JP3006058B2 - Incident light detection sensor - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an incident light detection sensor, and more particularly, to an incident light detection sensor that detects incident light information such as light intensity and incident angle.

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional incident light detection sensor of this type, there is, for example, a solar radiation sensor described in JP-A-63-141816. The solar radiation sensor detects an incident angle of sunlight entering a vehicle compartment, and is installed so as to protrude from a dashboard upper surface of a vehicle compartment. The structure has a configuration in which three inclined surfaces are formed on the outer surface of the block material in three directions (a total of three directions, that is, the traveling direction of the vehicle and the left and right directions), and a photodetector is attached to each inclined surface. Since the solar radiation sensor is installed so as to protrude from the upper surface of the dashboard, a hemispherical transparent cover is put on from above to protect the light detecting element and the like.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As described above, there is a problem that the conventional solar radiation sensor does not function unless it is disposed so as to protrude from the upper surface of the dashboard. For this reason, for example, the problem that the design of the cabin is sacrificed is caused.

An object of the present invention is to enable an incident light detection sensor such as the above-mentioned solar radiation sensor to be embedded in a decorative member such as a dashboard.

The incident light detection sensor according to claim 1 receives the incident light and obtains information on at least one of the information such as the light intensity and the incident angle. In the incident light detection sensor that outputs a signal for detecting the position, the light detection element is arranged so as to cover the entire inner bottom surface of the casing whose bottom is closed and the top is opened, and the entire inner peripheral surface of the casing is It is characterized in that two or more photodetectors are arranged to cover.

The incident light sensor according to claim 2 is further characterized in that a hollow portion inside the housing in which the light detecting element is arranged is filled with a transparent material that transmits incident light.

Furthermore, the incident light detection sensor according to claim 3,
Assuming that it is buried in the decorative member of the vehicle so that the incident light is incident from the upper surface of the housing, furthermore, in the state buried in the decorative member, two or more arranged on the inner peripheral surface of the housing The light detecting element is arranged so that the light detecting element is located at a position symmetrical with respect to the vehicle front-rear direction.

[Operation] In the incident light detection sensor of the present invention having the above-described configuration, the light detection element disposed so as to cover the entire inner bottom surface and the entire inner peripheral surface of the housing whose bottom surface is closed and whose top surface is open is formed by the housing. It receives incident light from an opening in the upper surface of the body. Incident light received by each photodetector differs depending on information of the incident light such as light intensity and incident angle. Since each photodetector outputs a signal reflecting such a difference in information of the incident light,
Information on the incident light is detected based on the output signal of each photodetector. Therefore, the incident light detection sensor having the above configuration has
As long as the opening on the upper surface of the housing is optically open, it can function as a sensor even when embedded in a decorative member. Note that the type of information of the detected incident light (light intensity and incident angle) depends on the characteristics of the photodetector.

Further, when the hollow portion inside the housing in which the light detecting element is disposed is filled with a transparent material that allows incident light to pass through, incident light from the upper surface of the housing passes through the transparent material and irradiates the light detecting element.

Furthermore, on the premise that the present incident light detection sensor is embedded in a decorative member of the vehicle, in a state where the sensor is embedded in the decorative member, two or more light detecting elements arranged on the inner peripheral surface of the housing are arranged in front and rear of the vehicle. By arranging the light detecting elements so as to be symmetrical with respect to the direction, the direction of the incident light with respect to the vehicle front-rear direction can be detected.

Embodiment Hereinafter, a solar radiation sensor for a vehicle will be described as an embodiment of the incident light detection sensor of the present invention.

(First Embodiment) A solar radiation sensor according to a first embodiment includes a perspective view shown in FIG.
As shown in the vertical cross-sectional view of the figure, a housing 1, three solar cells 3, 5 and 7, and a transparent resin body 9 are provided. The housing 1 has a cylindrical shape, and is formed in a concave shape in which a bottom surface is closed and an upper surface is opened. One circular solar cell 3 is arranged on the inner bottom surface of the housing 1. Two rectangular solar cells 5 and 7 are arranged on the inner peripheral surface of the housing 1. The two solar cells 5 and 7 have a size obtained by substantially dividing the inner peripheral surface of the housing 1 into two, and cover almost the entire inner peripheral surface of the housing 1 together. The transparent resin body 9 is filled in a hollow portion of the housing 1 in which the solar cells 3, 5, 7 are arranged.

The solar radiation sensor having the above configuration is embedded in the interior of a dashboard or the like with the dividing line L formed by the two solar cells 5 and 7 on the inner peripheral surface of the housing 1 facing the traveling direction E of the vehicle. However, the opening of the housing 1 is optically opened from the interior.

The above solar radiation sensor operates as follows. Sunlight incident from the opening on the upper surface of the housing 1 passes through the transparent resin body 9 and irradiates each of the solar cells 3, 5, and 7. Each solar cell 3,5,7
Receives sunlight and outputs a signal corresponding to a difference in light information such as the intensity of sunlight or altitude (incident angle). The output signals of the solar cells 3, 5, and 7 are input to an arithmetic circuit (not shown). In the arithmetic circuit, for example, an arithmetic operation based on an arithmetic expression described below is executed, and the intensity, altitude, and azimuth of sunlight are calculated based on the output signals of the solar cells 3, 5, and 7. The arithmetic expression is as follows.

