TWI847110B - An electrochromic rearview mirror lens assembly for increasing the visual range - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrochromic rearview mirror lens set for increasing the visible range includes a first part, a second part and an electrochromic medium. The first part includes a first substrate and a light-transmitting conductive layer, and the light-transmitting conductive layer is arranged on the first substrate. The second part includes a second substrate and a semi-reflective and semi-transmissive conductive layer, and the semi-reflective and semi-transmissive conductive layer is arranged on the second substrate. The electrochromic medium is arranged between the first part and the second part. An area of the light-transmitting conductive layer of the first part exceeds the electrochromic medium and exposes a first conductive region in the back. The second substrate of the second part has a through hole parallel to a viewing direction so that the semi-reflective and semi-transmissive conductive layer exposes a second conductive region in the back.

Description

An electrochromic rearview mirror lens assembly for increasing the visual range

The present invention relates to an electrochromic rearview mirror lens set, and in particular to an electrochromic rearview mirror lens set with increased viewing range.

Recently, electrochromic technology has begun to be applied to vehicle rearview mirrors. Together with ambient light sensors, it can detect ambient light intensity and output signals to control the electrochromic elements of the vehicle rearview mirrors, changing the light absorption properties of the electrochromic elements and the reflectivity of the vehicle rearview mirrors to light. This can prevent the driver's eyes from being affected by high-intensity reflected light.

The existing technology can be found in US20210245661, US10343608, US10179546, US9694751, US10976588, US10823882, US10739591, etc.

In the prior art, in order to install an electrochromic element, an electrical connection structure (such as US10703282) or an electrical insulation structure (such as US10399498) needs to be introduced into the vehicle rearview mirror. These structures are usually set at the edge of the electrochromic element, and a hiding layer needs to be set to cover it. As a result, the visible range of the rearview mirror is reduced (or it can be regarded as a reduction in the ratio of the visible range to the shielding range), and the overall aesthetics are impaired.

The main purpose of this invention is to solve the problem of low visual range in existing electrochromic rearview mirror lens sets.

The present invention provides an electrochromic rearview mirror lens set for increasing the visual range, comprising: a first part, comprising a first substrate and a light-transmitting conductive layer, the first substrate comprising a first outer side surface and a first inner side surface, the light-transmitting conductive layer being arranged on the first inner side surface of the first substrate; a second part, comprising a second substrate and a semi-reflective semi-transmissive conductive layer, the second substrate being arranged relative to the first substrate and comprising a second outer side surface and a second inner side surface, the semi-reflective semi-transmissive conductive layer being arranged on the second inner side surface of the second substrate, wherein a viewing direction is defined from the first part toward the second part; an electrochromic medium being arranged between the light-transmitting conductive layer of the first part and the semi-reflective semi-transmissive conductive layer of the second part. , wherein an area of the light-transmitting conductive layer of the first part exceeds the electrochromic medium and exposes a first conductive region in the back, and the second substrate of the second part has a through hole parallel to the viewing direction so that the semi-reflective semi-transmissive conductive layer exposes a second conductive region in the back; a sealing member is arranged between an edge of the first part and an edge of the second part, and the light-transmitting conductive layer, the semi-reflective semi-transmissive conductive layer and the sealing member define a chamber for accommodating the electrochromic medium; a first electrical connection portion is electrically connected to the first conductive region; and a second electrical connection portion includes a conductive column filled in the through hole and electrically connected to the semi-reflective semi-transmissive conductive layer and a conductive sheet arranged on the second outer side of the second substrate.

