Denso Corporation

Nippon Soken, Inc.

Denso Corpora Tion

Makiko Sugiura

Takahiko Yoshida

Yasuyuki Okuda

Kazuaki Watanabe

Inao Toyoda

Mitsuyasu Matsuura

Toshiki Isogai

Yasutoshi Suzuki

Hisanaga Matsuoka

Takaaki Kawai

Yuta Hasebe

Tetsuo Fujii

Toshimasa Yamamoto

Kazuhiko Kano

Hirofumi Higuchi

Hiroyuki Wado

Junichi Ishikawa

Tetsuo Yoshioka

Ryonosuke Tera

Kiyoshi Otsuka

Masatoshi Tokunaga

Tomoki Itoh

Minekazu Sakai

Yukihiro Takeuchi

Yasuaki Makino

Seiichiro Ishio

Toshihiro Hattori

Hiroshi Tanaka

Yasushi Kohno

Minoru Murata

Akihiro Hayashi

Yoshinori Ohtsuka

Toshitaka Yamada

Jun Tarui

Kunihiko Chiba

Nobuyuki Kato

Keiko Akiyama

Yukari Itou

Koji Hattori

Takayuki Ishikawa

Kenji Fukumura

Ayako Kotani

Tomohide Ariki

Noboru Endoh

Ryounosuke Tera

Yuuta Hasebe

A seat reclining position control device includes: a seat on which an occupant of a vehicle sits; an adjustment part configured to adjust an angle of a backrest of the seat; a sleep state detection unit configured to detect a sleep state of the occupant; a control unit that operates the adjustment unit to control the angle; and a vehicle interior detection unit configured to detect a vehicle interior state of the vehicle. The control unit implements a seat angle control to adjust the angle of the backrest for the occupant in the sleep state based on the vehicle interior state to a suitable sleeping angle suitable for sleeping when the sleep state detection unit detects the sleep state of the occupant.

Seat reclining position control device

An adhering matter determination portion includes an irradiation portion, a light receiving portion and a determination portion. The irradiation portion radiates a light to a plurality of different areas of a transparent plate. The light receiving portion converts reflected waves reflected at the different areas into electrical signals. The determination portion compares at least one of detection signals outputted from the light receiving portion with a determination threshold. When the detection signal is lower than the determination threshold, the determination portion determines that there is an adhering matter on the transparent plate. The determination portion compares the detection signals. When a difference of the detection signals is higher than a condensation determination value, the determination portion determines that the adhering matter is raindrops. When the difference of the detection signals is lower than the condensation determination value, the determination portion determines that the adhering matter is dewdrops.

Adhering matter determination device

An ultrasonic sensor device includes a substrate, a piezoelectric vibrator, and a Q-factor adjuster. The piezoelectric vibrator includes a pair of detection electrodes that face each other in a thickness direction of the substrate and a piezoelectric body interposed between the electrodes. The piezoelectric vibrator provides a membrane structure which is formed on a surface of the substrate and has rigidity lower than that of a remaining portion of the substrate. An ultrasonic wave is transmitted by the piezoelectric vibrator, and its reflected wave is received by the same piezoelectric vibrator. The Q-factor adjuster adjusts a Q-factor of the piezoelectric vibrator so that the Q-factor can be larger during a transmission period where the piezoelectric vibrator transmits the ultrasonic wave than during a reception period where the piezoelectric vibrator receives the ultrasonic wave.

Ultrasonic sensor device

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.

Rain sensor

A complex device includes: a substrate having a thick portion, a cavity and a membrane for bridging the cavity; and multiple piezoelectric elements having a lower electrode, a piezoelectric film and an upper electrode. A part of the piezoelectric elements has a projecting portion arranged on the upper electrode. The part of piezoelectric elements () provides a vertical pressure detection element. The piezoelectric elements further have an ultrasonic element other than the vertical pressure detection element. The ultrasonic element is arranged over at least the cavity of the substrate in a horizontal direction.

Pressure and ultrasonic sensor

An optical sensor includes a light receiving portion, a definition portion, and a selection portion. The definition portion defines an incident angle of an incident light that enters the light receiving portion. The selection portion selects a wavelength of the incident light that enters the light receiving portion. The definition portion has a light shielding film disposed above the light receiving portion, and an opening formed in the light shielding film. The selection portion has a slit formed in the light shielding film disposed within a region surrounded by the opening.

