Abstract: A rearview mirror has a housing having recesses with supporting flaps, and a courtesy light fixture for a driver and for a passenger located within a respective one of the recesses. Each of the courtesy light fixtures has a lamp, and two lamp holder-electrical connectors supporting and providing electrical connection to the lamp. Each of the lamp holder-electrical connectors is formed by an elastic electrical conducting metal strip having a substantially inverted U-shape so that it can be formed and connected to the electrical wire by a progressive die, and having a first vertical portion, a second horizontal upper portion, and a third vertical portion located one after the other. The first and third vertical portions extend parallel to one another, and the first vertical portion is provided with a device for connecting an electrical wire, formed substantially by a pair of V-shaped flaps which extend outside a space defined between the vertical portions for receiving the lamp.

Abstract: The self-controlled heater for a rearview mirror of a vehicle comprises a semiconductor polymer substrate based on lampblack and consisting essentially of 60% low density polyethylene, 8.5% ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, 20% conductive lampblack having a porous structure; 4.0% of a spreading agent consisting of calcium stearate; 3.0% of an antioxidant; and 0.5% of a coupling agent consisting of calcium titanate, with a high degree of shearing and a low degree of orientation for lampblack aggregations; a silver ink conductor track printed on the substrate, the conductor track including negative and positive poles having interpenetrating adjacent branches spaced at intervals from each other so as to provide a sufficient amount of heat to defog and defrost the rearview mirror; and two terminals applied to the substrate, one of which is connected to the negative pole and the other of which is connected to the positive pole.

Abstract: The rearview mirror consists of a base attached to a motor vehicle; a supporting structure attached to the base, a mirror plate held in the supporting structure, and a self-controlled heater for defrosting and defogging located between the mirror plate and the supporting structure. The self-controlled heater includes a polymeric semiconductor substrate containing a conductive lampblack, a conductor track including a plurality of electrically conductive bands made with silver ink printed on the semiconductor substract and a terminal for each conductive band. The conductive track has interpenetrating portions spaced at intervals from each other and structured and dimension to provide sufficient heat transfer for defogging and defrosting the mirror plate.

Abstract: The method of making a semiconductor polymeric compounds includes an "A" phase consisting of preparing a mixture of a polymeric matrix consisting essentially of 60% by weight low density polyethylene and 8.5% by weight ethylene vinyl acetate based on a total amount of the polymeric compound to be prepared with 20% by weight of a conductive lampblack with a porous structure and 4.0% by weight of a spreading agent consisting of calcium stearate, about 3% by weight of an antioxidant, and 0.5% of a coupling agent consisting of calcium titanate; and a "B" phase including incorporating the conductive component in the polymeric matrix. A semiconductor body according to the invention is also made.

Abstract: The method of making a semiconductor polymeric compound includes an "A" phase consisting of preparing a mixture of a polymeric matrix consisting essentially of about 60% by weight low density polyethylene and about 8.5% by weight ethylene vinyl acetate based on a total amount of the polymeric compound to be prepared with about 20% by weight of a conductive lampblack with a porous structure and about 4.0% by weight of a spreading agent consisting of calcium stearate, about 3 by weight of an antioxidant, and about 0.5% of a coupling agent consisting of calcium titanate; and a "B" phase including incorporating the conductive component in the polymeric matrix by the steps of spreading the mixture using "bamburg" type intermittent mixers under process conditions to obtain a high rate of lampblack shearing and homogenizing of a sheared lampblack and spreading and coupling agent portion.