Automatic demisting sensor

Abstract

An automatic defogging sensor includes a flexible printed circuit board having a first sensor portion and a second sensor portion mounted thereon, the first sensor portion configured to measure a surface temperature of a windshield of a vehicle, the second sensor portion configured to measure an interior temperature and humidity of the vehicle; a first case configured to accommodate the flexible printed circuit board therein and to be adhered to a windshield surface; and a second housing coupled to the first housing to shield the flexible printed circuit board, and having a passage through which air flows.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an automatic defogging sensor. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to an automatic defogging sensor having a malfunction prevention function. Background Art

[0002] Generally, due to the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle, in a high humidity environment, water vapor condenses on the window, causing fogging and obstructing vision.

[0003] Fogging increases the risk of accidents, and specifically, fogging on the front windshield may block the driver's forward view, leading to serious accidents.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to use an air conditioning device to remove moisture in the window and prevent the formation of moisture. For this purpose, an automatic defogging sensor is provided to predict and / or detect fogging on the window surface.

[0005] A typical automatic defogging sensor predicts and / or detects the fogging that begins to form on the window surface and is connected to an air conditioning system to automatically prevent or remove fogging on the window. Employing such an automatic defogging sensor in the vehicle window allows the driver to drive safely.

[0006] However, since automatic defogging sensing typically uses a temperature sensor bonded to the window surface through an adhesive member to measure the surface temperature of the window, there is a concern that a gap may be generated between the temperature measurement area and the adhesive member due to various reasons such as a curved window surface or a foreign object being introduced between the temperature measurement area and the adhesive member.

[0007] In addition, the temperature of the window surface may be mismeasured, and thus fog may not be effectively predicted and / or detected.

[0008] The above information disclosed in this background art section is only for enhancing the understanding of the background art of the present disclosure, and thus the above information may include information that does not constitute the prior art known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The present disclosure is dedicated to solving the above problems related to the prior art, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide an automatic defogging sensor provided with a first air inlet hole and a second air inlet hole that form a channel through which air flows, wherein both the first air inlet hole and the second air inlet hole include inclined surfaces extending therefrom, and the inclined surfaces prevent the exposure of the sensor and prevent liquids and the like from being introduced into the vehicle, thereby preventing measurement errors of the sensor.

[0010] In one aspect, the present disclosure provides an automatic defogging sensor, comprising: a flexible printed circuit board having a first sensor portion and a second sensor portion mounted thereon, the first sensor portion being configured to measure the surface temperature of a windshield of a vehicle, and the second sensor portion being configured to measure the interior temperature and humidity of the vehicle; a first housing configured to receive the flexible printed circuit board therein and adhere to the windshield surface; and a second housing coupled to the first housing to shield the flexible printed circuit board and having a passage through which air flows.

[0011] In one embodiment, the flexible printed circuit board may include: a base substrate portion on which the second sensor portion is mounted; and a curved substrate portion extending from the base substrate portion in a curved shape to apply pressure to the windshield surface.

[0012] In another embodiment, the first housing may include an opening to expose the curved substrate portion.

[0013] In yet another embodiment, the first sensor portion may be mounted on the curved substrate portion.

[0014] In yet another embodiment, the second sensor portion may be mounted on the base substrate portion and shielded by the passage.

[0015] In yet another embodiment, the second housing may include a first passage and a second passage, the first passage having a first air flow hole formed along a direction of coupling to the first housing, the second passage being configured to communicate with the first passage and having a second air flow hole formed along a direction of coupling to the first housing, the second air flow hole being separated from the first air flow hole.

[0016] In a further embodiment, the first passage may include a first inclined surface configured to direct air to flow toward the first air flow hole, and the second passage may include a second inclined surface configured to direct air to flow toward the second air flow hole.

[0017] In another further embodiment, the first inclined surface may be formed along a direction corresponding to the second inclined surface.

[0018] In yet another embodiment, the inclination angle of the second inclined surface may be greater than the inclination angle of the first inclined surface.

[0019] Other aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure are discussed below.

[0020] It should be understood that the term "vehicle" or "vehicular" or other similar terms as used herein generally includes motor vehicles, such as passenger vehicles, including sport utility vehicles (SUVs), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, boats (including various vessels and craft), aircraft, etc., and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles, and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., fuels derived from resources other than petroleum). As mentioned herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle having two or more power sources, for example, a vehicle powered by both gasoline and electricity.

