ATTACHED MATTER DETECTOR AND IN-VEHICLE DEVICE CONTROLLER USING THE SAME

• US 20130208120A1
• Filed: 02/11/2013
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Hirai, Hideaki, Kobayashi, Masanori, Itoh, Izumi
• Granted Patent: US 9,215,427 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0844 including a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

An attached matter detector includes a light source; an imager receiving transmitted light from a predetermined imaging region on a light-receiving region for an imaging region and imaging an image of the imaging region, and receiving reflected light on a light-receiving region for attached matter detection when light from the light source is reflected by attached matter and imaging an image of the attached matter; a parameter calculator of an image for an attached matter image region calculating a parameter of an image for an attached matter image region as information of an image region of the attached matter; a parameter calculator of an image for an imaging region calculating a parameter of an image for an imaging region as information of the imaging region; and an output device of an attached matter state signal outputting a signal showing a state of the attached matter based on the calculated parameters.

Claims

1. An attached matter detector comprising:

a light source that emits light toward a transparent member;

an imager that receives transmitted light transmitted through the transparent member from a predetermined imaging region on a light-receiving region for a predetermined imaging region and images an image of the imaging region, and receives reflected light on a predetermined light-receiving region for attached matter detection when light emitted from the light source is reflected by attached matter attached on the transparent member and images an image of the attached matter;

a parameter calculator of an image for an attached matter image region that calculates a parameter of an image for an attached matter image region as image information of an image region of the attached matter imaged by the imager;

a parameter calculator of an image for an imaging region that calculates a parameter of an image for an imaging region as image information of the imaging region; and

an output device of an attached matter state signal that outputs a signal that shows a state of the attached matter based on the calculated parameter of the image for the attached matter image region and the calculated parameter of the image for the imaging region.

2. The attached matter detector according to claim 1, wherein an exposure time and a result of an edge extraction of the image of the imaging region determined by automatic exposure adjustment are included in the parameter of the image for the imaging region, and at least one of states of fogging, freezing, and being splashed is included in a determination object of a state of the attached matter attached on the transparent member, and the output device of the attached matter state signal performs determination of daytime or nighttime depending on the exposure time, and in a case where it is determined to be the daytime and the result of the edge extraction shows that the edge of the image of the imaging region is extracted, the output device of the attached matter state signal outputs neither of signals that show the states of the attached matter attached on the transparent member are fogging, freezing, and being splashed.

3. The attached matter detector according to claim 1, wherein a brightness average value and a brightness dispersion value are included in the parameter of the image for the imaging region, and a brightness dispersion value is included in the parameter of the image of the attached matter image region, and at least one of a state of fogging and a state of freezing are included in a determination object of the attached matter attached on the transparent member.

4. The attached matter detector according to claim 1, wherein an amount of change over time of a brightness average value is included in at least one of the parameter of the image for the imaging region and the parameter of the image for the attached matter image region, and a state of being splashed is included in a determination object of the state of the attached matter attached on the transparent member.

5. The attached matter detector according to claim 1, wherein the imager images each image with different exposure amounts when imaging the image of the imaging region and when imaging the image of the attached matter.

6. The attached matter detector according to claim 5, wherein the imager uses an exposure amount determined depending on an amount of light received on the light-receiving region for attached matter detection as an exposure amount when imaging the image of the imaging region, and uses a fixed exposure amount determined in advance depending on intensity of light emitted from the light source as an exposure amount when imaging the image of the attached matter.

7. An in-vehicle device controller comprising:

an attached matter detector that detects attached matter attached on a window glass as a transparent member of a driver'"'"'s vehicle based on information of an imaged image imaged by an imager that images an image of an imaging region around the driver'"'"'s vehicle and images an image of the attached matter; and

a controller that controls an in-vehicle device included in the driver'"'"'s vehicle depending on a result of detection of the attached matter detector,

wherein as the attached matter detector, the attached matter detector according to claim 1 is used.

8. The in-vehicle device controller according to claim 7, wherein a defroster is included in the in-vehicle device controlled by the controller.

9. The in-vehicle device controller according to claim 7, wherein a windshield wiper is included in the in-vehicle device controlled by the controller.