Patent ID: 7912611

Claim:
A device for sensing a position of a spoiler on a motor vehicle, the spoiler can be moved with a drive unit between a retracted setpoint base position and at least one extended setpoint operating position, the device comprising: at least one Hall sensor for sensing at least one of the retracted setpoint base position and the extended setpoint operating position of the spoiler, said Hall sensor generating first position signals on a basis of a sensed setpoint position; an adjustment position sensing device for sensing a current position of the spoiler and generating second position signals on a basis of a sensed current position; an information device; and an evaluation unit for evaluating the first position signals supplied by said Hall sensor and the second position signals supplied by said adjustment position sensing device, said evaluation unit, on a basis of an evaluation result, actuating at least one of the drive unit and said information device to provide a driver with information about a state of said Hall sensor, said evaluation device configured to sense an absence of the first position signals being Hall signals, and when the Hall signals are absent after a predeterminable time, measured from a start of a movement of the spoiler to at least one setpoint position, said evaluation unit decides, using the second position signals, whether the spoiler is located within a setpoint tolerance range about the at least one setpoint position, and if: a) said evaluation unit determines that the spoiler is located in the setpoint tolerance range; or b) said evaluation unit determines that the spoiler is not located in the setpoint tolerance range; said evaluation unit actuates at least one of the drive unit or said information device.