System and method for melting frozen material on windshield

Abstract

A vehicle includes a windshield, a front-facing camera, a heating element, data processing hardware, and memory hardware. The camera is configured to capture image data through a portion of the windshield. The heating element is configured to locally heat the portion of the windshield. The memory hardware is in communication with the data processing hardware and stores instructions that, when executed on the data processing hardware, cause the data processing hardware to perform operations. The operations include determining whether the frozen material covers at least some of the portion of the windshield and, based on a determination that the frozen material covers at least some of the portion of the windshield, activating a heating element to locally heat the portion of the windshield to melt the frozen material covering at least some of the portion of the windshield.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for melting frozen material on the windshield of a dashboard camera in a parked vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] The information provided in this section is intended to provide a general overview of the background of this disclosure. To the extent described in this section, the work of the currently named inventors, and aspects of the description that may not conform to the prior art at the time of submission, are neither explicitly nor implicitly acknowledged as prior art relative to this disclosure.

[0003] In winter or cold weather conditions, frozen materials (such as snow and / or ice) may accumulate on the windshields of parked vehicles (such as cars, trucks, airplanes, trains, or drones). In this situation, the vehicle's cameras may not be able to capture clear images through the windshield, and therefore, the cameras may not be usable as dashboard camera monitoring systems when the vehicle is parked. Even when the vehicle is started and driven, it may take time to clear the material frozen to the windshield near the cameras. Summary of the Invention

[0004] One aspect of this disclosure provides a vehicle including a windshield, a front-facing camera, a heating element, data processing hardware, and memory hardware. The front-facing camera is configured to capture image data through a portion of the windshield, wherein the portion of the windshield is smaller than the entire windshield. The heating element is configured to locally heat the portion of the windshield. The memory hardware communicates with the data processing hardware and stores instructions that, when executed on the data processing hardware, cause the data processing hardware to perform operations. The operations include determining whether at least some of the frozen material covers the portion of the windshield, and based on the determination that at least some of the frozen material covers the portion of the windshield, activating the heating element to locally heat the portion of the windshield, thereby melting the frozen material covering at least some of the portion of the windshield.

[0005] Embodiments of this disclosure may include one or more of the following optional features. In some embodiments, the heating element includes one or more infrared heating elements for a front-facing camera, arranged around the lens of the front-facing camera. The one or more infrared heating elements are configured to emit infrared energy toward that portion of the windshield. In some examples, the heating element includes one or more layers of transparent conductive material embedded in or applied thereto in that portion of the windshield.

[0006] In some examples, determining at least some of the portion of the windshield covered by frozen material includes processing image data to detect the frozen material. In some implementations, the heating element includes two or more heating zones. Operation may also include estimating the thickness of the frozen material and selecting one or more of the heating zones based on the estimated thickness. Enabling the heating element may include activating heating in the selected one or more heating zones.

[0007] In some embodiments, the operation further includes determining that the external temperature meets a criterion, and based on determining that the external temperature meets the criterion, initiating monitoring of the freezing material on that portion of the windshield. In some examples, the operation further includes determining that the vehicle is closed and parked, and based on determining that the vehicle is closed and parked, initiating monitoring of the freezing material on that portion of the windshield. In some embodiments, the operation further includes determining that the battery level meets a criterion, and based on determining that the battery level meets the criterion, interrupting the determination of whether the freezing material covers at least some of that portion of the windshield, and deactivating the heating element.

[0008] In some examples, the vehicle also includes a cleaning element. Operation may also include determining that at least some of the frozen material covering the portion of the windshield has melted, and based on this determination, activating the cleaning element to remove the melted material from that portion of the windshield. In some embodiments, operation further includes determining that the temperature difference between the outside temperature and the temperature of that portion of the windshield meets a criterion, and based on this temperature difference meeting the criterion, deactivating the heating element.

[0009] Another aspect of this disclosure provides a computer-implemented method that, when executed on data processing hardware, causes the data processing hardware to perform operations. The operations include acquiring image data from a front-facing camera of a vehicle, the camera being configured to capture image data through a portion of the vehicle's windshield, wherein the portion of the windshield is smaller than the entire windshield. The operations also include processing the image data to determine whether frozen material covers at least some of the portion of the windshield, and based on the determination that frozen material covers at least some of the portion of the windshield, activating a vehicle-associated heating element to locally heat the portion of the windshield, thereby melting the frozen material covering at least some of the portion of the windshield.

