Method and apparatus for heating a portion of a vehicle

• US 6,521,868 B1
• Filed: 11/02/2001
• Issued: 02/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Anderson, George, Schaefer, Eric Gerd, Kyrtsos, Christos, Brown, Kenneth Gerard
• Primary Examiner(s): Walberg, Teresa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Vinod D.
• Application Number:
  US09/682,947
• Time in Patent Office: 473 Days
• Field of Search: 219/203, 219/522, 219/480, 219/478, 219/508, 219/202, 219/207, 219/205, 521/712
• US Class Current: 219/203
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0236 for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/035 Electrical circuits used in resistive heating apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/84 Heating arrangements specially adapted for transparent or reflecting areas, e.g. for demisting or de-icing windows, mirrors or vehicle windshields

Abstract

A method and an apparatus 12 for quickly heating a portion of a vehicle 10, such as a windshield 22 or backwindow 20. Particularly, apparatus 12 includes several conductors 40 which are coupled to electrical ground potential 42 and which have opposed ends 44, 46 which are alternatingly coupled to a source of energy 26, thereby allowing the portion of the vehicle 10 to be quickly heated.

Claims

1. An apparatus for heating a window comprising:

a selectively movable switch which is movable from a first position to a second activated position;

an assembly which is coupled to said selectively movable switch and which provides controlled pulses of energy only when and for as long as said switch is in said second activated position;

a first portion which is communicatively coupled to said assembly and deployed upon a first part of said window, wherein said assembly communicates said controlled pulsed energy to said first portion and, in response to said receipt of said controlled pulsed energy, said first portion heats said first part of said window; and

a second portion which is communicatively coupled to said assembly and deployed upon a second part of said window, wherein said assembly communicates said controlled pulsed energy to said second portion only after said first part of said window has been heated, thereby heating said second part of said window.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second portion heats said second part of said window only when said first portion stops heating said first part of said window.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first and second portions respectively heat said first and second parts of said window for a substantially identical period of time.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first portion comprises a first part of at least one heating element which is disposed upon said first and said second part of said window and wherein said second portion comprises a second part of said at least one heating element.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said assembly comprises a battery;

and a controller which is coupled to said battery and to said at least one heating element.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said switch is coupled to said controller and which selectively allows only said first part of said window to be heated.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said switch further selectively allows only said second part of said window to be heated.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising a temperature sensor which senses a certain temperature and causes said first part to be heated based upon said sensed temperature.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said first part of said window comprises the middle portion of said window and wherein said second part of said window comprises an edge of said window.

10. An assembly for heating a portion of a vehicle comprising:

a selectively movable switch which is movable from a first position to a second activated position;

a plurality of conductors which heatingly communicate with said portion of said vehicle, each of said plurality of conductors being coupled to an electrical ground potential and including a first portion which selectively receives pulsed energy and which produces heat by use of said pulsed energy only when and for as long as said selectively movable switch is in said second activated position;

a control assembly which estimates the temperature of said portion of said vehicle by determining the resistance of said pulsed energy, said control assembly further storing a threshold temperature level and, upon said first portion reaching said stored threshold temperature level, said control assembly interrupting said communication of pulsed energy to said first portion; and

a second portion which selectively receives said pulsed energy and which produces heat by use of said pulsed energy only when and for as long as said selectively movable switch is in said second activated position and only when said communication of said pulsed energy to said first portion is interrupted by said control assembly.

11. The assembly of claim 10 further comprising a controller which is coupled to said plurality of conductors and which senses the resistance of said second portion and which interrupts said communication of said energy to said second portion based upon said sensed resistance.

12. The assembly of claim 11 further comprising a temperature sensor which is coupled to said portion of said vehicle and to said controller.

13. The assembly of claim 12, wherein said temperature sensor senses the temperature of said portion of said vehicle and, based upon said sensed temperature, interrupts said communication of said energy to said second portion.

14. The assembly of claim 13, wherein said vehicle resides within a certain environment, said assembly further comprising a second temperature sensor which senses the temperature of the environment within which the vehicle resides and, based upon said sensed temperature, causes energy to be communicated to said second portion.

15. The assembly of claim 14, wherein said portion comprises a window.

16. A method for heating a vehicular window comprising the steps of:

providing a battery;

providing a selectively movable switch which is movable from a first position to a second activated position;

providing a control assembly and coupling said control assembly to said battery and to said selectively movable switch, wherein said control assembly causes said battery to emit pulsed energy only when and for as long as said switch is in said second activated position;

providing a first plurality of conductors and coupling said first plurality of conductors to said battery, said first plurality of conductors receiving said controlled pulsed energy from said battery and, upon reception of said pulsed energy, said first plurality of conductors producing heat only when and for as long as said selectively movable switch is in said second activated position, wherein said control assembly further interrupts said communication of said controlled pulsed energy to said first plurality of conductors only upon a determination that said first plurality of conductors have reached a certain threshold level; and

providing a second plurality of conductors, said second plurality of conductors only receiving said controlled pulsed energy from said battery after said control assembly has interrupted said controlled pulsed energy to said first plurality of conductors and, in response to said received pulsed energy, said second plurality of conductors selectively produce heat only when and for as long as said selectively movable switch is in said second activated position.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said method further comprises the step of coupling each of said first and each of said second plurality of conductors to electrical ground potential, thereby forming a pair of distinct energy transport paths within each of said first and each of said second plurality of conductors, whereby a first of each of said pair of distinct energy paths cooperatively form a first defrosting assembly and whereby a second of each of said pair of respective and distinct energy paths cooperatively form a second defrosting assembly.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of communicating energy to said first defrosting assembly only until the resistance of said first of said pair of energy paths begin to substantially rise.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising the steps of sensing the temperature of said window;

and preventing the communication of energy to said first and second energy paths based upon said sensed temperature.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of sensing an ambient temperature and causing a certain amount of energy to be communicated to said first energy path based upon said sensed temperature.