Importance

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Abstract

An adaptive moisture sensor system includes a moisture sensor unit having a moisture sensor, which produces a moisture signal, a reference signal generating circuit and a comparator circuit for comparing the moisture signal with the reference signal and for producing an indication to the vehicle's wiper control of the relationship between the signals. The reference signal generating circuit indicates a fast positive signal processing circuit for rapidly processing changes in the moisture signal representing decreasing moisture and a slow signal processing circuit to process changes of the moisture signal in both directions at a slow rate. The fast positive signal processing circuit is only enabled during rain conditions due to a contaminant film on the sensed window. The reference signal generating circuit further includes a fast negative signal processing circuit which responds to a stable moisture signal occuring during rain conditions by rapidly offsetting the reference signal to discontinue wiper operation. Multiple sensing assemblies, each including a sensor, a reference signal generating circuit and a comparator, are combined with a master control unit, which responds to any sensing assembly indicating a rain condition, in order to switch all sensing assemblies to a rain mode.

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First Claim