Vehicle-mounted rainfall detection device

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle-mounted rainfall detection device. The device comprises a rainfall detection box and a windscreen wiper system. Compared with the prior art, the device is remarkably characterized in that the number of the rainfall detection boxes is two, and the two rainfall detection boxes are installed on the inner sides of the front windshield and the rear windshield of the automobile respectively. When data transmitted to the automobile trip computer by the two rainfall detection boxes reach expected values, the automobile trip computer starts a windscreen wiper system. According to the design, the overall state of the vehicle can be accurately evaluated through a two-way detection mechanism. In addition, the design is compatible with an existing automatic automobile mechanism on the market, and vehicle trip computer misjudgment possibly caused by one-way detection is effectively avoided. Under an unsuitable condition, misjudgment may cause improper start of the windscreen wiper, and further cause travel conflict between the windscreen wiper and a vehicle cleaning system, and finally potential vehicle damage is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of vehicle-mounted intelligent equipment, and in particular to a vehicle-mounted rainfall detection device. Background Art

[0002] As a key functional component of the exterior of a vehicle, the wiper's main function is to remove raindrops and dust attached to the windshield and other glass window surfaces of vehicles, ships, airplanes and other vehicles, thereby improving the driver's field of vision and ensuring driving safety.

[0003] Traditional wipers are usually equipped with multiple operating modes such as high speed, low speed, and intermittent, which can be manually adjusted. However, these modes have gradually failed to meet the growing needs of the market and consumers. With the continuous improvement of the level of intelligence, automatic wipers have gradually become the standard of modern transportation. However, the challenges that come with it are also increasing.

[0004] At the same time, with the increasing demand for intelligence, automatic car washers have emerged. This type of equipment is widely used because of its easy operation and thorough cleaning effect. However, in actual applications, the automatic car wash machine first needs to spray liquid on the car body during the cleaning process to soften the dust and prevent scratches on the car paint, especially when the spraying process starts from the front of the car. Therefore, the rainfall detection device installed at the front of the car is likely to misjudge the liquid sprayed by the car washer as rain. In this case, if the vehicle's driving computer starts the wipers to scrape the front windshield, the subsequent cleaning process of the car body by the car washer may conflict with the vehicle's own wipers, causing damage to the wipers.

[0005] In view of this, this study believes that it is necessary to develop a vehicle-mounted rainfall detection device that can further reduce the probability of vehicle misjudgment and avoid vehicle damage. Summary of the invention

[0006] In view of the defects existing in the prior art, the present invention proposes a vehicle-mounted rainfall detection device. The device has the advantages of reducing the probability of vehicle misjudgment and avoiding vehicle damage, and solves the problem that when some vehicles use automatic car washers, the driving computer misjudgments, causing the wiper and the car wash machine to conflict, thereby causing vehicle damage.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0008] A vehicle-mounted rain detection device includes a rain detection box and a wiper system, characterized in that there are two rain detection boxes, which are respectively arranged on the inner sides of the front and rear windshields of the vehicle, and when the data transmitted to the vehicle driving computer by the two rain detection boxes meet the expected values ​​at the same time, the vehicle driving computer controls the wiper system to start working, each of the rain detection boxes includes a transformer connection module, a rain collection module, and a signal collection module I, the input end of the transformer connection module is electrically connected to the vehicle-mounted low-voltage battery, the output end of the transformer connection module is electrically connected to the rain collection module and the signal collection module I, and the rain detection box is powered by the transformer connection module, the wiper system includes a wiper drive component and a signal collection module II, in practice, after the data collected by the two rain collection modules are sent to the driving computer via the signal collection module I, the driving computer compares the received data with its own database, and when the result of the comparison by the driving computer meets the set conditions, the driving computer sends a corresponding electrical signal to the signal collection module II, and the signal collection module II controls the wiper drive component to work according to the received electrical signal.

[0009] Preferably, the rain detection box located on the inner side of the front windshield is also electrically connected to a photosensitive control box, which is arranged on the top inner side of the front windshield of the car or on the upper side of the center console of the car. The photosensitive control box includes a photosensitive element and a signal acquisition module III, wherein the photosensitive element is used to detect changes in light outside the car and transmit the detected data changes to the signal acquisition module III, and the signal acquisition module III is electrically connected to the car's on-board computer. The signal acquisition module III sends the data detected by the photosensitive element to the car's on-board computer, and the car's on-board computer compares the received data with its own database. When the result of the comparison by the on-board computer meets the set conditions, the on-board computer sends a corresponding electrical signal to the signal acquisition module I, and the signal acquisition module I controls the operation of the rain collection module according to the received electrical signal.

