Optical sensor device for the windshield of a motor vehicle having Fresnel lens structures

• US 7,804,055 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2008
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Backes, Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, QUE TAN
• Application Number:
  US12/220,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20090032689A1
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• Field of Search: 250/227.25, 250/227.14, 250/227.24, 250/227.29, 250/227.3, 250/222.1, 250/574, 318/484, 318/444, 340/602
• US Class Current: 250/227.25
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0822 characterized by the arrangement or type of detection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0837 with a particular arrangement of the optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0411 using focussing or collimating elements, i.e. lenses or mirrors; Aberration correction
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/06 Restricting the angle of incident light
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/552 Attenuated total reflection
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/005 arranged along a single direction only, e.g. lenticular sheets G02B3/0043 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/08 with discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lens diffractive Fresnel lenses G02B5/1876

Abstract

An optical sensor device has a sensor unit, which includes a light transmitter, a light receiver and a lens plate, with which a beam of light emitted by the light transmitter is coupled into the window pane, coupled out of the window pane and directed onto the light receiver. On its surface facing the light transmitter and the light receiver, the lens plate includes Fresnel lens structures, and on the opposite surface facing the window pane it includes Fresnel reflector structures. This embodiment is particularly useful as rain sensor. Without light transmitter, the sensor device can be used as a light sensor.

Claims

1. An optical sensor device adapted to be coupled to a window pane, in particular to a windshield of a motor vehicle, comprising a sensor unit which includes a light transmitter, a light receiver and a lens plate for coupling a beam of light emitted by the light transmitter into the window pane, coupling the beam out of the window pane and directing the beam onto the light receiver, wherein the lens plate has a surface facing the light transmitter and the light receiver and provided with Fresnel lens structures, and an opposite surface facing the window pane and provided with Fresnel reflector structures.

2. The optical sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the lens plate provided with the reflector structures is coupled to the window pane by a coupling layer positively resting against the reflector.

3. The optical sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the Fresnel reflector structures reflect on an inner surface.

4. The optical sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the lens plate transforms a converging beam of light on the side of the Fresnel lens structures into a parallel beam of light on the side of the Fresnel reflector structures, and vice versa.

5. The optical sensor device according to claim 4, wherein the parallel beam of light traverses the lens plate perpendicularly to said surfaces.

6. The optical sensor device according to claim 5, wherein the parallel beam of light is obliquely inclined with respect to said surfaces of the lens plate.

7. The optical sensor device according to claim 6, wherein outside the lens plate the parallel beam of light is inclined under an angle of about 45°

to said surfaces.

8. The optical sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the Fresnel reflector structures generally are sawtooth-shaped in cross-section, with a first flank on which the reflection impinges and a second flank on which a parallel beam of light enters or emerges.

9. The optical sensor device according to claim 8, wherein the second flank of the Fresnel reflector structures is traversed perpendicularly.

10. The optical sensor device according to claim 8, wherein on the second flank of the Fresnel reflector structures a refraction of light is effected.

11. The optical sensor device according to claim 9, wherein the second flank of the Fresnel reflector structures consists of two differently steep portions, the less steep one of which forms an entrance or an emergence surface.

12. The optical sensor device according to claim 10, wherein the second flank of the Fresnel reflector structures consists of two differently steep portions, the less steep one of which forms an entrance or an emergence surface.

13. The optical sensor device according to claim 10, wherein the second flank of the Fresnel reflector structures forms an entrance or an emergence surface which is steeper than the first flank.

14. The optical sensor device according to claim 1, and comprising at least one sensor unit which has two separate Fresnel lens structures with opposed Fresnel reflector structures formed in the lens plate adjacent to each other, the light transmitter being disposed in the focus of a first one of said Fresnel lens structures and the light receiver being disposed in the focus of a second one of said Fresnel lens structures, wherein the beam of light emerging from the light transmitter is aligned in parallel by the first Fresnel lens structure, perpendicularly traverses the lens plate, is obliquely directed against the window pane by the corresponding Fresnel reflector structure and is totally reflected by the window pane and then coupled into the lens plate by the Fresnel reflector structure belonging to the second Fresnel lens structure and perpendicularly directed through the lens plate onto the second Fresnel lens structure and concentrated by the same on the light receiver.

