Transparent substrate having rain sensor

• US 5,991,049 A
• Filed: 07/22/1998
• Issued: 11/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Niles Company Limited (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Nippon Sheet Glass Company Limited (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Koyama, Tadashi, Tsunetomo, Keiji, Tanaka, Shuhei, Imanishi, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): Font, Frank G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ratiff, Reginald A.
• Application Number:
  US09/120,142
• Time in Patent Office: 489 Days
• Field of Search: 356/388, 356/334, 356/328, 356/445
• US Class Current: 356/445
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0822 characterized by the arrangement or type of detection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0833 Optical rain sensor
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0881 characterized by the attachment means on the windshield

Abstract

A front windshield 1 having a rain sensor 2 for detecting the adhesion or presence of water drops W upon one side surface thereof, depending upon variation in an amount of reflected light, wherein the rain sensor 2 comprises: a light emitting element 7 for introducing a sensing light beam into the front windshield 1; a light receiving element 8 for detecting the light beam which is propagated by total internal reflection within the front windshield 1; and diffraction gratings 5, 6 formed on a surface of a glass substrate 4, through which the light emitting element 7 and the light receiving element 8 are provided on glass surface, whereby the rain sensor 2 is adhered on the other side surface of the front windshield 1 by means of an adhesive material 3 having a refractive index equivalent to that of the glass substrate 4.

Claims

1. A transparent substrate having a rain sensor for detecting adhesion or presence of water drops upon one side surface thereof, depending upon variation in an amount of a reflected light, wherein said rain sensor comprises:

a light emitting element for introducing a sensing light beam into said transparent substrate;

a light receiving element for detecting a light beam which is propagated by total internal reflection within said transparent substrate from said sensing light beam; and

a diffraction grating formed on a surface of the transparent substrate, through which said light emitting element and said light receiving element are provided on said transparent surface, whereby said rain sensor is adhered on the other side surface of said transparent substrate by an adhesive material having a refractive index equivalent to that of said transparent substrate.

2. A transparent substrate having a rain sensor as defined in claim 1, wherein said diffraction grating is formed by an ablation phenomenon caused by irradiation of a laser beam directly upon a surface of said glass substrate.