[0010] Preferably, the photosensitive control box is electrically connected to the vehicle lighting control system, and when the data value detected by the photosensitive element meets the set conditions, the vehicle driving computer controls the vehicle lights to turn on.

[0011] Preferably, the rain detection box located on the inner side of the front windshield also includes a clock control chip, which sends an electrical signal to the transformer connection module at regular intervals, and the transformer connection module starts working after detecting the electrical signal.

[0012] Preferably, each of the rain detection boxes also includes a timing chip, and the data of the timing chip is directly sent to the on-board computer via the signal acquisition module I. When the on-board computer detects that the data detected by the two timing chips and the two rain collection modules synchronously meet the preset values, the on-board computer sends a corresponding electrical signal to the signal acquisition module II, and the signal acquisition module II controls the operation of the wiper drive component according to the received electrical signal.

[0013] Preferably, when the values ​​detected by the two rainfall collection modules simultaneously meet the preset values, and the corresponding timing chip values ​​differ by less than 3S when the two rainfall collection modules meet the preset values, the on-board computer sends a corresponding electrical signal to the signal collection module II, and the signal collection module II controls the wiper drive component to operate according to the received electrical signal.

[0014] Preferably, the quantity acquisition module includes an infrared emitting diode, a lens 1, an infrared receiving diode and a lens 2, wherein the infrared emitting diode and the infrared receiving diode are both electrically connected to the corresponding signal acquisition module I. In practical applications, the infrared emitting diode emits an infrared beam of a specific frequency, which is corrected into a parallel beam by the lens 1 and then projected onto the surface of the windshield. Subsequently, the lens 2 collects the infrared beam of a specific frequency reflected by the windshield and re-corrects it into a parallel beam. The infrared receiving diode is responsible for receiving the infrared beam of a specific frequency corrected by the lens 2.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] The present invention proposes an innovative rain detection system, which installs rain detection boxes on the inside of the front and rear windshields of the vehicle to achieve two-way detection to accurately evaluate the overall status of the vehicle. The design is compatible with the existing automatic car mechanism on the market, and effectively prevents the vehicle's driving computer from misjudging it due to one-way detection. Under unsuitable conditions, misjudgment may lead to improper activation of the wiper, which in turn causes a travel conflict between the wiper and the vehicle's washing system, ultimately avoiding potential vehicle damage risks. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the working process of the photosensitive element of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 3 The figure is a schematic diagram of the working process of the clock control chip of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the working principle of the rainfall collection module of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0022] In the description of the present invention, it is necessary to understand that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0023] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 The invention discloses a vehicle-mounted rain detection device, which has a structure consistent with the prior art device and is mainly composed of a rain detection box and a wiper system.

[0024] The difference between the device and the prior art device is that the device is equipped with two rainfall detection boxes, which are respectively installed on the inner sides of the front and rear windshields of the car.

[0025] Therefore, in practical applications, the device stipulates that when the data transmitted by the two rain detection boxes to the car's driving computer reaches a predetermined value, the driving computer will issue a command to control the wiper system to start working. Compared with the prior art device that only relies on a single rain detection box to determine whether it is raining outside, the detection of the device is more accurate, which can effectively prevent the relevant water spraying equipment carried by the car washing system from being misjudged during the car washing process, thereby preventing the cleaning equipment of the car washing system from conflicting with the car's own wiper equipment and avoiding damage to the wiper system.

[0026] Specifically, each rainfall detection box is equipped with a transformer connection module, a rainfall collection module and a signal collection module I.

[0027] The input end of the transformer connection module is connected to the vehicle-mounted low-voltage battery, and the output end is connected to the rain collection module and the signal collection module I, ensuring that the rain detection box obtains the required power. This design enables the rain detection box to be directly controlled by the vehicle, and only obtains normal power supply and performs its functions when the vehicle is driving. This method can not only reduce the demand for driving energy, but also prevent the wiper system from starting at unnecessary times, thereby avoiding unnecessary friction increase.

[0028] It is worth noting that in practical applications, the on-board low-voltage battery usually refers to the 12V or 24V lead-acid battery that comes with the vehicle. Since the voltage of these batteries does not meet the working voltage requirements of electrical control components, it is necessary to set up a transformer connection module for appropriate voltage conversion.

