A mounting bracket is fastened to a roof header panel. The mounting bracket has an extending portion extended to a position facing a windshield. A rain sensor is engaged with the extending portion so that the rain sensor can move back and forth with respect to the windshield. A coil spring is interposed between the extending portion and the rain sensor, and a light emitting/receiving surface of the rain sensor is pushed toward the inner surface of the windshield through a silicone sheet by a biasing force from the coil spring. Since there is no need to use adhesion as a means of supporting the rain sensor, there is no need to control or inspect the quality of the adhesion.

A method for calibrating a rain sensor (3), the rain sensor (3) being configured to measure a quantity of rain on a window (101) of a vehicle (100), the rain sensor (3) including a transmitter (4) and a receiver (5), the transmitter (4) being configured to emit or transmit light to the window (101) and the receiver (5) being configured to receive measurement light that is emitted or transmitted by the transmitter (4) and guided to the receiver (5) by the window (101); the method comprising: varying (S1) an incidence angle (?) of the light emitted or transmitted by the transmitter (4) to the window (101).

Systems and methods associated with an electric vehicle are provided. The electric vehicle includes a sensor system, a communications system and a snow clearing system. The systems and methods detect, based on data from the sensor system, snow that may accumulate on a window of the electric vehicle. When snow is detected, a notification is provided, via the communications system, to a remote user device. The notification requests user acceptance of use of charge of a battery of the electric vehicle to operate the snow clearing system of the electric vehicle. The systems and methods receive, by the communications system, a response to the notification from the user device, and when the response indicates acceptance of the use of charge of the battery, the snow clearing system is activated. The snow clearing system is powered by the battery.

A windshield-wiper system includes a precipitation-detector, a windshield-wiper actuator, an object-detector, and a controller. The precipitation-detector detects precipitation proximate to a host-vehicle. The windshield-wiper actuator clears the precipitation from a windshield of the host-vehicle. The object-detector detects a distance of an object to the host-vehicle. The controller is in communication with the precipitation-detector, the windshield-wiper actuator, and the object-detector. The controller determines when the precipitation is present based on the precipitation-detector, determines the distance from the object to the host-vehicle based on the object-detector, and adjusts a speed of the windshield-wiper actuator when the precipitation is detected and the object is less than a distance-threshold away from the host-vehicle.

Disclosed embodiments include airflow systems, vehicles, and controllers of airflow units. An illustrative airflow system of a vehicle includes an airflow inlet duct, an airflow intake duct, an air intake door, and an airflow unit. The airflow inlet duct is adapted to draw ambient air. The airflow intake duct is adapted to receive airflow from the airflow inlet duct. The air intake door is positioned therebetween. The airflow unit includes a controller configured to close the air intake door and seal off the air intake duct from the airflow inlet duct in response to receipt of at least one signal indicating at least one condition chosen from 1) a presence of water in the airflow inlet duct, 2) a hood of the vehicle being in an open condition, 3) a presence of rain received from a precipitation sensor, and 4) activation of a predetermined speed setting of a windshield wiper.

A rain sensor system for measuring a quantity of rain on a window of a vehicle is provided. The rain sensor system comprises a camera device configured to capture images of an area surrounding the vehicle using camera optics; and a rain sensor including a transmitter and a receiver, the transmitter being configured to emit or transmit light and the receiver being configured to receive measurement light that is emitted or transmitted by the transmitter and guided to the receiver by the window. The transmitter and the receiver are arranged at a distance (d) from each another, and the receiver and the camera optics of the camera device are different components.

A motor control device for controlling a brushless motor including a rotor and a three-phase armature coil includes: a position detection unit which detects the rotational position of the rotor; a control unit which outputs, in a first control mode or a second control mode, a first drive signal or a second drive signal to an inverter at a current-supply timing based on the rotational position of the rotor; and the inverter which outputs a first current-supply signal or a second current-supply signal to the three-phase armature coil when the first drive signal or the second drive signal is input. For any two of the three phases, a duty value when the duty of the applied voltages is the same is larger in the second control mode than in the first control mode.

A motor control device for controlling a brushless motor including a rotor and a three-phase armature coil includes: a position detection unit which detects the rotational position of the rotor; a control unit which outputs, in a first control mode or a second control mode, a first drive signal or a second drive signal to an inverter at a current-supply timing based on the rotational position of the rotor; and the inverter which outputs a first current-supply signal or a second current-supply signal to the three-phase armature coil when the first drive signal or the second drive signal is input. For any two of the three phases, a duty value when the duty of the applied voltages is the same is larger in the second control mode than in the first control mode.

The invention relates to a method for controlling a cleaning pump for cleaning sensors of a vehicle, said control method comprising the steps of: receiving at least one request to clean at least one sensor of said vehicle, determining a flow rate of cleaning fluid as a function of said at least one cleaning request, adapting the supply voltage of said cleaning pump as a function of said flow rate of cleaning fluid by means of a pulse-width modulation signal so as to provide a predetermined pressure for said flow rate of cleaning fluid and to send said cleaning fluid at said pressure into a spray nozzle associated with said at least one sensor.

A sensing device for a windshield includes an attachment member attachable to a surface of the windshield and a sensing element having a transducer. The attachment member has a pressing device. The pressing device applies a pressure on or over the transducer when the attachment member is attached to the surface and presses the transducer against the surface.