Development of rainfall information production technology using the optical signal of windshield rain sensors

초록

A car equipped with the auto-wiping feature has a rain sensor installed on its windshield. This rain sensor detects the intensity of the optical signal coming from the sender when it is reflected from the windshield of the car and returns to the receiver. When raindrops fall on the windshield, the rain sensor reduces the optical signal received by the receiver by scattering the light. Using this principle, this study sought to develop a relationship equation between an optical signal and rainfall (S-R relationship equation), and to use the equation to convert the changes in signal intensity into rainfall intensity. An indoor rainfall generator was developed to create artificial rainfall. By adjusting the pump output level of the rainfall generator, the researchers varied the intensity of the rainfall from the nozzle of the generator. A 5 min experiment was carried out 10 times at each of the pump output levels. Then, the measurements from the rain sensor and those from a self-recording rain gauge were compared to analyze the correlation between the measurements of the rain sensor and rainfall. Using the findings from the analysis, the S-R relationship equation was developed. © 2017 International Information Institute.

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