Vehicle windshield defrosting control based on frozen precipitation accumulation

• US 10,220,675 B1
• Filed: 08/30/2017
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Reed, Frankie B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Atkisson, Jianying
• Assistant Examiner(s): Attey, Joel
• Application Number:
  US15/690,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20190061468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• Field of Search: 165204
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00657 Remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/0075 the input being solar radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00778 the input being a stationary vehicle position, e.g. parking or stopping
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00785 by the detection of humidity or frost
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00792 Arrangement of detectors B60H1/00742, B60H1/0075, B60H1/00785 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00814 Control systems or circuits characterised by their output, for controlling particular components of the heating, cooling or ventilating installation

Abstract

A device and method for mitigating freezing-precipitation accumulation for a vehicle window are described. The device and method include retrieving ambient temperature data. When the ambient temperature data exceeds a temperature threshold for freezing precipitation, sensing ambient light from within a vehicle cabin to produce light magnitude sample data and comparing the light magnitude sample data with a baseline light magnitude sample data from within the vehicle cabin. When the light magnitude sample data compares unfavorably with the baseline light magnitude sample data, generating a vehicle window defroster command for transmission to activate a vehicle window defroster operable to be powered by a vehicle battery source.

Claims

1. A method for mitigating freezing-precipitation accumulation for a vehicle window, the method comprising:

retrieving ambient temperature data via a sensor,

when the ambient temperature data exceeds a temperature threshold for freezing precipitation;

sensing ambient light via a sensor device operable to sense ambient light from within a vehicle cabin to produce light magnitude sample data,

wherein the sensing ambient light from within the vehicle cabin to produce light magnitude sample data comprises;

capturing an image of a vehicle window surface span;

processing the image to produce image data;

processing the image data to produce image recognition data; and

generating the light magnitude sample data from the image recognition data;

comparing the light magnitude sample data with a baseline light magnitude sample data from within the vehicle cabin via a processor in communication with the sensor device operable to sense ambient light, and

when the light magnitude sample data does not provide a desired relationship with the baseline light magnitude sample data, generating a vehicle window defroster command for transmission to activate a vehicle window defroster operable to be powered by a vehicle battery source.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one sunload sensor operates for sensing the ambient light from within the vehicle cabin to produce the light magnitude sample data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the baseline light magnitude sample data relating to a prior sensing of the ambient light within the vehicle cabin.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the baseline light magnitude sample data and the light magnitude sample data are each normalized with respect to an expected ambient light for a respective time-of-day.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

subsequently sensing the ambient light from within the vehicle cabin to produce subsequent magnitude sample data;

comparing the subsequent light magnitude sample data with a baseline light magnitude sample data from within the vehicle cabin; and

when the subsequent light magnitude sample data provides the desired relationship with the baseline light magnitude sample data, generating a vehicle HVAC command for transmission to activate a vehicle cabin HVAC operable to be powered by the vehicle battery source.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the light magnitude sample data correlates to a refractive index of the vehicle window to be affected by the freezing-precipitation accumulation of a vehicle window surface span.

7. A method mitigating freezing-precipitation accumulation for an electric-vehicle window:

receiving a remote start signal;

retrieving, in response to the remote start signal, ambient temperature data via a sensor;

when the ambient temperature data exceeds a temperature threshold for freezing precipitation;

sensing ambient light from within a vehicle cabin via a sensor device operable to sense ambient light to produce light magnitude sample data,

wherein the sensing ambient light from within the vehicle cabin to produce light magnitude sample data comprises;

capturing an image of an electric-vehicle window surface span;

processing the image to produce image data;

processing the image data to produce image recognition data; and

generating the light magnitude sample data from the image recognition data;

comparing the light magnitude sample data with a baseline light magnitude sample data from within the vehicle cabin via a processor in communication with the sensor device operable to sense ambient light, and

when the light magnitude sample data does not provide a desired relationship with the baseline light magnitude sample data, generating an electric-vehicle window defroster command for transmission to activate an electric-vehicle window defroster operable to be powered by a vehicle battery source.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one sun-load sensor operates for sensing the ambient light from within the vehicle cabin to produce the light magnitude sample data.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the baseline light magnitude sample data relating to a prior sensing of the ambient light within the vehicle cabin.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the baseline light magnitude sample data and the light magnitude sample data are each normalized with respect to an expected ambient light for a respective time-of-day.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

subsequently sensing the ambient light from within the vehicle cabin to produce subsequent magnitude sample data;

comparing the subsequent light magnitude sample data with a baseline light magnitude sample data from within the vehicle cabin; and

when the subsequent light magnitude sample data provides the desired relationship with the baseline light magnitude sample data, generating a vehicle HVAC command for transmission to activate a vehicle cabin HVAC operable to be powered by a vehicle battery source.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the light magnitude sample data corresponds with the freezing-precipitation accumulation of an electric-vehicle window surface span.

13. A vehicle control unit comprising:

a communication interface to service communication with a vehicle network;

a processor communicably coupled to the communication interface and a plurality of sensor devices; and

memory communicably coupled to the processor and storing;

a sensor monitoring module including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive ambient vehicle temperature data;

compare the ambient vehicle temperature data with a temperature threshold for freezing precipitation; and

when the ambient vehicle temperature data exceeds the temperature threshold for freezing precipitation, receive light magnitude sample data from a sensor device operable to sense ambient light from within a vehicle cabin, wherein the sensing ambient light from within the vehicle cabin to produce light magnitude sample data comprises;

capturing an image of a vehicle window surface span;

processing the image to produce image data;

processing the image data to produce image recognition data; and

generating the light magnitude sample data from the image recognition data; and

an accumulation assessment module including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

compare the light magnitude sample data with a baseline light magnitude sample data from within the vehicle cabin; and

when the light magnitude sample data does not provide a desired relationship with the baseline light magnitude sample data, generate a vehicle window defroster command for transmission to activate a vehicle window defroster operable to be powered by a vehicle battery source to mitigate a freezing-precipitation accumulation of a vehicle window span.

14. The vehicle control unit of claim 13, wherein at least one sun-load sensor operates for sensing the ambient light from within the vehicle cabin to produce the light magnitude sample data.

15. The vehicle control unit of claim 13, wherein the baseline light magnitude sample data relating to a prior sensing of the ambient light within the vehicle cabin.

16. The vehicle control unit of claim 13, wherein the baseline light magnitude sample data and the light magnitude sample data are each normalized with respect to an expected ambient light for a respective time-of-day.

17. The vehicle control unit of claim 13, wherein:

the sensor monitoring module including further instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

subsequently sense the ambient light from within the vehicle cabin to produce subsequent magnitude sample data; and

the accumulation assessment module including further instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

compare the subsequent light magnitude sample data with the baseline light magnitude sample data from within the vehicle cabin; and

when the subsequent light magnitude sample data provides the desired relationship with the baseline light magnitude sample data, generating a vehicle HVAC command for transmission to activate a vehicle cabin HVAC operable to be powered by a vehicle battery source.