Integrated sensor apparatus of vehicle

• US 9,550,474 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2014
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Oh, Young Sub, Kim, Hyun Sub, Kim, Dae Hwan, Lee, Jin Hee, Kong, Nak Kyoung
• Primary Examiner(s): Stock, Jr., Gordon J
• Application Number:
  US14/476,038
• Publication Number:
  US 20150168299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0837 with a particular arrangement of the optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0844 including a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/945 Liquid or solid deposits of macroscopic size on surfaces, e.g. drops, films, or clustered contaminants
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/9586 Windscreens
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/55 Specular reflectivity
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/552 Attenuated total reflection
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/94 Investigating contamination, e.g. dust G01N21/85 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/958 Inspecting transparent materials or objects, e.g. windscreens for conveyed flat sheet or rod G01N21/896

Abstract

An integrated sensor apparatus of a vehicle is provided that includes a light emitter that is configured to emit a light having an area of a predetermined range or greater to a first region of a windshield. A light receiver is configured to receive the light emitted by the light emitter and reflected from the first region of the windshield and an external light incident from the exterior to the windshield. Further, a light guider is configured to be attached to the windshield to guide the light emitted by the light emitter to be reflected from the first region of the windshield and arrive at the light receiver. An image sensor is configured to sense a plurality of image patterns from the light reflected by the first region of the windshield and the external light incident into the windshield from the exterior.

Claims

1. An integrated sensor apparatus of a vehicle, comprising:

a light emitter configured to emit a light having an area of a predetermined range to a first region of a windshield;

a light receiver configured to receive the light emitted by the light emitter and reflected from the first region of the windshield and an external light incident from the exterior to the windshield;

a light guider configured to be attached to the windshield to guide the light emitted by the light emitter to be reflected from the first region of the windshield and arrive at the light receiver; and

an image sensor configured to sense a plurality of image patterns from the light reflected by the first region of the windshield and the external light incident into the windshield from the exterior,

wherein the image sensor includes a first sensing region configured to sense the image pattern from the light reflected by the first region of the windshield and a second sensing region configured to sense amount of the external light from the external light incident into the windshield from the exterior, and

wherein the first sensing region is a region that corresponds to a substantially middle region of the windshield at which the light emitted by the light emitter arrives, among the sensing regions of the image sensor, and the second sensing region is regions that correspond to left and right side regions of the windshield where the light emitted by the light emitter does not arrive.

2. The integrated sensor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image sensor is configured to sense a raindrop state on a surface of the windshield based on a change in illumination and the number of pixels of an image detected from the first sensing region.

3. The integrated sensor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image sensor is configured to sense illumination from a sum of the number of pixels of an image detected from the left side region of the second sensing region and the number of pixels of an image detected from the right side region of the second sensing region.

4. The integrated sensor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image sensor is configured to sense a morning time zone or an afternoon time zone based on a difference between the number of pixels sensed from the left side region of the second sensing region and the number of pixels sensed from the right side region of the second sensing region.

5. The integrated sensor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light receiver includes:

a first light receiver configured to collect the light emitted by the light emitter and reflected by the first region of the windshield and configured to transfer the collected light to the first sensing region; and

a second light receiver configured to collect the external light incident into the windshield from the exterior and configured to transfer the collected external light to the second sensing region.

6. The integrated sensor apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first light receiver includes:

an object lens configured to concentrate the light reflected by the first region of the windshield; and

a reflecting plate configured to reflect the light concentrated by the object lens to arrive at the first sensing region of the image sensor.

7. The integrated sensor apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second light receiver includes:

a light collector attached to the windshield to collect the external light incident into the windshield;

an optical line connected to the second sensing region of the image sensor to transfer the external light collected by the light collector to the second sensing region of the image sensor; and

a terminal configured to concentrate the external light collected by the light collector between the light collector and the optical line to guide the concentrated external light to the optical line.

8. The integrated sensor apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the light collector is a photo-diode.

9. The integrated sensor apparatus according to claim 7, wherein at least two light collectors are provided and disposed in parallel on a surface of the windshield at a predetermined distance.

10. The integrated sensor apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the second light receiver further includes:

a blocking film disposed between the at least two light collectors to block interference of the external light which is each incident into the corresponding light collector.