Patent ID: 7108179

Claim:
An object detecting apparatus for detecting an object or a distance from the object, the object detecting apparatus comprising: a case; an electromagnetic wave generation portion disposed in the case to generate and radiate a searching electromagnetic wave; a projection window portion disposed in the case, the projection window portion having a wave passing surface made of a wave permeating material for passing through the searching electromagnetic wave generated from the electromagnetic wave generation portion; an electromagnetic wave receiving portion disposed in the case for receiving a reflected wave of the searching electromagnetic wave, reflected from the object; an entrance window portion disposed in the case, the entrance window portion having a wave passing surface made of a wave permeating material for passing through the reflected wave before being received to the electromagnetic wave receiving portion; a first light receiving element disposed in the case to detect a light quantity of a direct current part of light entering from at least one of the projection window portion and the entrance window portion; and an irregularity determining portion which determines a state of at least one of the projection window portion and the entrance window portion using at least the detected light quantity of the first light receiving element.