Rain sensor having frost sensing function

• US 9,682,686 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2016
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Park, Jong Min, Lee, Jin Sang, Hong, Yong Pyo, Yoo, Nam Joon
• Primary Examiner(s): STAFIRA, MICHAEL PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US15/189,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20170001600A1
• Time in Patent Office: 363 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0833 Optical rain sensor
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0837 with a particular arrangement of the optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/552 Attenuated total reflection
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/0636 Reflectors

Abstract

A rain sensor has a frost sensing function, and is attached to a windshield glass of a vehicle. The frost sensor includes a casing provided with a frost sensing region formed by recessing a part of the casing to contact indoor air; a light emitting unit that emits light such that the light is incident on the windshield glass; a light receiving unit that receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit and reflected from the windshield glass and the frost sensing region; and a control unit that outputs the light received by the light receiving unit as a control signal and activates a wiper and an air conditioner of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A rain sensor having a frost sensing function, the rain sensor being attached to a windshield glass of a vehicle, comprising:

a casing provided with a frost sensing region and an air passage formed by recessing a part of a surface of the casing which is attached to the windshield glass to contact indoor air of the vehicle;

a light emitting unit configured to emit light such that the light is totally reflected from an exterior side surface of the windshield glass and the frost sensing region;

a light receiving unit that receives the light reflected totally and outputs signals; and

a control unit that receives the signals from the light receiving unit and analyzes a condition of raindrops on the exterior side surface of the glass and a condition of frost generated on an interior side surface of the windshield glass,

wherein the air passage is formed by recessing a same surface as the frost sensing region, and connects an interior of the vehicle and the frost sensing region such that the indoor air is introduced into the frost sensing region through the air passage.

2. The rain sensor of claim 1, wherein the control unit outputs a control signal to control a wiper and an air conditioning system of the vehicle depending on results of analyzing the conditions of raindrops and frost.

3. The rain sensor of claim 1, wherein the light emitting unit comprises:

a light emitting module for emitting light;

a light emitting parabolic mirror module having a reflection surface of a paraboloid shape to reflect in parallel the light emitted from the light emitting module and allowing the light to be reflected to the windshield glass; and

a light emitting saw-toothed rotational prism set allowing the light reflected from the light emitting parabolic mirror module to be transmitted in parallel.

4. The rain sensor of claim 3, wherein the light emitting parabolic mirror module reflects the light emitted from the light emitting module such that the light is incident on the windshield glass at an angle that allows the light to be totally reflected from the windshield glass.

5. The rain sensor of claim 1, wherein the light receiving unit comprises:

a light receiving module for receiving the light emitted from the light emitting module and then totally reflected from the windshield glass; and

a light receiving saw-toothed rotational prism set through which the light totally reflected from the windshield glass is transmitted.

6. The rain sensor of claim 5, wherein the light receiving unit comprises a light receiving parabolic mirror module having a reflection surface of a paraboloid shape.

7. The rain sensor of claim 1, wherein the light emitting unit comprises two or more light emitting units so that two or more sensing regions for sensing raindrops exist.