The output of the bottom solar cell 3 is A, the output of the left solar cell 5 is B, the output of the right solar cell 7 is C, the light receiving area of the bottom solar cell is Sa, and the light receiving area of the left and right solar cells is Sa. To
Assuming that Sb + c, the intensity l of sunlight entering the vehicle compartment, the altitude θ, and the azimuth φ are represented by the following equations.

Symbol D indicates the diameter of the solar cell 3 on the bottom surface, and symbol H indicates the height of the two solar cells 5 and 7 on the inner peripheral surface.

Although the calculation formulas have been described above, the azimuth φ may be calculated by referring to the maps shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B instead of the calculation formula. In the map shown in FIG. 3A, the relationship between the output B of the solar cell 5 on the left side and the output C of the solar cell 7 on the right side, and the azimuth φ is created in advance through theory and experiments. Detected solar cells 5,
If the outputs B and C of 7 are illuminated on a map, the azimuth φ can be easily calculated. Also, the map shown in FIG.
Is a mapping of the operation formula of FIG. Value (BC) / (B + C) calculated from detected outputs B and C of solar cells 5 and 7
Is illuminated on this map, the azimuth φ can be easily calculated.

According to the solar radiation sensor of the first embodiment described above, there is an effect that the solar radiation sensor can be embedded in the interior if the upper opening of the housing 1 is optically opened from the interior such as a dashboard. As a result, the design of the cabin is improved.

Second Embodiment As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 4, the solar radiation sensor of the second embodiment includes a housing 11, five solar cells 13, 15, 17, 19, 21 and a transparent resin body 23. And The housing 11 is a hollow rectangular parallelepiped, and is formed in a concave shape in which a bottom surface is closed and an upper surface is opened. The cross-sectional outer shape of the housing 11 is a square. One square solar cell 13 is arranged on the bottom surface of the inner surface of the housing 11. Housing 11
On the four inner peripheral surfaces, square-shaped solar cells 15, 17, 19, and 21 each having a size to cover the entire surface are arranged. The transparent resin body 23 is
The hollow portion inside the housing 11 in which the solar cells 13, 15, 17, and 19 are arranged is filled.

In the solar radiation sensor having the above configuration, the diagonal line formed by the four solar cells 15, 17, 19, and 21 on the inner peripheral surface of the housing 11 has the diagonal line in the traveling direction E of the vehicle.
It is buried in the interior of the dashboard and so on. However, the opening of the housing 11 is optically opened from the interior.

In the solar radiation sensor, each of the solar cells 13, 15, 17, 19,
21 receives the sunlight incident from the opening on the upper surface of the housing 11 through the transparent resin body 23. Each solar cell 13, 15, 17, 19, 21
Outputs a signal reflecting the difference in the intensity, altitude, and azimuth of the received sunlight. Then, the intensity, altitude, and azimuth of sunlight are calculated from the output signals of the solar cells 13, 15, 17, 19, and 21.

According to the solar radiation sensor, in addition to the effect of the first embodiment, there is an advantage that the general azimuth φ can be detected from the strength of the output of the four solar cells 15, 17, 19, and 21.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments at all, and it is needless to say that the present invention can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, a sensor applied to detection of light other than sunlight may be used. In addition, a sensor that detects at least one of information on incident light other than intensity, altitude, and azimuth, and information may be used. Further, in the second embodiment, the configuration in which the solar cells are combined squarely on the inner surface of the housing is shown. However, a configuration in which a plurality of solar cells are combined in a polygon having more vertices and installed on the inner surface of the housing may be used. . In this case, there is an advantage that the azimuth φ can be detected by a simple determination circuit that determines the strength of a large number of solar cells. in addition,
The photodetector is not limited to a photovoltaic element such as a solar cell, but has a characteristic suitable for the wavelength of incident light to be detected and the type of information on the incident light to be detected.
In addition to solar cells, for example, there are elements that apply a photoelectron emission effect such as a photomultiplier tube, elements that apply a photoconductive effect such as a photoconductive element, and various elements such as a CCD image sensor.

Effects of the Invention As described in detail above, according to the incident light detection sensor of the present invention, there is an effect that the incident light detection sensor can be embedded in the decorative member.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a solar radiation sensor as a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof, FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a map used for calculation, and FIG. 4 is a second embodiment. FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Housing, 3,5,7 ... Solar cell 9 ... Transparent resin body, 11 ... Housing 13,15,17,19,21 ... Solar cell 23 ... Transparent resin body

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] An incident light detecting sensor for receiving incident light and outputting a signal for detecting information of at least one of the incident light out of information such as light intensity and incident angle. Characterized in that the light detecting element is arranged so as to cover the entire inner bottom surface of the housing having the opening, and two or more light detecting elements are arranged so as to cover the entire inner peripheral surface of the housing. Detection sensor. 2. The incident light detecting sensor according to claim 1, wherein a hollow portion inside the housing in which the light detecting element is disposed is filled with a transparent material that transmits the incident light. Incident light detection sensor. 3. The incident light detecting sensor according to claim 1, wherein said decorative member is embedded in a decorative member of a vehicle such that incident light is incident from an upper surface of said housing. Wherein the light detecting elements are arranged such that two or more light detecting elements disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the housing come to positions symmetrical with respect to the vehicle front-rear direction when buried in the housing. Incident light detection sensor.