Sensor assembly with deflector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12345822-B2
Application number	US-202117557292-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2021
Priority date	Dec 21, 2021
Publication date	Jul 1, 2025
Grant date	Jul 1, 2025

Abstract

A vehicle includes a windshield having a top edge. The vehicle includes a roof extending rearward from the top edge of the windshield. The vehicle includes a sensor assembly supported by the roof, the sensor assembly including at least one of a LIDAR sensor or a camera. The vehicle includes a deflector movable from a lowered position to a raised position and supported by the roof at the top edge of the windshield forward of and spaced from the sensor assembly.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle, comprising:
a windshield having a top edge;
a roof extending rearward from the top edge of the windshield;
a sensor assembly supported by the roof, the sensor assembly including at least one of a LIDAR sensor or a camera; and
a deflector movable from a lowered position to a raised position and supported by the roof at the top edge of the windshield forward of and spaced from the sensor assembly.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the sensor assembly includes at least one camera.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the sensor assembly includes a housing and a LIDAR sensor rotatable relative to the housing.

4. The vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the LIDAR sensor extends upward from a top of the housing.

5. The vehicle of claim 4 , wherein the deflector is forward of and spaced from the housing.

6. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the deflector is wider than the housing.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the deflector is elongated along a vehicle-lateral axis.

8. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the top edge of the windshield extends from a first end to a second end, and the deflector extends from the first end to the second end of the top edge.

9. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a hinge between the roof and the deflector, the deflector movable about the hinge between the lowered position and the raised position.

10. The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the hinge includes a shape memory alloy.

11. The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the hinge is a living hinge.

12. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the deflector is movable about a vehicle-lateral axis.

13. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein a sensor of the sensor assembly defines a field-of-view, the deflector in the raised position is in the field-of-view, and the deflector in the lowered position is outside the field-of-view.

14. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the deflector is transparent to light detectable by the sensor assembly.

15. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a computer having a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to move the deflector from the lowered position to the raised position based on data from a rain sensor.

16. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a computer having a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to move the deflector from the lowered position to the raised position based on data from a vehicle speed sensor.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Krishnan Venkatesh
• Baldovino Segundo
• Phinisee Rashaun
• Khajehosseini Navvab

Classifications

• G01S7/4865

  Time delay measurement, e.g. time-of-flight measurement, time of arrival measurement or determining the exact position of a peak (peak detection in noise, signal conditioning G01S7/487) · CPC title

• B60R11/04

  Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle · CPC title

• B62D35/005 Primary

  Front spoilers (B62D35/001 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60R2011/004

  outside the vehicle · CPC title

• G01S7/4817

  relating to scanning · CPC title