US 11,746,569 B2
Vehicle including a water droplet detector
Takahiro Ueki, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to SUBARU CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by SUBARU CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Feb. 26, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/802,355.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-071107 (JP), filed on Apr. 3, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2020/0318399 A1, Oct. 8, 2020
Int. Cl. E05B 83/34 (2014.01); E05B 77/54 (2014.01); E05B 81/64 (2014.01); B60R 16/023 (2006.01); G07C 5/08 (2006.01); G07C 9/00 (2020.01); E05B 77/34 (2014.01)
CPC E05B 77/54 (2013.01) [B60R 16/023 (2013.01); E05B 81/64 (2013.01); E05B 83/34 (2013.01); G07C 5/08 (2013.01); G07C 9/00182 (2013.01); G07C 2009/00269 (2013.01); G07C 2009/00277 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle comprising:
a charging lid configured to cover a charging port of an inlet in an openable and closable manner;
a droplet detector configured to detect droplets including water or foam on a glass surface of the vehicle, the droplet detector comprising an image capturing device; and
a controller configured to release a lock of the charging lid when an access key configured to wirelessly communicate with the vehicle and provide an instruction to lock or unlock a door of the vehicle is present near the vehicle or when an unlock condition for keeping the door unlocked is satisfied,
wherein the droplet detector is configured to:
obtain images in which the droplets are captured at different times with the image capturing device; and
identify one or more directions in which the droplets on the glass surface run based on the captured images, and
wherein the controller is configured to, based on the one or more directions in which the droplets on the glass surface run, lock the charging lid in a closed state, regardless of whether the unlock condition is satisfied, and
wherein the controller is configured to:
release the lock of the charging lid when the droplet detector determines that the droplets run upward substantially vertically; and
lock the charging lid in the closed state when the droplet detector determines that the droplets run down substantially vertically.