[0021] The above and other features of the present disclosure are discussed below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The above features and other features of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention shown in the drawings. In the following, the drawings are given by way of illustration only and thus do not limit the present disclosure, and wherein:

[0023] Figure 1 is an exploded view showing the state of an automatic defogging sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 2 is showing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 1 bottom exploded view of the state of the automatic defogging sensor of;

[0025] Figure 3 is showing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 1 view of the assembled state of the automatic defogging sensor of; and

[0026] Figure 4 is showing the Figure 1 view of the air flow of the automatic defogging sensor through according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various preferred features illustrating the basic principles of the present disclosure. The specific design features of the present disclosure (including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, positions, and shapes) will be determined in part by the particular intended application and use environment.

[0028] In the drawings, throughout several views of the drawings, reference numerals refer to the same or equivalent components of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0030] Advantages and features of the present disclosure and methods for realizing the present disclosure will be apparent from the embodiments described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0031] However, the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. The present disclosure is defined only by the scope of the claims.

[0032] In describing the present disclosure, if a detailed explanation of related known functions or structures is considered to unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present disclosure, such explanation has been omitted, but those skilled in the art will understand.

[0033] Figure 1 and Figure 2 are exploded views showing the states of an automatic defogging sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 3 is a view showing the assembled state of an automatic defogging sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 4 is a view showing the Figure 1 airflow of an automatic defogging sensor passing through according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the automatic defogging sensor according to the present embodiment includes a flexible printed circuit board 100, a first housing 200, and a second housing 300.

[0035] A first sensor portion 102 and a second sensor portion 104 are mounted on the flexible printed circuit board 100. The first sensor portion 102 is configured to measure the surface temperature of the windshield of a vehicle, and the second sensor portion 104 is configured to measure the internal temperature and humidity of the vehicle.

[0036] Specifically, a first sensor portion 102 and a second sensor portion 104 are mounted on the flexible printed circuit board 100. The first sensor portion 102 includes a temperature sensor configured to measure the surface temperature of the windshield, and the second sensor portion 104 includes a temperature sensor configured to measure the internal temperature of the vehicle and a humidity sensor configured to measure the internal humidity of the vehicle.

[0037] Preferably, since the second sensor portion 104 includes a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor that are separately mounted on the flexible printed circuit board 100, the second sensor portion 104 can measure the internal temperature and internal humidity of the vehicle, and more preferably, the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor can be used together with the first sensor portion 102 to accurately calculate the dew point temperature.

[0038] The flexible printed circuit board 100 includes a base substrate portion 110 and a bent substrate portion 120.

[0039] The base substrate portion 110 is disposed within the first housing 200, and when the second housing 300 is coupled to the first housing 200, the base substrate portion 110 is shielded from the external environment together with the second sensor portion 104.

[0040] The base substrate portion 110 may be supported by a hollow support portion 210 of the first housing 200. The hollow support portion 210 has a hollow shape and protrudes toward the second housing 300, and supports the central portion of the base substrate portion 110.

[0041] Here, the hollow support portion 210 may have a rectangular shape with a hollow portion, and thus, the base substrate portion 110 is supported by the edge of the first housing 200 and the hollow support portion 210. Accordingly, the base substrate portion 110 and the bent substrate portion 120 may be isolated by the edge of the first housing 200 and the hollow portion in the hollow support portion 210, and thus, the base substrate portion 110 and the bent substrate portion 120 may be thermally isolated from the surroundings, allowing the first sensor portion 102 to more accurately measure the temperature of the windshield surface.

[0042] In addition, the base substrate portion 110 may have a structure in which a circuit is formed on a substrate made of a material having a bendable property.

[0043] With this structure, the bent substrate portion 120 extends from the base substrate portion 110 in a bent shape to apply pressure to the windshield surface.

[0044] The bent substrate portion 120 includes a contact portion 120a, and the bent substrate portion 120 extends from the base substrate portion 110 in a bent shape having a predetermined length, allowing the contact portion 120a to protrude through an opening 200a in the first housing 200 to press against the windshield surface.

[0045] Here, the bent substrate portion 120 is configured to not only form the surface of the windshield but also form the surfaces of a window, a mirror, etc. or press against the surfaces of the windshield, a window, a mirror, etc., and has its own tension.

