Sensor device for detecting wetting of a glass pane, in particular of a vehicle glass pane

Abstract

In a sensor device for detecting wetness of a pane, the sensor device has at least one radiation emitter and at least one radiation receiver, has at least one optical guiding element which can be coupled to the inner side of the pane for guiding the radiation emitted by the radiation emitter, wherein the radiation entry side and the radiation exit side of the guiding element are each configured as a lens arrangement, and at least one lens arrangement is configured by side-by-side arranged lens profiles, it is provided that the lens arrangement of the radiation entry side has at least two lens profiles, the entry faces of the lens profiles of the radiation entry side are inclined relative to one another, radiation can enter into the guiding element through the entry faces, the lens arrangement of the radiation exit side has at least two lens profiles, the exit faces of the lens profiles of the radiation exit side are inclined relative to one another, radiation can exit from the guiding element through the exit faces. The invention furthermore relates to a vehicle having a sensor device and to a method for detecting the degree of wetness of a pane using a sensor device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sensor device for detecting the wetting of a glass plate, particularly a vehicle glass plate, the sensor device having at least one radiation emitter for emitting radiation and at least one radiation receiver for receiving radiation, and at least one optical guiding element for guiding the radiation emitted by the radiation emitter, the optical guiding element being coupled to the inner side of the glass plate, wherein at least one radiation incident side of the guiding element is assigned to at least one radiation emitter and at least one radiation emitting side of the guiding element is assigned to at least one radiation receiver, wherein the radiation incident side and the radiation emitting side of the guiding element are respectively configured as lens devices, and wherein at least one lens device is constructed by a lens profile arranged side by side. Background Technology

[0002] Sensor devices are widely used in motor vehicles to detect the degree of wetting, for example, for identifying precipitation on glass plates, especially windshields. In this case, the corresponding sensor devices are mostly arranged in the upper region of the windshield to determine the degree of wetting on the windshield. To detect the degree of wetting, optical sensor devices can be used, for example, where a radiation signal, especially an infrared signal, is coupled into the windshield and then coupled out again after the radiation has traveled a certain length (Laufstrecke) in the windshield. The level of total internal reflection in the windshield can be determined based on the component of the re-coupled radiation output. In this case, the component of total internal reflection in the windshield is affected by, for example, wetting of the windshield with water. In particular, because radiation can be coupled out through the wetting area, the component of total internal reflection in the windshield is reduced due to wetting with water.

[0003] For example, a sensor device for detecting the degree of wetting and / or contamination of a glass plate arranged in a motor vehicle is known from DE 199 55 423 A1. In this case, to reduce the external radiation component from the environment, individual optical guiding elements are molded on the walls of the housing, and these optical guiding elements are separated from each other by barrier elements. The sensor device has a radiation emitter and a radiation receiver, which are arranged as SMD components on a circuit carrier.

[0004] Because the sensitivity may be unevenly distributed across the detection surface, sensor devices known from the prior art are constructed such that they cannot distinguish the size and position of water droplets within the rain detection surface. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The objective of this invention is to propose a sensor device of the type mentioned at the beginning, which can be used to determine the position and size of raindrops on a detection surface.

[0006] This task is accomplished using a sensor device for detecting the wetting of glass plates, particularly those of vehicles, a vehicle, and a method for detecting the degree of wetting of the glass plates. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are described in other descriptions.

[0007] In a sensor device for detecting the wetting of a glass plate, particularly a vehicle glass plate, the sensor device has at least one radiation emitter for emitting radiation and at least one radiation receiver for receiving radiation, and at least one optical guiding element for guiding the radiation emitted by the radiation emitter, the optical guiding element being coupled to the inner side of the glass plate, wherein at least one radiation incident side of the guiding element is assigned to at least one radiation emitter and at least one radiation emitting side of the guiding element is assigned to at least one radiation receiver, wherein the radiation incident side and the radiation emitting side of the guiding element are respectively configured as lens devices, and wherein at least one lens device is constructed by lens profiles arranged side by side. The invention essentially specifies that the lens device on the radiation incident side has at least two lens profiles, the incident surfaces of the lens profiles on the radiation incident side are inclined relative to each other, and radiation can enter the guiding element through the incident surfaces. The lens device on the radiation emitting side has at least two lens profiles, and the exit surfaces of the lens profiles on the radiation emitting side are inclined relative to each other, and radiation can exit from the guiding element through the exit surfaces.

