Patent Application
20050174561
The present invention relates to a degree of dew condensation caused by water drops sticking to the outer surface of a glass with the use of a light beam introduced in a glass and traveling therethrough with repetitions of total reflection, and in particular to a dew condensation detecting apparatus in which a light beam is repeatedly reflected through turn-back by a micro-mirror array having a plurality of oblique reflection surfaces that are inclined to the glass surface and are spaced from one another. This technology is effective, in particular, for detecting dew condensation on the inner surface of a windshield glass of a vehicle on the passenger compartment side. However, it can be also applied for detecting water drops (rain drops) sticking to the outer surface of the windshield glass.
There have been already proposed and developed several technologies relating to an optical water drop detecting apparatus for detecting water drops sticking to the outer surface of a glass with the use of a light beam which travels therethrough, repeating total reflection. The water drop detecting apparatus of this type has been practically used in, for example, system which detects raindrops sticking to a windshield glass of a vehicle in order to automatically control a wiper.
If dew condensation on a surface of a glass on the passenger compartment side of a vehicle can be detected, dew can be removed by automatically controlling the operation of the air-conditioner with the use of the detection signal. Accordingly, a satisfactory visual field can be ensured for a driver without any extra manipulation burden upon the driver.
Various ways have been considered for detection of dew condensation, and for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. S61-284645 or Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-296762 discloses such a technology that light of irregular reflection caused by dew condensation is detected in order to detect the dew condensation. Further, as stated above, a process of detecting variation in the quantity of light traveling through a glass with total reflection may be applied for the detection of dew condensation. Further, with the use of this process, there has been proposed an apparatus having a function capable of detecting both rain drops and dew condensation.
For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-193759 discloses an apparatus which introduces two detection light beams from a light emitting element into a laminated body having two transparent plates bonded to each other so that the detection light beams travel through the laminated body with total reflection, and the detection light beams are detected by light receiving elements in order to detect rain drops and dew condensation. Incidentally, this apparatus is configured such that a hologram is formed between the two transparent plates, and one of two detection light beams is the one which carries out total reflection between one of the two transparent plates and the hologram while the other thereof is the one which carries out total reflection between the other of them and the hologram, that is, the one of the detection light beams detects rain drops and the other one of them detects the dew condensation.
In this rain drop/dew condensation detection apparatus, a total reflection hologram is formed between intermediate film parts of a laminated body (for example, a laminated glass for a vehicle) in order to cause light beams to repeat total reflection, and accordingly, a light beam traveling through the glass on the outer side of the vehicle detects rain drops while a light beam traveling through the glass on the passenger compartment side detects dew condensation. Further, the above-mentioned reference discloses such a configuration that the light emitting element and the light receiving element are located on one and the same side, being juxtaposed with each other, while means for returning light beams are provided on the opposite side. It is noted that there is disclosed the use of a turn-back hologram as the means for returning light beams.
The total reflection hologram or the turn-back hologram used in the above-mentioned prior art technology, is a hologram grating which is formed by recording interference fringes caused by two beams, on a photosensitive medium. This is one type of diffraction gratings, and accordingly, its reflection angle substantially has wavelength dependency. Accordingly, the detection light beam should be monochromatic light with no variation in wavelength. However, no appropriate light emitting element has been found up to now. Although a most typical light emitting diode which is one type of the light emitting elements is inexpensive and has a high degree of luminous efficiency, the wavelength range of light emitted therefrom is broad.
By the way, the temperature in the passenger compartment of a vehicle greatly varies from a below-ice point on the lower side to about 80° C. on the higher side in a certain season or in a certain time zone although it is, of course, different, depending upon districts. Semiconductor diodes which are frequently used as light emitting elements for outputting monochromatic light have wavelength vs. temperature characteristics which are worse, and accordingly, an optical path obtained through reflection by a diffraction grating varies. It may be contrived that the temperature characteristic is compensated with the use of a control circuit, but the detecting apparatus itself would become large-sized, resulting in high power consumption. As a result, the detection apparatus body (including a light emitting element, a light receiving element and components associated therewith) eventually has a large heat capacity and a large heat source as well. As a consequence, dew condensation on the surface of the windshield glass becomes different between the zone around the detecting apparatus body and a zone where no components are provided, and a field of view should be ensured, resulting in lowering of the degree of detection accuracy.
