Sensor unit for detecting the wetting of a window

US6888465B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Preh-Werke GmbH & Co. KG · DE

Inventors

• Hans-Michael Schmitt · Münnerstadt, DE
• Juergen Bach · Bad Neustadt an der Saale, DE
• Thomas Polzer · Graben-Neudorf, DE
• Rudolf Hartmann · Waldbronn, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 28, 2002
• Grant date: May 3, 2005
• Expiry date: Oct 28, 2022

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01N27/226
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The invention relates to a sensor unit for detecting the wetting of a window. Signals from the condensation sensor are used to control an air conditioning, heating, and/or ventilation unit. The signals of the rain sensor, on the contrary, are used to control a windshield wiper or washing unit for vehicles. A sensor unit, which comprises two sensors, is placed on the interior of the window. In a preferred variant, both are coupled to a common switchable evaluation unit, so that through mutual evaluation of the two sensors or their signals, both incipient condensation on the interior of a vehicle window and the wetting of the exterior, e.g., by rain, is detected. In an improvement of the invention, both sensors are integrated into a sensor module.