Reflective material sensor

• US 8,873,062 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2012
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harold Russell Baird, Jeffrey Scott Adler
• Original Assignee: Harold Russell Baird, Jeffrey Scott Adler
• Inventors: Adler, Jeffrey Scott, Baird, Harold Russell
• Primary Examiner(s): CHOWDHURY, TARIFUR RASHID
• Assistant Examiner(s): Valentin, II, Juan D
• Application Number:
  US13/507,956
• Publication Number:
  US 20140043613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• US Class Current: 356/445
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0833 Optical rain sensor
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0837 with a particular arrangement of the optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/945 Liquid or solid deposits of macroscopic size on surfaces, e.g. drops, films, or clustered contaminants dust particles and microscopic contaminants in G01N21/94
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/55 Specular reflectivity
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/94 Investigating contamination, e.g. dust G01N21/85 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/062 LED's

Abstract

Described herein is a sensor for sensing reflective material. The sensor includes a housing with a transparent window and a sensor mount located in the housing and angled away from a housing wall. A radiation emitter is mounted in the sensor mount and emits radiation along an axis through the transparent window which has an amount of the reflective material located thereon. A radiation detector is mounted in the sensor mount and located adjacent the radiation emitter. The radiation detector is located to receive reflected radiation from the reflective material along another axis. The first axis is angled towards the second axis.

Claims

1. A sensor for sensing reflective material, the sensor comprising:

a housing having a transparent window;

a sensor mount located in the housing and angled away from a housing wall;

a radiation emitter mounted in the sensor mount for emitting radiation along a first axis through the transparent window, the transparent window having an amount of the reflective material located thereon; and

a radiation detector mounted in the sensor mount and located adjacent the radiation emitter, the radiation detector being located to receive reflected radiation from the reflective material along a second axis, the first axis being angled towards the second axis,

wherein the radiation emitter includes two radiation emitters each located on either side of the radiation detector, the two radiation emitters being mounted to emit radiation along their respective first axes through the transparent window towards a common focal point on an outer surface of the transparent window.

2. The sensor, according to claim 1, in which the sensor mount includes two spaced apart cavities aligned along the respective first axes in which the radiation emitters are located, and another cavity aligned along the second axis in which the radiation detector is located.

3. The sensor, according to claim 1, in which the sensor mount is located at a junction between the housing wall and a housing floor so that sensor mount is angled away from the housing wall.

4. The sensor, according to claim 1, in which a baffle extends into the housing from the housing wall.

5. The sensor, according to claim 1, in which a temperature sensor is located on a lower surface of the transparent window.

6. The sensor, according to claim 1, in which a baffle wall extends into the housing from the housing wall;

and a temperature sensor is located on a lower surface of the transparent window.

7. The sensor, according to claim 1, in which the radiation emitter is a Light Emitting Diode (LED).

8. The sensor, according to claim 1, in which the radiation detector is a photo transistor or photo diode located adjacent to the radiation emitter so as to detect reflected radiation.

9. The sensor, according to claim 1, in which the radiation emitter is disposed so that radiation is emitted through the transparent window at an angle that does not cause a surface reflection back to the radiation detector.

10. The sensor, according to claim 5, in which a controller is located in the housing and is connected to a variable resistor, the radiation detector, the radiation emitter and the temperature sensor.

11. The sensor, according to claim 5, in which a controller is located in the housing and is connected to a fixed resistor, the radiation detector, the radiation emitter and the temperature sensor.

12. The sensor, according to claim 1, in which the radiation detector is an integrated circuit having a photo transistor, a photo diode or a light dependent resister located adjacent to the radiation emitter so as to detect reflected radiation.

13. The sensor, according to claim 1, in which the reflective material is winter precipitation.

14. The sensor, according to claim 13, in which the winter precipitation is snow, sleet, frost, ice or ice pellets.

15. The sensor, according to claim 1, in which the reflective material is non-winter precipitation.

16. The sensor, according to claim 15, in which the non-winter precipitation is reflective liquids, dirt, or particulate material suspended in liquids.

17. The sensor, according to claim 1, is mounted for use on motorized transportation including trucks, cars, motor bikes, recreational vehicles, trains, or boats.

18. The sensor, according to claim 1, is mounted for use on solar panels and trough reflectors.

19. The sensor, according to claim 1, is mounted for use on sidewalks, driveways, walkways, roads, roofs, or infrastructure projects.

20. The sensor, according to claim 1, is mounted for use with greenhouses, atriums, windows, freezer glass doors, skylights;

on planes, helicopters;

food services, freezers/fridges, spacecraft, buildings;

for landscaping such as grass and garden maintenance, crops;

or for weather determination, climate, ecosystem preservation;

or for medical applications and storage of tissues and cells, sterilizations;

or for food preparation and preservation, and the like.

21. The sensor, according to claim 1, is used in solar applications for building materials including decking, walls or shingles.