Lens plate, rain sensor, and light sensor

Abstract

A lens plate (10) for a rain and/or light sensor is proposed. The lens plate (10) has a base body (18), at least one light limitation structure (21), and at least one lens structure (28), the light limitation structure (21) extending into the base body (18) from a lower side (14) of the lens plate (10), a contour (27) of the light limitation structure (21) facing away from the lower side (14) of the lens plate (10) limiting the lens structure (28) circumferentially, and the contour (27) being substantially triangular. Furthermore, a rain and/or light sensor (8) is proposed.

Claims

1. A lens plate (10) for a rain and/or light sensor (8), having a base body (18), at least one light limitation structure (21), and at least one lens structure (28), the light limitation structure (21) extending into the base body (18) from a lower side (14) of the lens plate (10), a contour (27) of the light limitation structure (21) facing away from the lower side (14) of the lens plate (10) limiting the lens structure (28) circumferentially, and the contour (27) being substantially triangular.

2. The lens plate (10) according to claim 1, wherein the light limitation structure (21) and/or the lens structure (28) is/are substantially formed by a recess (20) in the lens plate (10).

3. The lens plate (10) according to claim 2, wherein the recess (20) is without undercuts, in particular a cross-sectional area of the recess (20) decreasing monotonically from the lower side (14) of the lens plate (10) towards an upper side (16) of the lens plate (10) opposite the lower side (14).

4. The lens plate (10) according to claim 1, wherein the light limitation structure (21) includes a first and a second light limitation structure surface (22, 24), the first and the second light limitation structure surfaces (22, 24) enclosing together a predefined angle (Δφ).

5. The lens plate (10) according to claim 1, wherein the light limitation structure (21) includes a third light limitation structure surface (26), the third light limitation structure surface (26) having a predefined maximum height with respect to the lower side (14) of the lens plate (10).

6. The lens plate (10) according to claim 1, wherein the lens structure (28) forms a converging lens (29).

7. The lens plate (10) according to claim 1, wherein the lower side (14) of the lens plate (10) is provided at least in sections with a light-absorbing material (17) and is in particular coated with the light-absorbing material (17).

8. A rain and/or light sensor (8) having a lens plate (10) according to claim 1 and a light reception means (12).

9. The rain and/or light sensor (8) according to claim 8, wherein the lens structure (28) forms a converging lens (29), the light reception means (12) being arranged in a focal point of the lens structure (28).

10. The rain and/or light sensor (8) according to claim 8, wherein the light limitation structure (21) includes a first and a second light limitation structure surface (22, 24), the first and the second light limitation structure surface (22, 24) enclosing together a predefined angle (Δφ), the predefined angle (Δφ) being such that an azimuth of light beams (30) hitting the light reception means (12) through the lens plate (10) is restricted to a predefined range.

11. The rain and/or light sensor (8) according to claim 8, wherein the light limitation structure (21) comprises a third light limitation structure surface (26), the third light limitation structure surface (26) having a predefined maximum height with respect to the lower side (14) of the lens plate (10), the third light limitation structure surface (26) limiting the angle of incidence of light beams (30) hitting the light reception means (12) through the lens plate (10) to a maximum angle (α.sub.max) with respect to the lens plate (10).

12. A lens plate (10) for a rain and/or light sensor (8), having a base body (18), at least one light limitation structure (21), and at least one lens structure (28), the light limitation structure (21) extending into the base body (18) from a lower side (14) of the lens plate (10), a contour (27) of the light limitation structure (21) facing away from the lower side (14) of the lens plate (10) limiting the lens structure (28) circumferentially, and the contour (27) being substantially triangular, wherein the light limitation structure (21) and the lens structure (28) is/are substantially formed by a recess (20) in the lens plate (10).

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantages and properties of the invention result from the description below and from the drawings to which reference is made. The drawings show:

(2) FIG. 1 a portion of a rain and/or light sensor according to the invention with a view onto the lower side;

(3) FIG. 2 a schematic section through a surface of the rain and/or light sensor according to the invention of FIG. 1; and

(4) FIG. 3 the rain and/or light sensor according to the invention of FIG. 1 with a view onto the surface and in a view turned through 180°.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) FIGS. 1 and 2 show a portion of a rain and/or light sensor 8 comprising a lens plate 10 and at least one light reception means 12 spaced apart from the lens plate 10.

(6) The lens plate 10 includes a lower side 14 having a substantially plane surface and an upper side 18 opposite the lower side 14 which also has a substantially plane surface.

