Gentex Corporation

Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Snyder, Mark A.

Bonardi, Timothy A.

Braun, Randall S.

Beute, Randall J.

Randall J Beute

Timothy A Bonardi

Randall S Braun

John K Roberts

Bradley L Busscher

Kenton J Ypma

Daniel J Bostwick

Wayne M Jordan

Edward L DeNave

Gregory A Bosch

Bradley L Northman

Edward F Bulgajewski

Mark A Snyder

Timothy A Norris

A mirror assembly includes a housing, an angularly adjustable power pack, wires for supplying power and mirror angle control, an electrochromic mirror subassembly including a heater, and a turn signal device. The components include individual connectors that plug into a multi-prong connector on the bundle of wires, or that piggyback into each other. Optionally, the heater incorporates an internal wire with end connectors for communicating power to opposite sides of the heater, and also includes layers of light-transmitting/diffusing material for diffusing light passing from the turn signal device through the diffusing material. A printed circuit board fits into a pocket in the panel-shaped carrier, and an integral retainer releasably secures the printed circuit board. The power pack is attached to the carrier via a ring of resilient fingers, and a continuous hoop flange prevents distortion of the carrier and in turn of the glass elements in the mirror subassembly.

Rearview mirror constructed for efficient assembly

A rearview mirror assembly of the present invention includes a circuit board disposed behind the mirror. The circuit board may be a flexible circuit board and may include an LED mounted to project light through a transparent window in the flexible circuit board and through the mirror. The flexible circuit board may function as a mirror heater and may include conductive paths for connection to the LED and/or electrodes of an electrochromic mirror. The LED may include an LED chip mounted directly on the circuit board and encapsulated thereon by an encapsulant.

Rearview mirror assembly construction

Growing community of inventors

Grand Rapids, MI, United States of America

Randall J Beute