Source: https://patents.com/us-9910000.html
Timestamp: 2019-11-15 10:06:09
Document Index: 486075919

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 104', 'art 106', 'art 108', 'arts 104', 'art 108', 'art 106']

US Patent # 9,910,000. Temperature sensor system for a vehicle - Patents.com
United States Patent 9,910,000
Lynam , et al. March 6, 2018
A temperature sensor system for a vehicle includes a temperature sensor assembly having a thermally insulating body, a temperature sensing element thermally insulated within the body, and a thermally conductive contacting element exposed externally of the body and in thermal communication with the temperature sensing element. The thermally conductive contacting element is urged into contact with an interior cabin side of a windshield of the vehicle for sensing the temperature of the vehicle windshield. A controller, responsive to the temperature sensing element and another temperature sensing element and a humidity sensing element of the vehicle, is operable to calculate an ambient dew point and to control a cabin climate control system of the vehicle responsive to the calculated ambient dew point. The other temperature sensing element is mounted in the vehicle away from the vehicle windshield.
Lynam; Niall R. (Holland, MI), Lawlor; Patrick J. (Clontarf, IE), Coady; Garrett (Palmerstown, IE)
MAGNA MIRRORS HOLDING GMBH (Sailauf, DE)
Family ID: 1000003154778
14/450,314
US 20140341250 A1 Nov 20, 2014
13111417 Aug 5, 2014 8794304
11662666 May 24, 2011 7946505
PCT/EP2005/010071 Sep 15, 2005
Sep 15, 2004 [IE] S2004/0614
Dec 14, 2004 [IE] S2004/0838
Current CPC Class: G01N 25/66 (20130101); B60H 1/00785 (20130101); B60H 1/00792 (20130101); B60S 1/0866 (20130101); G01K 7/22 (20130101); B60S 1/0822 (20130101); B60S 1/0862 (20130101)
Current International Class: F24F 11/00 (20060101); B60H 1/00 (20060101); G01N 25/66 (20060101); B60S 1/08 (20060101); G01K 7/22 (20060101)
Field of Search: ;374/16,28,109 ;165/202,204 ;236/44C ;62/176.6,176.1 ;340/425.5
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International Search Report and Written Opinion of corresponding PCT Application No. PCT/EP2005/010071, filed Sep. 15, 2005. cited by applicant.
The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/111,417, filed May 19, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,794,304, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/662,666, filed Mar. 13, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,946,505, which is a 371 U.S. national phase application of PCT Application No. PCT/EP2005/010071, filed Sep. 15, 2005, which claims priority on Irish patent application No. S2004/0614, filed Sep. 15, 2004, and Irish patent application No. S2004/0838, filed Dec. 14, 2004.
1. A temperature sensor system for a vehicle, the temperature sensor system comprising: a first temperature sensor assembly comprising a thermally insulating body, a first temperature sensing element thermally insulated within the body, and a thermally conductive contacting element exposed externally of the body and in thermal communication with the first temperature sensing element; wherein the thermally conductive contacting element is urged into contact with an interior cabin side of a windshield of a vehicle equipped with the temperature sensor system for sensing the temperature of the windshield of the equipped vehicle; wherein the first temperature sensor assembly is supported at a mirror support bracket of an interior rearview mirror assembly, and wherein, when the mirror support bracket mounts at an interior cabin side of a vehicle windshield, the thermally conductive contacting element of the first temperature sensor assembly is biased toward and into contact with the interior cabin side of the vehicle windshield so as to enhance maintaining thermal contact therewith; a humidity sensing element disposed in the equipped vehicle away from the first temperature sensor assembly and from the windshield; a second temperature sensor assembly having a second temperature sensing element mounted on, or in direct contact with, the humidity sensing element and sensing temperature at the humidity sensing element; wherein the second temperature sensor assembly and the humidity sensing element are mounted within a mirror head of the interior rearview mirror assembly; and wherein the mirror head has ventilation openings to allow ambient air to reach the second temperature sensor assembly and the humidity sensing element within the mirror head; a controller; and wherein the controller, responsive to the first temperature sensing element and the second temperature sensing element and the humidity sensing element, is operable to calculate an ambient dew point and to control a cabin climate control system of the equipped vehicle responsive to the calculated ambient dew point.
