Wataru Hirai

Title: Wataru Hirai: Innovator in Optical Sensor Technology

Introduction

Wataru Hirai is a notable inventor based in Atsugi, Japan. He has made significant contributions to the field of optical sensors, holding three patents that showcase his innovative spirit and technical expertise.

Latest Patents

One of his latest inventions is the vehicular reflective optical sensor. The purpose of this invention is to provide a vehicular reflective optical sensor that has improved control reliability. This sensor is equipped with a control unit that emits detection light at prescribed intervals from a light-emitting unit on the exterior panel of a vehicle towards a detection region set outside the vehicle. It tests for a threshold-exceeded state in which the amount of light in a light reflection received from the detection region by a light-receiving unit exceeds a prescribed detection threshold. If it is detected that a detection target has entered the detection region, the control unit outputs a detection-confirmation signal. The control unit uses, as the detection threshold, the sum of a predetermined fixed value and an adjustment value comprising a summary statistic for the amounts of light in an appropriate number of light reflections preceding the light reflection on which the comparison is being performed.

Another significant patent is the photosensor unit with a condensing lens that includes a plurality of light-emitting convex lenses. The objective of this invention is to provide a photosensor unit with a structure that is simple and does not cause a decrease in detection accuracy. This photosensor unit includes a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element housed in a unit case. It is configured such that reflected light of detection light emitted from the light-emitting element to the outside of the unit case is received by the light-receiving element. A plurality of light-emitting elements are disposed around the light-receiving element, and a passage space for the reflected light inside the unit case is separated from a passage space for the detection light inside the unit case by an appropriate partition.

Career Highlights

Wataru Hirai has worked with prominent companies in the automotive and technology sectors. He has been associated with Alpha Corporation and Nissan Motor Company Limited, where he has applied his innovative ideas to develop advanced sensor technologies.

Collaborations

Wataru has collaborated with notable individuals in his field, including Takashi Ono and Shun Rai. Their combined expertise has contributed to the advancement of optical sensor technology.