US20070114369A1 - Raindrop sensor - Google Patents
Raindrop sensor Download PDFInfo
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- US20070114369A1 US20070114369A1 US11/600,889 US60088906A US2007114369A1 US 20070114369 A1 US20070114369 A1 US 20070114369A1 US 60088906 A US60088906 A US 60088906A US 2007114369 A1 US2007114369 A1 US 2007114369A1
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- light
- reflected
- transparent body
- receiving element
- emitting element
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- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/0001—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings specially adapted for lighting devices or systems
- G02B6/0011—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings specially adapted for lighting devices or systems the light guides being planar or of plate-like form
- G02B6/0013—Means for improving the coupling-in of light from the light source into the light guide
- G02B6/0015—Means for improving the coupling-in of light from the light source into the light guide provided on the surface of the light guide or in the bulk of it
- G02B6/002—Means for improving the coupling-in of light from the light source into the light guide provided on the surface of the light guide or in the bulk of it by shaping at least a portion of the light guide, e.g. with collimating, focussing or diverging surfaces
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
- G01N21/17—Systems in which incident light is modified in accordance with the properties of the material investigated
- G01N21/25—Colour; Spectral properties, i.e. comparison of effect of material on the light at two or more different wavelengths or wavelength bands
- G01N21/27—Colour; Spectral properties, i.e. comparison of effect of material on the light at two or more different wavelengths or wavelength bands using photo-electric detection ; circuits for computing concentration
- G01N21/274—Calibration, base line adjustment, drift correction
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
- G01N21/17—Systems in which incident light is modified in accordance with the properties of the material investigated
- G01N21/55—Specular reflectivity
- G01N21/552—Attenuated total reflection
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a raindrop sensor, and more particularly to a raindrop sensor, which is preferably applied to, for example, a wiper controller for a vehicle.
- Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-66246 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,507,015 discloses a raindrop sensor, which is mounted on an inner surface of a windshield and senses raindrops attached to an outer surface of the windshield.
- the raindrop sensor includes a light emitting element, a light guide body, and a light receiving element.
- the light emitting element emits light in a direction from the inner surface to the outer surface.
- the light guide body guides the light to the outer surface, and also guides a reflected light, which is reflected by the outer surface, toward the inner surface side.
- the light receiving element receives the light from the light guide body, and generates a signal according to an amount of the received light.
- the raindrop sensor compares an amount of the light received in a clear whether condition with a current amount of the light currently received in order to determine whether moisture, such as raindrops, is attached to the outer surface or not.
- Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-521158T corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,898,183 discloses a raindrop sensor, which includes a light guide body having a prism body and a flexible interlayer.
- a silicone sheet serves as the interlayer, which is held between the windshield and the prism body.
- the air layer is formed between the prism body and the inner surface. Then, the light, which travels through the prism body, may not reach the windshield, but may reflects off the end face of the prism body. Thus, the raindrop may not be detected because the light emitted by the light emitting element does not sufficiently reach the outer surface of the windshield.
- the present invention is made in view of the above disadvantages. Thus, it is an objective of the present invention to address at least one of the above disadvantages.
- a raindrop sensor which is provided in a first surface side of a transparent body for sensing water attached to a second surface of the transparent body, the raindrop sensor including a light emitting element, a light guide body, a light receiving element, and an abnormality determining device.
- the light emitting element is provided in the first surface side of the transparent body for emitting light toward the transparent body.
- the light guide body is mounted on a first surface of the transparent body. The light guide body guides the light, which is emitted by the light emitting element, to the transparent body. The light guide body guides the light, which is reflected by the transparent body, to the first surface side of the transparent body.
- the light receiving element is provided in the first surface side of the transparent body for receiving the reflected light, which is reflected by the second surface of the transparent body, and the light receiving element outputs a signal based on an amount of the reflected light received by the light receiving element.
- the abnormality determining device determines an abnormality of the light guide body by comparing a value indicated by the signal outputted by the light receiving element with an index value.
- FIG. 1 is a side view of a raindrop sensor according to a first embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a plan view of a prism shown in FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 3 is a side view of the raindrop sensor, which is mounted on a windshield without a silicone sheet, according to the first embodiment
- FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a process for determining an abnormal state of a light guide body of the raindrop sensor according to the first embodiment
- FIG. 5 is a side view of a raindrop sensor, which is mounted on the windshield without the silicone sheet, according to a second embodiment.
- FIG. 6 is a side view of a raindrop sensor according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
- a raindrop sensor shown in FIG. 1 is, for example, applied to a wiper controller that controls a wiper (not shown) provided to an outer surface of a front windshield (transparent body) 80 of a vehicle.
- the wiper is controlled by the wiper controller based on a sensing output from a raindrop sensor 1 , and slides within a wipe range on an outer surface (second surface) 82 of the windshield 80 .
- the raindrop sensor 1 is provided from an inner surface 81 side (first surface side) of the windshield 80 according to the wiping range. That is, the raindrop sensor 1 is provided in a space defined adjacent to an inner surface (first surface) 81 of the windshield 80 .
- the raindrop sensor 1 optically senses raindrops, which drop on the wipe range of the windshield 80 , to output a signal to the wiper controller.
- FIG. 1 is a side view of the raindrop sensor 1 of the present embodiment.
- FIG. 2 is a plan view of the raindrop sensor 1 shown in FIG. 1 viewed from above a light guide body 50 of the raindrop sensor 1 .
- FIG. 1 is a side view of raindrop sensor 1 shown in FIG. 2 .
- the raindrop sensor 1 includes the light guide body 1 , light emitting elements 20 , a first light receiving element 30 , a second light receiving element 40 , a computing element 121 , a storing element 122 , a circuit substrate 120 , and a cover 10 .
- the light guide body 50 includes a prism 60 and a silicone sheet 70 .
- the prism 60 is made of a transparent resin, and is provided on the inner surface 81 of the windshield 80 through the silicone sheet 70 .
