WINDSHIELD WIPER CONTROLLER, OPTICAL RAINDROP DETECTOR AND DETECTION METHOD THEREOF

• US 20130275007A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 10/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Inventors: CHEN, Hsin-Chia, CHEN, Hui-Hsuan, KAO, Ming-Tsan, LAI, Horng-Goung, YANG, Feng-Cheng, CHUNG, Ching-Lin
• Granted Patent: US 8,914,197 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0833 Optical rain sensor
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0844 including a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/147 Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/59 inside of a vehicle, e.g. relating to seat occupancy, driver state or inner lighting conditions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 318/02 Windshield wiper controls

Abstract

There is provided an optical raindrop detector including a light source, a light guide, an image sensor and a processing unit. The light source alternatively emits light with different brightness values. The light guide has an incident surface, a detection surface and an ejection surface, wherein the light source emits incident light into the light guide via the incident surface, and a plurality of microstructures are formed on the ejection surface to reflect the incident light to become scattered light toward the detection surface. The image sensor receives reflected light formed by raindrops in front of the detection surface reflecting the scattered light to penetrate the light guide and eject from the ejection surface, and generates image frames corresponding to the different brightness values of the light source. The processing unit calculates differential images of the image frames to accordingly identify rain intensity.

Claims

1. An optical raindrop detector, comprising:

a light source;

a light control unit configured to control the light source to emit light with a first brightness value and a second brightness value;

a light guide comprising an incident surface, a detection surface and an ejection surface, wherein the light source emits incident light into the light guide via the incident surface and a plurality of microstructures are formed on the ejection surface configured to reflect the incident light to become scattered light toward the detection surface;

an image sensor configured to receive reflected light formed by raindrops in front of the detection surface reflecting the scattered light to penetrate the light guide and eject from the ejection surface, and to generate a first image frame corresponding to the first brightness value and a second image frame corresponding to the second brightness value; and

a processing unit configured to calculate a differential image of the first image frame and the second image frame and to identify rain intensity according to the differential image.

2. The optical raindrop detector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second brightness value is zero brightness or non-zero brightness and the second brightness value is smaller than the first brightness value.

3. The optical raindrop detector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit further calculates a pixel number of pixels having intensity values larger than an intensity threshold in the differential image and calculates a variation value of the pixel number in successive differential images.

4. The optical raindrop detector as claimed in claim 3, wherein the processing unit determines the rain intensity according to a sum or an average of the variation value of a predetermined number of the differential images.

5. The optical raindrop detector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit further calculates a total pixel area of pixels having intensity values larger than an intensity threshold in the differential image and determines the rain intensity according to a sum or an average of the total pixel area of a predetermined number of the differential images.

6. The optical raindrop detector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit further outputs a wiper speed signal according to the rain intensity.

7. The optical raindrop detector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit further calculates a fixed object area of pixels having intensity values larger than an intensity threshold in the differential image and outputs a wiper trigger signal when the fixed object area is larger than an area threshold.

8. A windshield wiper controller, adapted to be disposed on an inner surface of a windshield, the windshield wiper controller comprising:

a light source;

a light control unit configured to control the light source to emit light with a first brightness value and a second brightness value;

a light guide comprising an incident surface, a detection surface and an ejection surface, wherein the detection surface is configured to be attached to the inner surface, and the light source emits incident light into the light guide via the incident surface and a plurality of microstructures are formed on the ejection surface configured to reflect the incident light to become scattered light toward the detection surface;

an image sensor configured to receive reflected light formed by raindrops outside the windshield reflecting the scattered light to penetrate the light guide and eject from the ejection surface and to generate a first image frame corresponding to the first brightness value and a second image frame corresponding to the second brightness value;

a processing unit configured to calculate a differential image of the first image frame and the second image frame and to output a wiper control signal according to the differential image; and

a control unit configured to control a wiper according to the wiper control signal.

9. The windshield wiper controller as claimed in claim 8, wherein the second brightness value is zero brightness or non-zero brightness and the second brightness value is smaller than the first brightness value.

10. The windshield wiper controller as claimed in claim 8, wherein the wiper control signal comprises a wiper speed signal and a wiper trigger signal.

11. The windshield wiper controller as claimed in claim 10, wherein the processing unit further calculates a pixel number of pixels having intensity values larger than an intensity threshold in the differential image and calculates a variation value of the pixel number in successive differential images.

12. The windshield wiper controller as claimed in claim 11, wherein the processing unit determines the wiper speed signal according to a sum or an average of the variation value of a predetermined number of the differential images.

13. The windshield wiper controller as claimed in claim 10, wherein the processing unit further calculates a total pixel area of pixels having intensity values larger than an intensity threshold in the differential image and determines the wiper speed signal according to a sum or an average of the total pixel area of a predetermined number of the differential images.

14. The windshield wiper controller as claimed in claim 10, wherein the processing unit further calculates a fixed object area of pixels having intensity values larger than an intensity threshold in the differential image and outputs the wiper trigger signal when the fixed object area is larger than an area threshold.

15. A detection method of an optical raindrop detector, the optical raindrop detector comprising a light source, a light guide, an image sensor and a processing unit, the light guide comprising an incident surface, a detection surface and an ejection surface, a plurality of microstructures being formed on the ejection surface, the detection method comprising:

controlling the light source to emit light with a first brightness value and a second brightness value;

using the image sensor to capture, at a sampling frequency, reflected light formed by raindrops in front of the detection surface reflecting scattered light, which is formed by the microstructures reflecting incident light emitted by the light source into the light guide and ejecting from the detection surface, to penetrate the light guide and eject from the ejection surface to generate a first image frame corresponding to the first brightness value and a second image frame corresponding to the second brightness value;

using processing unit to calculate a differential image of the first image frame and the second image frame; and

using the processing unit to compare the differential image with an intensity threshold to identify rain intensity.

16. The detection method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the second brightness value is zero brightness or non-zero brightness and the second brightness value is smaller than the first brightness value.

17. The detection method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the step of using the processing unit to identify the rain intensity further comprises:

calculating a pixel number of pixels having intensity values larger than an intensity threshold in the differential image;

calculating a variation value of the pixel number in successive differential images; and

determining the rain intensity according to a sum or an average of the variation value of a predetermined number of the differential images.

18. The detection method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the step of using the processing unit to identify the rain intensity further comprises:

calculating a total pixel area of pixels having intensity values larger than an intensity threshold in the differential image and determining the rain intensity according to a sum or an average of the total pixel area of a predetermined number of the differential images.

19. The detection method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the processing unit further outputs a wiper speed signal according to the rain intensity.

20. The detection method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising:

using the processing unit to calculate a fixed object area of pixels having intensity values larger than an intensity threshold in the differential image and to output a wiper trigger signal when the fixed object area is larger than an area threshold.