680 results about "Rain sensor" patented technology

A control system for automatically detecting moisture on the windshield of a vehicle. The automatic moisture detecting system includes an optical system for imaging a portion of the windshield on to an image array sensor, such as a CMOS active pixel sensor. The voltages of each of the pixels which represents the illumination level is converted to a corresponding gray scale value by an analog digital converter. The gray scale values corresponding to the image are stored in memory. The spatial frequency composition of the gray scale values are analyzed to determine the amount of rain present. In order to provide a control signal to control the operation of the windshield wipers of the vehicle as a function of the amount of moisture present. The system is also adapted to detect the level of fog both on the interior of the windshield as well as the exterior of the windshield. By providing a system for automatically detecting the presence of fog on the interior and exterior of the windshield, serious performance limitations of known automatic rain sensors are eliminated.

Power over Ethernet power sourcing device is provided inside a light fixture to enable a communications interface and provide electrical power to devices such as cameras, rain sensors, chemical sensors, wireless data uplink units, and other power over Ethernet powered devices. The power over Ethernet system is especially adapted for use in LED street lights and must be able to operate from a wide AC voltage supply range that is typically found in these types of lights.

A rain sensor for use with an irrigation control system includes a position sensing element. A moisture absorptive element is supported for receiving rainfall. An actuating element is mechanically connected to the moisture absorptive element for movement adjacent the position sensing element as the moisture absorptive element expands and contracts to thereby induce a change in the position sensing element that can be used to generate an interrupt signal without any mechanical connection between the moisture absorptive element and the position sensing element.

The present invention provides a modular controller that connects to irrigation modules with varying station terminals and a standard footprint size. Additionally, the modular controller includes surge protection options, wireless communication with PDA's and other external devices, no required position for each controller module to be connected, immediate display of station modules on the LCD display, retention of a water program if module is removed, communications module for flow monitoring, a modular transformer, rain sensor receiver within the housing, an improved 9-volt batter holder, and other aspects described in the present application.

The invention discloses an implementation method for a speed feedback sign for bend steering vehicle speed safety state prewarning. The speed feedback sign system which consists of a monitoring camera, a rain sensor and a speed feedback sign device is arranged on the roadbed side of a road in front of a bend entrance in a retrograde vehicle direction, wherein a central control chip, a speed measuring radar, a light emitting diode (LED) display screen and prompting characters are arranged in the speed feedback sign device; a driver is warned to control the vehicle speed within a proper range before a vehicle enters a bend according to the conditions such as types of driven vehicles, weather conditions and road alignment conditions, so that traffic accidents after the vehicle enters the bend are prevented, and bend entrance critical safe vehicle speed corresponding to different vehicle types can be prompted in real time aiming at the change of road adhesion coefficients caused by different weather conditions and different bend road sections, and vehicle speed information and running states are fed back to the driver before the vehicle enters the bend; and therefore, enough time for the driver to adjust the vehicle speed is ensured and the road operation safety is improved.

The present invention relates to a rain sensor that adaptively functions in a variety of different modes when deployed on vehicle windows of different thicknesses and compositions. The arrangement of multiple lens segments and reflecting surfaces in a nonsequential configuration allows utilization of a greater proportion of light rays from the at least two emitters. Further, a greater portion of the light rays emitted by the at least two emitters is captured by the lens segments and reflectors arranged about at least two detectors, and directed to the detectors. Connection to analytical circuitry then allows interpretation of electrical signals, which in turn control, for example, window wiper systems.

A visual, rear viewing and rain sensing system for a vehicle comprising a windshield and a button connected to the windshield, with the button having a peripheral body defining an open area in a middle section of the button. The visual, rear viewing and rain sensing system further includes a rain sensor located in the middle section and an interior rearview mirror system connected to the button. The rain sensor is operatively coupled to the windshield independent of the interior rearview mirror system. At least a portion of the rain sensor is no longer operatively coupled to the windshield as the interior rearview mirror system is detached from the button.

