Motor vehicle having dust sensor for reducing dust resuspension

• US 10,352,854 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2016
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Mathissen, Marcel, Scheer, Volker, Vogt, Rainer
• Primary Examiner(s): Anwari, Maceeh
• Application Number:
  US15/372,901
• Publication Number:
  US 20170167975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 701 70
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/46 using liquid; Windscreen washers
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/68 for freeing wheels or tyres from foreign matter, e.g. wheel scrapers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/075 by optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/47 Scattering, i.e. diffuse reflection G01N21/25, G01N21/41 take precedence G01N21/55 takes precedence

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a motor vehicle comprising a dust sensor. The dust sensor is a scattered light photometer according to the disclosure. The scattered light photometer measures the dust load of the air in a region of the motor vehicle in which resuspended or emitted dust has a tendency to occur during travel. In addition, the motor vehicle contains a device for dust reduction, which receives measured data from the scattered light photometer, and decides, on the basis of the measured data, whether measures are to be taken against dust resuspension or dust emission. The device takes corresponding measures if the dust load exceeds a threshold value.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a scattered light photometer that measures a dust load of air attached to a bumper where resuspended dust occurs during travel; and

a dust reduction device configured to receive measured data of the dust load from the scattered light photometer, and, in response to the measured data, determine a measure that reduces dust resuspension, and initiate the measure, wherein the measure comprises at least spraying water toward a region adjacent to the bumper.

2. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the measured data of the scattered light photometer indicates a dust particle concentration.

3. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dust reduction device includes a human-machine interface to communicate the measure.

4. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dust reduction device includes a cloud service of a network for vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

5. A method for reducing dust emission by a motor vehicle comprising:

monitoring a dust load of air, via a plurality of dust sensors, in a plurality of regions of an underbody structure where resuspended dust occurs during vehicle travel;

estimating, based on data from the plurality of dust sensors, the dust load in each of the regions; and

in response to the dust load in each of the regions exceeding a threshold value, binding dust using sprayed water at one of the regions at each of the regions.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein monitoring the dust load via the plurality of dust sensors includes measuring a dust particle concentration in the regions.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 further comprising filtering dust out of the air electrostatically at another of the regions.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6 further comprising reducing a travelling velocity of the motor vehicle.

9. The method as claimed in claim 5 further comprising prompting, via a visual display, the measures.

10. The method as claimed in claim 5 further comprising prompting, via a human machine interface, the measures in at least three colors.

11. The method as claimed in claim 5 further comprising communicating, via a cloud service of a vehicle ad-hoc network, with an adjacent motor vehicle to prepare a dust load map of the dust load.

12. An electrostatic dust reduction system comprising:

a dust sensor attached at a wheel housing of a vehicle and configured to measure a dust load in the region, the dust load being defined by a dust particle concentration; and

a dust reduction device configured to, in response to the dust particle concentration indicating that the dust load exceeds a threshold value, open a water reservoir configured to spray water onto vehicle tire to reduce dust resuspension.

13. The electrostatic dust reduction system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the dust sensor is a scattered light photometer.

14. The electrostatic dust reduction system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the device is further configured to suggest, via a human machine interface, a reduction of velocity to decrease dust resuspension.

15. The electrostatic dust reduction system as claimed in claim 12 further comprising an additional dust sensor attached at a second region different from the region, the additional dust sensor configured to measure an additional dust load in the second region, the additional dust load being defined by a dust particle concentration at the second region.