FRAMELESS INTERIOR REARVIEW MIRROR ASSEMBLY

摘要

An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle includes a mirror casing and an electro-optic reflective element. The reflective element has an electro-optic active region where an electro-optic medium is disposed and bounded by a perimeter seal. A transparent electrically conductive coating is established at the rear surface of the front substrate at the electro-optic active region. A perimeter portion of the front substrate extends beyond a corresponding perimeter portion of the rear substrate to establish a user input region that is outboard of the electro-optic active region. A user input, such as a touch sensor, is disposed at the user input region, and the user input is not in electrical contact with the transparent electrically conductive coating at the rear surface of the front substrate. The user input is operable to detect the presence or touch of a person's finger at the user input region.

主权项

1. An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said interior rearview mirror assembly comprising:
a mirror casing; an electro-optic reflective element, wherein said reflective element comprises a front glass substrate and a rear glass substrate with an electro-optic medium disposed therebetween and bounded by a perimeter seal; wherein said front glass substrate has a generally planar first surface that generally faces a driver of the vehicle when said interior rearview mirror assembly is normally mounted in the vehicle and a second surface opposite said first surface, and wherein said rear glass substrate has a generally planar third surface and a fourth surface opposite said third surface, and wherein said electro-optic medium is disposed between said second and third surfaces; wherein said rear glass substrate has a reflective mirror reflector established thereat; wherein the surface area of said front surface of said front glass substrate is larger than the surface area of said front surface of said rear glass substrate, and wherein no part of said rear glass substrate extends beyond any part of said front glass substrate to be viewable by a viewer viewing said first surface of said front glass substrate of said reflective element, and wherein said reflective element comprises an electro-optic active region where said electro-optic medium is disposed and is bounded by said perimeter seal; wherein said second surface has a transparent electrically conductive coating established at said electro-optic active region; wherein said front glass substrate has a perimeter band established along a perimeter region of said second surface of said front glass substrate to generally hide said perimeter seal of said reflective element from view by the driver of the vehicle normally viewing said first surface of said front glass substrate of said reflective element when said interior rearview mirror assembly is normally mounted in the vehicle; wherein a perimeter portion of said front glass substrate extends beyond a corresponding perimeter portion of said rear glass substrate to establish a user input region that is outboard of said electro-optic active region; wherein a touch sensor is disposed at said user input region, and wherein said touch sensor is not in electrical contact with said transparent electrically conductive coating that is disposed at said second surface of said front glass substrate at said electro-optic active region; and wherein said touch sensor is operable to detect the presence or touch of a person's finger at said user input region.