Patent ID: 11946873
Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 6:
7. A sensor, comprising:
a cover covering an interior of the sensor;
an object light source configured to emit light towards the cover so that a first portion of the emitted light passes through the cover to an area outside of the sensor;
an object detector configured to receive a reflection of the first portion of the emitted light that has been reflected by an object that is located in the area outside of the sensor, wherein the sensor is configured to detect presence of the object based on the light reception by the object detector;
a first light guide;
a second light guide laterally offset from the first light guide; and
a contamination detector;
wherein:
(a) the first light guide is arranged relative to the object light source and relative to the cover and (b) the second light guide is arranged relative to the cover of the sensor and relative to the contamination detector such that a second portion of the light emitted by the object light source is guided by the first light guide to be internally reflected, within the cover, between opposing surfaces of the cover until reaching the second light guide, which then deflects the second portion of the light that has reached the second light guide to the contamination detector in the interior of the sensor;
the contamination detector is configured to monitor whether the cover is contaminated by identifying an extent of attenuation of the second portion of the light that has been guided to the detector within the interior of the sensor; and
at least one of the first and second light guides is a hologram.