Camera Arrangement in a Motor Vehicle

• US 20090085755A1
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Published: 04/02/2009
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 7,889,086 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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. Camera arrangement (1) in a motor vehicle comprised of:

a housing (2) which can be mounted somewhere on the inside of a windshield (3) of a motor vehicle;

at least one camera (5) located in the housing (2);

a moisture sensor installation (16) capable of measuring the amount of wetness on the windshield (3);

wherein the moisture sensor installation (16) is a non-optical moisture sensor installation (16).

2. Camera arrangement (1) as in claim 1, wherein the moisture sensor installation (16) capacitively measures the wetness on the outside surface and/or the inside surface of the windshield (3).

3. Camera arrangement (1) as in claim 1, wherein the moisture sensor installation (16) includes at least one conductor arrangement (16a) located in the windshield (3), on the windshield (3) or at some distance away from the windshield (3) and at least one coil (16b) that is allocated to the at least one conductor arrangement (16a).

4. Camera arrangement (1) as in claim 1, wherein the camera arrangement (1) includes a number of printed circuit boards (6, 8, 13, 14) carrying optoelectronic components and being located inside the housing (2).

5. Camera arrangement (1) as in claim 4, wherein at least one of the printed circuit boards (6, 8, 13, 14) is substantially parallel with the windshield (3) after installing the housing (2).

6. Camera arrangement (1) as in claim 1, wherein the camera arrangement (1) features at least one further optical and or electromagnetic sensor installation.

7. Camera arrangement (1) as in claim 6, wherein the at least one further optical and/or electromagnetic sensor installation is integrated in the housing (2).

8. Camera arrangement (1) as in claim 6, wherein the at least one further sensor installation is a solar sensor installation (9) capable of measuring the intensity of sunlight.

9. Camera arrangement (1) as in claim 6, wherein the at least one further sensor installation is an environment sensor installation (10) capable of measuring the ambient light.

10. Camera arrangement (1) as in claim 6, wherein the at least one further, sensor installation is a light sensor installation (11) capable of measuring the brightness of the road surface.

11. Camera arrangement (1) as in claim 6, wherein the at least one further sensor installation is an ahead-area sensor installation (12) setup to measure the illumination in an area ahead of the motor vehicle.

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

13. Camera arrangement (1) as in claim 12, wherein the attachment member is a snap fit.