[0008] A sensor device is configured to be disposed on the inner side of a glass panel, particularly on the windshield of a vehicle. The sensor device has at least one radiator for emitting radiation, particularly electromagnetic radiation, such as infrared radiation. For example, the radiator can be configured as an LED. Electromagnetic radiation can be emitted by the radiator, and this radiation can be coupled into the windshield panel, where it undergoes a measurement segment (Messstrecke) due to total internal reflection at a side of the glass panel. At the end of the measurement segment, the electromagnetic radiation can exit from the windshield panel, i.e., be coupled out, and is detected by at least one radiation receiver. Due to factors such as raindrops on the windshield panel, the component of the electromagnetic radiation that undergoes total internal reflection may be reduced, causing the electromagnetic radiation to be coupled out at these points on the windshield panel. To couple the electromagnetic radiation into and out of the windshield panel, the sensor device has at least one optical guiding element, which can be constructed, for example, by a glass body or a plastic body, particularly a transparent body. In particular, the optical guiding element is transparent to infrared radiation. In this case, optical guiding elements can be assigned not only to the radiating emitter but also to the radiating receiver, preferably a common optical guiding element for both. Specifically, the optical guiding element can have a radiation incident side for coupling radiation emitted by the radiating emitter into the guiding element and / or a radiation emitting side for coupling the emitted radiation out of the guiding element. In this case, the radiation incident side is assigned to the radiating emitter, and the radiation emitting side is assigned to the radiating receiver. Furthermore, the guiding element has a surface facing the glass plate for coupling electromagnetic radiation into or out of the glass plate. The radiation incident and radiation emitting sides of the guiding element can be arranged at acute angles relative to the plane of the glass plate, such that total internal reflection of the radiation emitted by the radiating emitter can occur in the glass plate, particularly on the outward-facing side of the glass plate, i.e., on the side of the glass plate opposite to the guiding element, for example, on the side of the windshield of a vehicle opposite to the interior space. Similarly, the radiation exit side can have, for example, an acute angle relative to the glass plate, such that radiation that is totally internally reflected in the glass plate and coupled out from the glass plate can be directed from the radiation exit side to the radiation receiver. For example, the radiation emitter can be a light source, particularly an LED, through which radiation is emitted. The radiation is coupled into the windshield plate via a guiding element, and after at least one total internal reflection at the outer side of the glass plate, i.e., on the side of the glass plate opposite to the guiding element, the radiation can be coupled out from the windshield plate again. The radiation incident side and the radiation exit side can be constructed as a lens device with multiple lens profiles. In particular, the lens profiles can be constructed as condenser lenses, i.e., lenses with convex curvatures.The radiation emitted by the radiation emitter can be expanded within the guiding element by a lens arrangement at the radiation incident side, thereby directing the radiation onto the largest possible area of ​​the windshield. The detection area of ​​the sensor device is defined by the area irradiated by the radiation. The radiation coupled out of the windshield can be focused onto different areas of the radiation receiver by a lens arrangement at the radiation exit side. For this purpose, the radiation receiver can, for example, have multiple side-by-side sensing effective areas, such as multiple photodiodes, onto which the coupled radiation is focused by lens profiles. Thus, the radiation coupled out of different areas of the detection area can be evaluated by the different sensing effective areas of the radiation receiver. For example, when the radiation exit side of the guiding element is constructed as a single condenser lens, the sensitivity of the photodiode can decrease from the center toward its edge by focusing the radiation onto the middle area of ​​a single photodiode of the radiation receiver. By using a radiation receiver with multiple sensing effective areas and focusing the radiation coupled out of the windshield onto each sensing effective area through multiple lens profiles, a uniform distribution of radiation sensitivity on the surface of the radiation receiver can be given. Furthermore, the radiation sensitivity of a radiation receiver with multiple effective sensing areas can be improved compared to a radiation receiver with only one effective sensing area. In particular, the statistical statement of the measurement is increased by detecting multiple substantially unrelated areas. The detection area at the glass plate is constructed by the region of total internal reflection of radiation that may be coupled into the glass plate, i.e., by the measurement segment. This area can be amplified by expanding the radiation through a lens profile on the radiation incident side. Thus, for example, the position or even the size of a raindrop on the glass plate can be determined in the detection area, because radiation is coupled out from the windshield in the area where the raindrop is located and therefore does not reflect towards the radiation receiver. Radiation with lower intensity is reflected by these areas and conducted to the radiation receiver.

