Gentex Corporation

Donnelly Corporation

Magna Mirrors of America, Inc.

Donald L Bareman

Kurtis L Geerlings

Henry A Luten

Niels Alfred Olesen

Niall R Lynam

Hamid R Habibi

Ian A McCabe

William L Tonar

David J Cammenga

George A Neuman

Thomas J Scott

Mervin Dirkse

James M Beebe

John S Anderson

Kevin L Ash

Adam R Heintzelman

Joshua D Lintz

Sue F Franz

Tom B Sherman

Benjamin B Hilldore

Keith W Bigoness

Martin De Vries, Jr

Chad M Wine

Danny L Minikey, Jr

Mark R Roth

Peter N Rizk

Michael J VanAst

David A Bender

Matthew A Koppey

Stephen F Richlich

Happy T Holden

Marrin De Vries, Jr

Paul V Flynn, Jr

James R Thommen, Ii

An imager assembly including calibration functionality and a housing. An imager is disposed inside the housing. The imager includes a lens assembly. An electro-optic element is disposed on a wall of the housing and operable between a substantially clear condition and a substantially darkened condition. A light source directs light at the electro-optic element which redirects the light toward the lens assembly.

Dynamic calibration of optical properties of a dimming element

An electro-optic window includes a first substrate; an electro-optic element generally parallel to the first substrate, the electro-optic element including: a second substrate; a third substrate generally parallel to the second substrate; a sealing member disposed along at least a portion of a perimeter of one of the second and third substrates and extending therebetween; and a cavity defined between the second and third substrates. The sealing member defines the sidewalls of the cavity. A first layer of film having a perimeter portion and a central portion is disposed between at least a portion of the first and second substrates, and may be coextensive with the sealing member.

Method for protecting and concealing seal in electro-optic window

A laser ablated product exhibits a diffraction severity of less than about 5. The product may include a substrate that is at least partially transparent to visible light, and a periodic structure formed on at least one surface of the substrate by laser ablation. The periodic structure has a period in at least one direction of at least about 4,500 nm to at most about 850,000 nm, and the periodic structure has a peak-to-valley dimension of less than about 25 nm. The product may be employed in an electrochromic device, such as a vehicle rearview mirror assembly.

Second surface laser ablation

A laser ablation process can be configured to reduce the appearance of or eliminate a potentially objectionable diffraction effect that can occur when a workpiece or product that has been subjected to the ablation process interacts with light. The diffraction effect can be reduced by introducing irregularity into the arrangement of overlapping laser spots during the process. Other process parameters may be modified to reduce the diffraction effect, such as laser scan speed, laser pulse frequency, the position of the focal plane of the laser, the configuration of raster lines, or the energy profile of the laser beam, for example. The process modifications and configurations are particularly useful with products including an ablated surface that is intended to reflect light or to allow light to pass therethrough as part of its function.

Laser ablation with reduced visual effects

A method for removing a material from a surface of a substrate includes impinging a laser beam on the material during a first sweep to remove the material from the surface along a first line and impinging the laser beam on the material during a second sweep to remove the material from the surface along a second line adjacent to the first line. The first line includes first artifacts that form a first portion of an array of artifacts on the surface. The second line includes second artifacts that form a second portion of the array of artifacts on the surface. A first laser pulse of the laser beam corresponding with the second sweep is synchronized with a start of the second sweep when transitioning between the first line and the second line such that the start of the second sweep coincides with the first laser pulse.

Reducing diffraction effects on an ablated surface

A transparent photovoltaic (TPV) integrated directly into the structure of an electrochromic (EC) device is beneficial in that it can eliminate at least one substrate and provide more uniform coloring. Integration of a transparent photovoltaic with an electrochromic device may also reduce or eliminate the need for an electrical bus on a substrate. In some embodiments, positioning the TPV internally with the EC cell may eliminate the need for additional substrate layers or a conductive layer on one side of the TPV cell. Integrating a PV cell into the EC device can additionally reduce the need for external wiring and an external power supply. Alternatively, the TPV can assist in charging a battery where the battery can be used to power the EC device when there is no sunlight available.

Transparent photovoltaic coating for an electro-chromic device

A display system for a vehicle includes a first imager configured to capture image data in a field of view rearward of the vehicle. A second imager is also configured to capture image data in the field of view rearward of the vehicle. The display system additionally includes a first display device disposed in a passenger compartment of the vehicle and a second display device also disposed in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The display system also includes a controller in communication with the first and second imagers and the first and second display devices wherein the controller is operable to adjust at least one of an orientation and a scale of two desired views of the image data for display on the first and second display devices.

Dual display reverse camera system

A method of removing material from an opposite side of workpiece includes directing a laser beam at a first side of the workpiece to remove the material from an opposite second side of the workpiece.

A method of making a mirror reflective element suitable for use in a vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly includes providing front and rear substrates, and disposing an electrically conductive layer and a metallic reflector at respective surfaces thereof. With the substrates joined and with an electrochromic medium disposed in an interpane cavity, light that reflects off of the mirror reflector and passes through the electrochromic medium and the front substrate is non-spectrally selective when no voltage is applied to the electrochromic medium. At least a portion of the mirror reflector extends under the perimeter seal and towards a perimeter edge of the rear substrate. A display is disposed to the rear of the rear substrate of the mirror reflective element at a light-transmitting window. The display is operable responsive to a blind spot detector of a vehicle equipped with an exterior rearview mirror assembly that incorporates the mirror reflective element.

Method of manufacturing variable reflectance mirror reflective element for exterior mirror assembly

A laser system is configured to produce a distribution of self-focus damage volumes through the thickness of a substrate. A laser of the laser system produces a laser beam, and an optical assembly receives the laser beam and emits a conditioned laser beam having a geometric focal region. Placing the substrate in the path of the conditioned beam shifts the focal region to an effective focal region. The optical assembly and/or optical elements thereof can be configured such that the distribution of self-focus damage volumes is uniform over the thickness of the substrate by accounting for the non-linear effects of the substrate on the light that propagates through the substrate.

Distribution of damage volumes in laser-induced channels

A laser system and method includes control of the direction of polarization of a laser beam that forms laser-induced channels in a substrate along a process path. Control of the direction of polarization is useful while forming laser-induced channels in substrate materials having a crystalline component. An optical element, such as a waveplate, imparts the laser beam with a direction of polarization that is controllable with respect to an axis of the substrate when the substrate is supported by the system for processing. The direction of polarization is changeable and controllable with respect to the direction of the process path and/or a crystalline plane of the substrate via movement of the optical element or the substrate or both.

Laser process with controlled polarization

A method for removing a material from a surface includes passing a laser through a lens such that the laser impinges on the material. The surface from which the material is removed has an array of artifacts thereon with a spacing between the artifacts and a pitch between lines of the artifacts. At least the spacing between the artifacts is varied.

An apparatus, method, and process that includes a substantially transparent substrate having a first surface, a second surface, and an edge extending around at least a portion of a perimeter of the substantially transparent substrate, wherein the edge is a laser induced channel edge having enhanced edge characteristics.

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Zeeland, MI, United States of America

Donald L Bareman