In order to avoid the above-mentioned deficiency, a surface zone where dew condensation is detected should be located remote from the detecting apparatus body. As a result, a transmission distance of a light beam introduced into the glass becomes longer, and as a result, a quantity of light detected by the light receiving element becomes less so that the S/N ratio for signal variation becomes worse.
Further, in these years, colored glasses of a green group, having a high thermal insulation effect, are widely used as windshield glasses for vehicles, in order to restrain heat from being propagated into the passenger compartment of a vehicle. Alternatively, ultraviolet absorption type glasses are also frequently used. Since such glasses efficiently absorb light in an infrared region or an ultraviolet region, it is preferable that the wavelength of light emitted from a light emitting element used in the dew condensation detecting apparatus falls in a visible light region.
In a dew condensation preventing system having a configuration which has been conventionally proposed, as stated above, several requirements are imposed to a light emitting element, and no light emitting diodes which can completely satisfy these requirements have not been found, and accordingly, the system has not yet been materialized up to now.
An object of the present invention is to provide a dew condensation detecting apparatus which can directly use a light emitting element that is small-sized and inexpensive, such as a light emitting diode since it has a configuration essentially independent of a wavelength of detected light, and the heat capacity of the detecting apparatus body and the amount of heat generated therefrom become less so as to allow the detecting apparatus body to be small-sized, and further, which is excellent in detectability.
The present invention premises such a configuration of an apparatus that a light beam is introduced into a transparent plate from a light emitting element which is located together with a light receiving element, outside of the transparent plate, then the light beam is transmitted through the transparent plate with repetitions of total reflection before it is detected by the light receiving element, and accordingly, a degree of dew condensation on the surface of the transparent plate is detected in accordance with a variation in quantity of detected light. Accordingly, the present invention is characterized in that the above-mentioned transparent plate is formed of a laminated glass composed of at least two sheet glasses which are bonded to each other through the intermediary of an intermediate film in a part of which a reflection film is formed in parallel with the surfaces of the sheet glasses, a micro-mirror array in which a plurality of oblique reflection surfaces inclined to the surfaces of the sheet glasses are arranged, being spaced from one another, is provided in the reflection film around one end of the latter, and the light emitting element and the light receiving element are arranged being juxtaposed with each other, outside of the laminated glass, in the vicinity of the other end of the reflection film, wherein a light beam from the light emitting element travels within only one of the sheet glasses with the repetitions of reflection on the reflection film and total reflection on the surface of the glass, and the light beam is reflected by the micro-mirror array, turning back to the light receiving element.
With the use of the reflection film provided in the part of the intermediate film, since the light beam travels in only one of the sheet glasses, the number of repetitions of total reflection is increased while the detection surface (in a zone in which a signal from the light receiving element varies when water drops stick to) is also extended, and therefore, the detectability and the detection accuracy can be enhanced. Further, since the micro-mirror array is provided in the part of light turn-back, reflection angles are independent of a wavelength while the optical path is stabilized, thereby it is possible to use any of various types of light emitting elements.
Incidentally, the micro-mirror array has such a configuration that a plurality of triangular columnar members made of, for example, transparent materials are arranged being proximate with each other, and a reflection film is formed on one oblique side surface of each of the triangular columnar members. The triangular columnar members in the micro-mirror array may be either straight-line like or arcuately curvilinear about the midpoint, as a center point, between the light emitting element and the light receiving element.
The micro-mirror array and the reflection film are formed on the inner surface of one of the sheet glasses. In this case, the micro-mirror array and the reflection film may be formed on a transparent film which is then bonded to the inner surface of the one of the sheet glasses.
The plane angle between the optical axis of the light emitting element and the optical axis of the light receiving element is set to be not greater than 30 degrees (preferably, not greater than 10 degrees), and it is preferable that the light emitting element and the light receiving element are arranged so as to be proximate to each other as possible as it can. A light emitting diode is preferably used as the light emitting element, and a photo diode or the like is used as the light receiving element. Prisms each of which is provided with a collimate lens are provided respectively between the light emitting element and the glass surface and between the light receiving element and the glass surface so that the light beam from the light emitting element is collimated and then introduced into the sheet glass while a return light beam led from the sheet glass is converged by the lens before it is incident upon the light receiving element.