The present invention also provides an electrochromic rearview mirror lens set for increasing the visible range, comprising: a first part, comprising a first substrate, a concealing layer and a light-transmitting conductive layer, the first substrate comprising a first outer side surface and a first inner side surface, the concealing layer is arranged on a peripheral area of the first inner side surface of the first substrate, the light-transmitting conductive layer is arranged on a middle area of the first inner side surface of the first substrate and on the concealing layer, and the light-transmitting conductive layer located on the middle area is a visible range; a second part, comprising a second substrate and a semi-reflective semi-transmissive The semi-reflective and semi-transmissive conductive layer is disposed on the second inner side of the second substrate, wherein a viewing direction is defined from the first portion to the second portion, and the second substrate of the second portion has a through hole parallel to the viewing direction so that the semi-reflective and semi-transmissive conductive layer exposes a second conductive region in the reverse direction, and the through hole is close to a first side end of the lens assembly; a sealing member is disposed between an edge of the first portion and the second portion The first part, the second part and the sealing member define a chamber, wherein an area of the light-transmitting conductive layer of the first part exceeds the sealing member and the second part, so that the light-transmitting conductive layer exposes a first conductive region on the back side and leaves an annular space outside the second part, and the first conductive region is close to a second side end of the lens assembly; an electrochromic medium is disposed in the chamber; a first electrical connection portion is electrically connected to the first conductive region and accommodated in the annular space; and a second electrical connection portion is electrically connected to the first conductive region and accommodated in the annular space. The invention relates to a first conductive portion, comprising a conductive column filled in the through hole and electrically connected to the semi-reflective and semi-transmissive conductive layer and a conductive sheet disposed on the second outer surface of the second substrate; wherein the masking layer is at least higher than and shields the sealing member and the through hole when viewed from the viewing direction, and the through hole is as close as possible to the first side end of the lens assembly so that a width of the masking layer is minimized; and wherein the annular space has an upper portion accommodating the first electrical connection portion and a lower portion relative to the upper portion, wherein the lower portion is smaller than the upper portion.

10: Part 1

10a: Outer ring area

11: First substrate

111: First outer side

112: First medial surface

112a:Surrounding area

12: Light-transmitting conductive layer

121: front surface

122: Back surface

122a: first conductive region

122b: first electrical contact area

13: Covering layer

13a: Upper Edge

20: Part 2

20a: Outer Ring Area

20b: Top

20c: bottom

21: Second substrate

211: Second outer side

212: Second medial surface

213:Piercing

213a: Outer Edge

22: Semi-reflective and semi-transmissive conductive layer

221: front surface

222: Back surface

222a: Second conductive region

30:Electrochromic medium

40: Sealing components

41: Chamber

50: First electrical connection part

51: Conductive block

52: Conductive sheet

53: Electrical insulation

60: Second electrical connection part

61: Conductive column

62: Conductive sheet

70: Space

80: Stacking direction

90: Viewing direction

D1: Step difference

D2: Distance

W1: Width

W2: Width

『Figure 1A』 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the present invention.

『Figure 1B』 is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of 『Figure 1A』.

'Figure 2A' to 'Figure 2B' are explosion diagrams according to an embodiment of the present invention.

『Figure 3』 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the second embodiment of the present invention.

In this document, the terms used in the description of various embodiments are for the purpose of describing specific examples only and are not intended to be limiting. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise or the number of elements is intentionally limited, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" used in this document also include plural forms.

The present invention discloses an electrochromic rearview mirror lens assembly for increasing the visual range. Referring to FIG. 1A to FIG. 1B and FIG. 2A to FIG. 2B, in one embodiment, the electrochromic rearview mirror lens assembly includes a first portion 10, a second portion 20, an electrochromic medium 30, a sealing member 40, a first electrical connection portion 50, and a second electrical connection portion 60. From the side, there is an area difference between the first portion 10 and the second portion 20, thereby leaving a space 70 outside the second portion 20, the space 70 is used for a frame to be set, and the space 70 above the second portion 20 is further used for the first electrical connection portion 50 to be set. The layers of the first portion 10 and the second portion 20 are arranged along a stacking direction 80.

The first part 10 includes a first substrate 11, a light-transmitting conductive layer 12 and a concealing layer 13. The first substrate 11 includes a first outer surface 111 and a first inner surface 112. The light-transmitting conductive layer 12 and the concealing layer 13 are disposed on the first inner surface 112 of the first substrate 11. The first part 10 can be regarded as a front component, that is, the first part 10 faces the user, and a viewing direction 90 of the user is from the first outer surface 111 to the first inner surface 112, and the second part 20 can be regarded as a rear component. When viewed from the viewing direction 90, the concealing layer 13 is in a ring shape. During manufacturing, the concealing layer 13 is first formed on a peripheral area 112a of the first inner side surface 112, and the light-transmitting conductive layer 12 is formed in a middle area of the first inner side surface 112 and on the concealing layer 13.

The second part 20 includes a second substrate 21 and a transflective conductive layer 22. The second substrate 21 is disposed relative to the first substrate 11. The second substrate 21 includes a second outer surface 211 and a second inner surface 212. The transflective conductive layer 22 is disposed on the second inner surface 212 of the second substrate 21.

