Abstract: A casting die, for forming a segmented mirror, is formed by the steps including:providing a negative or positive casting of the desired continuous surface shape;cutting the casting into small segments to form non-circular gaps between segment cross-sections;translating the segments relative to one another in a common direction to contact a shaping surface or surfaces, while maintaining constant gap widths between the segments;joining the segments to form a unitary body by adding filler material to the gaps.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method of making a segmented mirror, the mirror comprising, in combination(a) a myriad of surfaces carried by a support, certain of said surfaces dimensionally offset from one another in a common direction generally parallel to the general direction of incident radiation to reflected, said surfaces being radiation reflecting sufaces each oriented in such a way that as a group they collectively reflect radiation essentially as they were a continuous reflecting surface,(b) each of said surfaces having a periphery comprising an irregular or repeating series of line segments which are connected, curved or linear, the peripheries of said surfaces, when projected in said common offset direction onto a plane perpendicular thereto, contiguously conforming to one another,said method including providing a die, used for casting the mirror segmented surface and constructing the die from a casting of a continuous surface of the desired shaped by cutting said casting, or a casting thereof, into sma

Abstract: The invention concerns a method of making a segmented mirror, the mirror comprising, in combination(a) a myriad of surfaces carried by a support, certain of said surfaces dimensionally offset from one another in a common direction generally parallel to the general direction of incident radiation to reflected, said surfaces being radiation reflecting surfaces each oriented in such a way that as a group they collectively reflect radiation essentially as they were a continuous reflecting surface,(b) each of said surfaces having a periphery comprising an irregular or repeating series of line segments which are connected, curved or linear, the peripheries of said surfaces, when projected in said common offset direction onto a plane perpendicular thereto, contiguously conforming to one another,said method including providing a die, used for casting the mirror segmented surface and constructing the die from a casting of a continuous surface of the desired shaped by cutting said casting, or a casting thereof, into sm

Abstract: In a transparent molded segmented mirror having individual sectors on a transparent molding and comprising a myriad of reflecting surfaces at the rear side of the mirror away from the viewer, said surfaces located to produce, in the eyes of the viewer, a virtual image, or separate virtual images from separate portions of such molded mirror, there being zones separating the reflecting surfaces, the improvement comprising:(a) a material coating said zones and which includes a light absorber,(b) such material having approximately, the same index of refraction as the transparent molding,(c) whereby undesirable reflections from said zone are substantially reduced, because light impinging thereon cannot be reflected, but is only absorbed.

Abstract: In a transparent molded segmented mirror having individual sectors on a transparent molding and comprising a myriad of reflecting surfaces at the rear side of the mirror away from the viewer, said surfaces located to produce, in the eyes of the viewer, a virtual image, or separate virtual images from separate portions of such molded mirror, there being zones separating the reflecting surfaces, the improvement comprising:(a) a material coating said zones and which includes a light absorber,(b) such material having approximately, the same index of refraction as the transparent molding,(c) whereby undesirable reflections from said zone are substantially reduced, because light impinging thereon cannot be reflected, but is only absorbed.

Abstract: In a transparent molded segmented mirror having individual sectors on a transparent molding and comprising a myriad of reflecting surfaces at the rear side of the mirror away from the viewer, said surfaces located to produce, in the eyes of the viewer, a virtual image, or separate virtual images from separate portions of such molded mirror, there being zones separating the reflecting surfaces, the improvement comprising:(a) a material coating said zones and which includes a light absorber,(b) such material having approximately, the same index of refraction as the transparent molding,(c) whereby undesirable reflections from said zone are substantially reduced, because light impinging thereon cannot be reflected, but is only absorbed.

Abstract: An improved rear view mirror usable in a vehicle, to receive impingement of light rays traveling generally forwardly from the rear, of flank, or flanks of the vehicle and to reflect said rays back toward the viewer in the vehicle which is traveling forwardly, the improvement comprising(a) the mirror assembly having a myriad of reflecting surfaces oriented to reflect said rays, as referred to, has one of the following configurations(N.sub.1) convex rearwardly(N.sub.2) flat,(N.sub.3) V-shaped with apex facing rearwardly,(N.sub.4) flat rearwardly, in two offset sections angled relative to one another, separated by a mirror surface that is free of said myriad of surfaces,(N.sub.5) convex rearwardly, in two offset sections separated by a third section which is flat rearwardly,(N.sub.

Abstract: In a transparent molded segmented mirror having individual sectors on a transparent molding and comprising a myriad of reflecting surfaces at the rear side of the mirror away from the viewer, said surfaces located to produce, in the eyes of the viewer, a virtual image, or separate virtual images from separate portions of such molded mirror, there being zones separating the reflecting surfaces, the improvement comprising:(a) a material coating said zones and which includes a light absorber,(b) such material having approximately, the same index of refraction as the transparent molding,(c) whereby undesirable reflections from said zone are substantially reduced, because light impinging thereon cannot be reflected, but is only absorbed.

Abstract: In a transparent molded segmented mirror having individual sectors on a transparent molding and comprising a myriad of reflecting surfaces at the rear side of the mirror away from the viewer, said surfaces located to produce, in the eyes of the viewer, a virtual image, or separate virtual images from separate portions of such molded mirror, there being zones separating the reflecting surfaces, the improvement comprising:(a) a material coating said zones and which includes a light absorber,(b) such material having approximately, the same index of refraction as the transparent molding,(c) whereby undesirable reflections from said zone are substantially reduced, because light impinging thereon cannot be reflected, but is only absorbed.

Abstract: In a transparent molded segmented mirror having individual sectors on a transparent molding and comprising a myriad of reflecting surfaces at the rear side of the mirror away from the viewer, said surfaces located to produce, in the eyes of the viewer, a virtual image, or separate virtual images from separate portions of such molded mirror, there being zones separating the reflecting surfaces, the improvement comprising:(a) a material coating said zones and which includes a light absorber,(b) such material having approximately, the same index of refraction as the transparent molding,(c) whereby undesirable reflections from said zone are substantially reduced, because light impinging thereon cannot be reflected, but is only absorbed.

Abstract: A mirror comprises a myriad of reflecting surfaces so aligned as to produce a virtual image which may be plain or focused. The surfaces may be irregular in outline to minimize or prevent glint patterns.

Abstract: A mirror comprises a myriad of reflecting surfaces so aligned as to produce a virtual image which may be plain or focused. The surfaces may be irregular in outline to minimize or prevent glint patterns.