An intelligent irrigation rain sensor for use in an irrigation system comprises a rain sensor unit and a sensor control unit. The rain sensor unit has a rain catcher reservoir with an open top for receiving rainwater. The rain catcher has an internal volume for holding water and tapers into a funnel with an opening for metering equally sized round water droplets at a steady-state drip rate. At least one droplet detector is positioned directly below the funnel opening that contacts the water droplets from the funnel. The droplet detector includes detection electrodes for sensing a change in an electrical property being monitored by a detection control in the sensor control unit. Each droplet detected may be counted and the droplet count retained in a memory, or excluded from counting based on certain factors, such as the drip rate between droplets from the funnel opening. Upon exceeding a rain threshold amount over measurement time period, the intelligent irrigation rain sensor issues a rain signal to the irrigation controller. The intelligent irrigation rain sensor issues a corresponding dry signal to the irrigation controller after a drying period has elapsed. The present intelligent irrigation rain sensor may issue consecutive rain signals and accumulate drying periods for each, up to a predetermined limit, before issuing a single dry signal to the irrigation controller.

A system and/or method for sensing the presence of moisture (e.g., rain) and/or other material(s) on a window such as a vehicle window (e.g., vehicle windshield or backlite). In certain example embodiments, a capacitor-based system and/or method is provided for auto-correlating sensor data to determine the existence of a material on the window, and then cross-correlating sensor data to identify the type and/or amount of that material (e.g., rain). This data may be used to actuate and/or deactivate a vehicle's wiper(s), and/or adjust wiper speed. In certain example embodiments, the sensor may include an array of at least two capacitors. In certain example embodiments, the system and/or method may perform check(s) to enhance the accuracy of the detection by comparing, for example, the sign of autocorrelation values, maximum autocorrelation values, and/or gradients of autocorrelation values

A system and/or method for sensing the presence of moisture (e.g., rain) and/or other material(s) on a window such as a vehicle window (e.g., vehicle windshield, sunroof or backlite). In certain example embodiments of the invention, at least one sensing capacitor is supported by a window such as a vehicle windshield, the capacitor(s) having a field that is affected by moisture (e.g., rain) on a surface of the window. The at least one sensing capacitor may have a fractal geometry in certain example embodiments of this invention. The sensing circuit may output an analog signal that is based on and/or related to the sensing capacitor(s). The analog output of the circuit may be converted to a digital signal, and subjected to processing (e.g., correlation) for determining whether moisture (e.g., rain, dew, fog, etc.) or the like is present on the surface of the window.

A rain sensor using light scattering, and more particularly to, a rain sensor for detecting an amount of moisture particles, such as raindrops or fog, accumulated in a front windshield of a vehicle, and applying the amount of moisture particles to an operation of a wiper of the vehicle.

An autonomous ground maintenance vehicle is capable of varying its operating parameters in response to environmental conditions. These operating parameters include maximum permitted acceleration, deceleration, velocity, rate of change of direction and rate of change of steering values. A rain sensor 50 and moisture sensor 51 may be mounted to the vehicle or be positioned on the ground. An inclinometer may also be provided such that the operating parameters may be varied according to the inclination of the ground to be maintained. If guidance means is provided to guide the vehicle along a specified path a variable operating parameter may be a minimum allowable specified path length.

The present invention relates to windows having a capacitive rain detector.

Windows according to the invention are composed of at least one rigid sheet exposed to the rain, the window bearing a capacitive rain detector that is not on the face exposed to rain, the detector comprising electrodes consisting of a thin conducting material, a material that is substantially transparent at these thicknesses, this conducting material covering only a limited part of the window, and substantially corresponding to the electrodes of the detector.

Windows according to the invention are used in particular for motor vehicles.