- the prism 60 guides light emitted by the light emitting elements 20 to the windshield 80 .
- the light reflected by the outer surface 82 of the windshield 80 is guided by the prism 60 to the first and second light receiving element 30 , 40 .
- a structure of the prism 60 will be described later.
- the silicone sheet 70 is of a flexible material, and is provided between the prism 60 and the windshield 80 such that an air layer is limited from forming therebetween.
- a refraction index of the silicone sheet 70 is nearly equal to that of the windshield 80 such that the light traveling from the prism 60 can be guided to the windshield 80 without deterioration. Also, the light reflected by the outer surface 82 of the windshield 80 can be returned to the prism 60 without deterioration.
- the prism 60 has a generally rectangular shape when viewed from above.
- a longitudinal direction parallel to a long side of the prism 60 is named as a long side direction.
- a traverse direction parallel to a short side of the prism 60 is named as a short side direction.
- the prism 60 includes first input side lens portions 63 , second input side lens portions 64 , a first output side lens portion 65 , a second output side lens portion 66 , and a body 61 .
- Each of the first input side lens portions 63 collimates the light emitted by a corresponding one of the light emitting elements 20 such that the collimated light is applied to a predetermined raindrop sensing range 140 .
- the first input side lens portion 63 is formed relative to the light emitting element 20 such that an optical axis of the first input side lens portion 63 corresponds to a light emitting part of the corresponding light emitting element 20 .
- the first input side lens portions 63 are arranged relative to each other in the short side direction at an end portion of the body 61 in the long side direction.
- the collimated light collimated by each first input side lens portion 63 is named as a first input light 101 (indicated as a chain line in FIG. 1 ).
- Reflecting portions 67 are formed at the end portion of the body 61 to reflect the first input light 101 toward the windshield 80 .
- the reflecting portions 67 are arranged relative to each other in the short side direction similar to the first input side lens portions 63 . As shown in FIG. 1 , the first input light 101 firstly travels toward an end face of the prism 60 , at which the reflecting portions 67 are formed, and then travels toward the windshield 80 after reflected by the corresponding reflecting portion 67 .
- the second input side lens portions 64 are formed at a position away from the first input side lens portions 63 in the long side direction. Each of the second input side lens portions 64 collimates the light emitted by a corresponding light emitting element 20 such that the collimated light is applied to another predetermined raindrop sensing range 150 . Thus, the second input side lens portion 64 is formed relative to the corresponding light emitting element 20 such that a focus of the second input side lens portion 64 corresponds to a light emitting part of the corresponding light emitting element 20 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the second input side lens portions 63 are arranged relative to each other in the short side direction on the body 61 .
- the collimated light collimated by each second input side lens portion 64 is named as a second input light 111 (indicated as a chain double-dashed line in FIG. 1 ).
- the second input light 111 travels toward the windshield 80 generally parallel to the first input light 101 in the long side direction.
- Both the first input side lens portion 63 and the second input side lens portion 64 are formed on the body 61 such that an optical axis of each of the lens portions 63 , 64 corresponds to the light emitting part of the light emitting element 20 .
- the structures of the first and second input side lens portions 63 , 64 correspond to a diverging portion of the present invention.
- each light emitting element 20 is associated with the first input light 101 and the second input light 111 .
- the number of the light emitting elements 20 can be reduced relative to the number of the input lights (the first input light 101 and the second input light 111 ), and therefore, the raindrop sensor 1 is limited from increasing in size.
- the first and second input lights 101 , 111 reach the raindrop sensing ranges 140 , 150 , respectively, through the silicone sheet 70 by predetermined input angles. Then, the first and second input lights 101 , 111 are reflected by the raindrop sensing range 140 , 150 to again travel toward the prism 60 .
- the light reflected by the sensing range 140 is named as a first reflected light 102 (indicated as a chain line in FIG. 1 ) and the light reflected by the sensing range 150 is named as a second reflected light 112 (indicated as a chain double-dashed line in FIG.1 ).
- the first output side lens portion 65 is formed at a position away from the second input side lens portions 64 in the long side direction toward another end of the body 61 as shown in FIG. 1 .
- the first output side lens portion 65 converges the first reflected light 102 such that the first light receiving element 30 can receive the first reflected light 102 .
- the second output side lens portion 66 is formed at a position away from the first output side lens portion 65 in the long side direction toward the anther end of the body 61 .
- the second output side lens portion 66 converges the second reflected light 112 such that the second light receiving element 40 can receive the second reflected light 112 .
- a step portion 66 a is formed on a generally center of the second output side lens portion 66 on its surface as shown in FIG. 1 .
- a surface shape of the second output side lens portion 66 is not detailed here because a similar lens portion, which is similar to the second output side lens portion 66 of the present embodiment, is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-66246.
- the prism 60 can be reduced in height because the prism 60 includes a lens shape of the second output side lens portion 66 having the step portion 66 a.
- the first and second input side lens portions 63 , 64 , the reflecting portions 67 , and the first and second output side lens portions 65 , 66 may be integrally formed with the body 61 . Also, the above portions 63 to 67 may be separately formed from the body 61 and then, the above portions 63 to 67 may be attached to the surface of the body 61 .
- the circuit substrate 120 which is fixed to the cover 10 , is provided above the prism 60 .
- the computing element 121 receives signals according to amounts of the light received by the first and second light receiving elements 30 , 40 to compute amounts of the raindrops attached to the raindrop sensing ranges 140 , 150 . Also, the computing element 121 receives the above signals to determine the abnormal state of the light guide body 50 .
- the storing element 122 stores index values used when the computing element 121 determines the abnormality of the light guide body 50 .
- Each of the light emitting element 20 is provided on the circuit substrate 120 such that the light emitting part of the light emitting element 20 corresponds to an intersection of the optical axes of both the first and second input side lens portions 63 , 64 .
- Two first input side lens portions 63 are arranged relative to each other in the short side direction.
- two second input side lens portions 64 are arranged relative to each other in the short side direction.
