Solar radiation heat influx sensor for an automotive vehicle

A solar radiation heat influx sensor adapted to be mounted on an automotive vehicle having windows for determining heat influx into a passenger compartment due to sunlight, comprising:

• (a) a sensor body having an air inlet portion and an air outlet portion at opposite ends thereof and a model window having similar solar characteristics to the vehicle windows, said model window being disposed between the air inlet and outlet portions of said sensor body and operable to receive rays of sunlight incident on said vehicle;
• (b) means for driving air through said sensor body from the air inlet portion to the air outlet portion;
• (c) an outside-air temperature sensor disposed in the air inlet portion of said sensor body for detecting the temperature of air flowing into said sensor body;
• (d) a warmed-air temperature sensor disposed in the air outlet portion of said sensor body for detecting the temperature of air flowing out of said sensor body;
• and
• (e) a calculating unit, connected to said outside-air temperature sensor and said warmed-air temperature sensor, for calculating heat influx into the passenger compartment due to sunlight on the basis of signals generated by said outside-air temperature sensor and said warmed-air temperature sensor in accordance with a predetermined equation, and for outputting a command signal corresponding thereto.