Abstract: A composite pane and in particular a composite vehicle pane with an integrated light sensor, includes an outer pane and an inner pane that are joined to one another via at least one thermoplastic intermediate layer, and at least one light sensor with at least one light-sensitive surface that is arranged between the outer pane and the inner pane, wherein the light-sensitive surface faces the outer pane and a holographic optical element is arranged between the light-sensitive surface and the outer pane, and the holographic optical element is implemented as a hologram for incident-angle-dependent diffraction of the incident light.

Abstract: An optical sensor includes at least one photodetector configured to be reverse biased at a voltage exceeding a breakdown voltage by an excess bias voltage. At least one control unit is configured to adjust the reverse bias of the at least one photodetector. A method of operating an optical sensor is also disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a novel counter system for keeping track of light cycles (i.e., light exposure) for plants and other aged products. The counter system is in the form of a small and compact weatherproof device designed to stake into the ground proximal to a crop such that solar light falls on the solar panel disposed on the top of the device. The device has a counter for incrementing a tally of days and/or hours by one unit upon tracking a light cycle for plants. In one embodiment, when the voltage detected by the counter drops to zero, a tally day is increased and the updated counter is displayed on a display screen of the device. In another embodiment, the device may be controlled remotely by a user. The device can be reset to zero and can also be configured for a specific crop.