US4701613A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Electro-optical rain detector for windshields
Assignee: Denso Corp
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Filing: 1985-11-12
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Granted: 1987-10-20
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Expires: 2005-11-12
Abstract
Abstract An electro-optical liquid detector assembly comprises a support block having a flat front surface attached to the internal surface of a wind-shield and being formed therein with a pair of inclined bores opening toward the internal surface of the wind-shield, a transparent flat plate contained within the support block and fixed to the support block to form a common flat front surface with the support block, the transparent flat plate being formed in its rear surface with a pair of spaced v-grooved portions which are opposed to the inclined bores, a light emitting element disposed within one of the inclined bores to emit a beam of light into the wind-shield through one of the v-grooved portions of the flat plate so as to cause internal reflection of the beam between the external and internal surfaces of the wind-shield, and a light receiving element disposed within the other inclined bore to receive the incident beam reflected by the external surface of the wind-shield through the other v-grooved portion of the flat plate so as to produce an electric signal indicative of an amount of the incident beam.
Inventors
- 👤 Takashi Watanabe
- 👤 Nobuo Tsuda
- 👤 Inao Tomikawa
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 18:21
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01N; G01N21/00; G01N21/17; G01N21/41; G01N21/43; B; B60; B60S; B60S1/00; B60S1/02; B60S1/04; B60S1/06; B60S1/08; B60S1/0818; B60S1/0822; B60S1/0833; B60S1/0837; B60S1/0874; B60S1/0888
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
307 words
An electro-optical rain detector assembly comprising: a support block having a flat front surface attached to the internal surface of a wind-shield at a portion where the external surface of said wind-shield is wiped by a wiper blade, said support block being formed therein with a pair of spaced inclined bores opening toward the internal surface of said wind-shield; a transparent flat plate fixedly coupled within a corresponding recess in said support block to form a common flat front surface with said support block, said transparent flat plate being formed in a rear surface thereof with a pair of spaced v-grooved portions which are opposed to the inclined bores in said support block; a light emitting element disposed within one of the inclined bores in said support block to emit a beam of light into said wind-shield through one of the v-grooved portions of said transparent flat plate so as to cause internal reflection of the beam between the external and internal surfaces of said wind-shield; and a light receiving element disposed within the other inclined bore in said support block to receive the incident beam reflected by the external surface of said wind-shield through the other v-grooved portion of said transparent flat plate so as to produce an electric signal indicative of an amount of the incident beam; one of said v-grooved portions having a plurality of elongated parallel oblique planar regions disposed perpendicular to the light emission axis of said light emitting element and a plurality of elongated parallel oblique planar regions disposed in parallel with said light emission axis, and the other of said v-grooved portions having a plurality of elongated parallel oblique planar regions disposed perpendicular to the light receiving axis of said light receiving element and a plurality of elongated parallel oblique planar regions disposed in parallel with said light receiving axis.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
307 words
An electro-optical rain detector assembly comprising: a support block having a flat front surface attached to the internal surface of a wind-shield at a portion where the external surface of said wind-shield is wiped by a wiper blade, said support block being formed therein with a pair of spaced inclined bores opening toward the internal surface of said wind-shield; a transparent flat plate fixedly coupled within a corresponding recess in said support block to form a common flat front surface with said support block, said transparent flat plate being formed in a rear surface thereof with a pair of spaced v-grooved portions which are opposed to the inclined bores in said support block; a light emitting element disposed within one of the inclined bores in said support block to emit a beam of light into said wind-shield through one of the v-grooved portions of said transparent flat plate so as to cause internal reflection of the beam between the external and internal surfaces of said wind-shield; and a light receiving element disposed within the other inclined bore in said support block to receive the incident beam reflected by the external surface of said wind-shield through the other v-grooved portion of said transparent flat plate so as to produce an electric signal indicative of an amount of the incident beam; one of said v-grooved portions having a plurality of elongated parallel oblique planar regions disposed perpendicular to the light emission axis of said light emitting element and a plurality of elongated parallel oblique planar regions disposed in parallel with said light emission axis, and the other of said v-grooved portions having a plurality of elongated parallel oblique planar regions disposed perpendicular to the light receiving axis of said light receiving element and a plurality of elongated parallel oblique planar regions disposed in parallel with said light receiving axis.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
42 words