[0009] The lens device is constructed using lens profiles arranged side-by-side. Both the radiation incident side and the radiation exit side can have lens devices composed of lens profiles arranged side-by-side. The lens device on the radiation incident side has at least two, preferably four, lens profiles, wherein the incident surfaces of two lens profiles—that is, the surfaces through which radiation from the radiation source can enter the guiding element—are inclined relative to each other. Therefore, there should be no continuous transition between the lens profiles; instead, the lens profiles are inclined relative to each other. The lens profiles can be arranged in a 2×2 grid. The lens profiles are each convexly constructed, i.e., constructed as condensing lenses. The lens profiles are preferably connected by a common lens body. Different lens profiles provide separate incident surfaces for radiation entering the lens medium, i.e., entering the guiding element. Thus, the radiation emitted by the radiation source (e.g., an LED) is divided into beams. Therefore, the input beam is divided into four separate beams by four different lens profiles. However, the individual beams can overlap. The divided beams of light, that is, the light entering and refracting in each quadrant, are guided by guide elements to the outer surface of the windshield, substantially separately from each other, resulting in four illumination surfaces that are substantially separate from each other except for lateral overlap areas. Radiation is coupled into the windshield at the illumination surfaces. After total internal reflection at the outer surface of the windshield, the beams are focused by convex lens profiles on the exit side onto the photosensitive surfaces of the radiation receiver, specifically the multi-zone detector (Mehrfelddetektor), which are positioned for their respective beams. For this purpose, the radiation exit side consists of two separate optical lens profiles, where the exit surfaces from the lens medium, i.e., from the guide elements, are tilted relative to each other by a few degrees for radiation focusing. The two lens profiles are joined to form a common lens body.

[0010] Therefore, multiple illumination surfaces are generated by the optical lens profile on the radiation incident side, which together constitute the detection surface. One or more illumination surfaces are covered by wetting the glass plate with a liquid, and thus a specific amount of light is coupled out. Consequently, the signal intensity in each quadrant of the radiation receiver changes, and the signal changes are recorded by means of evaluation electronics. Depending on the coverage of each illumination surface or its sum, the measured intensity in all quadrants of the multi-zone detector is always different. This allows for the classification of wetting types. The focal points generated by the individual beams can be evaluated independently of each other, compared to a single focal point representing the entire detection surface in the windshield. Through the side-by-side lens profiles, radiation coupled into the guiding element can be focused onto different areas of the glass plate, i.e., different areas of the detection surface, and radiation coupled out from the glass plate can be focused onto different areas of the radiation receiver when exiting at the radiation exit side. This allows for spatially separate monitoring of different areas of the detection surface.

[0011] The lens profiles of the lens assembly can be arranged in a grid. Different lens profiles of the lens assembly can be arranged side-by-side in a grid, particularly in rows and columns. In particular, in this case, it can be a rectangular grid, where all columns or all rows have the same number of lens profiles. For example, the lens assembly can be constructed from 1×2, 2×2, 3×3, 4×4, or 5×5 lenses. Thus, for example, two lens profiles can be arranged side-by-side in each row of the grid and two lens profiles can be arranged in each column.

[0012] In an improved embodiment of the invention, the lens profile is constructed, at least segmentally, as a condensing lens. Different lens profiles on the radiation incident and radiation exit sides are constructed as convex condensing lenses, particularly as plano-convex condensing lenses. The convex arched structure of the lens profile bends in the direction of the light source on the radiation incident side and in the direction of the radiation detector on the radiation exit side. Because it is constructed as a condensing lens, radiation emanating from the radiation emitter can be amplified to achieve a magnified detection area on the windshield. The lens profile can be constructed as a condensing lens at an integral guide element, wherein the guide element can have a planar positioning surface for placement on the glass plate to be monitored. Convex construction of the lens profile allows radiation emitted from the radiation source to be focused onto different illumination surfaces on the windshield constituting the detection area. As radiation exits from the guide element, beams on different regions of the multiple detectors can be detected and evaluated independently of each other, where it is also possible that the regions overlap.