- two light emitting elements 20 are required to correspond to the first and second input side lens portions 63 , 64 .
- the light emitting elements 20 are also arranged side by side in the short side direction (see FIG. 2 ).
- the first light receiving element 30 is provided to the circuit substrate 120 such that a light receiving part of the first light receiving element 30 corresponds to a convergent point of the light outputted from the fist output side lens portion 65 .
- the second light receiving element 40 is provided to the circuit substrate 120 such that a light receiving part of the second light receiving element 40 corresponds to a convergent point of the light outputted from the second output side lens portion 66 .
- the second light receiving element 40 is located away from the first light receiving element 30 in the long side direction.
- the first and second light receiving elements 30 , 40 are provided on the circuit substrate 120 relative to the corresponding light emitting element 20 such that a distance between the first light receiving element 30 and the light emitting element 20 is different from a distance between the second light receiving element 40 and the light emitting element 20 . That is, the first light receiving element 30 is provided apart from the light emitting element 20 by a first distance, and the second light receiving element 40 is provided apart from the light emitting element 20 by a second distance, which is different from the first distance.
- the computing element 121 is constituted by, for example, a known CPU, and receives signals, which corresponds to the amounts of light received by the first and second light receiving elements 30 , 40 . Then, the computing element 121 computes the amount of raindrops attached to the raindrop sensing ranges 140 , 150 . Specifically, the computing element 121 compares the signals received in a non-raindrop state with the current signals currently received to sense the raindrops. Here, in the non-raindrop state, the raindrops are not attached on the raindrop sensing ranges 140 , 150 .
- the computing element 121 determines the abnormal state of the light guide body 50 by comparing the signals with the index values stored in the storing element 122 . Determining process for determining the abnormal state will be specifically described later.
- the storing element 122 includes, for example, a known EEPROM, a known RAM, and a known ROM.
- the computing element 121 and the storing element 122 may be provided externally to the raindrop sensor 1 instead of being provided on the circuit substrate 120 .
- the raindrop sensor 1 is not limited to be used for an automobile, but may be used for various vehicles, ships, and air planes.
- FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a process for determining the abnormal state of the light guide body 50 .
- the computing element 121 receives the signals from the first and second light receiving elements 30 , 40 .
- each signal corresponds to the amount of the light received by the corresponding light receiving element.
- the computing element 121 computes the amounts of the light received by the first and second light receiving elements 30 , 40 based on the above signals inputted at step S 1 .
- the computing element 121 computes a ratio of the light amounts received by the first and second light receiving elements 30 , 40 . Specifically, the ratio of the light amounts is computed by dividing the amount of the light received by the first light receiving element 30 by the amount of the light received by the second light receiving element 40 .
- the computing element 121 determines at step S 4 to step S 8 whether the light guide body 50 is under the abnormal state or not.
- the abnormal state is, for example, a mounting state of the raindrop sensor 1 on the windshield 80 without the silicone sheet 70 (i.e., the mounting state of the raindrop sensor 1 with the silicone sheet 70 missed).
- the light passage in the prism 60 and the light received by the first and second light receiving elements 30 , 40 under this mounting state will be described.
- FIG. 3 is the side view of the raindrop sensor 1 , which is mounted on the windshield 80 without the silicone sheet 70 .
- the structure of components of the raindrop sensor 1 in FIG. 3 is the same as that in FIG. 1 except that the raindrop sensor 1 in FIG. 3 does not includes the silicone sheet 70 . Differences between mounting structure shown in FIG. 1 and that shown in FIG. 3 will be mainly described.
- the prism 60 directly contacts the inner surface 81 of the windshield 80 without the silicone sheet 70 .
- the air layer 130 is formed between an end surface 62 of the body 61 of the prism 60 and the inner surface 81 because there is no silicone sheet 70 .
- the first and second input lights 110 , 111 are formed at the first and second input side lens portions 63 , 64 . These first and second input lights 101 , 111 , however, cannot reach the outer surface 82 of the windshield 80 but are reflected by the end surface 62 of the body 61 because of the air layer 130 .
- the reflected lights are named as a first abnormal reflected light 103 and a second abnormal reflected light 113 .
- the passages of the abnormal reflected lights 103 , 113 are different from those of the reflected lights 102 , 112 .
- the first abnormal reflected light 103 does not reach either of the output side lens portions 65 , 66 , and is outputted through a surface of the body 61 .
- the second abnormal reflected light 113 reaches the first output side lens portion 65 , and is converged to the first light receiving element 30 as shown in FIG. 3 .
- a light passage, through which the second input light 111 and the second abnormal reflecting light 113 travel, corresponds to a third light passage of the present invention.
- each of lens portions 63 to 66 of the prism 60 , the reflecting portion 67 are designed, and also the light emitting elements 20 , the light receiving elements 30 , 40 are positioned such that the first and second light receiving elements 30 , 40 can receive the same amount of light when the light guide body 50 is under a normal state (i.e., not the abnormal state).
- the above portions and elements are designed and positioned such that either one of the first and second light receiving elements 30 , 40 can receive the light emitted by the light emitting elements 20 when the light guide body 50 is under the abnormal state (e.g., mounting the raindrop sensor 1 without the silicone sheet 70 ).
- step S 4 the computing element 121 reads Rmax, which is one of the index values stored in the storing element 122 , to compare Rmax with the ratio of the light amounts computed at step S 3 .
- Rmax is a maximum value of the ratio of the light amounts when the light guide body 50 is under the normal state.
- step S 7 the computing element 121 stores in the storing element 122 information that the light guide body 50 is mounted on the windshield 80 without the silicone sheet 70 . Then, the process ends.
- step S 5 the ratio of the computing element 121 continues with step S 5 .
- the computing element 121 reads Rmin, which is another one of the index values stored in the storing element 122 , to compare Rmin with the light amount ratio computed at step S 3 .
- Rmin is a minimum value of the light amount ratio when the light guide body 50 is under the normal state.