2. The temperature sensor system according to claim 1, wherein the first temperature sensing element comprises a thermistor.
3. The temperature sensor system according to claim 1, wherein the contacting element is substantially planar.
4. The temperature sensor system according to claim 1, wherein the contacting element comprises a metal disc.
5. The temperature sensor system according to claim 1, wherein the body is formed from a polymer.
6. The temperature sensor system according to claim 1, wherein the contacting element is resiliently mounted to the body.
7. The temperature sensor system according to claim 1, further comprising a cable connected to the first temperature sensing element, the cable being thermally insulated.
8. The temperature sensor system according to claim 1, wherein, when a mounting portion of the mirror support bracket mounts to a mounting button attached at the interior cabin side of the vehicle windshield, the thermally conductive contacting element of the first temperature sensor assembly is biased toward and into contact with the interior cabin side of the vehicle windshield so as to enhance maintaining thermal contact therewith.
9. The temperature sensor system according to claim 8, wherein the thermally conductive contacting element of the first temperature sensor assembly is urged into contact with the interior cabin side of the vehicle windshield simultaneous with the attachment of the mounting portion of the mirror support bracket at the mounting button attached at the interior cabin side of the vehicle windshield.
10. The temperature sensor system according to claim 8, wherein the thermally conductive contacting element of the first temperature sensor assembly is urged into contact with the interior cabin side of the vehicle windshield simultaneous with the attachment of the mirror support bracket at the interior cabin side of the vehicle windshield.
11. The temperature sensor system according to claim 1, wherein the thermally conductive contacting element of the first temperature sensor assembly is urged into contact with the interior cabin side of the vehicle windshield via a biasing spring.
12. A temperature sensor system for a vehicle comprising: a mounting bracket adapted for releasable connection to an interior cabin side of a vehicle window; a first temperature sensor assembly resiliently mounted to the bracket at a position such that, when the bracket is connected to the interior cabin side of the vehicle window, a thermally conductive contacting element of the first temperature sensor assembly is urged against the interior cabin side of the vehicle window and into contact with the interior cabin side of the vehicle window for sensing the temperature of the vehicle window; wherein the mounting bracket comprises a mirror mounting bracket for mounting an interior rearview mirror assembly at the interior cabin side of the vehicle window; a humidity sensing element disposed in the equipped vehicle away from the first temperature sensor assembly and from the windshield; a second temperature sensor assembly having a second temperature sensing element mounted on, or in direct contact with, the humidity sensing element and sensing temperature at the humidity sensing element; wherein the second temperature sensor assembly and the humidity sensing element are mounted within a mirror head of the interior rearview mirror assembly; and wherein the mirror head has ventilation openings to allow ambient air to reach the second temperature sensor assembly and the humidity sensing element within the mirror head; a controller; wherein the controller receives an input from the first temperature sensor assembly and an input from the second temperature sensor assembly; and wherein the controller, responsive to the first temperature sensor assembly and the second temperature sensor assembly and the humidity sensor assembly, is operable to calculate an ambient dew point and to control a cabin climate control system of the equipped vehicle responsive to the calculated ambient dew point.
13. The temperature sensor system according to claim 12, comprising a sensor housing for receiving the first temperature sensor assembly.
14. The temperature sensor system according to claim 13, comprising a biasing element arranged to urge the thermally conductive contacting element of the first temperature sensor assembly partially out of the sensor housing to urge the thermally conductive contacting element of the first temperature sensor assembly against and into contact with the interior cabin side of the vehicle window.
15. The temperature sensor system according to claim 14, wherein the biasing element comprises a spring disposed between the sensor housing and the first temperature sensor assembly.
