WINDOWPANE DEFOGGING DEVICE FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE AND WINDOWPANE DEFOGGING METHOD USING THE SAME

• US 20150017900A1
• Filed: 10/29/2013
• Published: 01/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hanon Systems (Hahn & Co. Auto Holdings Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Halla Visteon Climate Control Corp (Hahn & Co. Auto Holdings Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Baek, Chang Hyun
• Granted Patent: US 9,821,770 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 454/75
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00742 by detection of the vehicle occupants' presence; by detection of conditions relating to the body of occupants, e.g. using radiant heat detectors
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00785 by the detection of humidity or frost
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/023 including defroster or demisting means
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/54 using gas, e.g. hot air
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2005/0077 Imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/34 using capacitors, e.g. pyroelectric capacitors

Abstract

The present invention provides a windowpane defogging device for a motor vehicle which, upon generation of a fog on a windowpane, comes into a defogging mode to remove the fog generated on the windowpane. The windowpane defogging device includes a relative humidity detecting unit configured to detect a windowpane relative humidity of a driver seat view field region of the windowpane and a windowpane relative humidity of a passenger seat view field region of the windowpane, and a control unit configured to control entry into the defogging mode by determining the generation or non-generation of the fog on the windowpane based on the windowpane relative humidity of the driver seat view field region and the windowpane relative humidity of the passenger seat view field region inputted from the relative humidity detecting unit.

Claims

1. A windowpane defogging device for a motor vehicle which, upon generation of a fog on a windowpane, comes into a defogging mode to remove the fog generated on the windowpane, comprising:

a relative humidity detecting unit (10) configured to detect a windowpane relative humidity of a driver seat view field region (X) of the windowpane and a windowpane relative humidity of a passenger seat view field region (Y) of the windowpane; and

a control unit (20) configured to control entry into the defogging mode by determining the generation or non-generation of the fog on the windowpane based on the windowpane relative humidity of the driver seat view field region (X) and the windowpane relative humidity of the passenger seat view field region (Y) inputted from the relative humidity detecting unit (10).

2. The windowpane defogging device of claim 1, wherein, when only one of a driver seat and a passenger seat is taken by a user, the control unit (20) is configured to determine the generation or non-generation of the fog on the windowpane based on only the windowpane relative humidity of the driver seat view field region (X) or the passenger seat view field region (Y) corresponding to the driver seat or the passenger seat taken by the user, while excluding the windowpane relative humidity of the driver seat view field region (X) or the passenger seat view field region (Y) corresponding to the driver seat or the passenger seat not taken by the user.

3. The windowpane defogging device of claim 2, wherein, when both the driver seat and the passenger seat are taken by users, the control unit (20) is configured to determine the generation or non-generation of the fog on the windowpane based on the windowpane relative humidity of the driver seat view field region (X) or the windowpane relative humidity of the passenger seat view field region (Y), whichever is larger.

4. The windowpane defogging device of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the relative humidity detecting unit (10) comprises:

a first temperature sensing unit (12) configured to sense a windowpane temperature of the driver seat view field region (X);

a second temperature sensing unit (14) configured to sense a windowpane temperature of the passenger seat view field region (Y);

a humidity sensing unit (16) configured to sense a humidity of the windowpane; and

a microcomputer (18) configured to calculate the windowpane relative humidity of the driver seat view field region (X) and the windowpane relative humidity of the passenger seat view field region (Y) by processing the windowpane temperature of the driver seat view field region (X), the windowpane temperature of the passenger seat view field region (Y) and the humidity of the windowpane using a calculation program stored in advance.

