RAIN SENSOR

摘要

A rain sensor equipped to a transparent substrate includes a light emitter emitting irradiation lights toward the transparent substrate, light receivers receiving reflected lights of the irradiation lights being reflected on the transparent substrate, a defining section defining an incident angle of each reflected light with respect to each light receiver, and a detection section detecting rainfall amount based on signals output from the light receivers. The light emitter emits the irradiation lights toward an irradiation region defined on the transparent substrate. The irradiation region is divided into multiple detection regions. The detection regions correspond to respective light receivers. The defining section defines the incident angle of each reflected light reflected on the detection region such that each reflected light enters corresponding light receiver. The detection section detects the rainfall amount based on the signals output from the light receivers corresponding to the irradiation regions.

主权项

1. A rain sensor equipped to a transparent substrate comprising:
a light emitter emitting irradiation lights toward the transparent substrate; a plurality of light receivers receiving reflected lights of the irradiation lights, the reflected lights being reflected on the transparent substrate; a defining section defining an incident angle of each of the reflected lights with respect to each of the light receivers; and a detection section detecting an amount of a rainfall based on signals output from the light receivers, wherein the light emitter emits the irradiation lights toward an irradiation region defined on the transparent substrate, wherein the irradiation region is divided into a plurality of detection regions, wherein the detection regions correspond to respective light receivers, wherein the defining section defines the incident angle of each of the reflected lights reflected on corresponding one of the detection regions such that each of the reflected lights enters corresponding one of the light receivers, wherein the detection section detects the amount of the rainfall based on the signals output from the light receivers corresponding to the irradiation regions, wherein the detection section includes a weighting section, a comparing section, and a rainfall amount detecting section, wherein the comparing section compares the signal output from each of the light receivers with a threshold voltage, and outputs a high-level signal when the signal output from each of the light receivers is lower than the threshold voltage, wherein the comparing section compares the signal output from each of the light receivers with the threshold voltage, and outputs a low-level signal when the signal output from each of the light receivers is higher than the threshold voltage, a voltage level of the low-level signal is lower than a voltage level of the high-level signal, wherein the rainfall amount detecting section counts a quantity of the high-level signals or a quantity of the low-level signals, and detects the amount of the rainfall based on the quantity of the high-level signals or the quantity of the low-level signals, wherein the weighting section weights the signal output from each of the light receivers, and wherein the comparing section receives the signal output from each of the light receivers and weighted by the weighting section.