[0010] Embodiments of this disclosure may include one or more of the following optional features. In some embodiments, the heating element includes one or more infrared heating elements for a front-facing camera, disposed around the lens of the front-facing camera. The one or more infrared heating elements are configured to emit infrared energy toward that portion of the windshield. In some examples, the heating element includes one or more layers of transparent conductive material embedded in or implemented thereon in a portion of the windshield.

[0011] In some examples, determining at least some of the portion of the windshield covered by frozen material includes processing image data to detect the frozen material. In some implementations, the heating element includes two or more heating zones. Operation may also include estimating the thickness of the frozen material and selecting one or more of the heating zones based on the estimated thickness. Enabling the heating element may include activating heating in the selected one or more heating zones.

[0012] In some embodiments, the operation further includes determining that the external temperature meets a criterion, and based on determining that the external temperature meets the criterion, initiating monitoring of the freezing material on that portion of the windshield. In some examples, the operation further includes determining that the vehicle is closed and parked, and based on determining that the vehicle is closed and parked, initiating monitoring of the freezing material on that portion of the windshield. In some embodiments, the operation further includes determining that the battery level meets a criterion, and based on determining that the battery level meets the criterion, interrupting the determination of whether the freezing material covers at least some of that portion of the windshield, and deactivating the heating element.

[0013] In some examples, the vehicle also includes a cleaning element, and the operation further includes determining that at least some of the frozen material covering the portion of the windshield has melted, and based on the determination that at least some of the frozen material covering the portion of the windshield has melted, activating the cleaning element to remove the melted material from that portion of the windshield. In some embodiments, the operation further includes determining that the temperature difference between the outside temperature and the temperature of that portion of the windshield meets a criterion, and based on the temperature difference meeting the criterion, deactivating the heating element. Attached Figure Description

[0014] The accompanying drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0015] Figure 1 This is a view of an example vehicle including a melting system for a dashboard camera, according to the principles of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the vehicle and melting system.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the dashboard camera installed on the vehicle.

[0018] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of a camera equipped with a heating element.

[0019] Figure 5A This is a side view of the heating element embedded in the windshield.

[0020] Figure 5B yes Figure 5AFront view of the embedded heating element.

[0021] Figure 6 Examples of multiple heating zones related to the dashboard camera are shown.

[0022] Figure 7A This is a front view of the multi-zone heating element embedded in the windshield.

[0023] Figure 7B yes Figure 7A Side view of the embedded multi-zone heating element.

[0024] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of an example operational setup for a method of locally melting frozen material on the windshield of a dashboard camera used for parking vehicles.

[0025] In all the accompanying drawings, the corresponding reference numerals indicate the corresponding parts. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The example configuration will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. The example configuration is provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and will fully communicate the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art. Specific details, such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the configuration of this disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the specific details are not required, that the example configuration may be implemented in many different forms, and that the specific details and exemplary configuration should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure.

[0027] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing specific exemplary configurations only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular articles “a,” “an,” and “the” may also be intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” and “having” are inclusive, thus specifying the presence of features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but not excluding the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein should not be construed as requiring them to be performed in the specific order discussed or shown, unless specifically identified as such. Additional or alternative steps may be employed.

[0028] When an element or layer is referred to as “on another element or layer,” “joined to,” “connected to,” “attached to,” or “linked to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, joined to, connected to, attached to, or linked to the other element or layer, or there may be intermediate elements or layers present. Conversely, when an element is referred to as “directly on another element or layer,” “directly joined to,” “directly connected to,” “directly attached to,” or “directly linked to” another element or layer, there may be no intermediate elements or layers present. Other terms used to describe relationships between elements should be interpreted in a similar manner (e.g., “between” vs. “directly between,” “adjacent” vs. “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0029] The terms first, second, third, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or parts. These elements, components, regions, layers, and / or parts should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish individual elements, components, regions, layers, or parts. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms do not imply order or sequence unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Therefore, the first element, component, region, layer, or part discussed below may be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer, or part without departing from the teachings of the example configuration.

[0030] In this application, including the following definitions, the term "module" may be replaced by the term "circuit". The term "module" may refer to or be a part of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or include ASICs; digital, analog, or mixed-signal analog / digital discrete circuits; digital, analog, or mixed-signal analog / digital integrated circuits; combinational logic circuits; field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs); processors (shared, dedicated, or grouped) that execute code; memory (shared, dedicated, or grouped) that stores code executed by the processor; other suitable hardware components that provide the functions described; or some or all of the above, such as in a system-on-a-chip.

