Fog detection method

• US 10,161,860 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2018
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PREH GmbH (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: PREH GmbH (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kleffel, Thomas, Bauer, Norbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John A
• Application Number:
  US15/889,967
• Publication Number:
  US 20180224372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 322 Days
• Field of Search: 340901
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/005 automatically actuated
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/3554 for determining moisture content
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/53 within a flowing fluid, e.g. smoke
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/003 Bistatic lidar systems; Multistatic lidar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/02 Systems using the reflection of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves G01S17/66 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/87 Combinations of systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/88 Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/95 for meteorological use
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/00 Meteorology
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a fog detection method in a vehicle comprising the steps of: providing a first fog sensor with a first transmitter emitting a first encoded optical signal into a vehicle'"'"'s surroundings, and an associated first receiver for receiving an optical signal reflected from the vehicle'"'"'s surroundings, and a first analyzing unit for decoding, analyzing and providing a first detection result related to the reception, wherein, for encoding, a code is selected among a plurality of possible codes (A,B,C) by the first transmitter in a code selection, and the code selection is communicated from the first transmitter to the first receiver and/or the analyzing unit, wherein, upon analyzing the signal received from the first receiver by the first analyzing unit, the code selection is used for identifying the first encoded optical signal in the received signal.

Claims

1. A fog detection method in a vehicle, comprising:

emitting a first encoded optical signal into a vehicle'"'"'s surroundings via a first fog sensor with a first transmitter;

receiving the first encoded optical signal reflected from the vehicle'"'"'s surroundings via an associated first receiver;

decoding, analyzing, and providing a first detection result related to the reception of the first encoded optical signal by a first analyzing unit;

wherein for the encoding of the first encoded optical signal, a code is selected among a plurality of possible codes (A,B,C) by the first transmitter and the code selection is communicated from the first transmitter to the first receiver or to the analyzing unit, wherein in analyzing the signal received by the first receiver through the first analyzing unit, the code selection for identifying the first encoded optical signal in the received signal is used.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

emitting a second encoded optical signal into the vehicle'"'"'s surroundings via a second fog sensor with a second transmitter wherein the code of the second encoded optical signal has been selected among a plurality of possible codes (A, B, C);

providing a second detection result from the second fog sensor;

receiving the second encoded optical signal by the first receiver of the first fog sensor;

decoding and analyzing the received second encoded optical signal by the first analyzing unit of the first fog sensor, wherein the detection result of the first fog sensor is provided depending on the code selection of the received second encoded optical signal.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the code selection of the second encoded optical signal is based on the second detection result of the second fog sensor.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first encoded optical signal is encoded as a numerical sequence.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the second encoded optical signal comprises an instruction for the first receiver to temporarily change a receiving mode of the first receiver or an analyzing mode of the first analyzing unit or to cause intermediate interruption of transmission of the first emitter.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein, depending on the code selection of the received second encoded optical signal, the first analyzing unit initiates output of an acoustic, haptic, or optical warning message.

7. A fog sensor comprising:

a first transmitter configured to emit a first encoded optical signal into a vehicle'"'"'s surroundings;

an associated first receiver for receiving the first encoded optical signal reflected from the vehicle'"'"'s surroundings; and

a first analyzing unit for decoding, analyzing, and providing a first detection result related to the reception of the first encoded optical signal;

wherein, for the encoding of the first encoded optical signal, a code is selected among a plurality of possible codes (A, B, C) by the first transmitter, and the code selection is communicated from the first transmitter to the first receiver or the analyzing unit, wherein, upon analyzing by the first analyzing unit the signal received from the first receiver, the code selection for identifying the first encoded optical signal in the received signal is used.

8. A system for fog detection, comprising:

a first fog sensor and a second fog sensor, wherein the second fog sensor provides a second detection result;

wherein the first for sensor comprises;

a first transmitter configured to emit a first encoded optical signal into a vehicle'"'"'s surroundings;

an associated first receiver for receiving the first encoded optical signal reflected from the vehicle'"'"'s surroundings; and

a first analyzing unit for decoding, analyzing, and providing a first detection result related to the reception of the first encoded optical signal; and

wherein, for the encoding of the first encoded optical signal, a code is selected among a plurality of possible codes (A, B, C) by the first transmitter, and the code selection is communicated from the first transmitter to the first receiver or the analyzing unit, wherein, upon analyzing by the first analyzing unit the signal received from the first receiver, the code selection for identifying the first encoded optical signal in the received signal is used;

a transmitter emitting a second encoded optical signal into the vehicle'"'"'s surroundings, wherein the code of the second encoded optical signal was selected among a plurality of possible codes (A, B, C), wherein the first fog sensor is formed such that following reception of the second encoded optical signal by the first receiver of the first fog sensor, the received second encoded optical signal is decoded and analyzed by the first analyzing unit of the first fog sensor, and the detection result of the first fog sensor is provided depending on the code selection of the received second encoded optical signal.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the code selection of the second encoded optical signal is based on the second detection result of the second fog sensor.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein at least the first encoded optical signal is encoded as a numerical sequence.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the second encoded optical signal comprises an instruction for the first receiver to temporarily change a receiving mode of the first receiver or an analyzing mode of the first analyzing unit or to cause intermediate interruption of transmission of the first emitter.