(7) In the variant shown, the lower side 14 is coated with a light-absorbing material 17.

(8) A recess 20 the edge faces of which form a light limitation structure 21 having a first, a second and a third light limitation structure surface 22, 24, 26 is formed in a base body 18 of the lens plate 10. The light limitation structure surfaces 22, 24, 26 extend from the lower side 14 towards the upper side 16 into the base body 18.

(9) A contour 27 of the light limitation structure surfaces 22, 24, 26 facing away from the lower side 14 of the lens plate 10 limits a lens structure 28 circumferentially. In other terms, the lens structure 28 is substantially formed by the recess 20 in the base body 18 of the lens plate 10.

(10) Furthermore, the recess 20 is without undercuts such that the lens plate 10 is off-tool. The lens plate 10 can thus be removed from the mould and is therefore simple to manufacture, by injection-moulding, for example. The lens plate 10 can hence be formed from a plastic material the index of refraction of which differs from the index of refraction of air.

(11) The recess 20 may have a cross-sectional area which decreases monotonically, in particular strictly monotonically from the lower side 14 towards the upper side 16.

(12) In the embodiment shown, the lens structure 28 forms a converging lens 29. The surface of the converging lens 29 is convex, i.e. is curved outwardly as viewed from the upper side 16 of the lens plate 10 towards the lower side 14.

(13) The lens structure 28 has a substantially triangular contour 27 as is clearly apparent from FIG. 1. Triangular means here that the lens structure 28 includes three corner points which are connected in pairs substantially by geodesic lines on the convex surface of the lens structure 28 forming the converging lens 29. Two respective corner points of the triangular contour 27 are therefore connected to each other.

(14) The light reception means 12 is arranged in the focal point of the lens structure 28 such that light beams 30 lying in the visual field 31 of the light reception means 12 are focused towards the light reception means 12, as shown in FIG. 3.

(15) The visual field 31 of the light reception means 12 is substantially determined by the light limitation structure 21 as will be explained in detail below.

(16) The arrangement composed of the lens plate 10 and the light reception means 12 has a main receiving direction A (see FIG. 3) which encloses together with the plane which coincides with the upper side 16 an angle different from 90°. The main receiving direction A is therefore inclined with respect to the upper side 16.

(17) FIG. 2 shows that the first and the second light limitation structure surfaces 22, 24 together enclose a predefined angle Δϕ and therefore limit the azimuth ϕ of the incident light beams 30 which can reach the light reception means 12 to an angular range Δϕ. The azimuth ϕ is here an angle which is defined in a plane which coincides with the surface of the upper side 16 or which is at least parallel thereto.

(18) The first and the second light limitation structure surfaces 22, 24 are configured such that the outer light beams 30 which are intended to just reach the light reception means 12 just contact the first or second light limitation structure surface 22, 24.

(19) The light limitation structure surfaces 22, 24, 26 extend between the contour 27 and the lower side 14 in a substantially plane manner. The corresponding light limitation structure surfaces 22, 24, 26 may therefore also be referred to a smooth.

(20) A contour of the light limitation structure surfaces 22, 24, 26 on the lower side 14, i.e. in the plane of the lower side 14, limits a base of the recess 20 which is also substantially triangular.

(21) Light beams 30 having an azimuth outside the angular range Δϕ cannot reach the light reception means 12 as they travel through the base body 18 of the lens plate 10 outside the recess 20 and hit the light absorbing layer 17 on the lower side 14.

(22) The third light limitation structure surface 26 is configured so as to define a maximum angle α.sub.max (see FIG. 3) at which light beams 30 hitting the upper side 16 can still reach the light reception means 12. The angle α.sub.max is measured with respect to the normal n to the surface of the upper side 16.

(23) The points on the contour of the third light limitation structure surface 26 have a minimum height with respect to the lower side 14 of the lens plate 10. The height is selected such that light beams hitting the upper side 16 at an angle of more than α.sub.max have no valid light path towards the light reception means 12. In the opposite direction, i.e. from the light reception means 12 through the lens plate 10, such light beams would be totally reflected at the transition from the lens plate 10 to the environment, i.e. on the upper side 16. According to the principle of reversibility of light paths, such light beams thus have no valid path from the environment towards the light reception means 12.

(24) In summary, a desired visual field 31 of the light reception means 12 is therefore obtained by an appropriate design of the light limitation structure surfaces 22, 24, 26.

(25) The corresponding visual field 31 is in particular apparent from FIG. 3 and has a substantially triangular face which results from the contour 27 of the light limitation structure 21.