Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Rainer Vogt

Marcel Mathissen

Volker Scheer

Jeroen Lem

Steffen Leonhardt

Benjamin Eilebrecht

Achim Lindner

Marian Walter

Mark Allen Dearth

Paul Bryan Hoke

Lawrence C Karas

Eric Gerd Schaefer

Timothy John Wallington

Timothy James Hallifax

Abhinav Dhake

Karl Michael Siebertz

Lothar Krueger

Hans-Joachim Lindner

A method for operating a vehicle having at least one surface region designed to come into direct contact with a user, and at least one sensor to register a direct contact between the at least one surface region and the user. The method includes registering the beginning of a use of the vehicle by the user, registering direct contacts of the user with the at least one defined surface region by using the at least one sensor, registering the end of the use of the vehicle by the user, evaluating the registered direct contacts of the user with the at least one surface region, wherein the surface region is classified with respect to a potential degree of soiling of the surface region caused by the direct contacts during the use, and outputting a notification on the potential degree of soiling of the surface region.

Method and device for monitoring the soiling of surfaces of a vehicle

A method determines air quality in a passenger compartment () of a motor vehicle () based on measured data representative of outside air quality and an evaluation model for extrapolating interior air quality. Measured data (MD) is collected by at least one sensor () arranged outside the passenger compartment. The measured data is evaluated using a model () for the air quality in the passenger compartment () in order to determine output data (AD) indicative of the air quality in the passenger compartment (). Then the output data is output to the occupants of the passenger compartment.

Method for determining air quality in a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle

A vehicle ventilating/cooling system may include at least one sun-load sensor arranged within the vehicle, and a controller configured to receive a sun-load signal indicating a sun-load level from the sensor and programmed to instruct at least one cooling component to conduct a purge of vehicle cabin air in response to the sun-load level exceeding a sun-load threshold.

Cabin purge for vehicle ventilating and cooling system

A sensor for a contactless electrocardiographic measurement on a person includes a carrier for fastening the sensor on an object, such as a vehicle seat, and at least one electrically flat electrode mounted to the carrier by an elastic element. An inflatable bellows is disposed between the carrier and the electrode, inflation of the bellows deflecting the elastic element and increasing a distance between the electrode and the carrier to thereby urge the electrode toward a person seated on the seat.

Sensor for contactless electrocardiographic measurement

The disclosure relates to a motor vehicle comprising a dust sensor. The dust sensor is a scattered light photometer according to the disclosure. The scattered light photometer measures the dust load of the air in a region of the motor vehicle in which resuspended or emitted dust has a tendency to occur during travel. In addition, the motor vehicle contains a device for dust reduction, which receives measured data from the scattered light photometer, and decides, on the basis of the measured data, whether measures are to be taken against dust resuspension or dust emission. The device takes corresponding measures if the dust load exceeds a threshold value.

Motor vehicle having dust sensor for reducing dust resuspension

A dust resuspension system for a vehicle includes one or more dust sensors mounted to a roof, the dust sensors being configured to observe a part of a roadway surface situated ahead of the vehicle in a direction of travel and provide data of a magnitude of a road dust load of the roadway surface based on type of road surface. The system also includes a device configured to, in response to the data indicating that the magnitude of the road dust load being above a predefined threshold, implement a dust resuspension measure, wherein the measure activates a brake system to impose a forced speed restriction.

Dust resuspension system for a motor vehicle

A motor vehicle includes at least one air-conducting structure. That at least one air conducting structure is arranged downstream of a vehicle wheel in the direction of travel, for conducting at least some of the air in a wake of the vehicle wheel to a dust collector. A control unit is provided for automatic adjustment, in a manner depending on the speed of travel of the vehicle and/or of the spacing between a lower edge of the air-conducting structure and a roadway surface being driven over by the vehicle.

Motor vehicle with dust collector

The invention relates to an arrangement for carrying objects, in particular medications or medical articles, in a vehicle. The arrangement includes a storage compartment for accommodating the objects to be carried and a regulating unit for regulating at least one parameter characteristic of the climatic conditions present in the storage compartment. The regulating unit is designed to carry out the regulation in dependence on the presence of one or more objects in the storage compartment.

Arrangement for carrying objects, in particular medications or medical articles, in a vehicle

A sensor for contactless electrocardiographic measurement of a person has at least one electrically conductive, planar electrode having a measurement surface facing the person and a connection surface facing away from the person. An electrical terminal for connection with a measurement apparatus is spaced from the connection surface such that the connection surface is only placed in electrical connection with the terminal when pressure of a required magnitude is applied to the measurement. The electrical connection may be achieved by a switching contact disposed between the electrode and the terminal which is brought into contact with both the electrode and the terminal when the electrode is deflected toward the terminal by the pressure. A compressible material is disposed between the electrode and the terminal to allow tuning of the pressure required to achieve electrical contact.

Contactless electrocardiographic measurement sensor

A sensor for contactless electrocardiographic measurement on a person includes a carrier for mounting to a seat, an electrode for registering a measurement signal, a pressure sensor supporting the electrode on the carrier, and moisture and temperature sensors mounted to the carrier to detect conditions adjacent to the electrode and the subject person. The moisture sensor and the temperature sensor may be adjacent to at least one opening in the electrode. A processing unit receives information generated by the pressure sensor, the moisture sensor, and the temperature sensor, and filters the measurement signal based on the information. An acceleration sensor may also be mounted to the carrier and/or electrode and send signals to the processor.

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Aachen, Germany

Rainer Vogt