The invention discloses headlamp adaptive control method and device. The method comprises the steps of: (1) acquiring the current speed v of an automobile in real time, and acquiring the safe stopping distance S of the automobile at the current speed; (2) acquiring a horizontal deflection angle omega corresponding to the optimum lighting position of the headlamp; (3) acquiring a vertical deflection angle beta corresponding to the optimum lighting position of the headlamp; and (4) outputting control signals to control the turning of the headlamp in real time. The device comprises a control unit (1), and a detection unit (2) and a driving mechanism (3) which are respectively connected with the control unit (1), wherein the detection unit (2) comprises a speed sensor (21), a steering wheel angel sensor (22), a front ride height sensor (23), a rear ride height sensor (24), a sunshine and rain sensor (25) and an acceleration sensor (26). The invention has the advantages of large lighting range, good lighting effect, no reflected glare, simple structure, accurate control, good environmental suitability, safety, reliability and comfortable drive.

During rain, including a light source (5) for radiating light such that the light is transmitted through a vehicle window (2), a light receiving element (6) for sensing an optical signal when the light radiated from the light source (5) is reflected from the raindrop fallen on the vehicle window (2) and performing a photoelectric transduction, and a receiver (9) for receiving the photoelectrically transduced signal from the light receiving element (6) and judging the level of rainfall. The light source (5) and the light receiving element (6) are inclined with respect to the surface of the vehicle window (2) such that the light of the light source (5) directly reflected from the vehicle window (2) exits to the outside of the light receiving element (6) and the light reflected from a raindrop (8) on the vehicle window (2) is received by the light receiving element (6) to operate a vehicle wiper.

A control system and method for closing a window on an unattended vehicle includes a window actuator coupled to the window and adapted to move the window. An occupant detection system generates an occupant signal. A rain sensor generates a rain signal. A window obstruction sensor generates an obstruction signal based on an object obstructing a path of the window. A controller communicates with the occupant detection system, the rain sensor and the window obstruction sensor and generates and communicates a window signal to the window actuator based on the occupant signal, the rain signal and the obstruction signal.

A rain sensor provided in a vehicle includes a camera and a processor. The camera takes an image of a scene outside of the vehicle through a windshield of the vehicle with an infinite focal length. The processor detects rain based on a variation degree of intensities of pixels in the image from an average intensity of the pixels.

There is provided a rain sensor capable of adequately detecting raindrops in a captured image. The rain sensor includes: a surface light source 14 which emits light to a windshield G to cause light to be incident on a raindrop detection region T set on the windshield G at a critical angle or more; a camera 15 which is arranged on the optical path of light totally reflected by the detection region T and captures the detection region T; and a detection unit which detects raindrops adhering to the detection region T from contrast in the image captured by the camera 15; the detection unit detects the raindrops adhering to the detection region T based on at least one of the captured image in the detection region T to which light is emitted from the surface light source 14 and the captured image in the detection region T to which light is not emitted from the surface light source 14.

The invention discloses an intelligent rainproof airing device. Two ends of a ceiling of the airing device are fixed on a bracket through a mounting shaft, wherein a clothes airing bar is arranged under the ceiling; rain sensors are arranged on the ceiling; a left rainproof curtain and a right rainproof curtain are coiled on the left side and the right side of the ceiling through a left curtain coiling shaft and a right curtain coiling shaft; a front rainproof curtain and a rear rainproof curtain are coiled on the front side and the rear side of the ceiling through a front curtain coiling shaft and a rear curtain coiling shaft; the front curtain coiling shaft, the rear curtain coiling shaft, the left curtain coiling shaft and the right curtain coiling shaft are driven by an electromotor; sensing signals are output to a controller by the rain sensors; the controller is used for outputting driving signals to the electromotor. The intelligent rainproof airing device has the advantages that the solar energy is used for supplying power source, the device is green and environment-friendly, and the device is capable of intelligently controlling the electromotor to drive according to the change of the weather, automatically unfolding or folding the rainproof curtains and protecting the clothes.