The light beam from the light emitting element is incident upon the sheet glass with an incident angle in a range of 42.5 to 63 degrees (preferably within a range of 45 to 47 degrees), and an angle of the oblique reflection surfaces in the micro-mirror array is also set to be substantially equal to the above-mentioned incident angle. The distance from the position where light beam from the light emitting element is incident upon the sheet glass and light beam into the light receiving element is outgoing from the sheet glass to the center position of the micro-mirror array is preferably set to a value from 25 to 100 mm. A green glass may be used as the sheet glass, and in this case a light emitting diode which can emit a green light beam with high transmittance with respect to the green glass is preferably used as the light emitting element.
It is noted that the dew condensation according to the present invention includes not only a narrow dew condensing condition in which vapors in the atmospheric air is condensed into water drops sticking to the glass surface, but also a condition in which the glass surface is fogged by moisture sticking thereto.
Referring to
A lens 30 for collimating a light beam from the light emitting element 20, and a light introducing prism 32 are located between the light emitting element 20 and a glass surface while a light delivery prism 34 and a lens 36 for converging a delivered light beam are located between the glass surface and the light receiving element 22, they being arranged on the glass surface. The light introducing prism 32 is set so that the incident angle of the light beam from the light emitting element with respect to the laminated glass falls in a range of 42.5 to 63 degrees, and the light delivery prism 34 has a similar configuration. Further, the light emitting element 20 and the light receiving element 22 are arranged so that the plane angle between the optical axis of the light emitting element 20 and the optical axis of the light receiving element 22 becomes as small as possible (not greater than 10 degrees in this embodiment), and the light emitting element 20 and the light receiving element 22 are arranged proximate to each other. It is noted that a light emitting diode is used as the light emitting element 20 while a photo diode is used as the light receiving element 22 in this embodiment.
The reflection film 24 is provided in a part of the intermediate film 12 in the laminated glass 14, in parallel with the surface of the sheet glass 10a. This may be a metal thin film having high reflectance. The micro-mirror array 26 is located around one end of the reflection film 24 (around an end part on the side remote from the position where the light emitting element and the light receiving element are located). This micro-mirror array 26 has such a configuration that a plurality of triangular columnar members 40 made of transparent materials, are arranged, proximate to one another, and one oblique side surface of each of the triangular columnar members 40 is formed thereon with a reflection film 42. The angle of the reflection surface (the angle of the oblique surface of the triangular columnar member 40) is set to a value which is substantially equal to the incident angle of a light beam from the light emitting element 20 with respect to the sheet glass 10a. The oblique side surface of each of the triangular columnar members 40, which is formed thereon with the reflection film 42 may be an oblique surface on the side where the light beam from the light emitting element 20 is incident.
In this dew condensation detecting apparatus, the light beam from the light emitting element 20 is collimated into a parallel ray light beam by the lens 30, then is led through the light introducing prism 32, and is introduced into one 10a of the sheet glasses. The light beam introduced in the sheet glass 10a is then reflected on the reflection film 24, and is totally reflected at the interface between the glass 10a and the air, it traveling through the sheet glass 10a with the repetitions of the reflection and the total reflection. The incident angle is set to be not less than 42.5 degrees so that the total reflection is caused at the interface between the glass and the air, but the incident angle is set to be not greater than 63 degrees so that the light beam coming to a part where a water drop sticks to the glass is radiated into the air. The light beam travels while it repeats the total reflection comes to the micro-mirror array 26 where the light beam is turned back toward the light receiving element 22. This return light beam also travels through the sheet glass 10a while it repeats the reflection on the reflection film 24 and the total reflection on the glass surface, and is converged by the lens 36 by way of the light delivery prism 34 before it is incident upon the light receiving element 22.
If water drops do not stick to the glass surface, the total reflection is caused at the interface between the glass and the air, and accordingly, the light beam is confined within the sheet glass 10a so that the quantity of received light by the light receiving element 22 is large. However, if water drops stick to the glass surface, no total reflection is caused at the interface between the water drops and the air, and accordingly, the light beam is transmitted through the interface so that the quantity of received light by the light receiving element 22 decreases. Thus, a degree of dew condensation can be detected in accordance with a light quantity detected by the light receiving element.