[0013] In an improved embodiment of the invention, the lens arrangement on the radiation incident side has at least four, particularly exactly four, lens profiles, with the incident surfaces of the lens profiles inclined relative to each other. The radiation from the radiation source is coupled into the guiding element via these at least four lens profiles on the radiation incident side. The lens profiles are preferably configured as convex focusing lenses. The lens profiles, particularly their incident surfaces, are inclined relative to each other. Radiation enters the lens medium of the guiding element through the incident surfaces. The incident surfaces are inclined relative to each other such that the radiation from the radiation source is refracted and thus decomposed into radiation beams by each lens profile. The incident surfaces of the lens profiles are preferably inclined relative to each other by a few degrees, particularly 0.5° to 5°. By making the lens profiles inclined relative to each other, the incident surfaces of the lens profiles are angled relative to each other, thus the incident surfaces transition discontinuously to each other. This allows the emitted radiation to be divided into sub-beams, enabling the windshield to be illuminated with multiple sub-beams, wherein overlapping areas may exist between the sub-beams. Therefore, the sub-beams can be evaluated substantially independently of each other.

[0014] In an improved embodiment of the invention, the lens devices on the radiation incident side and the radiation exit side are each constructed with at least one step, and at least one lens profile is arranged on each side of the step. Preferably, the radiation incident side and the radiation exit side each have exactly one step. Two lens profiles are preferably arranged on each side of the step. By constructing a step between the lens profiles, further splitting and thus better spatial separation of the picked-up or emitted radiation beam is possible.

[0015] In one embodiment of the invention, on the radiation incident side, two lens profiles are arranged on a first side of the step and two lens profiles are arranged on a second side of the step. To further support the ray division of radiation emitted by the radiation source, a step is arranged between the two first lens profiles and the two second lens profiles. For this purpose, the lens profiles can be arranged in a 2×2 grid.

[0016] In one embodiment of the invention, one step is arranged parallel to the radiation direction guided by the guiding element, and another step is arranged transversely to the radiation direction guided by the guiding element. By constructing and orienting the steps, effective ray division and effective focusing onto the radiation receiver can be achieved. In particular, the steps at the radiation incident side and the radiation exit side are oriented perpendicularly to each other. For example, the imaginary planes spread out by the steps can be perpendicular to each other.

[0017] In one embodiment of the invention, the step constructed on the radiation incident side is transverse to the radiation arrangement guided by the guiding element, and the step constructed on the radiation exit side is parallel to the radiation arrangement guided by the guiding element. Specifically, the step on the radiation exit side is oriented substantially parallel to the longitudinal extension of the measurement segment between the radiation incident and radiation exit sides. The step on the radiation incident side is transverse to, and substantially perpendicular to, the longitudinal extension of the measurement segment. Due to the step on the radiation incident side, efficient division of the radiation emitted by the radiation source is possible. By constructing the step on the radiation exit side, the radiation divided into sub-beams can be focused onto the multiple detectors with low loss and high efficiency.

[0018] In one improved embodiment of the invention, at least one lens device of at least one guide element is integrally constructed. The lens device at the radiation incident side or radiation exit side of the guide element can be integrally constructed with the guide element. For example, the lens profile can be constructed by structuring the radiation incident surface or radiation exit surface of the guide element.

[0019] In an improved embodiment of the invention, a common optical guiding element is assigned to at least one radiation emitter and at least one radiation receiver. The optical guiding element, having a radiation incident side assigned to the radiation emitter and a radiation exit side assigned to the radiation receiver, can be constructed integrally. In this case, the guiding element has a positioning surface for placement on a glass plate, through which optical radiation from the radiation emitter can be coupled into the glass plate and, after total internal reflection in the glass plate, can be coupled out again in the direction of the radiation receiver. Furthermore, the guiding element has a radiation incident side assigned to the radiation emitter and a radiation incident side assigned to the radiation receiver.

[0020] In one embodiment of the invention, different optical guiding elements are assigned to at least one radiation emitter and at least one radiation receiver. One optical guiding element may be assigned to each of the radiation emitter and the radiation receiver, wherein the guiding element assigned to the radiation emitter has a radiation incident side and the guiding element assigned to the radiation receiver has a radiation exit side. The guiding elements assigned to the radiation emitter and the radiation receiver each have a positioning surface for placement on a glass plate, particularly a windshield plate. Radiation can be coupled into the windshield plate through the positioning surface in the case of the guiding element assigned to the radiation emitter, and radiation can be coupled out of the windshield plate into the guiding element through the positioning surface in the case of the guiding element assigned to the radiation receiver.