[0031] The term "code" as used above can include software, firmware, and / or microcode, and can refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, and / or objects. The term "shared processor" includes a single processor that executes some or all of the code from multiple modules. The term "group processor" includes a processor, in conjunction with an additional processor, that executes some or all of the code from one or more modules. The term "shared memory" includes a single memory that stores some or all of the code from multiple modules. The term "group memory" includes memory, in conjunction with additional memory, that stores some or all of the code from one or more modules. The term "memory" can be a subset of the term "computer-readable medium." The term "computer-readable medium" does not include transient electrical and electromagnetic signals propagating through the medium and can therefore be considered tangible, non-transitory memory. Non-limiting examples of non-transitory memory include tangible computer-readable media, including non-volatile memory, magnetic memory, and optical memory.

[0032] The apparatus and methods described in this application may be implemented, in whole or in part, by one or more computer programs executed by one or more processors. The computer program includes processor-executable instructions stored on at least one non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium. The computer program may also include and / or depend on stored data.

[0033] A software application (i.e., a software resource) can refer to computer software that enables a computing device to perform tasks. In some examples, a software application may be referred to as an "application," "app," or "program." Example applications include, but are not limited to, system diagnostic applications, system management applications, system maintenance applications, word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, messaging applications, media streaming applications, social networking applications, and game applications.

[0034] Non-transitory memory can be a physical device used for temporary or permanent storage of programs (e.g., instruction sequences) or data (e.g., program state information) for use by a computing device. Non-transitory memory can be volatile and / or non-volatile addressable semiconductor memory. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, flash memory and read-only memory (ROM) / programmable read-only memory (PROM) / erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) / electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) (e.g., commonly used in firmware, such as bootloaders). Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), phase-change memory (PCM), and magnetic disks or magnetic tapes.

[0035] These computer programs (also referred to as programs, software, software applications, or code) include machine instructions for a programmable processor and can be implemented using high-level procedural and / or object-oriented programming languages ​​and / or assembly / machine languages. As used herein, the terms "machine-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" refer to any computer program product, non-transitory computer-readable medium, apparatus, and / or device (e.g., disk, optical disk, memory, programmable logic device (PLD)) used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor, including machine-readable media that receive machine instructions as machine-readable signals. The term "machine-readable signal" refers to any signal used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor.

[0036] Various implementations of the systems and techniques described herein can be implemented in digital electronic and / or optical circuits, integrated circuits, specially designed ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits), computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These different implementations may include implementations in one or more computer programs executable and / or interpretable on a programmable system, the programmable system including at least one programmable processor, at least one input device, and at least one output device, the programmable processor being dedicated or general-purpose, coupled to receive data and instructions from and send data and instructions to the storage system.

[0037] The processes and logic flows described in this specification can be executed by one or more programmable processors, also known as data processing hardware, which execute one or more computer programs to perform functions by manipulating input data and generating output. These processes and logic flows can also be executed by special-purpose logic circuits, such as FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays) or ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits). For example, processors suitable for executing computer programs include general-purpose and special-purpose microprocessors, as well as any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Typically, the processor receives instructions and data from read-only memory or random access memory, or both. The basic components of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more storage devices for storing instructions and data. Typically, a computer will also include or be operatively coupled to one or more mass storage devices for storing data, such as magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks, to receive data from or transfer data to, or both. However, a computer does not need to have such devices. Computer-readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, media, and storage devices, including, for example, semiconductor storage devices such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs. Processors and memory may be supplemented or incorporated therein by dedicated logic circuitry.

[0038] To provide interaction with the user, one or more aspects of this disclosure can be implemented on a computer having a display device for displaying information to the user, such as a CRT (cathode ray tube), LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, or touchscreen, and optional keyboard and pointing device, such as a mouse or trackball, through which the user can provide input to the computer. Other types of devices can also be used to provide interaction with the user; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, such as visual, auditory, or tactile feedback; and input from the user can be received in any form, including sound, speech, or tactile input. Furthermore, the computer can interact with the user by sending documents to and receiving documents from the device used by the user; for example, by sending a webpage to a web browser on the user's client device in response to a request received from a web browser.

[0039] Unless explicitly stated to the contrary, the phrase “at least one of A, B, or C” means any combination or subset of A, B, and C, such as: (1) at least one A alone; (2) at least one B alone; (3) at least one C alone; (4) at least one A and at least one B; (5) at least one A and at least one C; (6) at least one B and at least one C; and (7) at least one A and at least one B and at least one C. Furthermore, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, the phrase “at least one of A, B, and C” means any combination or subset of A, B, and C, such as: (1) at least one A alone; (2) at least one B alone; (3) at least one C alone; (4) at least one A and at least one B; (5) at least one A and at least one C; (6) at least one B and at least one C; and (7) at least one A and at least one B and at least one C. Furthermore, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, “A or B” means any combination of A and B, such as: (1) A alone; (2) B alone; and (3) A and B.

