JP2001219818A - Vehicular windshield with sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provided a sensor for detecting a cloud or rain on a vehicular window pane, having improved detecting accuracy without interrupting the field of view of a driver. SOLUTION: This vehicular window pane 11 with the sensor for detecting a cloud or rain on the window pane has a detection part 12 provided on the inner face side of a vehicle. The detecting part is arranged above the center of a windshield, in a testing area C or a testing area C' specified by JIS R3212, or at its outside.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sensor-equipped vehicle windshield having a sensor for detecting fogging or rain on the vehicle windshield.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when fogging occurs on a windshield during driving of a vehicle, an occupant manually operates a switch such as an air conditioner so as to blow warm air from a defroster.
Fogging and condensation had been removed from the windshield.

As an apparatus for automatically detecting and eliminating fogging of a windshield of a vehicle, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-266043 discloses a sensor for detecting the fogging of a rear glass for a vehicle and detecting a defroster or a switch for introducing outside air. Is disclosed. Further, there have been proposed various devices for automatically detecting rainfall by an optical or capacitance type sensor and moving a wiper. Many of these sensors have a detection unit provided on the windshield to improve detection accuracy.

[0004]

However, depending on the position of the detector, satisfactory detection accuracy may not always be obtained.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has a detecting portion provided on the inner surface side of a windshield to detect fogging or rain on the windshield. A windshield for a vehicle equipped with a sensor, wherein the detection unit is disposed above the center of the windshield, in a test area C defined in JIS R3212, a test area C ′, or outside thereof. A sensor-equipped windshield for a vehicle is provided.

That is, the inventor of the present invention has proposed that a normal sedan type vehicle is provided with a metal wiper on the lower outside of the windshield surface. The inventors of the present invention have found that it may be difficult to detect clouding and rain with high accuracy due to the influence of conductivity.

[0007]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION In the present invention, "for a vehicle" means
Includes applications such as cars and trains. The sensor according to the present invention is for detecting fogging or rainfall on a windshield. The detection may be a detection of a state in which the glass is fogged or a state in which rain has started, or a detection in which the glass is fogged in a short time in the future, or a start of rain in a short time in the future.

The sensor according to the present invention has a detecting unit for detecting fogging and rainfall. The detection unit is provided on the vehicle interior side of the windshield to avoid being scratched by dust or the like and getting wet with rain. As the detection unit, usually, an electrode for detecting a change in capacitance or a change in electric resistance, a light receiving element for detecting a change in light amount, or the like can be exemplified.

The windshield is usually formed in a curved shape in order to improve the design of the vehicle. That is, bending is performed at a high temperature at the time of manufacturing. By quenching after bending, strengthening can be performed. A colored ceramic layer may be provided in a frame shape on the outer edge of the windshield in order to prevent deterioration of the molding due to ultraviolet rays. The color of the colored ceramic layer is usually
Although it is black, other colors such as gray may be used to harmonize with the color of the vehicle. The colored ceramic layer is manufactured by mixing a colored pigment made of ceramic powder and glass frit, applying a paste made with an organic solvent or the like to glass, and heating and baking the glass. The baking may be performed simultaneously with the bending of the glass.

[0010] When clouding or rainfall is detected by monitoring changes in electric resistance or capacitance, at least a part of the detecting unit is often an electrode. This electrode can be manufactured by the following method. First, the conductive silver paste can be manufactured by patterning and printing by screen printing and baking the glass plate during the bending and strengthening steps of the glass plate.

The electrodes may be formed by a vapor deposition method or a sputtering method. As the electrode material in this case,
Silver alloy, indium tin oxide (ITO), SnO ₂ , Z
nO or the like can be used. Even if the production of the electrode in this case is performed before bending and strengthening the windshield,
It may be formed after bending and strengthening.