5. The windowpane defogging device of claim 4, wherein each of the first temperature sensing unit (12) and the second temperature sensing unit (14) has a non-contact-type structure,

the first temperature sensing unit (12) comprises a thermopile infrared ray sensor installed in a position spaced apart from the windowpane and configured to detect a windowpane temperature distribution of the driver seat view field region (X) by picking up an image of a windowpane portion corresponding to the driver seat view field region (X) and an infrared ray temperature analyzing program configured to extract a lowest temperature of the driver seat view field region (X) from the windowpane temperature distribution of the driver seat view field region (X),

the second temperature sensing unit (14) comprises a thermopile infrared ray sensor installed in a position spaced apart from the windowpane and configured to detect a windowpane temperature distribution of the passenger seat view field region (Y) by picking up an image of a windowpane portion corresponding to the passenger seat view field region (Y) and an infrared ray temperature analyzing program configured to extract a lowest temperature of the passenger seat view field region (Y) from the windowpane temperature distribution of the passenger seat view field region (Y), and

the microcomputer (18) is configured to calculate the windowpane relative humidity of the driver seat view field region (X) and the windowpane relative humidity of the passenger seat view field region (Y) based on the lowest temperature of the driver seat view field region (X) and the lowest temperature of the passenger seat view field region (Y).

6. The windowpane defogging device of claim 5, wherein the thermopile infrared ray sensor of the first temperature sensing unit (12) is installed to face toward a central section of the driver seat view field region (X), and the thermopile infrared ray sensor of the second temperature sensing unit (14) is installed to face toward a central section of the passenger seat view field region (Y).

7. The windowpane defogging device of claim 6, wherein the first temperature sensing unit (12), the second temperature sensing unit (14) and the humidity sensing unit (16) of the relative humidity detecting unit (10) are fixedly secured to a room mirror (M) spaced apart from the windowpane and existing within a vehicle room.

8. A windowpane defogging method which, upon generation of a fog on a windowpane, comes into a defogging mode to remove the fog generated on the windowpane, comprising:

a) a step of detecting a windowpane temperature of a driver seat view field region (X) of the windowpane, a windowpane temperature of a passenger seat view field region (Y) of the windowpane and a humidity of the windowpane;

b) a step of calculating a windowpane relative humidity of the driver seat view field region (X) and a windowpane relative humidity of the passenger seat view field region (Y) by processing the windowpane temperature of the driver seat view field region (X), the windowpane temperature of the passenger seat view field region (Y) and the humidity of the windowpane;

c) a step of determining whether at least one of the windowpane relative humidity of the driver seat view field region (X) and the windowpane relative humidity of the passenger seat view field region (Y) is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference humidity; and

d) a step of, if at least one of the windowpane relative humidity of the driver seat view field region (X) and the windowpane relative humidity of the passenger seat view field region (Y) is equal to or higher than the predetermined reference humidity, determining that the fog is generated on the windowpane and coming into the defogging mode.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step c) comprises:

c-1) a step of determining whether a driver seat or a passenger seat is taken by a user; and

c-2) a step of determining whether the windowpane relative humidity of the driver seat view field region (X) or the passenger seat view field region (Y) corresponding to the driver seat or the passenger seat taken by the user is equal to or higher than the predetermined reference humidity, while excluding the windowpane relative humidity of the driver seat view field region (X) or the passenger seat view field region (Y) corresponding to the driver seat or the passenger seat not taken by the user.

10. The method of claim 8 or 9, wherein a temperature of a coldest section of the driver seat view field region (X) and a temperature of a coldest section of the passenger seat view field region (Y) are detected in the step a).

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step a) comprises:

a-1) picking up an image of a windowpane portion corresponding to the driver seat view field region (X) and an image of a windowpane portion corresponding to the passenger seat view field region (Y) in a position spaced apart from the windowpane;

a-2) detecting a windowpane temperature distribution of the driver seat view field region (X) and a windowpane temperature distribution of the passenger seat view field region (Y) using the image of the windowpane portion corresponding to the driver seat view field region (X) and the image of the windowpane portion corresponding to the passenger seat view field region (Y); and

a-3) extracting the temperature of the coldest section of the driver seat view field region (X) and the temperature of the coldest section of the passenger seat view field region (Y) from the windowpane temperature distribution of the driver seat view field region (X) and the windowpane temperature distribution of the passenger seat view field region (Y).

12-21. -21. (canceled)