[0040] In winter or cold weather conditions, frozen materials (such as snow and / or ice) can accumulate on the windshields of parked vehicles (such as cars, trucks, airplanes, trains, or drones). In this situation, the vehicle's cameras may not be able to capture clear images through the windshield, and therefore, the cameras may not be usable as dashboard camera monitoring systems when the vehicle is parked and closed. Consequently, the camera monitoring system may be unable to monitor activity around the vehicle. Even when the vehicle is started and moving, it may take time to clear the material frozen to the windshield near the camera. Therefore, there is a need for improved systems and methods to melt the frozen material on the windshields of dashboard cameras in parked vehicles.

[0041] The disclosed embodiments include the use of one or more heating elements associated with the dashboard camera and / or light detection and ranging (LiDAR) element to emit heat, which can remove frozen material when the vehicle is parked and closed. This ensures that the camera remains usable as a dashboard camera monitoring system when the vehicle is parked and closed. Furthermore, when the vehicle is put into use, the frozen material around the camera and LiDAR element melts, providing clear visibility and enabling immediate use of the vehicle's camera and LiDAR capabilities. The disclosed embodiments can also be used in conjunction with vehicle backup cameras, closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, security cameras, etc. While the disclosed embodiments are described with respect to a forward-facing dashboard camera, it should be understood that the disclosed examples can be used in conjunction with other types of cameras and / or ranging devices facing other directions of the vehicle (e.g., sides or rear) and / or through other surfaces of the vehicle (e.g., other windows).

[0042] Specific reference Figure 1 and Figure 2The image shows a vehicle 10 in conjunction with the melting system 12. As will be described in more detail below, when the vehicle 10 is parked and closed, the melting system 12 can be used to detect and melt frozen material on a portion 14 of the windshield 16 within the field of view (FOV) of the front-facing camera 18 (e.g., a dashboard camera) of the vehicle 10 (see [image description missing]). Figure 3 Here, camera 18 is configured to capture image data through a portion 14 of windshield 16, and portion 14 is smaller than the entire windshield 16.

[0043] The melting system 12 includes a windshield monitoring module 20, which can be stored and executed by the body control module (BCM) 22 of the vehicle 10. Specifically, the BCM 22 can be used to execute... Figure 8 The instructions for the operations shown are stored, for example, on memory hardware 24, and these instructions can be executed by the data processing hardware (e.g., processor 26) of BCM 22 to perform the operations.

[0044] In the illustrated example, the windshield monitoring module 20 communicates with the windshield temperature sensor 32, the external temperature sensor 34, the camera 18, and the heating element 36 associated with the camera 18, and in some examples, with the cleaning element 38 associated with the camera 18. In some embodiments, the windshield monitoring module 20 uses information from the windshield temperature sensor 32, the external temperature sensor 34, and / or the camera 18 to detect frozen material on at least some portions 14 of the windshield 16. In some examples, the windshield monitoring module 20 processes image data captured by the camera 18 to detect frozen material by, for example, detecting loss of focus, detecting blurred image data, detecting a consistent color (e.g., white or gray) on portions 14 of the windshield 16. Alternatively or additionally, the windshield monitoring module 20 may obtain information from vehicle assistance programs (e.g., The windshield monitoring module 20 obtains information indicating the likelihood of frozen material on the windshield 16 (e.g., weather forecasts or recorded rainfall). In some embodiments, the windshield monitoring module 20 enables monitoring of frozen material when the vehicle 10 is parked and closed, and the external temperature measured by the external temperature sensor 34 meets a criterion (e.g., the external temperature is below freezing).

[0045] When frozen material is detected on at least some portions 14 of the windshield 16, the windshield monitoring module 20 activates the heating element 36 to melt the frozen material from the portions 14 of the windshield 16. Here, the heating element 36 is configured to locally heat portions 14 of the windshield 16. In some examples, the shape of the heating element 36 is selected based on the shape or profile of the windshield 16 and / or the orientation of the heating element 36 relative to the windshield 16. In some embodiments, when the heating element 36 is activated, the windshield monitoring module 20 determines whether the battery level of the vehicle 10's battery 40 meets a criterion (e.g., the battery level has dropped below a threshold level), and based on the determination that the battery level meets the criterion, interrupts the determination of whether frozen material covers at least some portions 14 of the windshield 16, and deactivates the heating element 36. Alternatively, the windshield monitoring module 20 monitors the temperature difference between the windshield temperature measured by the windshield temperature sensor 32 and the external temperature measured by the external temperature sensor 34 to determine if the temperature difference meets a standard, and based on the difference meeting the standard, disables the heating element 36 to, for example, avoid damage to the windshield 16 (e.g., cause the windshield 16 to crack).