- control of the computing element 121 continues with step S 6 , where the computing element 121 stores in the storing element 122 information that the light guide body 50 is not under the abnormal state (i.e., the light guide body 50 is under the normal state). Then, the process ends.
- step S 4 to step S 8 corresponds to an abnormality determining device of the present invention.
- the state information of the light guide body 50 stored in the storing element 122 is reported to drivers, repair people, and quality control managers in factories through a diagnosis system (not shown).
- the amount of lights received by the first and second light receiving elements 30 , 40 are compared with the index values prestored in the storing element 122 to detect the abnormal state of the light guide body 50 .
- the visual examination is not employed to detect the abnormal state.
- the abnormal state is for example the state where the raindrop sensor 1 is mounted without the silicone sheet 70 .
- the ratio of the amounts of light received by the first and second light receiving elements 30 , 40 is compared with the index values prestored in the storing element 122 to detect the abnormal state of the light guide body 50 .
- the abnormal state of the light guide body 50 can be detected independently from the change of light emitting property of the light emitting element 20 according to a change of ambient temperature. Also, the abnormal state can be detected independently from different light transmittances of different windshields 80 .
- the light amount ratio is used to determine the abnormal state.
- a difference between the amount of light received by the first light receiving element 30 and that received by the second light receiving element 40 may be used to determine the abnormal state.
- the light emitting property of the light emitting element 20 may change according to the change of the surrounding temperature. Also, the light transmittance of the windshield 80 is different for each different type of the vehicle. When the light emitting property changes, the amount of the light emitted by the light emitting element 20 varies. This results in that the amounts of the light received by the light receiving elements 30 , 40 may also vary. Also, when the light transmittance is different, the amounts of the light received by the light receiving elements 30 , 40 may also vary.
- the index value stored in the storing element 122 were a normal value measured under a certain temperature with the windshield 80 of a certain light transmittance, the abnormal state might not be correctly detected when the temperature changes from the certain temperature or the windshield 80 of the different type is used as described above.
- the abnormal state can be detected without the above disadvantages because the light amount ratio of the first and second light receiving elements 30 , 40 is used.
- FIG. 5 is a side view of a raindrop sensor 1 a of the second embodiment.
- FIG. 5 shows a mounting state of the raindrop sensor 1 a on the windshield 80 without the silicone sheet 70 similar to FIG. 3 .
- Locations of light emitting elements and light receiving elements relative to the light guide body 50 of the raindrop sensor la of the present embodiment are changed from the locations of those of the raindrop sensor 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 (i.e., locations of the light emitting elements are switched with the locations of the light receiving elements).
- a first light emitting element 21 and a second light emitting element 22 are provided on a right side in FIG. 5 .
- Light receiving elements 31 are provided on a left side in FIG. 5 .
- Lens portions corresponding to the first and second output side lens portions 65 , 66 of the first embodiment are named as first and second input side lens portions 63 a , 64 a .
- Lens portions corresponding to the first and second input side lens portions 63 , 64 of the first embodiment are named as first and second output side lens portions 65 a , 66 b.
- the first and second output side lens portions 65 a , 66 b can converge the lights that travel through the body 61 .
- the first and second output side lens portions 65 a , 66 b correspond to a converging portion of the present invention.
- each light receiving element 31 is associated with the corresponding first and second light emitting element 21 , 22 .
- the number of the light receiving elements 31 can be reduced relative to the number of the light emitting elements, and therefore, the raindrop sensor 1 is limited from increasing in size.
- the light receiving elements 31 In a structure, where the mounting positions of the light emitting elements are switched with the mounting positions of the light receiving elements, the light receiving elements 31 only receive the light from the first light emitting element 21 if the raindrop sensor 1 a is mounted without the silicone sheet 70 as shown in FIG. 5 .
- the computing element 121 compares the amounts of light received by the light receiving elements 31 with an index value stored in the storing element 122 to determine the abnormal state of the light guide body 50 .
- FIG. 6 is a side view of a raindrop sensor lb of the third embodiment.
- the raindrop sensor 1 b of the present embodiment includes first light emitting elements 23 and second light emitting elements 24 .
- the light emitted by each of the first light emitting elements 23 is inputted into a corresponding one of first input side lens portions 63 b
- the light emitted by each of the second light emitting elements 24 is inputted into the corresponding one of the second input side lens portions 64 .
- the above structure is different from the structure of the first embodiment.
- the amounts of light received by the first and second light receiving elements 30 , 40 change due to changes of light passages similar to the first and second embodiment when the raindrop sensor 1 b is mounted without the silicone sheet 70 .
- the process shown in FIG. 4 is executed, the abnormal state of the light guide body 50 can be determined.
Abstract
Description
- This application is based on and incorporates herein by reference Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-336128 filed on Nov. 21, 2005.
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to a raindrop sensor, and more particularly to a raindrop sensor, which is preferably applied to, for example, a wiper controller for a vehicle.
- 2. Description of Related Art
- Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-66246 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,507,015 discloses a raindrop sensor, which is mounted on an inner surface of a windshield and senses raindrops attached to an outer surface of the windshield. The raindrop sensor includes a light emitting element, a light guide body, and a light receiving element. The light emitting element emits light in a direction from the inner surface to the outer surface. The light guide body guides the light to the outer surface, and also guides a reflected light, which is reflected by the outer surface, toward the inner surface side. The light receiving element receives the light from the light guide body, and generates a signal according to an amount of the received light. The raindrop sensor compares an amount of the light received in a clear whether condition with a current amount of the light currently received in order to determine whether moisture, such as raindrops, is attached to the outer surface or not.
- Also, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-521158T corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,898,183 discloses a raindrop sensor, which includes a light guide body having a prism body and a flexible interlayer. In the raindrop sensor, a silicone sheet, for example, serves as the interlayer, which is held between the windshield and the prism body. Thus, this limits an air layer from forming between the prism body and the windshield such that the light, which travels through the prism body, can be guided to the outer surface of the windshield.