[0029] Among them, Figure 4 As shown, the rainfall collection module is composed of an infrared emitting diode, a lens 1, an infrared receiving diode and a lens 2. The infrared emitting diode and the infrared receiving diode are both electrically connected to the signal collection module I.

[0030] During operation, the infrared emitting diode emits infrared light of a specific frequency, and lens 1 adjusts these lights into parallel beams and projects them onto the windshield. Lens 2 is responsible for collecting the infrared light of a specific frequency reflected from the windshield and readjusting it into a parallel beam so that the infrared receiving diode can detect it. By analyzing the numerical difference between the infrared emitting diode and the infrared receiving diode, it can be determined whether there is an obstruction on the front and rear windshields of the car, and whether the obstruction is rain (because rain has refraction and scattering characteristics, and most opaque objects absorb infrared rays, so the numerical difference can be used to determine whether it is rain). In addition, the intensity of rain can be evaluated based on the emission frequency and coverage of infrared light. Therefore, the device can intuitively obtain external rain data through the rainfall collection module, and then decide whether to start the wiper and adjust its swing frequency during use.

[0031] Therefore, in practical applications, the infrared wavelength range of the infrared emitting diode is 800 to 1000 nanometers to meet practical use requirements.

[0032] It is worth noting that in actual applications, the signal acquisition module I of some rainfall acquisition modules is connected to the control chip through electrical connection, and the control chip is used to manage the work of the infrared emitting diode and the infrared receiving diode. However, this practice is a routine operation and does not need to be elaborated. At the same time, the signal acquisition module I can also have these control functions built-in in an integrated manner.

[0033] Among them, the signal acquisition module I has the function of data transmission and reception, which can compile and transcode the data monitored by the rainfall acquisition module and send these data to the car's on-board computer. In addition, this module also has the ability to receive signals and can decode and decipher signal data transmitted from the outside world such as the on-board computer.

[0034] It is worth noting that in actual applications, the signal acquisition module I can be connected to the on-board computer directly through the I / O line, which is routed from the A-pillar of the car, or it can be connected to the on-board computer wirelessly using Bluetooth short-frequency connection or Internet of Things technology.

[0035] It is particularly important to point out that if the signal acquisition module I adopts a wireless connection, it must ensure a sufficiently fast signal transmission rate. For example, if Bluetooth short-band connection is selected, a module with at least Bluetooth 4.0 protocol should be used.

[0036] At the same time, each rainfall detection box also contains a timing chip, and the data of the timing chip will be directly sent to the vehicle computer through the signal acquisition module I.

[0037] Therefore, when the on-board computer detects that the data detected by the two timing chips and the two rainfall collection modules synchronously meet the preset values, the on-board computer will send a corresponding electrical signal to the signal acquisition module II, and the signal acquisition module II will control the operation of the wiper drive component according to the received electrical signal.

[0038] Only when the values ​​detected by the two rain collection modules meet the preset values ​​at the same time, and the corresponding timing chip values ​​of the two rain collection modules meet the preset values ​​differ by less than 3 seconds, the on-board computer will send the corresponding electrical signal to the signal acquisition module II. The signal acquisition module II controls the operation of the wiper drive component according to the received electrical signal.

[0039] Specifically, the wiper system consists of a wiper drive component and a signal acquisition module II.

[0040] The wiper drive component mainly includes a transmission component and a drive motor, and the drive motor is connected to the wiper on the outside of the windshield through the transmission component. When the drive motor is powered on, the wiper can operate normally.

[0041] The structure of the signal acquisition module II is the same as that of the signal acquisition module I, and it can be electrically connected to the vehicle driving computer by wire or wirelessly. However, the signal acquisition module II described in the present application does not need to send signals itself, so the corresponding data transmission circuit can be omitted to reduce costs (in this mode, the signal acquisition module II directly controls whether the drive motor in the wiper drive component is powered on and the resistance and voltage values ​​it receives through circuit connection, and the signal acquisition module II does not realize the operation of the drive motor by sending data).

