Rain sensor

• US 20110204206A1
• Filed: 02/24/2010
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Niles Company Limited (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Niles Company Limited (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Taoka, Tetsuo
• Granted Patent: US 8,362,453 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/208.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0844 including a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14678 Contact-type imagers

Abstract

There is provided a rain sensor capable of adequately detecting raindrops in a captured image. The rain sensor includes: a surface light source 14 which emits light to a windshield G to cause light to be incident on a raindrop detection region T set on the windshield G at a critical angle or more; a camera 15 which is arranged on the optical path of light totally reflected by the detection region T and captures the detection region T; and a detection unit which detects raindrops adhering to the detection region T from contrast in the image captured by the camera 15; the detection unit detects the raindrops adhering to the detection region T based on at least one of the captured image in the detection region T to which light is emitted from the surface light source 14 and the captured image in the detection region T to which light is not emitted from the surface light source 14.

Claims

1. A rain sensor comprising:

a light emission unit configured to emit light to a raindrop detection region set on a windshield;

a camera which is arranged on the optical path of the light totally reflected by the detection region and captures the detection region; and

a detection unit configured to detect raindrops adhering to the detection region from contrast in the image captured by the camera;

wherein

the detection unit detects the raindrops adhering to the detection region based on at least one of the captured image in the detection region to which light is emitted from the light emission unit and the captured image in the detection region to which light is not emitted from the light emission unit.

2. The rain sensor according to claim 1, further comprising:

a determination unit configured to determine whether the current time is daytime or nighttime, wherein

if the determination unit determines that the current time is daytime, the detection unit detects raindrops based on the image captured when light is not emitted from the light emission unit, and if the determination unit determines that the current time is nighttime, the detection unit detects raindrops based on the image captured when light is emitted from the light emission unit.

3. The rain sensor according to claim 2, wherein

if the determination unit determines that the current time is daytime, the detection unit detects a pixel whose luminance is greater than a predetermined threshold among the pixels constituting the captured image as a raindrop, and if the determination unit determines that the current time is nighttime, the detection unit detects a pixel whose luminance is smaller than the predetermined threshold among pixels constituting the captured image as a raindrop.

4. The rain sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the detection unit detects raindrops adhering to the detection region from a contrast between the pixels in the image captured when light is not emitted from the light emission unit and in the image captured when light is emitted from the light emission unit.

5. The rain sensor according to claim 4, wherein

the detection unit detects a pixel in which the difference between luminances is smaller than a predetermined threshold as the raindrop, the luminances being obtained when light is not emitted from the light emission unit and when light is emitted from the light emission unit.

6. The rain sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a liquid crystal shutter configured to switch between the emission and the non-emission of light to the detection region is provided

between the light emission unit and the detection region.