Sensor arrangement in motor vehicle exterior mirror

• US 7,629,562 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2007
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PREH GmbH (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: PRKH GmbH
• Inventors: Kuechler, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): PYO, KEVIN K
• Application Number:
  US11/850,009
• Publication Number:
  US 20080042053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 250/203.1, 250/203.3, 250/203.4, 250/221, 126/573, 236/91.C, 340/438, 340/449, 340/501, 340/522
• US Class Current: 250/203.4
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00792 Arrangement of detectors B60H1/00742, B60H1/0075, B60H1/00785 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/12 Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1223 with sensors or transducers

Abstract

A sensor arrangement is provided that includes at least one sun sensor in a motor vehicle, wherein the sun sensor is used in the region of the outside surface of the motor vehicle, and the sun sensor is mounted in the area of at least one exterior mirror.

Claims

1. A sensor arrangement for a motor vehicle, the sensor arrangement including:

a first sun sensor disposed on a first exterior side view mirror of the motor vehicle;

a second sun sensor disposed on a second exterior side view mirror of the motor vehicle, said second exterior side view mirror being disposed on a side of the motor vehicle opposite said first side view mirror;

an air conditioner disposed at an interior of the motor vehicle, said air conditioner including a control system; and

an operable link between said first and second sun sensors, said control system, and said air conditioner, said operable link extending from sensor positions at an exterior of the motor vehicle to an air conditioner position at said interior of the motor vehicle.

2. The sensor arrangement of claim 1, wherein said sensors are dual zone sensors.

3. The sensor arrangement of claim 1, wherein a monitorable hemisphere is subdivided into four quadrants by the sun sensors.

4. The sensor arrangement of claim 1, wherein an additional sensor, a temperature sensor, and/or an ambient light sensor, is integrated in the sensor arrangement.