The first substrate 11 is a material that is transparent and insulating to the visible light region and must have sufficient strength under the operating conditions of the car, such as glass, polymer or plastic. The glass can be borosilicate glass, sodium calcium glass or float glass. The requirements for the second substrate 21 are similar to those of the first substrate 11, but the second substrate 21 does not need to be transparent. The second substrate 21 can be glass, ceramic, polymer or plastic.

The sealing member 40 is disposed between an outer ring region 10a of a back surface of the first part 10 and an outer ring region 20a of a front surface of the second part 20. The light-transmitting conductive layer 12, the semi-reflective semi-transmissive conductive layer 22 and the sealing member 40 define a chamber 41 for accommodating the electrochromic medium 30. The two sides of the electrochromic medium 30 contact the light-transmitting conductive layer 12 and the semi-reflective semi-transmissive conductive layer 22.

The sealing member 40 is used to prevent the electrochromic medium 30 from leaking outward. In one example, the sealing member 40 can be epoxy resin. The light-transmitting conductive layer 12 and the semi-reflective semi-transmissive conductive layer 22 are used as electrodes respectively. The light-transmitting conductive layer 12 is made of materials with high light transmittance and good electrical conductivity, such as fluorine-doped tin oxide, doped zinc oxide, indium zinc oxide (Zn ₃ In ₂ O ₆ ), indium tin oxide (ITO), ITO/metal/ITO (IMI), etc. The semi-reflective semi-transmissive conductive layer 22 is a multi-layer structure, and achieves the properties of semi-reflective, semi-transmissive and conductive.

The transparent conductive layer 12 has an area larger than the electrochromic medium 30. The transparent conductive layer 12 has a front surface 121 and a back surface 122. The back surface 122 includes a first conductive region 122a and a first electrical contact region 122b. The first electrical contact region 122b has a contour corresponding to the sealing member 40 (or the chamber 41) and is surrounded by the first conductive region 122a. In other words, the first electrical contact region 122b is located in a central portion of the back surface 122, and the first conductive region 122a is located outside the central portion of the back surface 122. The back surface 122 of the light-transmitting conductive layer 12 exposes the first conductive region 122a (relative to the first electrical contact region 122b of the light-transmitting conductive layer 12 being in contact with and covered by the electrochromic medium 30). In this embodiment, the area of the light-transmitting conductive layer 12 exceeds the sealing member 40. The first conductive region 122a is used to allow the light-transmitting conductive layer 12 to be connected to an external electrical connection line. It can be understood that in this embodiment, the back surface 122 of the first portion 10 is the back surface 122 of the light-transmitting conductive layer 12, and the outer ring region 10a and the first conductive region 122a are both located on the back surface 122. However, the outer ring region 10a is different from the first conductive region 122a. The outer ring region 10a is where the sealing member 40 is disposed, while the first conductive region 122a is exposed to the outside and where the first electrical connection portion 50 is disposed.

In the second part 20, the second substrate 21 and the semi-reflective semi-transmissive conductive layer 22 have substantially the same area and profile. The second substrate 21 has a through hole 213 parallel to the stacking direction 80. The semi-reflective semi-transmissive conductive layer 22 has a front surface 221 and a back surface 222. The through hole 213 exposes a second conductive region 222a on the back surface 222 of the semi-reflective semi-transmissive conductive layer 22. The second conductive region 222a is used to connect the semi-reflective semi-transmissive conductive layer 22 to an external electrical connection line. In this embodiment, the through hole 213 is perpendicular to the surface of the second substrate 21.

The first electrical connection portion 50 is a conductive block, which can be made of a conductive glue. The first electrical connection portion 50 is formed on the first conductive region 122a of the light-transmitting conductive layer 12 at a position far from the second portion 20. The first electrical connection portion 50 is not close to or in contact with the second portion 20 to prevent the external electrical connection line connected thereto from contacting the second portion 20. The second electrical connection portion 60 includes a conductive column 61 and a conductive sheet 62. The conductive column 61 can also be made of a conductive glue and filled into the through hole 213. One end of the conductive column 61 is in contact with the semi-reflective and semi-transmissive conductive layer 22, and the other end of the conductive column 61 is located at the second outer side surface 211 of the second substrate 21. The conductive sheet 62 is disposed on the second outer side surface 211 of the second substrate 21 and contacts the conductive column 61. In this way, the first electrical connection portion 50 and the second electrical connection portion 60 can be connected to a power source via a first electrical connection line and a second electrical connection line, respectively, so as to apply an electric field to the electrochromic medium 30 through the light-transmitting conductive layer 12 and the semi-reflective semi-transmissive conductive layer 22 to adjust the color and/or transmittance of the electrochromic medium 30.