- However, in assembly of the raindrop sensor to the inner surface, when the prism body is attached to the inner surface directly without the interlayer, the air layer is formed between the prism body and the inner surface. Then, the light, which travels through the prism body, may not reach the windshield, but may reflects off the end face of the prism body. Thus, the raindrop may not be detected because the light emitted by the light emitting element does not sufficiently reach the outer surface of the windshield.
- To deal with the above disadvantages, in a factory for attaching the raindrop sensor, an operator checks whether the silicone sheet, which is a part of the light guide body, is appropriately attached or not by visual examination. However, because this silicone sheet is provided at the back of the raindrop sensor and thus the silicone sheet is behind a cover thereof, it is often difficult for the operator to check by the visual examination.
- The present invention is made in view of the above disadvantages. Thus, it is an objective of the present invention to address at least one of the above disadvantages.
- To achieve the objective of the present invention, there is provided a raindrop sensor, which is provided in a first surface side of a transparent body for sensing water attached to a second surface of the transparent body, the raindrop sensor including a light emitting element, a light guide body, a light receiving element, and an abnormality determining device. The light emitting element is provided in the first surface side of the transparent body for emitting light toward the transparent body. The light guide body is mounted on a first surface of the transparent body. The light guide body guides the light, which is emitted by the light emitting element, to the transparent body. The light guide body guides the light, which is reflected by the transparent body, to the first surface side of the transparent body. The light receiving element is provided in the first surface side of the transparent body for receiving the reflected light, which is reflected by the second surface of the transparent body, and the light receiving element outputs a signal based on an amount of the reflected light received by the light receiving element. The abnormality determining device determines an abnormality of the light guide body by comparing a value indicated by the signal outputted by the light receiving element with an index value.
- The invention, together with additional objectives, features and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings in which:
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FIG. 1 is a side view of a raindrop sensor according to a first embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is a plan view of a prism shown inFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 3 is a side view of the raindrop sensor, which is mounted on a windshield without a silicone sheet, according to the first embodiment; -
FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a process for determining an abnormal state of a light guide body of the raindrop sensor according to the first embodiment; -
FIG. 5 is a side view of a raindrop sensor, which is mounted on the windshield without the silicone sheet, according to a second embodiment; and -
FIG. 6 is a side view of a raindrop sensor according to a third embodiment of the present invention. - The first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to accompanying drawings. A raindrop sensor shown in
FIG. 1 is, for example, applied to a wiper controller that controls a wiper (not shown) provided to an outer surface of a front windshield (transparent body) 80 of a vehicle. The wiper is controlled by the wiper controller based on a sensing output from a raindrop sensor 1, and slides within a wipe range on an outer surface (second surface) 82 of thewindshield 80. - The raindrop sensor 1 is provided from an
inner surface 81 side (first surface side) of thewindshield 80 according to the wiping range. That is, the raindrop sensor 1 is provided in a space defined adjacent to an inner surface (first surface) 81 of thewindshield 80. The raindrop sensor 1 optically senses raindrops, which drop on the wipe range of thewindshield 80, to output a signal to the wiper controller. -
FIG. 1 is a side view of the raindrop sensor 1 of the present embodiment.FIG. 2 is a plan view of the raindrop sensor 1 shown inFIG. 1 viewed from above alight guide body 50 of the raindrop sensor 1.FIG. 1 is a side view of raindrop sensor 1 shown inFIG. 2 . As shown inFIG. 1 , the raindrop sensor 1 includes the light guide body 1,light emitting elements 20, a firstlight receiving element 30, a secondlight receiving element 40, acomputing element 121, astoring element 122, acircuit substrate 120, and acover 10. Here, thelight guide body 50 includes aprism 60 and asilicone sheet 70. - The
prism 60 is made of a transparent resin, and is provided on theinner surface 81 of thewindshield 80 through thesilicone sheet 70. Theprism 60 guides light emitted by thelight emitting elements 20 to thewindshield 80. Then, the light reflected by theouter surface 82 of thewindshield 80 is guided by theprism 60 to the first and secondlight receiving element prism 60 will be described later. - Here, the
silicone sheet 70 is of a flexible material, and is provided between theprism 60 and thewindshield 80 such that an air layer is limited from forming therebetween. A refraction index of thesilicone sheet 70 is nearly equal to that of thewindshield 80 such that the light traveling from theprism 60 can be guided to thewindshield 80 without deterioration. Also, the light reflected by theouter surface 82 of thewindshield 80 can be returned to theprism 60 without deterioration. - Then, the structure of the
prism 60 will be detailed with reference toFIGS. 1, 2 . Theprism 60 has a generally rectangular shape when viewed from above. A longitudinal direction parallel to a long side of theprism 60 is named as a long side direction. A traverse direction parallel to a short side of theprism 60 is named as a short side direction. Theprism 60 includes first inputside lens portions 63, second inputside lens portions 64, a first outputside lens portion 65, a second outputside lens portion 66, and abody 61. - Each of the first input
side lens portions 63 collimates the light emitted by a corresponding one of thelight emitting elements 20 such that the collimated light is applied to a predeterminedraindrop sensing range 140. Thus, the first inputside lens portion 63 is formed relative to thelight emitting element 20 such that an optical axis of the first inputside lens portion 63 corresponds to a light emitting part of the correspondinglight emitting element 20. As shown inFIG. 2 , the first inputside lens portions 63 are arranged relative to each other in the short side direction at an end portion of thebody 61 in the long side direction. The collimated light collimated by each first inputside lens portion 63 is named as a first input light 101 (indicated as a chain line inFIG. 1 ). - Reflecting
portions 67 are formed at the end portion of thebody 61 to reflect thefirst input light 101 toward thewindshield 80. The reflectingportions 67 are arranged relative to each other in the short side direction similar to the first inputside lens portions 63. As shown inFIG. 1 , thefirst input light 101 firstly travels toward an end face of theprism 60, at which the reflectingportions 67 are formed, and then travels toward thewindshield 80 after reflected by the corresponding reflectingportion 67. - The second input