[0042] However, it must be pointed out that in actual applications, the signal acquisition module II can also have a data transmission function. In this case, it needs to be configured with a corresponding feedback circuit. That is, in actual applications, if the signal acquisition module II controls the wiper drive component to work, the drive motor will feed back a certain amount of data to the signal acquisition module II, and this amount of data can be used to determine whether the drive motor is working properly. In this state, the signal acquisition module II can feed back this data to the vehicle's driving computer to help complete the vehicle self-check and help the driver understand the vehicle status (correspondingly, if the signal acquisition module II has a data transmission function, the wiper drive component can also be electrically connected to the corresponding control module, and the signal acquisition module II controls the wiper drive component by sending an electrical signal to the control module. In this state, the overall design difficulty and failure rate of the vehicle can be significantly reduced, and the overall R&D cost and subsequent maintenance cost of the vehicle will be significantly increased).

[0043] In actual application, when the car's driving computer determines that it is raining outside the car according to the rain detection box, it will send an electrical signal to the signal acquisition module II, which then controls the wiper drive component to work, energizes the drive motor, and the wiper starts to wipe the windshield. At the same time, in this case, according to the data detected by the rain detection box, the car's driving computer matches and compares with its own preset database to determine the amount of rain outside. Therefore, in this state, the signal acquisition module II can control the wiper speed according to the received data.

[0044] It should be pointed out that the wiper drive assembly and its supporting signal acquisition module II are also electrically connected to the low-voltage battery of the car. During the connection process, corresponding transformers and voltage stabilizers must be equipped. Since these devices belong to the scope of existing technology and are not the core technical content of this device, they will not be elaborated here.

[0045] It must be pointed out that in actual operation, given that the two rain collection boxes run synchronously, especially they use the infrared transceiver mode with high energy consumption, therefore, in order to reduce the burden on the low-voltage battery of the car, the device is equipped with a corresponding clock control module in one of the rain collection boxes.

[0046] In practical applications, considering that the front windshield has a large area and a small shielding area, the corresponding clock control module is arranged on the inner side of the front windshield.

[0047] Therefore, the device periodically sends electrical signals to the transformer connection module through the clock control chip. Once the transformer connection module receives these electrical signals, it starts working to power the electrical components inside the rainfall collection box, thereby activating the rainfall collection module.

[0048] In other words, in practical applications, the rainfall collection module achieves the goal of reducing energy consumption by periodically monitoring the external environment.

[0049] In order to further reduce energy consumption, ensure that the frequency of the rainfall collection module when detecting the external environment is low enough, and avoid accidents caused by missed detections.

[0050] In addition, it must be clearly pointed out that in actual driving environments, when light conditions weaken, the driver's visual perception of the surrounding environment will decrease accordingly. At this time, it is particularly important to ensure that there are no obstructions on the front windshield.

[0051] At the same time, in actual situations, rainfall is mostly caused by cumulonimbus clouds, which usually have a significant shielding effect on sunlight. Therefore, rainy weather is usually accompanied by decreased visibility and reduced light intensity.

[0052] Based on this, the device provides that the rain detection box located inside the front windshield is electrically connected to the photosensitive control box. The photosensitive control box is usually installed on the top of the inside of the front windshield of the car or above the center console of the car.

[0053] The photosensitive control box contains a photosensitive element and a signal acquisition module III. The photosensitive element is responsible for monitoring changes in light outside the vehicle and transmitting the data of these changes to the signal acquisition module III.

[0054] The signal acquisition module III is connected to the vehicle's on-board computer, and it sends the data detected by the photosensitive element to the on-board computer. The on-board computer compares the received data with its own database. If the comparison result meets the preset conditions, the on-board computer sends an electrical signal to the signal acquisition module I. At this time, the signal acquisition module I adjusts the operation of the rainfall collection module according to the received electrical signal.

[0055] In addition, the photosensitive control box is also electrically connected to the vehicle's lighting control system. When the data value detected by the photosensitive element meets the preset conditions, the on-board computer will control the vehicle's lighting system to turn on.

[0056] In the practical application process of the present invention:

[0057] First, the driver starts the car, and then all components are powered, and the electrical components covered by this application enter normal working state. At this stage, the clock control chip performs a preliminary self-test, the transformer control module obtains power, and the two rainfall collection modules synchronously monitor the external environment. If the monitoring results show that the external environment is raining, the wiper control component is immediately started to wipe the windshield. At the same time, the photosensitive chip starts working, and the signal acquisition module transmits the external environment conditions to the driving computer;

[0058] Subsequently, if the monitoring result of the rainfall collection module indicates that the external environment is not in a rainy state, and the on-board computer determines that the external visibility is not good based on the judgment of the photosensitive chip, the transformer control module will obtain power, and the two rainfall collection modules will continue to monitor the external environment synchronously. Correspondingly, if the on-board computer determines that the external visibility is good based on the judgment of the photosensitive chip, the transformer module will be powered off, and the clock control chip will return to normal working state;

[0059] Finally, when the external light is good and the clock control chip is working normally, if the monitoring result of the rainfall collection module shows that it is raining in the external environment, the wiper control component will start to wipe the windshield.

