What does this little round button do?

  • Thread starter Thread starter BostonSE
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I emailed this pic to my MA and asked her and she said she was told it was a sensor but didn't know what the sensor sensed. :confused:
 
BostonSE said:
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It's a pressable button. I pressed it. Nothing blew up. It didn't double my range.
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I don't think it's supposed to move...

Mine doesn't (although I didn't push that hard) and it's hard to tell from the picture but mine also appears to be sticking out more.

Maybe it's just held in with friction? Does yours actually spring back like a button?
 
On second thought, it doesn’t move like a mechanical button. It depresses about 1-2 mm and springs back. If it’s a sensor, I won’t press it anymore!
 
An AI-based eye, mouth, and head and occupant tracking imaging technology that provides driver monitoring, occupancy detection, featuring distraction, drowsiness and incapacitated driver detection..... :)

Actually its an IR type sensor that improves HVAC performance significantly. The sensor detects thermal radiation emitted by the front seat occupants and their surroundings. The sensor values are used by the proprietary HVAC algorithm. Many higher line vehicles used them.
 
I was hoping it was the button to pop the hatch. :-) Is there one, or just key fob only?


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ColdCase said:
Actually its an IR type sensor that improves HVAC performance significantly. The sensor detects thermal radiation emitted by the front seat occupants and their surroundings. The sensor values are used by the proprietary HVAC algorithm. Many higher line vehicles used them.
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Actually, I had thought it most likely would be a sensor for HVAC purposes, but one that controls the car's remote interior conditioning function when neither a driver nor passenger are physically present in the car to turn the HVAC on or off, set the cabin temperature, etc. Or, maybe it performs multiple functions, including both a remote-related function and measuring thermal radiation for any front seat occupants there may be?
 
The sensor is probably used as an input to the control algorithm anytime the HVAC is operating, regardless.
 
I asked my dealer about this and he says it is a sensor to sense the brightness of sunlight in the cabin and turns on the interior lights when the cabin goes dark.
 
azausa said:
I asked my dealer about this and he says it is a sensor to sense the brightness of sunlight in the cabin and turns on the interior lights when the cabin goes dark.
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Turn on the interior lights when it gets dark? If your dealer is going to make something up, they should at least make up something plausible.
 
chrunck said:
Turn on the interior lights when it gets dark? If your dealer is going to make something up, they should at least make up something plausible.
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I know, right. It will be pretty hard to drive at night with interior lights on bec it is dark.

Just wanted to share the another concept re this button.
 
MustangMan said:
So that why it says "Good morning Dave" when I get in...
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Ha, ha -- you are right, of course, but as Dave I have always associated the many & varied sounds of the MINI SE on start-up with the old theme from Rod Serling's Twilight Zone (mp3 file attached for those not old enough to remember the TV show & its theme music) "... a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, and a dimension of mind...."
 

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chrunck said:
Turn on the interior lights when it gets dark? If your dealer is going to make something up, they should at least make up something plausible.
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I recall seeing somewhere that the heads up display dims and brightens depending on the ambient light.
 
I covered it with my finger today and the navigation map did not switch to night mode, so that can be ruled out. The map must use the outside camera for light detection.
 
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