side lens portions 64 are formed at a position away from the first inputside lens portions 63 in the long side direction. Each of the second inputside lens portions 64 collimates the light emitted by a correspondinglight emitting element 20 such that the collimated light is applied to another predeterminedraindrop sensing range 150. Thus, the second inputside lens portion 64 is formed relative to the correspondinglight emitting element 20 such that a focus of the second inputside lens portion 64 corresponds to a light emitting part of the correspondinglight emitting element 20. As shown inFIG. 2 , the second inputside lens portions 63 are arranged relative to each other in the short side direction on thebody 61. The collimated light collimated by each second inputside lens portion 64 is named as a second input light 111 (indicated as a chain double-dashed line inFIG. 1 ). Thesecond input light 111 travels toward thewindshield 80 generally parallel to thefirst input light 101 in the long side direction. - Both the first input
side lens portion 63 and the second inputside lens portion 64 are formed on thebody 61 such that an optical axis of each of thelens portions light emitting element 20. Thus, the light applied from thelight emitting element 20 can be diverged into thefirst input light 101 and thesecond input light 111. The structures of the first and second inputside lens portions light emitting element 20 is associated with thefirst input light 101 and thesecond input light 111. As a result, the number of thelight emitting elements 20 can be reduced relative to the number of the input lights (thefirst input light 101 and the second input light 111), and therefore, the raindrop sensor 1 is limited from increasing in size. - As shown in
FIG. 1 , the first and second input lights 101, 111 reach the raindrop sensing ranges 140, 150, respectively, through thesilicone sheet 70 by predetermined input angles. Then, the first and second input lights 101, 111 are reflected by theraindrop sensing range prism 60. The light reflected by thesensing range 140 is named as a first reflected light 102 (indicated as a chain line inFIG. 1 ) and the light reflected by thesensing range 150 is named as a second reflected light 112 (indicated as a chain double-dashed line inFIG.1 ). - In contrast, the first output
side lens portion 65 is formed at a position away from the second inputside lens portions 64 in the long side direction toward another end of thebody 61 as shown inFIG. 1 . The first outputside lens portion 65 converges the first reflected light 102 such that the firstlight receiving element 30 can receive the first reflectedlight 102. - The second output
side lens portion 66 is formed at a position away from the first outputside lens portion 65 in the long side direction toward the anther end of thebody 61. The second outputside lens portion 66 converges the second reflected light 112 such that the secondlight receiving element 40 can receive the second reflectedlight 112. Astep portion 66 a is formed on a generally center of the second outputside lens portion 66 on its surface as shown inFIG. 1 . A surface shape of the second outputside lens portion 66 is not detailed here because a similar lens portion, which is similar to the second outputside lens portion 66 of the present embodiment, is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-66246. Theprism 60 can be reduced in height because theprism 60 includes a lens shape of the second outputside lens portion 66 having thestep portion 66 a. - A light passage, through which the
first input light 101 and the first reflected light 102 travel, corresponds to a first light passage of the present invention. Also, another light passage, through which thesecond input light 111 and the second reflected light 112 travel, corresponds to a second light passage of the present invention. - The first and second input
side lens portions portions 67, and the first and second outputside lens portions body 61. Also, theabove portions 63 to 67 may be separately formed from thebody 61 and then, theabove portions 63 to 67 may be attached to the surface of thebody 61. - The
circuit substrate 120, which is fixed to thecover 10, is provided above theprism 60. Thelight emitting elements 20, the firstlight receiving element 30, the secondlight receiving element 40, acomputing element 121, and the storingelement 122. Thecomputing element 121 receives signals according to amounts of the light received by the first and secondlight receiving elements computing element 121 receives the above signals to determine the abnormal state of thelight guide body 50. The storingelement 122 stores index values used when thecomputing element 121 determines the abnormality of thelight guide body 50. - Each of the
light emitting element 20 is provided on thecircuit substrate 120 such that the light emitting part of thelight emitting element 20 corresponds to an intersection of the optical axes of both the first and second inputside lens portions side lens portions 63 are arranged relative to each other in the short side direction. Also, two second inputside lens portions 64 are arranged relative to each other in the short side direction. Thus, twolight emitting elements 20 are required to correspond to the first and second inputside lens portions light emitting elements 20 are also arranged side by side in the short side direction (seeFIG. 2 ). - The first
light receiving element 30 is provided to thecircuit substrate 120 such that a light receiving part of the firstlight receiving element 30 corresponds to a convergent point of the light outputted from the fist outputside lens portion 65. The secondlight receiving element 40 is provided to thecircuit substrate 120 such that a light receiving part of the secondlight receiving element 40 corresponds to a convergent point of the light outputted from the second outputside lens portion 66. The secondlight receiving element 40 is located away from the firstlight receiving element 30 in the long side direction. In other words, the first and secondlight receiving elements circuit substrate 120 relative to the correspondinglight emitting element 20 such that a distance between the firstlight receiving element 30 and thelight emitting element 20 is different from a distance between the secondlight receiving element 40 and thelight emitting element 20. That is, the firstlight receiving element 30 is provided apart from thelight emitting element 20 by a first distance, and the secondlight receiving element 40 is provided apart from thelight emitting element 20 by a second distance, which is different from the first distance. - The
computing element 121 is constituted by, for example, a known CPU, and receives signals, which corresponds to the amounts of light received by the first and secondlight receiving elements computing element 121 computes the amount of raindrops attached to the raindrop sensing ranges 140, 150. Specifically, thecomputing element 121 compares the signals received in a non-raindrop state with the current signals currently received to sense the raindrops. Here, in the non-raindrop state, the raindrops are not attached on the raindrop sensing ranges 140, 150. - Also, the
