Tight bezel to glass fit mirror assembly

• US 10,457,216 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2017
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Inventors: Olesen, Niels A., Tonar, William L., Stray, Joel A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Jack
• Application Number:
  US15/705,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20180015880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/04 mounted inside vehicle B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/088 using a cell of electrically changeable optical characteristic, e.g. liquid-crystal or electrochromic mirrors

Abstract

A display assembly includes a bezel. An electro-optic element includes a first substantially transparent substrate having an edge extending around at least a portion of a perimeter of the first substantially transparent substrate. The electro-optic element also includes a second substrate. The first substantially transparent substrate and the bezel have a difference in coefficient of thermal expansion or from about 5 ppm to about 50 ppm.

Claims

1. A display assembly comprising:

a bezel comprising a polymeric material; and

an electro-optic element comprising;

a first substantially transparent substrate having an edge extending around at least a portion of a perimeter of the first substantially transparent substrate; and

a second substrate,

wherein the bezel is integrally molded with at least the first substantially transparent substrate, and

wherein the polymeric material comprises at least one material that reduces an effective coefficient of thermal expansion of the bezel such that the first substantially transparent substrate and the bezel have a difference in coefficient of thermal expansion of from about 5 ppm to about 50 ppm.

2. The display assembly of claim 1, wherein the difference in coefficient of thermal expansion between the first substantially transparent substrate and the bezel is from about 10 ppm to about 25 ppm.

3. The display assembly of claim 2, wherein the difference in coefficient of thermal expansion between the first substantially transparent substrate and the bezel is about 13 ppm.

4. The display assembly of claim 3, wherein a gap is defined between the first substantially transparent substrate and the bezel, the gap having a width of less than or equal to about 25 μ

m over greater than about 75% of the edge.

5. The display assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one material that reduces an effective coefficient of thermal expansion of the bezel comprises a glass, metal, mineral, organic, or ceramic filler material.

6. The display assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one material that reduces an effective coefficient of thermal expansion of the bezel comprises a reinforcement positioned within the bezel, the reinforcement having a lower coefficient of thermal expansion than the polymeric material.

7. The display assembly of claim 6, wherein the reinforcement comprises a metal.

8. A display assembly comprising:

a bezel having a first surface and comprising a polymeric material; and

an electro-optic element comprising;

a first substantially transparent substrate comprising a first surface and an edge extending around at least a portion of a perimeter of the first substantially transparent substrate;

a second substrate, wherein the first substantially transparent substrate and the second substrate define a cavity; and

an electro-optic material disposed within the cavity,

wherein the bezel is integrally molded with at least the first substantially transparent substrate, and

wherein a gap between the bezel first surface and the first surface of the first substantially transparent substrate has a width of about 25 μ

m or less around at least about 75% of the edge of the first substantially transparent substrate.

9. The display assembly of claim 8, wherein the polymeric material comprises a coefficient of thermal expansion of about 50 ppm or less.

10. The display assembly of claim 8, wherein the polymeric material comprises a glass, metal, mineral, organic, or ceramic filler material.

11. The display assembly of claim 8, wherein the gap has a width of about 15 μ

m or less around at least about 75% of the edge of the first substantially transparent substrate.

12. The display assembly of claim 8, wherein the gap has a width of about 25 μ

m or less around at least about 95% of the edge of the first substantially transparent substrate.

13. The display assembly of claim 12, wherein a difference in coefficient of thermal expansion between the first substantially transparent substrate and the bezel is from about 10 ppm to about 25 ppm.

14. A display assembly comprising:

a bezel having a first surface and comprising a polymeric material; and

an electro-optic element comprising;

a first substantially transparent substrate having a first surface and an edge extending around at least a portion of a perimeter of the first substantially transparent substrate;

a second substrate, wherein the first substantially transparent substrate and the second substrate define a cavity; and

an electro-optic material disposed within the cavity,

wherein the bezel is integrally molded with at least the first substantially transparent substrate such that a gap between the bezel first surface and the first surface of the first substantially transparent substrate is about 25 μ

m or less, and

wherein the polymeric material comprises at least one polymeric material having a coefficient of thermal expansion of about 50 ppm or less.

15. The display assembly of claim 14, wherein the polymeric material comprises a glass, metal, mineral, organic, or ceramic filler material.

16. The display assembly of claim 14, wherein the gap has a width of less than or equal to about 15 μ

m.

17. The display assembly of claim 14, wherein the first substantially transparent substrate and the bezel have a difference in coefficient of thermal expansion of from about 5 ppm to about 50 ppm.

18. The display assembly of claim 17, wherein the first substantially transparent substrate and the bezel have a difference in coefficient of thermal expansion of from about 10 ppm to about 25 ppm.

19. The display assembly of claim 14, further comprising:

a metal reinforcement positioned within the bezel.

20. The display assembly of claim 14, wherein the polymeric material comprises at least one polymeric material having a coefficient of thermal expansion of about 50 ppm or less and at least one polymeric material having a coefficient of thermal expansion greater than 50 ppm.