[0046] In other words, the bent substrate portion 120 having properties such as natural bendability is integrated with the base substrate portion 110 and is circuit-connected to the base substrate portion 110.

[0047] Since the bent substrate portion 120 bends and deforms when contacting the windshield surface in a state where the contact portion 120a extends through the opening 200a in the first housing 200, the bent substrate portion 120 can maintain close contact with the windshield surface through tension. Therefore, even if the windshield surface is curved, the contact portion 120a can be deformed to conform to the curved shape of the windshield surface, and the bent substrate portion 120 can be effectively in close contact with the windshield surface through tension.

[0048] In other words, when the contact portion 120a contacts the windshield surface, the bent substrate portion 120 can function as a spring via tension, and thus, the bent substrate portion 120 can not only improve the thermal contact with the windshield surface without a pressing device such as an additional spring or a pressure rod, but also minimize the thermal mass due to the omission of the additional pressing device.

[0049] The contact portion 120a has an inner side on which the first sensor portion 102 is mounted. The first sensor portion 102 is a temperature sensor and is configured to measure the surface temperature of the windshield via the bent substrate portion 120 in a state where the contact portion 120a contacts the windshield surface.

[0050] Therefore, since in a state where the contact portion 120a extends through the opening 200a in the first housing 200 to contact the windshield surface, even if the windshield surface is curved, the bent substrate portion 120 can maintain close contact with the windshield surface through its own tension, the first sensor portion 102 can quickly and accurately measure the temperature of the windshield surface through the bent substrate portion 120, allowing a quick and accurate response to changes in the fogging conditions, thereby effectively removing the fog on the windshield surface.

[0051] Meanwhile, the first housing 200 houses the flexible printed circuit board 100 therein and adheres to the windshield surface.

[0052] In other words, a separate adhesive member (not shown) can be used to adhere the first housing 200 to the windshield surface. Here, the adhesive member (not shown) can have a shape corresponding to the shape of the first housing 200 (excluding the opening 200a), for example.

[0053] The adhesive member (not shown) can have adhesiveness on both sides, and thus one adhesive side can be adhered to the first housing 200 except for the opening 200a, and the other adhesive side can be adhered to the windshield surface, allowing the first housing 200 including the flexible printed circuit board 100 and the second housing 300 to be stably adhered to the windshield surface.

[0054] More preferably, the adhesive member (not shown) can be made of a soft material (e.g., double-sided tape) such that even when the first housing 200 is adhered to the curved windshield surface, the adhesive member has sufficient adhesive force.

[0055] Meanwhile, the second housing 300 is coupled to the first housing 200 to shield the flexible printed circuit board 100 disposed inside from the outside, and the second housing 300 has a passage through which air flows.

[0056] Specifically, as Figure 3 shown, the second housing 300 includes a first passage 310 and a second passage 320.

[0057] The first passage 310 includes a first air flow hole H1 formed along the direction of being coupled to the first housing 200 (see Figure 1 ).

[0058] In addition, the second passage 320 communicates with the first passage 310 and includes a second air flow hole H2, and the second air flow hole H2 is formed in the direction of being coupled to the first housing 200 and is separated from and opposite to the first air flow hole H1 (see Figure 2 ).

[0059] Specifically, the first air flow hole H1 is configured to allow air to flow in, and the second air flow hole H2 is configured to allow air to flow out therefrom, thereby forming a passage allowing air to flow over the surface of the flexible printed circuit board.

[0060] Here, the first passage 310 includes a first inclined surface 310a configured to guide air to flow toward the first air flow hole H1, and the second passage 320 includes a second inclined surface 320a configured to guide air to flow toward the second air flow hole H2.

[0061] Preferably, the first inclined surface 310a of the first passage 310 has an inclination in the direction corresponding to the second inclined surface 320a of the second passage 320, and more preferably, the first inclined surface 310a of the first passage 310 extends to have a greater length (area) and a smaller inclination angle than the second inclined surface 320a of the second passage 320.