[0021] In one embodiment of the invention, a radiation receiver assigned to the radiation emitting side is configured as a means of sensing an effective area. In particular, the radiation receiver can be a photodiode device. Alternatively, the radiation receiver can also have a pixel array, which can be used to detect individual radiation beams incident on the radiation receiver. Specifically, each lens profile of the lens device on the radiation incident side can be assigned a sensing effective area, such that, except for overlapping areas, different radiation beams focused by the lens profiles can be detected substantially independently of each other. This makes it possible to detect, for example, the position and, consequently, the size, of a water droplet in the detection area.

[0022] In one improved embodiment of the invention, the number and arrangement of the sensing effective areas of the radiation receiver correspond to the number and arrangement of the lenses of the lens assembly on the radiation incident side. Specifically, each lens profile of the lens assembly on the radiation incident side can be assigned a sensing effective area, such as a photodiode. In particular, the four lens profiles on the radiation incident side can thus correspond to four sensing effective areas. This allows for separate monitoring of different areas imaged by different lenses.

[0023] In one embodiment of the invention, the radiation incident side of the guiding element has a lens arrangement, and the assigned radiation emitters are configured as radiation sources. The radiation emitters can be constructed, for example, using a light source, particularly an LED. The radiation incident side of the guiding element is assigned to the radiation emitters, wherein the radiation incident side is constructed by a lens arrangement. By assigning individual radiation sources to individual lens profiles of the lens arrangement, radiation can be selectively focused onto specific areas of the windshield. This allows for the geraster-like detection of different areas of the detection surface. The radiation emitting side of the guiding element can be configured, for example, as a condenser lens, which focuses the light onto the effective sensing area of ​​the radiation receiver, such as a photodiode.

[0024] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a vehicle having a sensor device according to the invention. The sensor device for detecting the degree of wetness of a windshield panel can be used, particularly in the case of motor vehicles, to detect rain. By constructing the radiation incident side or radiation exit side of the guiding element with a lens device, it is possible to detect the size and position of raindrops in the detection area of ​​the windshield panel. This allows for a more accurate determination of the degree of wetness of the entire windshield panel.

[0025] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for detecting the degree of wettability of a glass plate, particularly a vehicle glass plate, using a sensor device, wherein radiation is emitted using at least one radiation emitter, wherein the emitted radiation is divided into beam sub-beams via at least two, particularly four, lens profiles that are relatively inclined to each other on the radiation incident side of a guiding element and coupled into the guiding element, wherein the radiation is coupled into the glass plate by means of the guiding element, wherein the radiation is coupled into the guiding element again after total internal reflection in the glass plate, wherein the radiation reflected in the glass plate is conducted to at least one radiation receiver via at least two, particularly exactly two, lens profiles that are relatively inclined to each other on the radiation emitting side of the guiding element, wherein the radiation receiver has a plurality of, particularly four, effective sensing areas, and wherein the radiation beams reflected from different areas of the glass plate are detected by means of different effective sensing areas of the radiation receiver.

