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US 12,135,236 B2Granted
Vehicle rain sensing using modulated infrared transmission
AssigneeGM Global Technology Operations LLC
InventorVipul M. Patel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A rain sensor in a vehicle includes a transmitter to implement a pseudorandom modulation of a timing of emission of infrared transmissions toward a windshield of the vehicle. The rain sensor also includes a receiver to be active for only a specified period of time following each emission of the infrared transmissions and to receive a reflection based on the infrared transmission encountering any substance on the windshield.
Claims20
A rain sensor in a vehicle, comprising:
- a transmitter configured to implement a pseudorandom modulation of a timing of emission of infrared transmissions toward a windshield of the vehicle, wherein a particular time of emission of each of the infrared transmissions is varied within a given interval relative to times of emission for other of the infrared transmissions;
- and
- a receiver configured to be active for only a specified period of time following each emission of the infrared transmissions and to receive a reflection based on the infrared transmission encountering any substance on the windshield, wherein the receiver is activated only in correspondence with the infrared transmissions.
A system in a vehicle, the system comprising:
- a rain sensor comprising:
- a transmitter configured to implement a pseudorandom modulation of a timing of emission of infrared transmissions toward a windshield of the vehicle,
- a receiver configured to be active for only a specified period of time following each emission of the infrared transmissions and to receive a reflection based on the infrared transmission encountering any substance on the windshield;
- and
- a controller configured to control activation of windshield wipers of the vehicle based on information from the receiver, wherein the windshield wipers of the vehicle are activated responsive to reflections being received for a specified number of consecutive infrared transmissions.
2 more elements
A method of assembling a rain sensor in a vehicle, the method comprising:
- configuring a transmitter to implement a pseudorandom modulation of a timing of emission of infrared transmissions, wherein a particular time of emission of each of the infrared transmissions is varied within a given interval relative to times of emission for other of the infrared transmissions;
- and
- configuring a receiver to be active for only a specified period of time following each emission of the infrared transmissions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.