drastically improved by reducing the ratio of optical powers measured in two perpendicular directions along the two-dimensionally curved portion of the surface. The vehicular rearview assembly including such a reflector possesses a field-of-view (FOV) that is significantly higher than the FOV of a conventional flat mirror and facilitates visual access to a “blind spot” behind the vehicle.
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Citations
38 Claims
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1. An optical substrate, comprising:
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a substrate boundary defining a surface that includes a substantially flat portion having a first perimeter; and a two-dimensionally (2D) curved portion having a second perimeter, the 2D-curved portion seamlessly adjoining said flat portion along a curved line that is shared by the first and second perimeters, wherein the surface is differentiable. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An optical reflector comprising:
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a primary optical element having a perimeter, a first substantially flat portion, and a second portion that is curved in two dimensions, the second portion adjoining said first portion along a curved line, wherein the perimeter defines a primary differentiable surface; and a layer of reflective material on said primary optical element. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An electrochromic (EC) mirror element having a front and comprising:
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a first substrate having a first surface, the first substrate corresponding to the front; a second substrate having a second surface, the first and second substrates disposed in a spaced-apart and tangentially-parallel relationship with one another such as to form a gap between the first and second surfaces; and an EC medium in the gap, wherein each of the first and second surfaces is differentiable and includes a substantially flat portion and a two-dimensionally (2D) curved portion that adjoins said flat portion along a curved line. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. An electrochromic (EC) mirror element comprising:
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a first substrate having a first surface, the first substrate corresponding to the front; a second substrate having a second surface, the first and second substrates disposed in a spaced-apart and tangentially-parallel relationship with one another such as to form a gap between the first and second surfaces; and an EC medium in the gap, wherein each of the first and second surfaces is differentiable and includes a substantially flat portion and a one-dimensionally (1D) curved portion that adjoins said flat portion along a straight line. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A method for assembly of an optical reflector, the method comprising:
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positioning first and second substrates that define, respectively, first and second differentiable surfaces, such as to define a spaced-apart and tangentially-parallel relationship between the first and second differentiable surfaces; and disposing an electrochromic (EC) medium in a gap between said first and second differentiable surfaces, wherein the first differentiable surface includes a substantially flat portion and a second portion that is one-dimensionally (1D) curved, the substantially flat and 1D-curved portions of the first differentiable substrate adjoining each other along a first line, and wherein the second differentiable surface includes another substantially flat portion and another portion that is one-dimensionally (1D) curved, the substantially flat and 1D-curved portions of the second differentiable substrate adjoining each other along a second line. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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Specification