Niles Parts Company, Ltd.

Niles Co., Ltd.

Tetsuo Taoka

There is provided a rain sensor capable of adequately detecting raindrops in a captured image. The rain sensor includes: a surface light sourcewhich 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 camerawhich 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; 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 sourceand the captured image in the detection region T to which light is not emitted from the surface light source

Rain sensor

An electronic flasher system adapted to change an operating sound in dependence on situations surrounding a vehicle when the vehicle changes its direction or lane, so that the driver can grasp the situations surrounding the vehicle by merely listening to such operating sound. The flasher system includes a flasher circuit 21A connected with a sound generator 3 for generating operating sound, and a situation detecting sensor 6 for outputting an output signal in dependence on a running state of the vehicle. The flasher circuit 21A causes a change of the turn-signal operating sound generated by the sound generator 3 in accordance with an obstacle detection signal from an obstacle sensor 61 and a vehicle speed detection signal from a vehicle-speed sensor 62.

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Tokyo, Japan

Tetsuo Taoka