15. The optical sensor device according to claim 14, and including an even number of sensor units, which have a common lens plate.

16. An optical sensor device adapted to be coupled to a window pane, in particular to a windshield of a motor vehicle, comprising a sensor unit which includes a light receiver and a lens plate for coupling a beam of light impinging on the window pane out of the window pane and directing the beam onto the light receiver, wherein the lens plate has a surface facing the light receiver and provided with Fresnel lens structures, and an opposite surface facing the window pane and provided with Fresnel reflector structures.

17. The optical sensor device according to claim 16, wherein the surface of the lens plate provided with the reflector structures is coupled to the window pane by a coupling layer positively resting against the reflector structures.

18. The optical sensor device according to claim 16, wherein the Fresnel reflector structures reflect on an inner surface.

19. The optical sensor device according to claim 16, wherein the lens plate transforms a converging beam of light on the side of the Fresnel lens structures into a parallel beam of light on the side of the Fresnel reflector structures, and vice versa.

20. The optical sensor device according to claim 19, wherein the parallel beam of light traverses the lens plate perpendicularly to said surfaces.

21. The optical sensor device according to claim 19, wherein the parallel beam of light is obliquely inclined with respect to said surfaces of the lens plate.

22. The optical sensor device according to claim 21, wherein outside the lens plate the parallel beam of light is inclined under an angle of about 45°

to said surfaces.

23. The optical sensor device according to claim 16, wherein the Fresnel reflector structures generally are sawtooth-shaped in cross-section, with a first flank on which the reflection impinges and a second flank on which a parallel beam of light enters or emerges.

24. The optical sensor device according to claim 23, wherein the second flank of the Fresnel reflector structures is traversed perpendicularly.

25. The optical sensor device according to claim 23, wherein on the second flank of the Fresnel reflector structures a refraction of light is effected.

26. The optical sensor device according to claim 23, wherein the second flank of the Fresnel reflector structures consists of two differently steep portions, the less steep one of which forms an entrance or an emergence surface.

27. The optical sensor device according to claim 23, wherein the second flank of the Fresnel reflector structures consists of two differently steep portions, the less steep one of which forms an entrance or an emergence surface.

28. The optical sensor device according to claim 25, wherein the second flank of the Fresnel reflector structures forms an entrance or an emergence surface which is steeper than the first flank.

29. The optical sensor device according to claim 16, wherein a beam of light impinging on the window pane under a narrow detection angle obliquely traverses the same and then is coupled into the lens plate by the Fresnel reflector structure and perpendicularly directed through the lens plate onto the Fresnel lens structure and thereby concentrated on the light receiver.

30. A combined rain/light sensor, comprising

(i) a first optical sensor device adapted to be coupled to a window pane, in particular to a windshield of a motor vehicle, comprising a sensor unit which includes a light transmitter, a light receiver and a lens plate for coupling a beam of light emitted by the light transmitter into the window pane, coupling the beam out of the window pane and directing the beam onto the light receiver, wherein the lens plate has a surface facing the light transmitter and the light receiver and provided with Fresnel lens structures, and an opposite surface facing the window pane and provided with Fresnel reflector structures;

and

(ii) a second optical sensor device adapted to be coupled to a window pane, in particular to a windshield of a motor vehicle, comprising a sensor unit which includes a light receiver and a lens plate for coupling a beam of light impinging on the window pane out of the window pane and directing the beam onto the light receiver, wherein the lens plate has a surface facing the light receiver and provided with Fresnel lens structures, and an opposite surface facing the window pane and provided with Fresnel reflector structures.