computing element 121 determines the abnormal state of thelight guide body 50 by comparing the signals with the index values stored in the storingelement 122. Determining process for determining the abnormal state will be specifically described later. Here, the storingelement 122 includes, for example, a known EEPROM, a known RAM, and a known ROM. - The
computing element 121 and the storingelement 122 may be provided externally to the raindrop sensor 1 instead of being provided on thecircuit substrate 120. Also, the raindrop sensor 1 is not limited to be used for an automobile, but may be used for various vehicles, ships, and air planes. - Next, the determining process for determining the abnormal state of the
light guide body 50 will be described with reference toFIGS. 3, 4 .FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a process for determining the abnormal state of thelight guide body 50. At step SI, thecomputing element 121 receives the signals from the first and secondlight receiving elements computing element 121 computes the amounts of the light received by the first and secondlight receiving elements - Next, the
computing element 121 computes a ratio of the light amounts received by the first and secondlight receiving elements light receiving element 30 by the amount of the light received by the secondlight receiving element 40. - Next, the
computing element 121 determines at step S4 to step S8 whether thelight guide body 50 is under the abnormal state or not. Before describing the processes shown at and after step S4, the abnormal state of thelight guide body 50 will be described with reference toFIG. 3 . Here, the abnormal state is, for example, a mounting state of the raindrop sensor 1 on thewindshield 80 without the silicone sheet 70 (i.e., the mounting state of the raindrop sensor 1 with thesilicone sheet 70 missed). Thus, the light passage in theprism 60 and the light received by the first and secondlight receiving elements -
FIG. 3 is the side view of the raindrop sensor 1, which is mounted on thewindshield 80 without thesilicone sheet 70. The structure of components of the raindrop sensor 1 inFIG. 3 is the same as that inFIG. 1 except that the raindrop sensor 1 inFIG. 3 does not includes thesilicone sheet 70. Differences between mounting structure shown inFIG. 1 and that shown inFIG. 3 will be mainly described. - As shown in
FIG. 3 , theprism 60 directly contacts theinner surface 81 of thewindshield 80 without thesilicone sheet 70. Thus, theair layer 130 is formed between anend surface 62 of thebody 61 of theprism 60 and theinner surface 81 because there is nosilicone sheet 70. - When the light is emitted by the
light emitting element 20 under this state, the first and second input lights 110, 111 are formed at the first and second inputside lens portions outer surface 82 of thewindshield 80 but are reflected by theend surface 62 of thebody 61 because of theair layer 130. The reflected lights are named as a first abnormal reflected light 103 and a second abnormal reflected light 113. - Because the first and second abnormal reflected
lights lights lights lights FIG. 3 , the first abnormal reflected light 103 does not reach either of the outputside lens portions body 61. In contrast, the second abnormal reflected light 113 reaches the first outputside lens portion 65, and is converged to the firstlight receiving element 30 as shown inFIG. 3 . A light passage, through which thesecond input light 111 and the second abnormal reflecting light 113 travel, corresponds to a third light passage of the present invention. - Therefore, when the raindrop sensor 1 is mounted without the
silicone sheet 70, the light emitted by thelight emitting element 20 can be received only by the firstlight receiving element 30 but not received by the secondlight receiving element 40. In the present embodiment, each oflens portions 63 to 66 of theprism 60, the reflectingportion 67 are designed, and also thelight emitting elements 20, thelight receiving elements light receiving elements light guide body 50 is under a normal state (i.e., not the abnormal state). Also, the above portions and elements are designed and positioned such that either one of the first and secondlight receiving elements light emitting elements 20 when thelight guide body 50 is under the abnormal state (e.g., mounting the raindrop sensor 1 without the silicone sheet 70). - From here, a specific example of the determining process for determining the abnormality of the
light guide body 50 will be described. At step S4, thecomputing element 121 reads Rmax, which is one of the index values stored in the storingelement 122, to compare Rmax with the ratio of the light amounts computed at step S3. Rmax is a maximum value of the ratio of the light amounts when thelight guide body 50 is under the normal state. When the ratio of the light amounts (light amount ratio) is equal to or larger than Rmax, control continues with step S7, where thecomputing element 121 stores in the storingelement 122 information that thelight guide body 50 is mounted on thewindshield 80 without thesilicone sheet 70. Then, the process ends. When the light amount ratio is less than Rmax, control of thecomputing element 121 continues with step S5. - At step S5, the
computing element 121 reads Rmin, which is another one of the index values stored in the storingelement 122, to compare Rmin with the light amount ratio computed at step S3. Rmin is a minimum value of the light amount ratio when thelight guide body 50 is under the normal state. When the light amount ratio is equal to or larger than Rmin, control of thecomputing element 121 continues with step S6, where thecomputing element 121 stores in the storingelement 122 information that thelight guide body 50 is not under the abnormal state (i.e., thelight guide body 50 is under the normal state). Then, the process ends. When the light amount ratio is less than Rmin, thecomputing element 121 stores in the storingelement 122 information that thelight guide body 50 is under the abnormal state by some reasons. The, the process ends. The above step S4 to step S8 corresponds to an abnormality determining device of the present invention. - Then, the state information of the
light guide body 50 stored in the storingelement 122 is reported to drivers, repair people, and quality control managers in factories through a diagnosis system (not shown). - In the present embodiment, the amount of lights received by the first and second
light receiving elements element 122 to detect the abnormal state of thelight guide body 50. Thus, the visual examination is not employed to detect the abnormal state. Here, the abnormal state is for example the state where the raindrop sensor 1 is mounted without thesilicone sheet 70. - Also, in the present embodiment, the ratio of the amounts of light received by the first and second
light receiving elements element 122 to detect the abnormal state of thelight guide body 50. Thus, the abnormal state of thelight guide body 50 can be detected independently from the change of light emitting property of thelight emitting element 20 according to a change of ambient temperature. Also, the abnormal state can be detected independently from different light transmittances ofdifferent windshields 80. - In the present embodiment, the light amount ratio is used to determine the abnormal state. However, a difference between the amount of light received by the first
