OPTICAL RAIN SENSOR APPARATUS FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE

• Main Authors: HODAPP, BRUNO, PACK, ANDREAS, WOLFF, MARKUS, HOG, NORBERT, FEILER, WOLFGANG, SCHWARZ, AXEL
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 14.12.2011
• Subjects: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MEASURING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; SERVICING, CLEANING, REPAIRING, SUPPORTING, LIFTING, ORMANOEUVRING OF VEHICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; TESTING; TRANSPORTING; VEHICLES IN GENERAL

An optical rain sensor apparatus for a motor vehicle, having at least one electromagnetic radiation source (6) and at least one receiving device (7), by means of which electromagnetic radiation (4, 5) emitted by the at least one radiation source (6) can be received, wherein the electromagnetic radiation (4, 5) from the at least one radiation source (6) is guided, by means of at least one transmitter optics arrangement (30a), to an interface of the windscreen of the motor vehicle to the outside of the vehicle, is reflected there and guided further to the at least one receiving device (7) by means of at least one receiver optics arrangement (30b). The at least one transmitter optics arrangement (30a) and the at least one receiver optics arrangement (30b) each have at least one curved total reflective surface (13a, 13b) for the electromagnetic radiation (4, 5), wherein the curvatures of the respective total reflective surface (13a, 13b) of the at least one transmitter optics arrangement (30a) and of the at least one receiver optics arrangement (30b) are matched to one another such that the electromagnetic radiation (4, 5) is spread by the curved total reflective surface (13a) of the transmitter optics arrangement (30a) and focused by the curved total reflective surface (13b) of the receiver optics arrangement (30b) onto the receiving device (7).