In a sensor device for determining ambient conditions of a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, comprising at least one transmitter for emitting electromagnetic radiation, in particular infrared radiation, comprising at least three receivers for receiving electromagnetic radiation, in particular infrared radiation, wherein at least one transmitter is assigned to at least one receiver for determining precipitation on at least one glass surface, in particular the windscreen of the motor vehicle, and wherein at least three receivers are aligned for receiving electromagnetic radiation from different angular regions, it is provided as essential to the invention that the spatial receiving regions of at least one first and at least one second receiver are aligned substantially horizontally, that the spatial receiving region of at least one third receiver is aligned substantially upwards.

The present invention relates to a windshield monitoring system, comprising; a windshield (104) for a vehicle (100); a plurality of light emitters (108) forming an array, each emitter (108) arranged to direct a beam of light into an edge of the windshield (104) at an angle of incidence arranged to subject the beam of light to total internal reflection at a windshield to air interface to propagate the beam of light across the windshield to an opposing edge thereof, and the angle of incidence being arranged to refract the light beam away from the windshield at a windshield to contaminant interface; the system comprising a light detector arranged to detect that light from the beam of light has been refracted away from the windshield; and wherein the emitters (108) are separated substantially across a length of the windshield (104).

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.

In a sensor device for detecting moisture on a pane comprising at least one transmitter which emits light which is reflected at the pane and received by at least one receiver, an optical system is provided between the transmitter and the receiver, which brings about a multiple reflection between the pane and the optical system. A particularly good measurement is thereby made possible.

The present invention relates to a total reflection type rain sensor using a mirror, which is attached to a glass of a vehicle to detect raindrops falling onto the glass of the vehicle and outputs a signal capable of controlling speed and cycle of a wiper of the vehicle according to the amount and falling frequency of raindrops detected.

In a lens plate (18) for an optical sensor device in a vehicle, in particular for a rain sensor, with a transmitter-side lens structure (28) and a receiver-side lens structure (32), the transmitter-side lens structure (26) partially is provided with anti-transmission features which In individual regions of the lens plate (18) partially or completely prevent the passage of the light emitted by a light transmitter (14).

A multi-area measuring rain sensor is provided with a reflection plate having different reflection angles, to reflect light emitted from a light emitter along different light paths, thereby measuring an amount or quantity of raindrops through sequential time division of light according to differences of the light paths of the reflected light. In particular, the multi-area measuring rain sensor is capable of forming, at a glass, sensing areas equal in number to a maximum number of light receivers, using light beams split from light emitted from each light emitter while having different reflection angles by the reflection plate, which has different reflection angles to reflect light emitted from the light emitter along the different light paths.

A rain sensor has a frost sensing function, and is attached to a windshield glass of a vehicle. The frost sensor includes a casing provided with a frost sensing region formed by recessing a part of the casing to contact indoor air; a light emitting unit that emits light such that the light is incident on the windshield glass; a light receiving unit that receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit and reflected from the windshield glass and the frost sensing region; and a control unit that outputs the light received by the light receiving unit as a control signal and activates a wiper and an air conditioner of the vehicle.

A wiper system according to the present invention includes wiper blades (2a, 2b) that perform a reciprocating wiping operation on a windshield (3), and a raindrop sensor (9) that detects the current amount of rainfall based on water droplets adhering to the windshield (3). If rainfall more than or equal to a predetermined amount is detected by the raindrop sensor (9), a heavy rain mode in which a wiping range of the wiper blades (2a, 2b) is made narrower than in a normal wiping operation is carried out. In the heavy rain mode, the wiper blade (2a) arranged on the driver's side is activated at high speed (Hi) within a heavy rain time wiping area X set near the forward field of view of the driver to ensure the field of view of the driver.

In a sensor device for determining ambient conditions of a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, comprising at least one transmitter for emitting electromagnetic radiation, in particular infrared radiation, comprising at least three receivers for receiving electromagnetic radiation, in particular infrared radiation, wherein at least one transmitter is assigned to at least one receiver for determining precipitation on at least one glass surface, in particular the windscreen of the motor vehicle, and wherein at least three receivers are aligned for receiving electromagnetic radiation from different angular regions, it is provided as essential to the invention that the spatial receiving regions of at least one first and at least one second receiver are aligned substantially horizontally, that the spatial receiving region of at least one third receiver is aligned substantially upwards.