16. A temperature sensor system for a vehicle, the temperature sensor system comprising: a mounting bracket adapted for releasable connection to an interior cabin side of a vehicle window; a first temperature sensor assembly comprising a thermally insulating body, a first temperature sensing element thermally insulated within the body, and a thermally conductive contacting element exposed externally of the body and in thermal communication with the first temperature sensing element; wherein the first temperature sensing element comprises a thermistor; wherein the first temperature sensor assembly is resiliently mounted to the bracket at a position such that, when the bracket is connected to the interior cabin side of the vehicle window, the thermally conductive contacting element is urged against the interior cabin side of the vehicle window and into contact with the interior cabin side of the vehicle window for sensing the temperature of the vehicle window; wherein the thermally conductive contacting element of the first temperature sensor assembly is urged into contact with the interior cabin side of the vehicle windshield simultaneous with the attachment of the mounting bracket at the interior cabin side of the vehicle windshield; a humidity sensing element disposed in the equipped vehicle away from the first temperature sensor assembly and from the windshield; a second temperature sensor assembly having a second temperature sensing element mounted on, or in direct contact with, the humidity sensing element and sensing temperature at the humidity sensing element; wherein the second temperature sensor assembly and the humidity sensing element are mounted within a mirror head of the interior rearview mirror assembly; and wherein the mirror head has ventilation openings to allow ambient air to reach the second temperature sensor assembly and the humidity sensing element within the mirror head; a controller; wherein the controller, responsive to the first temperature sensing element and the second temperature sensing element and the humidity sensing element, is operable to calculate an ambient dew point and to control a cabin climate control system of the equipped vehicle responsive to the calculated ambient dew point.
17. The temperature sensor system according to claim 16, wherein the thermally conductive contacting element is resiliently mounted to the thermally insulating body.
18. The temperature sensor system according to claim 16, further comprising a cable connected to the first temperature sensing element, the cable being thermally insulated.
19. The temperature sensor system according to claim 16, wherein the mounting bracket comprises a mounting bracket for an interior rearview mirror assembly, and wherein the thermally conductive contacting element of the first temperature sensor assembly is urged into contact with the interior cabin side of the vehicle windshield simultaneous with the attachment of the mounting bracket at a mirror mounting button attached at the interior cabin side of the vehicle windshield.
20. The temperature sensor system according to claim 16, wherein the thermally conductive contacting element of the first temperature sensor assembly is urged into contact with the interior cabin side of the vehicle windshield via a biasing spring.
The environmental control system, of which the mirror assembly forms a part, is capable of performing a number of environmental control functions, in particular but not exclusively predicting internal misting of a vehicle window, for example a windscreen. The environmental control system comprises a windscreen temperature sensor assembly 28 for sensing the temperature of the interior surface of the windscreen, a second temperature sensor assembly 30, FIG. 5, in particular for sensing the temperature of a humidity sensor assembly 32, which humidity sensor assembly 32 is operable to sense the ambient air humidity within the vehicle. The windscreen temperature sensor assembly 28 is mounted on the bracket 10 for engagement with the interior surface of the windscreen, while both the second temperature sensor assembly 30 and humidity sensor assembly 32 are mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) 34, FIGS. 4 and 5, within the mirror housing 12. The second temperature sensor assembly 30 is preferably mounted on, or is in direct contact with, the humidity sensor assembly 32, in order to be capable of sensing the temperature thereof, the reason for which is set out hereinafter. The second temperature sensor assembly is illustrated, in FIG. 5, as being separate from the humidity sensor assembly 32, for the purposes of clarity.