An electro-optical rain detector assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein a reflection thin plate is secured to the rear surface of said transparent flat plate located between said v-grooved portions to effect multiple internal reflection of the beam in said wind-shield.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
An electro-optical rain detector assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support block and transparent flat plate are adhered to the internal surface of said wind-shield at the common flat front surface thereof.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
An electro-optical rain detector assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transparent flat plate is made of transparent synthetic resin.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
289 words
An electro-optical rain detector assembly for detecting an adhereence condition of raindrops on the external surface of a wind-shield, comprising: a support block having a flat front surface attached to the internal surface of said wind-shield at a portion where the external surface of said wind-shield is wiped by a wiper blade, said support block being formed therein with a pair of spaced inclined bores opening toward the internal surface of said wind-shield; a transparent flat plate fixedly coupled within a corresponding recess in said support block to form a common flat front surface with said support block, said transparent flat plate being formed in a rear surface thereof with a pair of spaced v-grooved portions which are opposed to the inclined bores in said support block; a transparent elastic flat plate adhered to the common flat front surface of said transparent flat plate; at least one light emitting element disposed within one of the inclined bores in said support block to emit a beam of light into said wind-shield through one of said v-grooved portions of said transparent flat plate so as to cause internal reflection of the beam between the external and internal surfaces of said wind-shield; at least one light receiving element disposed within the other inclined bore in said support block to receive the incident beam reflected by the external surface of said wind-shield through the other v-grooved portion of said transparent flat plate so as to produce an electric signal indicative of an amount of the incident beam; and a frame member fixedly mounted on a stationary structure adjacent said wind-shield to support said support block thereon and press said support block toward the internal surface of said wind-shield through said elastic flat plate.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
289 words
An electro-optical rain detector assembly for detecting an adhereence condition of raindrops on the external surface of a wind-shield, comprising: a support block having a flat front surface attached to the internal surface of said wind-shield at a portion where the external surface of said wind-shield is wiped by a wiper blade, said support block being formed therein with a pair of spaced inclined bores opening toward the internal surface of said wind-shield; a transparent flat plate fixedly coupled within a corresponding recess in said support block to form a common flat front surface with said support block, said transparent flat plate being formed in a rear surface thereof with a pair of spaced v-grooved portions which are opposed to the inclined bores in said support block; a transparent elastic flat plate adhered to the common flat front surface of said transparent flat plate; at least one light emitting element disposed within one of the inclined bores in said support block to emit a beam of light into said wind-shield through one of said v-grooved portions of said transparent flat plate so as to cause internal reflection of the beam between the external and internal surfaces of said wind-shield; at least one light receiving element disposed within the other inclined bore in said support block to receive the incident beam reflected by the external surface of said wind-shield through the other v-grooved portion of said transparent flat plate so as to produce an electric signal indicative of an amount of the incident beam; and a frame member fixedly mounted on a stationary structure adjacent said wind-shield to support said support block thereon and press said support block toward the internal surface of said wind-shield through said elastic flat plate.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
99 words
An electro-optical rain detector assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein: said at least one light emitting element comprises a plurality of light emitting elements disposed in parallel within one of the inclined bores in said support block to emit plural beams of light into said wind-shield through the one of said v-grooved portions; and said at least one light receiving element comprises a plurality of light receiving elements disposed in parallel within the other inclined bore in said support block to receive the incident beams reflected by the external surface of said wind-shield through the other v-grooved portion.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
40 words
An electro-optical rain detector assembly as claimed in claim 5, further comprising: a thrust plate engaged with a rear portion of said support block and pressed toward said wind-shield by means of an adjusting screw threaded into said frame member.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
32 words
An electro-optical rain detector assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein: said transparent flat plate is made of transparent synthetic resin, and said elastic flat plate is made of transparent silicone rubber.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1990-10-19 | 1991-04-20 | 1991-10-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1994-10-19 | 1995-04-20 | 1995-10-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1998-10-19 | 1999-04-20 | 1999-10-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |