Camera arrangement in a motor vehicle

• US 7,889,086 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hella KGaA Hueck & Company
• Original Assignee: Hella KGaA Hueck & Company
• Inventors: Schulte, Michael, Schafer, Heiko
• Primary Examiner(s): GOINS, DAVETTA WOODS
• Application Number:
  US11/863,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20090085755A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 340/602, 340/603, 340/620, 340/435, 340/536, 340/438, 340/604, 340/619, 73/73, 205/208.1, 348/148
• US Class Current: 340/602
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0026 Windows, e.g. windscreen

Abstract

The invention presented herein is about a camera arrangement for a motor vehicle, comprised of a housing that can be attached on the inside of a windshield of a motor vehicle, at least one camera residing in the housing, a moisture sensor installation capable of detecting the moisture on the windshield, where the moisture sensor installation is a non-optical moisture sensor installation.

Claims

1. A camera arrangement in a motor vehicle comprised of:

a housing which can be mounted somewhere on the inside of a windshield of a motor vehicle;

at least one camera located in the housing;

a moisture sensor installation located in the housing capable of measuring the amount of wetness on the windshield;

wherein the moisture sensor installation is a non-optical moisture sensor installation;

wherein the camera arrangement features at least one further optical and/or electromagnetic sensor installation and the at least one further optical and/or electromagnetic sensor installation is integrated in the housing.

2. The camera arrangement as in claim 1, wherein the at least one further sensor installation is a solar sensor installation capable of measuring the intensity of sunlight.

3. The camera arrangement as in claim 1, wherein the at least one further sensor installation is an environment sensor installation capable of measuring the ambient light.

4. The camera arrangement as in claim 1, wherein the at least one further, sensor installation is a light sensor installation capable of measuring the brightness of the road surface.

5. The camera arrangement as in claim 1, wherein the at least one further sensor installation is an ahead-area sensor installation setup to measure the illumination in an area ahead of the motor vehicle.

6. The camera arrangement as in claim 1, wherein the camera arrangement is a module having an attachment member configured to attach to a rearview mirror of a motor vehicle.

7. The camera arrangement as in claim 6, wherein the attachment member is a snap fit.

8. The camera arrangement of claim 1 wherein said camera is externally oriented.

9. The camera arrangement of claim 1 wherein said conductor is disposed inside of a windshield on which said housing is mounted.

10. The camera arrangement of claim 1 wherein said housing may be mounted to an inside surface of a windshield without the use of transparent glue or a transparent gel pad.

11. The camera arrangement of claim 1 wherein said housing disposes both said camera and said nonoptical rain sensor substantially proximate an inside surface of the windshield.

17. The camera arrangement as in claim 1, wherein the camera arrangement includes a number of printed circuit boards carrying optoelectronic components and being located inside the housing.

12. A camera arrangement in a motor vehicle comprised of:

a housing which can be mounted somewhere on the inside of a windshield of a motor vehicle;

at least one camera located in the housing;

a moisture sensor installation located in the housing capable of measuring the amount of wetness on the windshield;

wherein the moisture sensor installation is a non-optical moisture sensor installation;

said camera comprising a lens and optoelectronic components on a first printed circuit board and said moisture sensor components on a second printed circuit board, each of said first and second printed circuit boards being at different angles relative to a windshield on which said housing is mounted.

13. The camera arrangement as in claim 12, wherein the camera arrangement is a module having an attachment member configured to attach to a rearview mirror of a motor vehicle.

18. The camera arrangement as in claim 12, wherein at least one of the printed circuit boards is substantially parallel with the windshield after installing the housing.

14. A camera arrangement in a motor vehicle comprised of:

a housing which can be mounted somewhere on the inside of a windshield of a motor vehicle;

at least one camera located in the housing;

a moisture sensor installation located in the housing capable of measuring the amount of wetness on the windshield;

wherein the moisture sensor installation is a non-optical moisture sensor installation;

wherein a field of view of said camera is disposed to overlap a conductor arrangement of said nonoptical moisture sensor.

15. The camera arrangement as in claim 14, wherein the moisture sensor installation capacitively measures the wetness on the outside surface and/or the inside surface of the windshield.

16. The camera arrangement as in claim 14, wherein the moisture sensor installation includes at least one conductor arrangement located in the windshield, on the windshield or at some distance away from the windshield and at least one coil that is allocated to the at least one conductor arrangement.

19. The camera arrangement as in claim 14, wherein the camera arrangement features at least one further optical and/or electromagnetic sensor installation.

20. The camera arrangement as in claim 14, wherein the camera arrangement is a module having an attachment member configured to attach to a rearview mirror of a motor vehicle.

21. A camera arrangement in a motor vehicle comprised of:

a housing which can be mounted somewhere on the inside of a windshield of a motor vehicle;

at least one camera located in the housing;

a moisture sensor installation located in the housing capable of measuring the amount of wetness on the windshield;

wherein the moisture sensor installation is a non-optical moisture sensor installation; and

an operative interface of said light sensor with a heads up display.

22. A camera arrangement in a motor vehicle comprised of:

a housing mountable on the inside of a windshield of a motor vehicle;

at least one camera located in said housing, said camera being externally oriented;

a moisture sensor located in said housing capable of measuring the amount of wetness on the windshield, the moisture sensor being a non-optical moisture sensor;

the moisture sensor being disposed to capacitively measure the wetness on a surface of the windshield with at least one conductor, said conductor being located at one of the inside of the windshield, on the windshield, or at some distance away from the windshield, and with at least one coil that is allocated to the at least one conductor;

a light sensor; and

each of said camera, said moisture sensor and said light sensor being mounted on a printed circuit board within said housing.