[0026] Radiation, particularly electromagnetic radiation, such as infrared radiation, can be emitted by at least one radiation emitter and coupled into the glass plate to be monitored via at least one guiding element. In this case, the radiation is coupled into the windshield plate at an angle such that total internal reflection of the radiation will occur in the glass plate. In particular, the radiation is reflected on the side of the glass plate away from the radiation receiver. Because the radiation can be coupled out of the glass plate at the point where the water droplet is located, total internal reflection in the glass plate can be prevented by wetting the glass plate with moisture, especially water droplets. The degree of wetting of the windshield plate can be inferred by comparing the radiation with total internal reflection and the radiation with partial total internal reflection. In particular, the detection surface on the glass plate can be defined by the area where total internal reflection of radiation may occur. The sensor device for implementing this method has at least one radiation receiver having multiple sensing effective areas. The sensing effective areas can be, for example, photodiodes. At least one optical guiding element is assigned to the radiation receiver, wherein the radiation incident side and the radiation exit side of the optical guiding element are constructed by lens devices with different lens profiles. In this case, the lens profile of the radiation incident side is assigned to each sensing effective area of ​​the radiation receiver. Radiation emitted from a radiation source is divided into sub-beams by different lens profiles on the radiation incident side. In this case, the sub-beams can be overlapped segment by segment. This results in a detection surface on a glass plate, composed of individual radiation focal points, where lateral overlap between adjacent focal points may exist. Radiation reflected in the detection region is again coupled into a guiding element and focused from the radiation emitting side onto a radiation receiver having a different number of sensing effective regions, preferably adapted to the number of lens profiles on the radiation incident side. Each radiation sub-beam is essentially focused onto a single sensing effective region. Therefore, radiation reflected from different regions of the glass plate can be detected separately, especially independently of each other. An evaluation device can be assigned to the sensing effective regions of the radiation receiver, through which the intensity of the radiation received by the sensing effective regions, especially the detected radiation, can be evaluated. By independently evaluating different regions of the detection surface, for example, it becomes possible to determine the size of a water droplet and its position within the detection surface.

[0027] In an improved version of this method, the size and / or position of a droplet on a glass plate are inferred from radiation detected by means of different effective sensing areas. The detection surface on a vehicle's glass plate, particularly the windshield, is composed of different radiation focal points, where lateral overlap between adjacent focal points is possible. These radiation focal points are generated by different lens profiles on the radiation incident side of the guiding element. Individual focal points are substantially formed on the radiation receivers, each representing a sub-segment of the rain-detecting surface in the windshield, by focusing onto a radiation receiver having its own distinct effective sensing area. The focal points on the detectors can be evaluated separately, enabling assessment of the position and size of the droplets within the rain-detecting surface. For example, independent evaluation of the focal points is also possible. In this case, the different coupling outputs of light on the windshield are fully utilized, considering both large and small droplets and their positions. The type of wetting can be classified through statistical analysis. Attached Figure Description

[0028] The invention is further described below with reference to embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. The schematic diagrams are detailed in... Figure 1 A partial cross-sectional view shows a sensor device with guiding elements; Figure 2 A schematic perspective view of the guide element according to the present invention is shown in the figure; Figure 3 The diagram shows the basis with optical path and detection surface. Figure 2 The guiding element; and Figure 4 The image shows a V-shaped guide element with two radiation incident sides and two radiation exit sides. Detailed Implementation

[0029] exist Figure 1A sensor device is shown, comprising a radiation emitter 1, a radiation receiver 2, and a guide element 3 for placement on a windshield panel 4. The guide element 3 is integrally constructed and has a radiation incident side 5 and a radiation exit side 6. In this case, the radiation incident side 5 is assigned to the radiation emitter 1, and the radiation exit side 6 is assigned to the radiation receiver 2. The radiation incident side 5 is constructed as a lens assembly 8a with different lens profiles 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d. The radiation exit side 6 is constructed as a lens assembly 8b with different lens profiles 16a and 16b. The radiation incident side 5 and the radiation exit side 6 have acute angles relative to the plane of the windshield panel 4, such that, in particular, the ray sub-beam 11 of the coupled input radiation has an acute angle relative to the windshield panel 4. To couple the radiation emitted by the radiation emitter 1 into the windshield panel, the guide element 3 has a positioning surface 7 for placement on the windshield panel 4. The lens device 8a is constructed, in particular, by lens profiles 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d arranged side-by-side. Specifically, the lens profiles 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d can be arranged in a grid, for example, in rows and columns. The radiation receiver 2 assigned to the radiation emitting side 6 is constructed by sensing effective regions 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d arranged side-by-side. Specifically, the radiation receiver 2 can be constructed by photodiodes arranged side-by-side or by a pixel array. Specifically, the number and arrangement of sensing effective regions 10 can correspond to the number and arrangement of lens profiles 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d of the lens device 8a on the radiation incident side 5. Therefore, an optical path can extend from the radiation emitter 1 through the radiation incident side 5 of the guiding element 3, such that radiation is divided into beam sub-beams by the lens profiles 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d, and the beam sub-beams are coupled into the windshield 4. In this configuration, the optical path of the radiation emitted by the radiation emitter 1 is expanded by the guide element 3 to achieve the widest possible detection surface on the windshield 4, where the optical path is only roughly shown. Total internal reflection occurs at the outer side of the windshield 12, i.e., on the side of the windshield 12 opposite to the guide element 3, and the radiation is coupled back into the guide element 3 via the positioning surface 7 after total internal reflection. The radiation is coupled out in the direction of the radiation receiver 2 via the radiation emitting side 6 of the guide element 3. The radiation is focused onto the effective sensing areas 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d of the radiation receiver 2 by the lens device 8b having lens profiles 16a, 16b on the radiation emitting side 6. In particular, in this configuration, each lens profile 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d on the radiation incident side 5 can be assigned an effective sensing area 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d. Spatial resolution of the radiation reflected in the detection surface can be achieved by focusing the emitted radiation separately by the lens device 8b.The detection surface is defined by a region on the windshield 12 where total internal reflection of radiation occurs, and the detection surface is constructed from the illumination surface of the beam 11. If raindrops are located on the detection surface, total internal reflection of radiation in the windshield will not occur at these points; instead, radiation 11 will be coupled out from the windshield 4 at the water-wetted areas of the detection surface. In the rain-wetted areas of the detection surface, less reflection of the coupled-input radiation 11 occurs, thereby detecting a lower radiation intensity through the effective sensing area allocated to these areas. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine the position and size of the raindrops on the detection surface, and thus more accurately determine the degree of wetting on the entire windshield 4.

