US 8,471,513 B2Granted

Rain sensor

OwnerSea Yeoun Haninventor

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Abstract

During rain, including a light source (5) for radiating light such that the light is transmitted through a vehicle window (2), a light receiving element (6) for sensing an optical signal when the light radiated from the light source (5) is reflected from the raindrop fallen on the vehicle window (2) and performing a photoelectric transduction, and a receiver (9) for receiving the photoelectrically transduced signal from the light receiving element (6) and judging the level of rainfall. The light source (5) and the light receiving element (6) are inclined with respect to the surface of the vehicle window (2) such that the light of the light source (5) directly reflected from the vehicle window (2) exits to the outside of the light receiving element (6) and the light reflected from a raindrop (8) on the vehicle window (2) is received by the light receiving element (6) to operate a vehicle wiper.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A rain sensor for detecting rainfall during rain comprising:

a light source (5) radiating signal light according to a generated signal in a transmitter (11);
a light receiving element (6), located in a unit sensing area and arranged with surrounding four light sources (5), for receiving light and facing towards a reflected light from raindrops caused by the radiated light of the light sources (5);
an infrared filter installed in an opening formed at one side of a housing (1) of the rain sensor;
and
a receiver (9) excluding noise components caused by a reflection from a surface of a windshield (2) and extracting only a modulated frequency component of an optical signal to determine the amount of existing raindrops on the surface of the windshield so as to minimize an effect of ambient light and enhance a raindrop sensing probability
wherein the light receiving element directly receives the reflected light, and
wherein the light source (5) and the light receiving element (6) are mounted on a substrate (4), and the substrate (4) is inclined with respect to the surface of the windshield (2) such that the light source (5) the light receiving element (6) are inclined with respect to the surface of the windshield (2), and the light source (5) and the light receiving element (6) are disposed serially along a same direction.

4 more elements

A rain sensor for detecting rainfall during rain comprising:

a light source (5) radiating light into a windshield (2);
a light receiving element (6) performing photoelectric transduction by sensing an optical signal when the radiated light from the light source (5) is reflected from raindrops fallen on the windshield (2);
and
a receiver (9) judging a level of rainfall by receiving a photoelectrically transduced signal of the light receiving element (6)
wherein the light source (5) and the light receiving element (6) are inclined with respect to a surface of the windshield (2) such that the light from the light source (5) reflected directly from the surface of the windshield (2) exits outside of the light receiving element (6), and only the reflected light from the raindrops fallen on the windshield (2) is received so as to operate wipers, and
wherein the light source (5) and the light receiving element (6) are mounted on a substrate (4), and the substrate (4) is inclined with respect to the surface of the windshield (2) such that the light source (5) the light receiving element (6) are inclined with respect to the surface of the windshield (2), and the light source (5) and the light receiving element (6) are disposed serially along a same direction.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/988,428Filed 3 Apr 2009
Priority: KR 10-2008-003685321 Apr 2008
Published: US 2011/0031921 A110 Feb 2011
Granted: 25 Jun 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

B60S 1/0837
Optical rain sensor: with a particular arrangement of the optical elements
G01N 21/35
Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry:…
G01N 21/4738
Scattering, i.e. diffuse reflection: diffuse reflection , e.g. also for testing fluids, fibrous materials
G01N 21/3554
Using infrared light: for determining moisture content