Optical sensor

An ultrasonic sensor is disclosed. The ultrasonic sensor includes a piezoelectric element and an acoustic matching member. The piezoelectric element is configured to detect ultrasonic wave transmitted from a transmitter and reflected by a detection target object located in a detection target space. The acoustic matching member is configured to conduct the received ultrasonic wave to the piezoelectric element. The piezo electric element is covered with the acoustic matching member including a principal oscillation portion and a supplement oscillation portion. Thickness of a part of the supplement oscillation portion, the part covering the piezoelectric element, is smaller than a predetermined thickness threshold.

Ultrasonic sensor

An ultrasonic sensor includes a transmitting device, a receiving device, and a circuit device. The circuit device determines that the receiving device receives an ultrasonic wave reflected from an object, when an output voltage of the receiving device is equal to or greater than a first threshold. The circuit device includes a humidity detection section configured to detect an ambient humidity of the transmitting and receiving devices and a threshold adjustment section configured to calculate, based on the detected ambient humidity, a sound pressure of the ultrasonic wave that is received by the receiving device after propagating over a round-trip distance between the ultrasonic sensor and the object. The threshold adjustment section reduces the first threshold, when the output voltage corresponding to the calculated sound pressure is less than a second threshold that is greater the first threshold.

An ultrasonic flow meter includes a first ultrasonic sensor, a second ultrasonic sensor, a volume-flow operation portion, a temperature operation portion, a pressure operation portion, and a correction operation portion. The ultrasonic sensors transmit and receive a plurality of ultrasonic waves of different frequencies and are disposed on opposite sides of a flow channel in which fluid flows. The volume-flow operation portion calculates a volume flow of the fluid based on a propagation time difference of the ultrasonic wave. The temperature operation portion analyzes signals from one of the ultrasonic sensors and calculates a temperature of the fluid. The pressure operation portion analyzes signals from one of the ultrasonic sensors and calculates a pressure of the fluid. The correction operation portion corrects the volume flow with the temperature and the pressure.

Ultrasonic flow meter having ultrasonic sensor with plurality of transmitters for transmitting ultrasonic waves at different frequencies

An ultrasonic sensor includes a transmitting device, receiving devices arranged in an array, and a circuit device. One receiving device is configured as a reference receiving device. The circuit device includes a reference signal generator and first and second synchronous detectors. The reference signal generator generates a reference signal by using a received signal of the reference receiving device. The first synchronous detector performs synchronous detection of a received signal of one of the receiving devices based on the reference signal to detect a distance to an object. The second synchronous detector performs synchronous detection of received signals of the receiving devices except the reference receiving device based on the reference signal to detect a direction of the object.

Ultrasonic sensor with piezoelectric elements and acoustic matching members

An ultrasonic sensor for detecting an object includes: a piezoelectric element having a piezoelectric body and first and second electrodes for sandwiching the piezoelectric body; an acoustic matching element having a reception surface, which receives an ultrasonic wave reflected by the object; and a circuit electrically coupled with the piezoelectric element via a wire. The piezoelectric element is embedded in the acoustic matching element so that the acoustic matching element covers at least the first electrode, a part of a sidewall of the piezoelectric element and a part of the wire between the circuit and the piezoelectric element, and the sidewall of the piezoelectric element is adjacent to the first electrode.

In an ultrasonic sensor, a first receiving device is configured to be sendable and receivable an ultrasonic wave. The ultrasonic wave sent from the first receiving device is transmitted through a vibration-reducing member disposed between the first receiving device and a second receiving device, and the second receiving device detects the ultrasonic wave. The ultrasonic sensor self diagnoses whether the second receiving device is operated without malfunction based on a detection signal of the second receiving device.

Ultrasonic sensor and self diagnostic method of the same

An ultrasonic sensor includes a piezoelectric element and an acoustic matching member that are joined together to form an ultrasonic detector base. The ultrasonic detector base is sectioned by a clearance extending in an ultrasonic propagation direction to form multiple ultrasonic detectors arranged in an array. The clearance does not entirely section the ultrasonic detector base so that the ultrasonic detectors are joined together by a portion of the ultrasonic detector base.

Ultrasonic sensor including a piezoelectric element

An ultrasonic sensor includes an ultrasonic detecting element, an acoustic matching member, and an oscillation damping member. The ultrasonic detecting element detects an ultrasonic wave. The acoustic matching member has a receiving surface that is adapted on a side of the certain object to be exposed to a space, in which the detected body exists. The receiving surface receives the ultrasonic wave reflected by the detected body. The acoustic matching member is made of a material having an acoustic impedance larger than that of air and smaller than that of the ultrasonic detecting element. The oscillation damping member is disposed between an attachment portion and the acoustic matching member. The attachment portion is adapted for attaching the ultrasonic sensor to the certain object. The oscillation damping member damps transmission of oscillation from the certain object to the acoustic matching member.

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Hekinan, Japan

Makiko Sugiura