Automatic vehicular defogging system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10618376-B2
Application number	US-201615336914-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2016
Priority date	Oct 28, 2016
Publication date	Apr 14, 2020
Grant date	Apr 14, 2020

Abstract

A system includes: at least one resistive humidity sensor disposed on a window of a vehicle and configured to detect a presence of fog formed on a surface of the window and to output a signal indicating whether the presence of fog formed on the surface of the window has been detected; a defogging unit equipped in the vehicle and configured to defog the window of the vehicle; and a controller coupled to the at least one resistive humidity sensor and the defogging unit and configured to receive the signal from the at least one resistive humidity sensor, to determine whether fog has formed on the surface of the window based on the received signal, and to actuate the defogging unit when it is determined that fog has formed on the surface of the window.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
at least one resistive humidity sensor disposed on a window of a vehicle and configured to detect a presence of fog formed on a surface of the window and to output a signal indicating whether the presence of fog formed on the surface of the window has been detected;
a defogging unit equipped in the vehicle and configured to defog the window of the vehicle; and
a controller coupled to the at least one resistive humidity sensor and the defogging unit and configured to receive the signal from the at least one resistive humidity sensor, to determine whether fog has formed on the surface of the window based on the received signal, and to actuate the defogging unit when it is determined that fog has formed on the surface of the window,
wherein the at least one resistive humidity sensor includes a circuit in which an amount of resistance between components of the circuit is affected by the presence of fog formed on the surface of the window, the circuit including an outer conductive component and an inner conductive component that are in contact with the window, and the inner conductive component enclosed within the outer conductive component.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to identify a location of the window at which the fog has formed based on the received signal.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the controller is further configured to control operation of the defogging unit so as to target an area of the window corresponding to the identified location of the window at which the fog has formed.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the defogging unit is a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system equipped in the vehicle, and the controller is further configured to control operation of the HVAC system so as to blow air toward an area of the window corresponding to the identified location of the window at which the fog has formed.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the controller is further configured to control operation of the HVAC system so as to blow air toward an area of the window corresponding to the identified location on the window at which the fog has formed by adjusting a position of one or more louvers in an air vent of the HVAC system.

6. The system of claim 3 , wherein the defogging unit is an electric defogging unit including a plurality of conductive elements embedded in the window, and the controller is further configured to control operation of the electric defogging unit so as to activate at least one of the plurality of conductive elements proximate to an area of the window corresponding to the identified location of the window at which the fog has formed.

7. The system of claim 2 , wherein the controller is further configured to identify which resistive humidity sensor of the at least one resistive humidity sensor has detected the presence of fog formed on the surface of the window based on the received signal and to identify the location of the window at which the fog has formed according to the identified resistive humidity sensor.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to determine that that the fog has formed on the surface of the window when a value indicated by the received signal satisfies a predetermined threshold.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the controller is further configured to actuate the defogging unit when it is determined that the value satisfies the predetermined threshold.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein, during operation of the defogging unit, the at least one resistive humidity sensor is further configured to output another signal indicating whether the presence of fog formed on the surface of the window has been detected, and the controller is further configured to determine whether the fog has been removed from the surface of the window based on the signal received during operation of the defogging unit.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the controller is further configured to determine that that the fog has been removed from the surface of the window when a value indicated by the signal received during operation of the defogging unit fails to satisfy the predetermined threshold.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the controller is further configured to deactivate the defogging unit when it is determined that the value fails to satisfy the predetermined threshold.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the circuit is an amplifier circuit, and the outputted signal indicating whether the presence of fog formed on the surface of the window has been detected corresponds to an output voltage of the amplifier circuit.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the amplifier circuit is configured such that resistance between the outer conductive component and the inner conductive component decreases as the presence of fog on the surface of the window increases.

15. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of resistive humidity sensors disposed on the window of the vehicle, the plurality of resistive humidity sensors including the at least one resistive humidity sensor.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein each of the plurality of resistive humidity sensors is positioned apart from other resistive humidity sensors on the window.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein each of the plurality of resistive humidity sensors is positioned along one or more edges of the window.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the window of the vehicle refers to one of a windshield, a side or door window, and a rear window.

19. A method comprising:
receiving, by a controller, a signal indicating whether a presence of fog formed on a surface of a window of a vehicle has been detected by at least one resistive humidity sensor disposed on the window of the vehicle;
determining, by the controller, whether fog has formed on the surface of the window based on the received signal; and
actuating, by the controller, a defogging unit that is equipped in the vehicle and configured to defog the window of the vehicle when it is determined that fog has formed on the surface of the window,
wherein the at least one resistive humidity sensor includes a circuit in which an amount of resistance between components of the circuit is affected by the presence of fog formed on the surface of the window, the circuit including an outer conductive component and an inner conductive component that are in contact with the window, and the inner conductive component enclosed within the outer conductive component.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions that are executable by a controller including a memory and a processor, which when executed cause the controller to:
receive a signal indicating whether a presence of fog formed on a surface of a window of a vehicle has been detected by at least one resistive humidity sensor disposed on the window of the vehicle;
determine whether fog has formed on the surface of the window based on the received signal; and
actuate a defogging unit that is equipped in the vehicle and configured to defog the window of the vehicle when it is determined that fog has formed on the surface of the window,
wherein the at least one resistive humidity sensor includes a circuit in which an amount of resistance between components of the circuit is affected by the presence of fog formed on the surface of the window, the circuit including an outer conductive component and an inner conductive component that are in contact with the window, and

Assignees

• Hyundai America Technical Ct Inc
• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Sarnia Scott
• Fortier Ryan

Classifications

• B60H1/00785 Primary

  by the detection of humidity or frost · CPC title

• G01N27/048

  for determining moisture content of the material · CPC title

• B60H1/242

  located in the front area · CPC title

• B60J1/18

  arranged at the vehicle rear {(optical viewing arrangements integrated in rear windows, e.g. Fresnel lenses B60R1/001)} · CPC title

• B60J1/08

  arranged at vehicle sides · CPC title