[0062] The above structure allows for effective air flow. When air flows into the first air flow hole H1 in the first passage 310 along the first inclined surface 310a and Figure 4When introduced into the first housing 200 and the second housing 300 in the direction of the arrow shown, air flows through the second air flow hole H2 facing the first air flow hole H1 and is discharged through the second passage 320 along the second inclined surface 320a. Here, as described above, the first inclined surface 310a and the second inclined surface 320a have differences in the inclined direction, length (area), and inclination angle, thereby promoting the flow of the introduced and discharged air.

[0063] Generally, a separate filter is installed to prevent foreign substances from flowing into the flexible printed circuit board 100, which inevitably causes a problem of having to install a structure for installing the filter.

[0064] In this sense, the filter can be removed from the second housing 300 to solve this problem. However, in the absence of the filter, the second sensor portion 104 is directly exposed to the outside, so when the liquid sprayed onto the windshield from the inside of the vehicle is introduced into the second sensor portion 104, it may cause a failure of the sensor.

[0065] For this reason, in the present embodiment, a structure such as the first passage 310 including the first inclined surface 310a and the second passage 320 including the second inclined surface 320a is adopted, each configured to block the exposure of the first housing 200 and the second housing 300 including the second sensor portion 104, and allow the air flowing along the first inclined surface 310a and the second inclined surface 320a to flow in and out through the first air flow hole H1 and the second air flow hole H2 respectively. Therefore, when liquids and the like are introduced into the first housing 200 and the second housing 300 due to the removal of the filter, the moisture can be easily evaporated through the air flow, thereby preventing measurement errors of the second sensor portion 104 and ultimately improving the measurement accuracy of the second sensor portion 104 for measuring the internal temperature and humidity.

[0066] Therefore, according to the present disclosure, the automatic defogging sensor is provided with a first air inlet hole and a second air inlet hole that form a passage through which air flows, wherein both the first air inlet hole and the second air inlet hole include inclined surfaces extending therefrom, and the exposure of the sensor is blocked by the inclined surfaces and liquids and the like are prevented from being introduced into the vehicle, thereby preventing measurement errors of the sensor.

[0067] In addition, according to the present disclosure, the air flow can be promoted through the first air inlet hole and the second air inlet hole, allowing the flowing air to directly reach the sensor, thereby improving the sensing speed and measurement accuracy of the sensor.

[0068] In the foregoing, embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains will understand that various modifications can be made thereto, and all or part of the above-described embodiments can be selectively combined. Therefore, the true scope of technical protection of the present disclosure should be determined by the technical concept of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An automatic defogging sensor, comprising: A flexible printed circuit board, with a first sensor portion and a second sensor portion mounted on the flexible printed circuit board, the first sensor portion being configured to measure the surface temperature of the windshield of a vehicle, and the second sensor portion being configured to measure the internal temperature and humidity of the vehicle; A first housing, configured to receive the flexible printed circuit board therein and attach to the windshield surface; And A second housing, coupled to the first housing to shield the flexible printed circuit board, and the second housing having a channel through which air flows.

2. The automatic defogging sensor according to claim 1, wherein, The flexible printed circuit board includes: A base substrate portion, on which the second sensor portion is mounted; and A curved substrate portion, extending from the base substrate portion in a curved shape to apply pressure to the windshield surface.

3. The automatic defogging sensor according to claim 2, wherein, The first housing includes an opening exposing the curved substrate portion.

4. The automatic defogging sensor according to claim 2, wherein, The first sensor portion is mounted on the curved substrate portion.

5. The automatic defogging sensor according to claim 2, wherein, The second sensor portion is mounted on the base substrate portion and is shielded by the channel.

6. The automatic defogging sensor according to claim 1, wherein, The second housing includes: A first channel, having a first air flow hole formed in a direction of being coupled to the first housing; and A second channel, configured to communicate with the first channel and having a second air flow hole, the second air flow hole being formed in a direction of being coupled to the first housing and opposite to the first air flow hole.

7. The automatic defogging sensor according to claim 6, wherein: The first channel includes a first inclined surface, the first inclined surface being configured to guide air to flow toward the first air flow hole, and The second channel includes a second inclined surface, the second inclined surface being configured to guide air to flow toward the second air flow hole.

8. The automatic defogging sensor according to claim 7, wherein, The first inclined surface is formed in a direction opposite to that of the second inclined surface.

9. The automatic defogging sensor according to claim 7, wherein, The inclination angle of the second inclined surface is greater than that of the first inclined surface.

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