Icing preventive device for ultrasonic wave transmitting and receiving unit for vehicle

• US 4,891,796 A
• Filed: 03/10/1986
• Issued: 01/02/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Niles Parts Co., Ltd. (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Niles Parts Co., Ltd. (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Sekine, Takao
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SWANN, TOD R
• Application Number:
  US06/837,773
• Time in Patent Office: 1,394 Days
• Field of Search: 367/87, 367/95, 367/96, 367/97, 367/99, 367/902, 342/26, 350/588, 356/4, 356/5, 340/580-583, 244/134 R, 244/134 A-134 F
• US Class Current: 367/96
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/88 Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications seismic or acoustic prospecting or detecting G01V1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52 of systems according to group G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/004 Mounting transducers, e.g. provided with mechanical moving or orienting device mountings specially adapted to a particular sound-producing device, see the preceding groups G10K1/00 - G10K9/00, e.g. G10K1/26, G10K1/28, G10K9/22; arrangements of sonic watch equipment on submarines B63G8/39; buoys B63B22/00

Abstract

This invention provides an icing preventive device for a supersonic wave transmitting and receiving unit for a vehicle which is composed of a timing device for outputting a timing signal, a supersonic wave transmitting and receiving device for transmitting a supersonic wave signal and receiving a reflected wave in response to the timing signal, a received signal processing device for amplifying the received signal caused by the reflected wave and processing the waveform of the amplified signal, a control device for controlling a vehicle load in response to the received signal of which waveform is processed, a temperature sensing device for sensing a temperature outside the vehicle, a heater operating device for energizing and heating the heater in response to both decrease in the temperature outside the vehicle and a level of the received signal of the reflected wave, and a heater arranged in the supersonic wave transmitting and receiving device, and further the present invention discloses the technology of the heater operating device composed of an electronic circuit in particular and invented a device which can perform a rational operation and an automatic icing preventive operation in the supersonic wave transmitting and receiving unit.

Claims

1. A vehicle borne supersonic wave transmitting and receiving device for determining vehicle height with respect to a road surface comprising:

timing means for outputting a timing signal;

supersonic wave transmitting and receiving means for transmitting a supersonic wave and receiving a reflected wave derived from said transmitted wave in response to said timing signal;

processing means for amplifying and processing said received reflected wave;

control means for controlling a vehicle load in response to said amplified and processed received reflected wave

temperature sensing means for sensing a temperature outside said vehicle;

heater operating means for energizing a heater in response to said temperature sensing means and a level of the received reflected wave; and

a heater connected to said heater operating means and arranged in said supersonic wave transmitting and receiving device.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said heater operating means is composed of an on-delay circuit, a comparator circuit, an integration circuit and a driving circuit.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein said temperature sensing means includes a thermistor.

4. In a vehicle borne device which transmits and receives supersonic waves for determining vehicle height with respect to a road surface, the improvement therein comprising:

a de-icing heater in said device;

a temperature sensing means for sensing a temperature outside the vehicle; and

a heater operating means for energizing said heater in response to both said temperature sensing means and the level of said received supersonic waves.

5. A vehicle borne supersonic wave transmitting and receiving device for determining vehicle height with respect to a road surface comprising:

timing means for outputting a timing signal;

supersonic wave transmitting and receiving means for transmitting a supersonic wave and receiving a reflected wave derived from said transmitted wave in response to said timing signal;

processing means for amplifying and processing said received reflected wave;

control means for controlling a vehicle load in response to said amplified and processed received reflected wave;

temperature sensing means for sensing a temperature outside said vehicle;

heater operating means for energizing a heater in response to said temperature sensing means and a level of the received reflected wave; and

a heater connected to said heater operating means and arranged in said supersonic wave transmitting and receiving device,

said temperature sensing means being positioned in isolation from heat generated by the heater, and said heater operating means including a comparator which outputs control signals to the heater in response to the temperature outside the vehicle and the level of the received reflected wave.