The light emitting element 20, the light receiving element 22, the lenses 30, 36 and the prisms 32, 34 are all accommodated in a common housing in a practical configuration, although it is not shown in
The detection area is defined from the position where light beam from the light emitting element 20 is incident upon the sheet glass 10a and light beam into the light receiving element 22 is outgoing from the sheet glass 10a to the center of the micro-mirror array 26. This distance (the length of the detection area) is preferably set to about 25 to 100 mm. Around the detection apparatus body, there is a zone (a heat capacity affection zone a) where the dew condensation condition varies due to its heat capacity, and where the degree of dew condensation is different from that of a zone where a field of view should be ensured. Although the detecting apparatus body is small-sized so as to decrease the heat capacity, the heat capacity affection zone a ranges to about 20 mm from the detecting apparatus body according to a measurement Accordingly, the effective detection area b is a zone far from the heat capacity affection zone a. Further, the detection of dew condensation requires at least two repetitions of the total reflection on the glass surface in order to obtain detection accuracy, but excessive repetitions of the total reflection also causes larger decay during traveling of the light beam. In view of these facts, the length of the detection area (the heat capacity affection zone a (=20 mm)+the effective detection area b) is preferably set to a value from about 25 to 100 mm. Should it become longer than 100 mm, the apparatus would be large-sized so that detection with high detectability is difficult in view of the performance of a practical amplifier circuit.
Referring to
In a laminated glass used for a windshield glass for a vehicle, the thickness of the sheet glasses on both sides is from 1.8 to 2.3 mm while the thickness of the intermediate layer (for example, a polyvinyl butyral layer) is about 0.76 mm. Thus, it is required that not only the reflection film but also the micro-mirror array should have a thickness not greater than about 0.5 mm. Since it is required that the light beams carries out several repetitions of reflection, the reflectance is preferably at least 75% with a normal incident light beam in order to restrain a loss caused by reflection. Specifically, a metal thin film may be used. The triangular columnar members constituting the micro-mirror array are made of transparent resin materials (for example, acrylic resin) having a refractive index substantially equal to that of the sheet glasses, and one oblique side surface thereof is formed thereon with a reflection film formed of a metal thin film or the like.
Next, as shown in B, the reflection films 24, 42 are formed thereon. With oblique deposition in a 45 degrees right downward direction, a metal thin film is deposited so as to form a satisfactory reflection surface which is independent of wavelengths. Thereafter, as shown in C, a transparent film 54 is applied to the sheet glass 10a. In this method, the detection part alone can be separately manufactured without handling a laminated glass having a large size, and accordingly, it is easily in handling, thereby it is possible to offer such an advantage that the productivity can be enhanced.
Examples of result of measurements are shown in
In the case of application of the dew condensation detecting apparatus according to the present invention for detection of dew condensation on a windshield glass in a vehicle, it is preferably installed in a part which is around the upper side part of the windshield glass, and in particular on the back side of a rear view mirror at the center of the upper side thereof in order to prevent the ensuring a field of view from being obstructed.
It is noted that a usual float glass having a soda lime composition or a green glass is preferably used as the sheet glass. Alternatively an ultraviolet absorption type green glass may be also used.
In the dew condensation detecting apparatus according to the present invention as stated above, a light beam is reflected by the reflection film provided in a part of the intermediate layer in the laminated glass, and the light beam is reflected through turn-back by the micro-mirror array in which a plurality of oblique reflection surfaces inclined to the glass surface are arranged, being spaced from one another, and accordingly, its configuration is not essentially dependent upon a wavelength of a detected light beam, thereby it is possible to directly use a small-sized and inexpensive light emitting element such as a light emitting diode. Thus, the heat capacity of the detecting apparatus and the amount of heat generated therefrom can be decreased, and accordingly, the apparatus can be simply small-sized since the detection surface can be arranged proximate to the detecting apparatus body. Further, the detectability becomes satisfactory in view of these facts.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP03/09988 | 8/6/2003 | WO |