[0030] exist Figure 2 The diagram shows a guide element 3 with a radiation incident side 5 and a radiation exit side 6. The radiation incident side has four separate optical lens profiles 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d, wherein, for the purpose of ray division, the incident surfaces of lens profiles 14a to 14d in the lens medium of the radiation incident side 5 of the guide element 3 are inclined relative to each other by a few degrees. Lens profiles 14a to 14d are connected to form a common lens body. The convex lens profiles 14a to 14d at the radiation incident side 5 conduct light emitted by the radiation source, which enters the guide element 3 at each quadrant 14a to 14d and is refracted therein in a manner that separates it from the outer surface of the windshield, wherein the entire ray beam is divided into four illumination surfaces, wherein lateral overlap may exist between adjacent illumination surfaces. The radiation exit side 6 has lens profiles 16a and 16b, wherein, for the purpose of ray focusing, the individual lens profiles 16a and 16b are inclined relative to each other by a few degrees. In this configuration, lens profile 16a on the radiation exit side is assigned to lens profiles 14a and 14c on the radiation incident side, and lens profile 16b is assigned to lens profiles 14b and 14d on the radiation incident side. The radiation incident side 5 is constructed with step 19, which is arranged transversely to the optical path of the radiation guided in the guiding element 3. The radiation exit side 6 is constructed with step 20, which is oriented parallel to the optical path.

[0031] exist Figure 3A schematic diagram of a guide element 3 with a detection surface 13 is shown. Light emitted from a radiation source is picked up by the radiation incident side 5, where the light is split into sub-beams 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d by lens profiles 14a to 14d. Each sub-beam 17a to 17d results in an illumination surface 15a to 15d of the detection surface 13 on the windshield panel 12. Illumination surfaces 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d constitute the detection surface 13 on the windshield panel, where overlapping areas may occur between illumination surfaces 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d. The ray sub-beams 17a to 17d that are totally internally reflected in the illumination surfaces 15a to 15d are focused by lens profiles 16a and 16b on the radiation exit side onto the sensing effective areas 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d of the radiation receiver 2. By dividing the detection surface 13 into illumination surfaces 15a to 15d by lens profiles 14a to 14d, the coupling output appearing at each of the illumination surfaces 15a to 15d can be studied separately. This allows for the analysis of the size and spatial position of water droplets on the windshield 4 located within the detection surface 13.

[0032] exist Figure 4 The diagram shows a guiding element 21 with two radiation incident sides 5 and two radiation exit sides 6. The guiding element 21 is constructed in a V-shape, resulting in two pillars 18a and 18b. The radiation incident sides 5 are arranged on pillars 18a and 18b respectively, while the radiation exit sides 6 are arranged side by side. This results in two detection surfaces 13, each constructed through an optical path in pillars 18a and 18b.

