# US 10,121,081 B2 · Vehicle-mounted sensor, vehicle lamp, vehicle, and road surface state sensor > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,121,081 B2 - Document ID: US10121081B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/187,796 - Filed: 2016-06-21 - Published: 2017-05-04 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2015-10-29 - Assignees: SMK Corporation - Applicants: SMK Corporation - Inventors: Tsubasa Tanaka; Haruhiko Kondo; Natsumi Ito - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10121081B2 ## CPC - B60Q 1/0023: {the element being a sensor, e.g. distance sensor, camera} - B60Q 1/14: having dimming means - G02B 5/208: {for use with infrared or ultraviolet radiation, e.g. for separating visible light from infrared and/or ultraviolet radiation} - G02B 5/3025: {Polarisers, i.e. arrangements capable of producing a definite output polarisation state from an unpolarised input state (G02B5/3008, G02B5/3016 take precedence)} - G06F 18/24: Classification techniques - G06V 10/143: Sensing or illuminating at different wavelengths - G06V 20/56: exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle - H04N 5/04: Synchronising (for television systems using pulse code modulation H04N7/56) - H04N 23/20: for generating image signals from infrared radiation only - H04N 23/56: provided with illuminating means - B60Q 2300/312: Adverse weather - B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract A vehicle-mounted sensor to be mounted on a vehicle includes: a light emission unit that emits infrared light of a first wavelength range and infrared light of a second wavelength range into space outside the vehicle, a water molecule having respective different light absorption factors to the infrared light of the first wavelength range and the infrared light of the second wavelength range; a light detection unit that detects the infrared light of the first wavelength range and the infrared light of the second wavelength range separately; and a water detection unit that detects water in the space outside the vehicle on the basis of a difference between a light amount of the infrared light of the first wavelength range and that of the infrared light of the second wavelength range detected by the light detection unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle-mounted sensor to be mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a light emission unit for emitting infrared light of a first wavelength range and infrared light of a second wavelength range into space outside the vehicle, a water molecule having respective different light absorption factors to the infrared light of the first wavelength range and the infrared light of the second wavelength range; a light detection unit for separately detecting the infrared light of the first wavelength range and the infrared light of the second wavelength range; a water detection unit for detecting an amount of water droplets in a region outside the vehicle on a basis of a difference between a light amount of the infrared light of the first wavelength range and a light amount of the infrared light of the second wavelength range detected by the light detection unit; and an image processing unit for applying haze removal processing to each region of an image obtained by imaging the space outside the vehicle, on a basis of the amount of water droplets in each region detected by the water detection unit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle-mounted sensor according to claim 1, wherein the light detection unit is an imaging apparatus for capturing an image of the infrared light of the first wavelength range and an image of the infrared light of the second wavelength range, and the water detection unit detects the amount of water droplets on a basis of a difference between the image of the infrared light of the first wavelength range and the image of the infrared light of the second wavelength range. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The vehicle-mounted sensor according to claim 2, wherein the water detection unit detects the amount of water droplets in each region in the space outside the vehicle to be imaged by the imaging apparatus, on a basis of a difference in a luminance value of each region between the image of the infrared light of the first wavelength range and the image of the infrared light of the second wavelength range. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The vehicle-mounted sensor according to claim 2, wherein the light emission unit emits the infrared light of the first wavelength range and the infrared light of the second wavelength range in a time division manner, and the imaging apparatus captures images in a time division manner in synchronization with the emission of the infrared light of the first wavelength range and the emission of the infrared light of the second wavelength range from the light emission unit, thereby capturing the image of the infrared light of the first wavelength range and the image of the infrared light of the second wavelength range in a time division manner. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The vehicle-mounted sensor according to claim 2, wherein the imaging apparatus includes: a light separation unit for separating light incident on the imaging apparatus into the infrared light of the first wavelength range and the infrared light of the second wavelength range; a first imaging unit for capturing an image by using the infrared light of the first wavelength range separated by the light separation unit; and a second imaging unit for capturing an image by using the infrared light of the second wavelength range separated by the light separation unit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vehicle-mounted sensor according to claim 1, wherein the water detection unit detects whether a state of the water droplets in the space outside the vehicle is a liquid phase or a solid phase on a basis of a difference between the light amounts, a difference between an absorption factor of water in the liquid phase to the infrared light of the first wavelength range and an absorption factor of the water to the infrared light of the second wavelength range, and a difference between an absorption factor of water in the solid phase to the infrared light of the first wavelength range and an absorption factor of the water to the infrared light of the second wavelength range. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The vehicle-mounted sensor according to claim 1, wherein the light emission unit emits infrared light of the first wavelength range including a first circular polarization component and infrared light of the second wavelength range including the first circular polarization component to outside the vehicle, the vehicle-mounted sensor further comprises a circular polarization filter for transmitting a second circular polarization component of light from the space outside the vehicle, the second circular polarization component rotating in a direction opposite to a rotation direction of the first circular polarization component, and the light detection unit detects the infrared light of the first wavelength range and the infrared light of the second wavelength range transmitted through the circular polarization filter. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A vehicle lamp comprising: the vehicle-mounted sensor according to claim 1; and an illumination light source for emitting visible illumination light for illuminating outside the vehicle. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The vehicle-mounted sensor according to claim 1, wherein the amount of water droplets in each region is a density of fog. ### Claim 10 A road surface state sensor for detecting a state of water on a road surface, comprising: a light emission unit for emitting infrared light of a first wavelength range and infrared light of a second wavelength range into the road surface, a water molecule having respective different light absorption factors to the infrared light of the first wavelength range and the infrared light of the second wavelength range; a light detection unit for separately detecting the infrared light of the first wavelength range and the infrared light of the second wavelength range; a water detection unit for detecting whether a state of water on the road surface is a liquid phase or a solid phase on a basis of a difference between a light amount of the infrared light of the first wavelength range and a light amount of the infrared light of the second wavelength detected by the light detection unit, a difference between an absorption factor of water in the liquid phase to the infrared light of the first wavelength range and an absorption factor of the water to the infrared light of the second wavelength range, and a difference between an absorption factor of water in the solid phase to the infrared light of the first wavelength range and an absorption factor of the water to the infrared light of the second wavelength range; and an image processing unit for applying haze removal processing to each region of an image obtained by imaging a space outside the vehicle, on a basis of an amount of water in each region detected by the water detection unit. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The road surface state sensor for detecting a state of water on a road surface according to claim 10, wherein the amount of water droplets in each region is a density of fog.