[0060] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted rainfall detection device, comprising a rainfall detection box and a wiper system, characterized in that: There are two rain detection boxes, which are respectively arranged on the inner sides of the front and rear windshields of the vehicle, and when the data transmitted to the vehicle driving computer by the two rain detection boxes simultaneously meet the expected values, the vehicle driving computer controls the wiper system to start working; Each of the rainfall detection boxes comprises a transformer connection module, a rainfall collection module, and a signal collection module I; The input end of the transformer connection module is electrically connected to the vehicle-mounted low-voltage battery, and the output end of the transformer connection module is electrically connected to the rainfall collection module and the signal collection module I, and the rainfall detection box is powered by the transformer connection module; The wiper system includes a wiper driving component and a signal acquisition module II. In practice, after the data collected by the two rainfall collection modules are sent to the on-board computer via the signal acquisition module I, the on-board computer compares the received data with its own database. When the result of the comparison by the on-board computer meets the set conditions, the on-board computer sends a corresponding electrical signal to the signal acquisition module II, and the signal acquisition module II controls the operation of the wiper driving component according to the received electrical signal.

2. A vehicle-mounted rainfall detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rain detection box located on the inner side of the front windshield is also electrically connected to a photosensitive control box, which is arranged on the top of the inner side of the front windshield of the car or on the upper side of the center console of the car; The photosensitive control box includes a photosensitive element and a signal acquisition module III, wherein the photosensitive element is used to detect changes in light outside the vehicle and transmit the detected data changes to the signal acquisition module III; The signal acquisition module III is electrically connected to the vehicle's on-board computer. The signal acquisition module III sends the data detected by the photosensitive element to the vehicle's on-board computer. The vehicle's on-board computer compares the received data with its own database. When the result of the comparison by the on-board computer meets the set conditions, the on-board computer sends a corresponding electrical signal to the signal acquisition module I. The signal acquisition module I controls the operation of the rainfall collection module according to the received electrical signal.

3. A vehicle-mounted rainfall detection device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The photosensitive control box is electrically connected to the vehicle light control system. When the data value detected by the photosensitive element meets the set conditions, the vehicle driving computer controls the vehicle lights to turn on.

4. The vehicle-mounted rainfall detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rain detection box located on the inner side of the front windshield also includes a clock control chip. The clock control chip sends an electrical signal to the transformer connection module at regular intervals. The transformer connection module starts working after detecting the electrical signal.

5. The vehicle-mounted rainfall detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the rain detection boxes also includes a timing chip. The data of the timing chip is directly sent to the on-board computer via the signal acquisition module I. When the on-board computer detects that the data detected by the two timing chips and the two rain collection modules synchronously meet the preset values, the on-board computer sends a corresponding electrical signal to the signal acquisition module II. The signal acquisition module II controls the operation of the wiper drive component according to the received electrical signal.

6. The vehicle-mounted rainfall detection device according to claim 5, characterized in that: When the values ​​detected by the two rainfall collection modules simultaneously meet the preset values, and the corresponding timing chip values ​​of the two rainfall collection modules meet the preset values ​​when the difference is less than 3S, the on-board computer sends a corresponding electrical signal to the signal acquisition module II, and the signal acquisition module II controls the wiper drive component to work according to the received electrical signal.

7. The vehicle-mounted rainfall detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The quantity acquisition module includes an infrared emitting diode, a lens 1, an infrared receiving diode and a lens 2, wherein the infrared emitting diode and the infrared receiving diode are both electrically connected to the corresponding signal acquisition module I; In practical applications, the infrared emitting diode emits an infrared beam of a specific frequency, which is corrected into a parallel beam by lens 1 and then projected onto the surface of the windshield. Subsequently, lens 2 collects the infrared beam of a specific frequency reflected by the windshield and corrects it into a parallel beam again. The infrared receiving diode is responsible for receiving the infrared beam of a specific frequency corrected by lens 2.

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