Claims

1. A sensor device for detecting the wetting of a glass plate, the sensor device having at least one radiation emitter for emitting radiation and at least one radiation receiver for receiving radiation, having at least one optical guiding element for guiding the radiation emitted by the radiation emitter, the optical guiding element being coupled to the inner side of the glass plate, wherein at least one radiation incident side of the guiding element is assigned to the at least one radiation emitter, and at least one radiation emitting side of the guiding element is assigned to the at least one radiation receiver, wherein the radiation incident side and the radiation emitting side of the guiding element are respectively configured as lens devices, and wherein at least one lens device is constructed by means of a lens profile arranged side by side, characterized in that... The lens device on the radiation incident side has at least two lens profiles. The incident surfaces of the lens profiles on the radiation incident side are inclined relative to each other, allowing the radiation to enter the guiding element through the incident surfaces. The lens assembly on the radiation exit side has at least two lens profiles, and The exit surfaces of the lens profiles on the radiation exiting side are inclined relative to each other, allowing the radiation to exit from the guiding element through the exit surfaces. The lens devices on the radiation incident side and the radiation exit side are each constructed with at least one step and at least one lens profile is arranged on each side of the step.

2. The sensor device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sensor device is used to detect the wetting of the vehicle's glass panels.

3. The sensor device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lens profile is constructed, at least segment by segment, in the form of a convex focusing lens.

4. The sensor device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The lens device on the radiation incident side has at least four lens profiles and the incident surfaces of the lens profiles are inclined relative to each other.

5. The sensor device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The lens assembly on the radiation incident side has exactly four lens profiles.

6. The sensor device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, On the radiation incident side, two lens profiles are arranged on the first side of the step and two lens profiles are arranged on the second side of the step.

7. The sensor device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, One step is arranged parallel to the radiation direction guided by the guiding element, and another step is arranged transversely to the radiation direction guided by the guiding element.

8. The sensor device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The step constructed on the radiation incident side is transverse to the radiation arrangement guided by the guiding element, and the step constructed on the radiation emitting side is parallel to the radiation arrangement guided by the guiding element.

9. The sensor device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, At least one lens device of the guiding element is integrally constructed.

10. The sensor device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, A common optical guiding element is assigned to at least one radiation emitter and at least one radiation receiver.

11. The sensor device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The radiation receivers assigned to the radiation emitting side are constructed by arranging an effective sensing area.

12. The sensor device according to claim 11, characterized in that, At least one lens profile of the lens device on the radiation incident side is assigned to each of the sensing effective regions of the radiation receiver.

13. The sensor device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The guiding element has at least two incident regions and at least two exit regions, and the exit regions are arranged adjacent to each other.

14. The sensor device according to claim 13, characterized in that, The guiding element has exactly two incident areas.

15. The sensor device according to claim 13, characterized in that, The guiding element has exactly two emission regions.

16. The sensor device according to claim 13, characterized in that, The guiding element is constructed in a substantially V-shaped form, wherein each column of the V-shape has a radiating incident side.

17. A vehicle having a sensor device according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

18. A method for detecting the degree of wetting of a glass plate using a sensor device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein radiation is emitted using at least one radiation emitter, wherein the emitted radiation is divided into beams via at least two mutually inclined lens profiles on the radiation incident side of a guiding element and coupled into the guiding element, wherein the radiation is coupled into the glass plate by means of the guiding element, wherein the radiation is coupled into the guiding element again after total internal reflection in the glass plate, wherein the radiation reflected in the glass plate is conducted to at least one radiation receiver via at least two mutually inclined lens profiles on the radiation emitting side of the guiding element, wherein the radiation receiver has a plurality of sensing effective areas, and wherein radiation beams reflected from different areas of the glass plate are detected by means of different sensing effective areas of the radiation receiver.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The method is used to detect the degree of wetting of the glass panels of a vehicle.

20. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The emitted radiation is divided into beams by four lens profiles that are tilted relative to each other on the radiation incident side of the guiding element and coupled into the guiding element.

21. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The radiation reflected in the glass plate is conducted to at least one radiation receiver via exactly two lens profiles that are tilted relative to each other on the radiation emitting side of the guide.

22. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The radiation receiver has four effective sensing areas.

23. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 22, characterized in that, The size and / or position of the droplet on the glass plate are determined from the radiation values ​​detected by means of different effective sensing areas.

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