Further, the electrode is formed by bending and strengthening the windshield and then bonding a tape on which a conductor is formed in advance to the windshield or transferring the conductor from the tape to the windshield. Can also. For example, Cu on the side opposite to the adhesive surface of the tape base material,
By forming a conductor mainly composed of Al, Ni and carbon,
It can be attached to the windshield together with the tape base material. Also, Cu, A on the same side as the adhesive surface of the tape base material.
After forming a conductor mainly composed of l, Ni, and carbon, and attaching the tape to the windshield, the tape base material is removed and the conductor can be transferred onto the windshield surface.

In the present invention, the detecting unit is JIS R3212.
The test area C, the test area C ′ or the test area C ′ defined in the above. Thereby, it is possible to avoid obstructing the driver's visual field as much as possible. In the present invention, the detection unit is disposed above the center of the windshield. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the metal member such as the wiper from affecting the detection unit and reducing the accuracy of the sensor.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the detecting portion is provided at a portion overlapping the colored ceramic layer. As a result, it is possible to make the detection unit inconspicuous and prevent the driver's view from being obstructed. 1 (a) to 1 (c) are views showing the arrangement of the detection unit according to the present invention.
1 are arranged above the center. Here, 13 is a colored ceramic layer.

The sensor-equipped windshield for a vehicle according to the present invention preferably includes a detecting unit including a plurality of electrodes, and a means for monitoring a change in capacitance between the plurality of electrodes. The detection unit is typically a substantially parallel 2 as shown in FIG.
It comprises a linear electrode section 16 and a power supply section 17 connected thereto.

The width of each of the electrode portions 16 is 0.1 to 10 m.
m, each length is preferably 20 to 5000 mm, and the interval between the two electrodes is preferably 0.1 to 20 mm. Further, the change in capacitance can be obtained as an electric signal by the method disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-266043.

An example of the operation of the sensor according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 is a view schematically showing a sensor according to the present invention. The detection unit 12 has two electrode portions, and when the humidity inside the vehicle increases and the windshield foggs, the capacitance between the two electrodes changes due to moisture. The change in the capacitance is regarded as a change in the voltage, and the capacitance monitoring means 2
1 is caught. The threshold value for operating the air conditioner device 22 in the vehicle is set in advance to a predetermined voltage, and when the threshold value is exceeded, the air conditioner device 22 is activated to clear the windshield 11 from fogging. When the cloudiness clears and the output of the capacitance monitoring means 21 falls below a preset threshold voltage, the operation of the air conditioner device 22 is stopped.

According to the degree of fogging (the output voltage of the capacitance monitoring means 21), the outside air / inside air switching device 23 is operated to determine whether to circulate the air inside the vehicle or to introduce outside air. The mode switching device 24 changes the intensity of the blown air from low to high.

[0019]

As described above, in a sensor-equipped vehicle window glass provided with a sensor for detecting fogging or rainfall of the vehicle window glass, the heat capacity of the wiper is increased by disposing the sensor electrode above the center. It does not adversely affect the detection performance due to the influence of heat or conductivity.

In addition, since the detection unit is disposed as far as possible outside the driver's field of view, and the detection unit of the sensor is inconspicuous when viewed from outside the vehicle, the appearance of the windshield with the sensor is improved as compared with the conventional case. It is also excellent in design.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of a sensor-equipped vehicle windshield of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a sensor according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a detection unit of the sensor according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11: Windshield 12: Detection part 13: Colored ceramic layer 16: Electrode part 17: Power supply part 21: Capacitance monitoring means 22: Air conditioner device 23: Outside air / inside air switching device 24: Mode switching device

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G01W 1/11 G01W 1/11 H 1/14 1/14 B

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A sensor-equipped vehicle windshield having a sensor provided on a vehicle inner surface side of a windshield and a sensor for detecting fogging or rainfall of the windshield, wherein the sensor is provided with: JIS above the center of the windshield
A windshield for a sensor-equipped vehicle, wherein the windshield is provided in a test area C or a test area C ′ defined by R3212 or outside thereof.