Trw Automotive Electronics & Components Gmbh

Bcs Automotive Interface Solutions Gmbh

Trw Automotive Electronics & Components Gmbh & Co. Kg

Ulrich Backes

Wulf Reise

Harald Koehnlein

Ulf Mordau

Laura Horan

Harald Kohnlein

Harald KÖHNLEIN

An electro-optical assembly, in particular a sensor assembly for detecting ambient light, includes a reflection surface, a lens body and an electro-optical component, in particular a light receiver. The component includes a depression having a main lens section, in particular a diverging lens section with a concave interior wall, and a converging lens section with a convex interior wall. The interior wall of the converging lens section is formed in such a way that the rays of the ray path which travel through the converging lens section to the electro-optical component hit the reflection surface in such way that the angle of incidence at the reflection surface is larger or the same as the critical angle of the total internal reflection at the reflection surface. In another aspect a method for detecting ambient light is described.

Electro-optical assembly and method for detecting ambient light

A lens plate () for a rain and/or light sensor is proposed. The lens plate () has a base body (), at least one light limitation structure (), and at least one lens structure (), the light limitation structure () extending into the base body () from a lower side () of the lens plate (), a contour () of the light limitation structure () facing away from the lower side () of the lens plate () limiting the lens structure () circumferentially, and the contour () being substantially triangular. Furthermore, a rain and/or light sensor () is proposed.

Lens plate, rain sensor, and light sensor

An optical assembly for an optical sensor device has a lens plate, a light source, and a light receiving unit. The lens plate includes a lens structure on a side associated with the light source and a light extraction structure on a side facing away from the light source. The lens structure has different local radii of curvature.

Optical assembly and method of manufacturing an optical assembly

A proximity sensor () is provided which comprises a magnet () and a sensor (). The sensor () is aligned relative to the magnet () in such a manner that the direction (E) of maximum sensitivity of the sensor () is formed so as to be substantially parallel to the magnet axis (M) extending through the poles () of the magnet (). Further, an assembly unit () is provided.

Magnetic proximity sensor

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

Lens plate

A symbol display element for a vehicle interior is proposed, which comprises a front cover formed by a diffusing lens. A shadow mask is arranged in the optical path between the diffusing lens and a plurality of point light sources which can be activated separately, and includes for each point light source an associated symbol which is projected in an enlarged manner onto the rear side of the diffusing lens upon activation of the corresponding point light source. With this easily realizable configuration of the display element, the different symbols share a common display surface on the diffusing lens which acts as a rear projection screen.

Symbol display element for a vehicle interior

A capacitive sensor () includes a capacitive sensor field (), the capacitive sensor field () having a plurality of discrete electrodes () which are coupled to discrete leads (). The leads () of a first electrode () are guided such that they are capacitively coupled with at least one second electrode (). A first signal (Cm) is detected at a first lead () which is coupled with the first electrode (), and a second signal (Cm) is detected at a second lead () which is coupled with a second electrode (). The capacity (Cf, Cf) of the first electrode () or of the second electrode () is determined using a predetermined calculation formula which takes the first signal (Cm), the second signal (Cm) and the capacitive coupling between the second electrode () and the first lead () coupled with the first electrode () into account.

Capacitive sensor, method for reading out a capacitive sensor field and method for producing a capacitive sensor field

In a method of controlling an interior lighting () in a vehicle (), having a plurality of separately drivable lamps (-), provision is made that a motion light pattern, in particular a wave light pattern, is generated as a function of vehicle operating data by separately driving the individual lamps (-), all of the lamps (-) being driven with an identical or similar light pattern, and the lamps (-) being driven with the light pattern offset in time. The time offset with which the lamps (-) are driven is dependent on the driving speed of the vehicle.

Method for controlling an interior lighting system in a vehicle and interior lighting system

In a method of controlling an interior lighting () in a vehicle (), having a plurality of separately drivable lamps (-), provision is made that a motion light pattern, in particular a wave light pattern, is generated as a function of vehicle operating data by separately driving the individual lamps (-), the vehicle operating data including ambient data picked up by means of a light sensor.

An optical display and control element comprises an at least partially transparent display screen, at least one light source for illuminating a rear side of the display screen, and at least one light sensor for detecting a temporal signal of the light scattered on the display screen. The light source is able to produce a time-variable light pattern while illuminating the rear side of the display screen. A control and processing unit is able to evaluate the temporal signal, detected by the light sensor, in combination with the time-variable light pattern and to determine a position of at least one object located on the display screen from this evaluation. The invention further relates to a method of optically determining the position of an object which is located on an at least partially transparent display screen of an optical display and control element.

Optical display and control element and method of optically determining a position

There is provided a radiation detection means () which includes a carrier () with at least one pivotable portion (), a receiving unit (), a drive () and an evaluation and control unit. The receiving unit () is arranged on the pivotable portion () which together with the receiving unit () is pivotable about at least one axis relative to the carrier (). The evaluation and control unit is connected with the drive () and the receiving unit () and the drive () is associated to the pivotable portion ().

Monolithically constructed radiation detection device

An electrodynamic actuator (), has a flat coil () formed by tracks () on a face of a circuit board () and a permanent magnet () the magnetic field of which passes through turns of the flat coil ().

Electrodynamic actuator

An optical sensor device for the detection of ambient light is adapted to be coupled to a pane (), in particular to a windshield of a vehicle. The optical sensor device has a sensor unit which includes at least one light receiver () for ambient light and a lens plate () for directionally coupling an ambient light beam () out of the pane () onto the light receiver (). The lens plate () has a surface () facing the light receiver () and oriented substantially parallel to the pane () in the coupled condition of the optical sensor device. The surface () includes a prism structure () having a plurality of single prisms () which are designed to direct the rays of a specific ambient light beam () defined by a principal direction (A) and an aperture angle onto the light receiver ().

Optical sensing device for detecting ambient light in motor vehicles comprising a prism structure having a plurality of prisms designed to direct rays of a specific ambient light beam

An input device () has a contact plate () having a contact surface () and being least partially coated with an electrical resistive layer () on a surface opposite the contact surface (). The electrical resistive layer () has at least two electrically conducting contacts (). A measuring circuit () is provided for measuring a sensing capacitor () formed by the electrical resistive layer () and an electrostatically chargeable object () arranged at a contact position on the contact surface (). Further, a processing unit is provided for determining coordinates (X, Y) of the contact position of the electrostatically chargeable object () on the contact surface () by means of a determination of the ohmic resistances (R) between the contact position of the electrostatically chargeable object () and the electrically conducting contacts.

Input device and position determining method

A simple optical projection device with a high luminous efficacy has a point light source, a projection screen, a mask that is arranged in the light path upstream of the projection screen and is light-transmissive in some areas, and a light focusing optical lens arranged between the point light source and the mask. The optical lens is selected such that the prolongations of the emerging beams of the optical lens on the side thereof facing the point light source intersect in a virtual perspective center which is more remote from the lens than the point light source.

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Radolfzell, Germany

Ulrich Backes