Frameless interior rearview mirror assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10647258-B2
Application number	US-201816186962-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2018
Priority date	Apr 23, 2009
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle includes a mirror casing and a prismatic interior reflective element. The reflective element comprises a wedge-shaped glass substrate having a perimeter edge about a periphery of the glass substrate and extending between first and second surfaces thereof. The glass substrate has a mirror reflector established at the second surface. A front surface of the perimeter edge provides a smooth curved transition at the perimeter edge between a perimeter region of the first surface and the mirror casing. The front surface of the perimeter edge is rounded with a radius of curvature of at least about 2.5 mm. No portion of the mirror casing encompasses the first surface of the glass substrate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said interior rearview mirror assembly comprising:
a mirror casing;
a prismatic interior reflective element;
wherein said prismatic interior reflective element comprises a wedge-shaped glass substrate having a first surface and a second surface and a perimeter edge about a periphery of said wedge-shaped glass substrate and extending between the first and second surfaces thereof, said wedge-shaped glass substrate having a mirror reflector established at the second surface thereof, the first surface facing a driver of a vehicle when said interior rearview mirror assembly is normally mounted in a vehicle equipped with said interior rearview mirror assembly;
wherein a front surface of the perimeter edge provides a smooth curved transition at the perimeter edge between a perimeter region of the first surface of said wedge-shaped glass substrate and said mirror casing;
said perimeter region circumscribing said wedge-shaped glass substrate;
wherein the front surface of the perimeter edge is rounded at least by grinding to provide a rounded curved surface disposed between the first surface of said wedge-shaped glass substrate and said mirror casing; and
wherein the radius of curvature of the front surface of the perimeter edge is at least 2.5 mm.

2. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein the radius of curvature of the front surface of the perimeter edge is uniform around the perimeter of said wedge-shaped glass substrate.

3. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein said prismatic interior reflective element is adhered to said mirror casing.

4. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 3 , wherein said mirror casing comprises an attachment surface, and wherein said prismatic interior reflective element is attached at said attachment surface of said mirror casing to secure said prismatic interior reflective element to said mirror casing.

5. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 4 , wherein no portion of said mirror casing encompasses the first surface of said wedge-shaped glass substrate.

6. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein the radius of curvature of the front surface of the perimeter edge is non-uniform around the perimeter of said wedge-shaped glass substrate.

7. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 6 , wherein the perimeter edge of said wedge-shaped glass substrate comprises a thicker region and a thinner region, and wherein the radius of curvature along the thinner region of the perimeter edge of said wedge-shaped glass substrate is smaller than the radius of curvature along the thicker region of the perimeter edge of said wedge-shaped glass substrate.

8. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 , wherein said prismatic interior reflective element comprises a user input portion, said user input portion operable to detect presence or touch of a human finger at the first surface of said wedge-shaped glass substrate, said user input portion comprising at least one capacitive touch sensor disposed at and behind the second surface of said wedge-shaped glass substrate.

9. An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said interior rearview mirror assembly comprising:
a mirror casing;
a prismatic interior reflective element;
wherein said prismatic interior reflective element comprises a wedge-shaped glass substrate having a first surface and a second surface and a perimeter edge about a periphery of said wedge-shaped glass substrate and extending between the first and second surfaces thereof, said wedge-shaped glass substrate having a mirror reflector established at the second surface thereof, the first surface facing a driver of a vehicle when said interior rearview mirror assembly is normally mounted in a vehicle equipped with said interior rearview mirror assembly;
wherein a front surface of the perimeter edge provides a smooth curved transition at the perimeter edge between a perimeter region of the first surface of said wedge-shaped glass substrate and said mirror casing;
said perimeter region circumscribing said wedge-shaped glass substrate;
wherein the front surface of the perimeter edge is rounded by grinding and polishing to provide a rounded curved surface disposed between the first surface of said wedge-shaped glass substrate and said mirror casing;
wherein the radius of curvature of the front surface of the perimeter edge is at least 2.5 mm;
wherein the radius of curvature of the front surface of the perimeter edge is uniform around the perimeter of said wedge-shaped glass substrate; and
wherein no portion of said mirror casing encompasses the first surface of said wedge-shaped glass substrate.

10. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 9 , wherein said prismatic interior reflective element is adhered to said mirror casing.

11. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 10 , wherein said mirror casing comprises an attachment surface, and wherein said prismatic interior reflective element is attached at said attachment surface of said mirror casing to secure said prismatic interior reflective element to said mirror casing.

12. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 9 , wherein an outer part of the perimeter edge of said wedge-shaped glass substrate is co-planar with an outer part of a side wall of said mirror casing.

13. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 9 , wherein said prismatic interior reflective element comprises a user input portion, said user input portion operable to detect presence or touch of a human finger at the first surface of said wedge-shaped glass substrate, said user input portion comprising at least one capacitive touch sensor disposed at and behind the second surface of said wedge-shaped glass substrate.

14. An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said interior rearview mirror assembly comprising:
a mirror casing;
a mirror reflective element;
wherein said mirror reflective element comprises a glass substrate having a first surface and a second surface and a perimeter edge about a periphery of said glass substrate and extending between the first and second surfaces thereof, wherein the first surface of said glass substrate faces a driver of a vehicle when said interior rearview mirror assembly is normally mounted in a vehicle equipped with said interior rearview mirror assembly;
wherein said mirror casing comprises a terminal end region that circumscribes an open end of said mirror casing and terminates at a terminal end edge of said mirror casing;
wherein said terminal end region of said mirror casing comprises a rounded end region surface curving between said terminal end edge of said mirror casing and an outer surface of a sidewall of said mirror casing;
wherein said rounded end region surface is rounded to provide a rounded curved surface disposed between the first surface of said glass substrate and said outer surface of said sidewall of said mirror casing;
wherein the radius of curvature of said rounded end region surface is at least 2.5 mm; and
wherein said glass substrate is received at said open end of said mirror casing, and wherein no part of said mirror casing encompasses said first surface of said glass substrate.

15. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 14 , wherein said mirror reflective element comprises a prismatic mirror reflective element, and wherein said glass substrate comprises a wedge-shaped glass substrate having a mirror reflector established at the second surface thereof.

16. The interior rearview mirr

Assignees

• Magna Mirrors Of America Inc

Inventors

• De Wind Darryl P
• Rawlings Donald S
• Uken John T

Classifications

• B60R1/04 Primary

  mounted inside vehicle {(B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B60R2001/1223

  with sensors or transducers · CPC title

• G02F1/13338

  Input devices, e.g. touch panels · CPC title

• B60R1/088

  using a cell of electrically changeable optical characteristic, e.g. liquid-crystal or electrochromic mirrors · CPC title

• G02F1/161

  Gaskets; Spacers; Sealing of cells; Filling or closing of cells · CPC title