The purpose of the concealing layer 13 is to cover the components such as the sealing member 40, the first electrical connection part 50 and the second electrical connection part 60 in the viewing direction 90 to avoid affecting the user's viewing. In addition, in this embodiment, in order to ensure that the second part 20 and other components (such as the first electrical connection line connected to the first electrical connection part 50) will not cause a short circuit due to accidental contact, insulation can be further applied around the second part 20 to ensure insulation by covering the periphery of the second part 20 (if viewed in the viewing direction 90). In one example of the present invention, a top end 20b and a bottom end 20c of the second part 20 are preferably provided with an insulating layer respectively.

In the present invention, the area of the light-transmitting conductive layer 12 not surrounded by the concealing layer 13 (such as the front surface 121 of the light-transmitting conductive layer 12 in FIG. 2A ) determines the visible range of the electrochromic rearview mirror lens set. In other words, for a lens set of the same area, the smaller the area of the concealing layer 13, the larger the visible range will be.

The area of the masking layer 13 must be sufficient to cover the through hole 213 and the sealing member 40 in the viewing direction 90. FIG. 1B shows that the masking layer 13 below the electrochromic rearview mirror lens assembly has a width W1, which affects the area of the masking layer 13. The size of the width W1 depends on: a. a difference D1 between the first portion 10 and the second portion 20, b. a width W2 of the sealing member 40, and c. a size and a position of the through hole 213.

In the example of FIG. 1B , an outer edge 213a of the through hole 213 is at a distance D2 from the bottom end 20c of the second portion 20, and the through hole 213 is located below an upper edge 13a of the concealing layer 13. In other words, the width W2 is greater than the distance D2. Accordingly, the width W1 of the concealing layer 13 will be equal to the step D1 plus the width W2.

In terms of structural design, the width W2 must be sufficient to allow the sealing member 40 to be assembled and prevent the electrochromic medium 30 from leaking outward, and is usually a fixed parameter. Therefore, the step difference D1 is the main variable affecting the width W1. Using the structure disclosed in the present invention, since the through hole 213 is provided in the second substrate 21 as an electrical connection path for one of the electrodes, the electrical connection path does not need to be placed in the space 70 below. For the bottom side of the electrochromic rearview mirror lens assembly, the step difference D1 between the first part 10 and the second part 20 can be minimized.

Referring to FIG. 3 , in another embodiment, the first electrical connection portion 50 includes a conductive block 51 and a conductive sheet 52. The conductive block 51 may be made of a conductive glue. The conductive block 51 is formed on the first conductive region 122a of the light-transmitting conductive layer 12 at a position close to the second portion 20. The conductive sheet 52 covers an electrical insulator 53 disposed at the top end 20b of the second portion 20 and the second outer side surface 211 of the second substrate 21. The conductive block 51 contacts the conductive sheet 52. Thus, the first electrical connection line can be connected to the conductive sheet 52 and electrically connected to the light-transmitting conductive layer 12 via the conductive block 51.

In summary, the present invention uses a perforation in the rear component (i.e., the second part) as an electrical connection path for one of the electrodes, so that one of the electrical connection paths does not need to be placed in the space at the bottom of the rear component (or in other words, does not need to be placed in the edge area), which can increase the visible range and the area ratio of the visible range to the decorative layer.