light receiving element 30 and that received by the secondlight receiving element 40 may be used to determine the abnormal state. - Advantages of using the light amount ratio for detecting the abnormal state of the
light guide body 50 will be described in detail. The light emitting property of thelight emitting element 20 may change according to the change of the surrounding temperature. Also, the light transmittance of thewindshield 80 is different for each different type of the vehicle. When the light emitting property changes, the amount of the light emitted by thelight emitting element 20 varies. This results in that the amounts of the light received by thelight receiving elements light receiving elements - Therefore, if the index value stored in the storing
element 122 were a normal value measured under a certain temperature with thewindshield 80 of a certain light transmittance, the abnormal state might not be correctly detected when the temperature changes from the certain temperature or thewindshield 80 of the different type is used as described above. - In contrast, in the present embodiment, the abnormal state can be detected without the above disadvantages because the light amount ratio of the first and second
light receiving elements - Next, the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
FIG. 5 . Similar components to those in the first embodiment will be indicated by the same numerals. Characteristic points, which are different from the first embodiment, will be mainly described.FIG. 5 is a side view of araindrop sensor 1 a of the second embodiment.FIG. 5 shows a mounting state of theraindrop sensor 1 a on thewindshield 80 without thesilicone sheet 70 similar toFIG. 3 . - Locations of light emitting elements and light receiving elements relative to the
light guide body 50 of the raindrop sensor la of the present embodiment are changed from the locations of those of the raindrop sensor 1 of the first embodiment shown inFIG. 1 (i.e., locations of the light emitting elements are switched with the locations of the light receiving elements). Specifically, a firstlight emitting element 21 and a secondlight emitting element 22 are provided on a right side inFIG. 5 .Light receiving elements 31 are provided on a left side inFIG. 5 . - Lens portions corresponding to the first and second output
side lens portions side lens portions side lens portions side lens portions - The first and second output
side lens portions body 61. Thus, the first and second outputside lens portions element 31 is associated with the corresponding first and secondlight emitting element light receiving elements 31 can be reduced relative to the number of the light emitting elements, and therefore, the raindrop sensor 1 is limited from increasing in size. - In a structure, where the mounting positions of the light emitting elements are switched with the mounting positions of the light receiving elements, the
light receiving elements 31 only receive the light from the firstlight emitting element 21 if theraindrop sensor 1 a is mounted without thesilicone sheet 70 as shown inFIG. 5 . Thus, thecomputing element 121 compares the amounts of light received by thelight receiving elements 31 with an index value stored in the storingelement 122 to determine the abnormal state of thelight guide body 50. - Next, the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
FIG. 6 . Similar components to those in the first embodiment will be indicated by the same numerals. Characteristic points, which are different from the first embodiment, will be mainly described.FIG. 6 is a side view of a raindrop sensor lb of the third embodiment. - The
raindrop sensor 1 b of the present embodiment includes firstlight emitting elements 23 and secondlight emitting elements 24. The light emitted by each of the firstlight emitting elements 23 is inputted into a corresponding one of first inputside lens portions 63 b, and the light emitted by each of the secondlight emitting elements 24 is inputted into the corresponding one of the second inputside lens portions 64. The above structure is different from the structure of the first embodiment. - Also in the above structure, the amounts of light received by the first and second
light receiving elements raindrop sensor 1 b is mounted without thesilicone sheet 70. When the process shown inFIG. 4 is executed, the abnormal state of thelight guide body 50 can be determined. - Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader terms is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus, and illustrative examples shown and described.
Claims (8)
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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JP2005-336128 | 2005-11-21 | ||
JP2005336128A JP4518007B2 (en) | 2005-11-21 | 2005-11-21 | Raindrop sensor |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20070114369A1 true US20070114369A1 (en) | 2007-05-24 |
US7230260B1 US7230260B1 (en) | 2007-06-12 |
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Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US11/600,889 Expired - Fee Related US7230260B1 (en) | 2005-11-21 | 2006-11-17 | Raindrop sensor |
Country Status (3)
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US (1) | US7230260B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP4518007B2 (en) |
DE (1) | DE102006035455B4 (en) |
Cited By (2)
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US20170190319A1 (en) * | 2014-05-30 | 2017-07-06 | Accendo Motion Research Co., Ltd | Total-reflection-type rain sensor using mirror |
US20220333980A1 (en) * | 2021-04-14 | 2022-10-20 | HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA | Sensor apparatus for detecting the wetness of a window, particularly the window of a motor vehicle |
Families Citing this family (8)
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JP2007271423A (en) * | 2006-03-31 | 2007-10-18 | Niles Co Ltd | Raindrop sensor |
US7847255B2 (en) * | 2006-11-16 | 2010-12-07 | Pilkington North America, Inc. | Multi-mode rain sensor |
DE102011101744A1 (en) * | 2011-05-17 | 2012-11-22 | Valeo Schalter Und Sensoren Gmbh | Rain sensor for rain detection device of vehicle, comprises transmitter and receiver, where transmitter comprises transmission unit and transmission optics arranged in optical path of transmission unit |
US8987656B2 (en) * | 2012-10-09 | 2015-03-24 | Sae Magnetics (H.K.) Ltd. | Optical finger navigation device having an integrated ambient light sensor and electronic system comprising the same |
KR101258411B1 (en) | 2012-12-05 | 2013-04-26 | 아이에스테크놀로지 주식회사 | Rain sensor using receive difference of multi-path optical signal and method for detecting moisture on glass surface |
CN106535962B (en) * | 2014-06-10 | 2020-04-21 | 赛诺菲-安万特德国有限公司 | Apparatus for determining information related to surface reflection characteristics |
US9506803B2 (en) * | 2014-09-17 | 2016-11-29 | Delphi Technologies, Inc. | Vehicle optical sensor system |
JP2022125594A (en) * | 2021-02-17 | 2022-08-29 | 株式会社デンソー | Optical sensor device |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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DE102006035455B4 (en) | 2017-01-26 |
JP2007139659A (en) | 2007-06-07 |
US7230260B1 (en) | 2007-06-12 |
JP4518007B2 (en) | 2010-08-04 |
DE102006035455A1 (en) | 2007-05-31 |
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