The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 23, 2003
Filed:
Jul. 24, 2000
Roland Mueller-Fiedler, Leonberg, DE;
Helmut Sautter, Ditzingen, DE;
Winfried Bernhard, Gerlingen, DE;
Andre Mueller, Gerlingen, DE;
Lutz Mueller, Gerlingen, DE;
Rainer Schink, Leonberg, DE;
Robert Bosch GmbH, Stuttgart, DE;
Abstract
An optical sensor for detecting wetting of a surface ( ), In particular of a vehicle window, has at least one transmitter ( ) and at least one receiver ( ) for electromagnetic waves, the surface being located in a sensor region ( ) between the at least one transmitter ( ) and the at least one receiver ( ). The development of wetting on the sensor region ( ) of the surface ( ) causes a signal change. The optical sensor has a light-carrying element ( ), in which the electromagnetic waves are guided bidirectionally into the sensor region ( ) and out of the sensor region ( ), and a retroreflector ( ) is disposed in the sensor region ( ) in such a way that it returns the electromagnetic waves, reflected before the surface ( ), back to the surface ( ) and from there to the light-carrying element ( ).