10: Part 1

10a: Outer Ring Area

11: First substrate

111: First outer side

112: First medial surface

112a:Surrounding area

12: Light-transmitting conductive layer

121: front surface

122: Back surface

122a: first conductive region

13: Covering layer

13a: Upper Edge

20: Part 2

20a: Outer Ring Area

20b: Top

20c: bottom

21: Second substrate

211: Second outer side

212: Second medial surface

213:Piercing

213a: Outer Edge

22: Semi-reflective and semi-transmissive conductive layer

221: front surface

222: Back surface

222a: Second conductive region

30:Electrochromic medium

40: Sealing components

50: First electrical connection part

60: Second electrical connection part

61: Conductive column

62: Conductive sheet

70: Space

90: Viewing direction

Claims (5)

An electrochromic rearview mirror lens assembly for increasing the visual range includes: a first part, including a first substrate and a light-transmitting conductive layer, the first substrate including a first outer side surface and a first inner side surface, the light-transmitting conductive layer is arranged on the first inner side surface of the first substrate; a second part, including a second substrate and a semi-reflective semi-transmissive conductive layer, the second substrate is arranged relative to the first substrate and includes a second outer side surface and a second inner side surface, the semi-reflective semi-transmissive conductive layer is arranged on the second inner side surface of the second substrate, wherein a viewing direction is defined from the first part toward the second part; an electrochromic medium is arranged between the light-transmitting conductive layer of the first part and the semi-reflective semi-transmissive conductive layer of the second part, wherein , an area of the light-transmitting conductive layer of the first part exceeds the electrochromic medium and exposes a first conductive region in the back direction, and the second substrate of the second part has a through hole parallel to the viewing direction so that the semi-reflective and semi-transmissive conductive layer exposes a second conductive region in the back direction; a sealing member is arranged between an edge of the first part and an edge of the second part, and the light-transmitting conductive layer, the semi-reflective and semi-transmissive conductive layer and the sealing member define a chamber for accommodating the electrochromic medium; a first electrical connection portion is electrically connected to the first conductive region; and a second electrical connection portion includes a conductive column filled in the through hole and electrically connected to the semi-reflective and semi-transmissive conductive layer and a conductive sheet arranged on the second outer side of the second substrate. The electrochromic rearview mirror lens set as described in claim 1, wherein the first part further includes a masking layer disposed in a peripheral area of the first inner side surface of the first substrate. An electrochromic rearview mirror lens assembly for increasing the visible range comprises: a first part, comprising a first substrate, a cover layer and a light-transmitting conductive layer, the first substrate comprising a first outer side surface and a first inner side surface, the cover layer is arranged on a peripheral area of the first inner side surface of the first substrate, the light-transmitting conductive layer is arranged on a middle area of the first inner side surface of the first substrate and on the cover layer, and the light-transmitting conductive layer located on the middle area is a visible range; a second part, comprising a second substrate and a semi-reflective semi-transmissive conductive layer; The second substrate is disposed opposite to the first substrate and includes a second outer side and a second inner side, the semi-reflective semi-transmissive conductive layer is disposed on the second inner side of the second substrate, wherein a viewing direction is defined from the first portion toward the second portion, the second substrate of the second portion has a through hole parallel to the viewing direction so that the semi-reflective semi-transmissive conductive layer exposes a second conductive region in the reverse direction, and the through hole is close to a first side end of the lens assembly; a sealing member is disposed between an edge of the first portion and an edge of the second portion The first part, the second part and the sealing member define a chamber, wherein an area of the light-transmitting conductive layer of the first part exceeds the sealing member and the second part, so that the light-transmitting conductive layer exposes a first conductive region on the back and leaves an annular space outside the second part, and the first conductive region is close to a second side end of the lens assembly; an electrochromic medium is disposed in the chamber; a first electrical connection portion is electrically connected to the first conductive region and accommodated in the annular space; and a second electrical connection portion, The invention comprises a conductive column filled in the through hole and electrically connected to the semi-reflective and semi-transmissive conductive layer and a conductive sheet disposed on the second outer surface of the second substrate; wherein the masking layer is at least higher than and shields the sealing member and the through hole when viewed from the viewing direction, and the through hole is as close as possible to the first side end of the lens assembly so that a width of the masking layer is minimized; and wherein the annular space has an upper portion accommodating the first electrical connection portion and a lower portion relative to the upper portion, wherein the lower portion is smaller than the upper portion. The electrochromic rearview mirror lens assembly as described in claim 3, wherein the second electrical connection portion is not disposed in the annular space. The electrochromic rearview mirror lens set as described in claim 3, wherein the first conductive region of the light-transmitting conductive layer is close to a top end of the lens set, and the second conductive region of the semi-reflective and semi-transmissive conductive layer is close to a bottom end of the lens set.

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