An advantage of this arrangement is that a mounting system is provided, comprising the support bracket 10, which enables the sensor assembly 28 to be urged into contact with the windscreen 20 simultaneous with the attachment/securing of the mounting bracket 10 to the mounting member 16 on the windscreen 20. Thus no further operations are required in order to correctly position the sensor assembly 28 against the windscreen 20, thereby rendering the mounting system extremely beneficial in assembly line production of vehicles, allowing a "fit and forget" approach to be utilised. As the mirror assembly is attached to its windshield mounting button or other attachment member 16, the contacting element 42 of the sensor assembly 28 makes close and thermally intimate contact with the inner surface of the vehicle windshield.
One of the advantages of the system of the present invention is that it facilitates pre-emption of mist/fog build-up on the windshield surface so that the HVAC system of the vehicle can be actuated to prevent any misting occurring. This has an advantage over other known anti-fogging systems such as those based on optical detection of mist/fog build-up (such as via an optical sensor or a camera sensor) as these other systems typically operate to remove mist/fog as it is building up (or after it has built up). By contrast, the present embodiment is operable to prevent mist/fog from occurring.
FIG. 8 is a cross-section of a substantially circularly symmetric temperature sensor assembly 100 according to a further embodiment of the invention, which may be used in place of the sensor assembly 28 previously described and which we have found to provide a more accurate measurement of temperature than the previous sensor. In the following description of FIG. 8, and in the related claims, terms of orientation and direction such as "upper", "lower", "downwardly" and the like refer to the orientation of the sensor assembly as seen in FIG. 8 and do not limit its orientation in use.
The sensor assembly 100 comprises a generally tubular housing assembly 102 comprising, in this embodiment, three parts--an upper part 104, a lower part 106 and an intermediate part 108 interposed between the upper and lower parts. The upper and lower parts 104, 106 have the cross-sectional shapes shown and are moulded from a thermally insulating plastics material, while the intermediate part 108 comprises a thermally insulating resiliently deformable material, in particular a foam annulus.
In order to further thermally insulate the thermistor 114, contact between the tubular housing assembly 102 and the bracket 10, in particular the moulding 38, is preferably kept to a minimum in order to reduce possible thermal leak between the bracket 10 and the sensor assembly 100. Thus, for example, a number of radially extending fins (not shown) or the like may be provided on the underside of the flange 134, in order to reduce the physical contact area between the flange 134 and the moulding 38, and thus reduce possible thermal leak therebetween. For stability, it is preferable to provide at least three such fins, spaced approximately 120.degree. from one another. While more than three fins could be employed, this would increase the overall contact area between the flange 134 and the moulding 38. Similarly, a number of longitudinally extending fins (not shown) are preferably provided on the exterior of the lower housing part 106, again to act as a thermal buffer between the sensor assembly 100 and the moulding 38, while securing the sensor assembly 100 centrally within the moulding 38. Again the preferred number of longitudinally extending fins is three.
It will be appreciated that as the second temperature sensor assembly 30 and the humidity sensor assembly 32, in particular the second temperature sensor assembly 30, are mounted away from the windscreen 20, they are capable of measuring the temperature and humidity respectively of the cabin of a vehicle, as opposed to the air located directly adjacent the windscreen 20 thereof. Thus the outputs of the second temperature sensor assembly 30 and the humidity sensor assembly 32 may be used other than in combination with the output of the temperature sensor assembly 28 or 100, in order to measure and consequently vary the temperature and/or humidity of the cabin, for reasons other than the possibility of misting of the vehicle windscreen 20, in particular for passenger comfort. The positioning of the sensor assemblies 30 and 32 within the mirror housing 12 is thus beneficial, as the sensor assemblies 30 and 32 are thus located close to a driver's upper body and head area, which are generally the most sensitive areas to environmental conditions.
FIG. 9 shows the typical temperature distribution of a vehicle windscreen. In FIG. 9 the lightest areas are the hottest, and it will therefore be seen that the upper windscreen area is furthest from heat sources such as air-conditioning/heating outlets and this upper windshield area is the position where mist on the windshield will be last located during the demisting process. The upper windshield area also corresponds to a driver's line of sight. Thus, the upper windshield area is the preferred location of the temperature sensor assembly 28 or 100.
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