[0046] In some implementations, the windshield monitoring module 20 also detects whether the frozen material has melted, and based on the determination that the frozen material has melted, activates the cleaning element 38 to remove the melted material (e.g., water droplets) from portion 14 of the windshield 16. The windshield monitoring module 20 can also determine that the melted material has been substantially removed from that portion of the windshield, and based on this determination, deactivates the cleaning element 38. In some examples, the windshield monitoring module 20 processes image data collected by the camera 18 to determine that the melted material has been removed from that portion of the windshield. Examples of cleaning elements 38 include, but are not limited to, electrowetting elements and ultrasonic elements.

[0047] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of an example camera 402 incorporating an example heating element 404. In the example shown, the heating element 404 includes one or more infrared heating elements 406, 406a-n, which are arranged around the lens 408 of the camera 402. For example, the infrared heating element 406 may be arranged in one or more rings around the lens 408. Here, the infrared heating element 406 is configured to locally emit infrared energy toward a portion 14 of the windshield 16.

[0048] Figure 5A This is a side view of an example heating element 502 embedded in a portion 504 of the windshield 506. Figure 5B yes Figure 5AThe image shows a front view of the embedded heating element 502. In the illustrated example, the heating element 502 includes a transparent conductive material layer 508 embedded in a portion 504 of the windshield 506. In some embodiments, the transparent conductive material layer 508 includes a polyvinyl butyral layer 510, which is connected at each end to a corresponding electrical bus 512a, 512b and sandwiched between two glass layers 514a and 514b. Here, the corresponding electrical bus 512 is connected to corresponding terminals of a power source 516 (e.g., battery 40). When the power source 516 is activated or connected to the electrical bus 512, the heating element 502 emits heat 518, locally heating a portion 504 of the windshield 506.

[0049] In some implementations, the windshield monitoring module 20 estimates the thickness of the frozen material on a portion 14 of the windshield 16 and selects one or more heating zones 602a, 602b, 602c (see [reference]) for melting the frozen material based on the estimated thickness. Figure 6 Here, as the estimated thickness increases, the windshield monitoring module 20 enables heating over a larger area of ​​the windshield 16 by selecting and enabling heating in the additional heating zone 602. In the example shown, the heating zone 602 is a concentric heating zone surrounding the lens 604 of the camera 18.

[0050] Figure 7A This is a top view of an example heating element 702, which is embedded in or implemented on a portion 704 of a windshield 706, and provides multiple heating zones 720a, 720b and 720c. Figure 7B yes Figure 7A A side view of the embedded heating element 702. In the illustrated example, the heating element 702 includes multiple layers of transparent conductive material 708a, 708b, and 708c, which are embedded in or implemented on a portion 704 of the windshield 706. In the illustrated example, the layers 708 overlap, and each layer 708 corresponds to a heating zone 720. Alternatively, the layers 708 may not overlap. In some embodiments, each layer of the transparent conductive material 708 includes a corresponding polyvinyl butyral layer, which is connected at each end to a corresponding electrical bus and is isolated from adjacent polyvinyl butyral layers by electrically insulating material layers 722, 722a-n.

[0051] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary operational arrangement of a computer-implemented method 800, which locally melts frozen material on a portion of the windshield of a dashboard camera in a parked vehicle. These operations can be performed by data processing hardware (e.g., Figure 1 The processor 26) is based on memory hardware (e.g., Figure 1 The instructions are executed from the memory (24).

[0052] Example method 800 begins when vehicle 10 is parked and turned off. In operation 802, method 800 activates windshield monitoring module 20. In some examples, method 800 automatically activates windshield monitoring module 20 when the vehicle is parked and turned off. Alternatively, the driver of vehicle 10 may manually activate windshield monitoring module 20 using the vehicle 10's controller before turning off vehicle 10, or remotely activate it using a remote key.

[0053] In operation 804, the windshield monitoring module 20 determines, for example, whether a portion 14 of the windshield 16 requires localized heating by determining that the external temperature measured by the external temperature sensor 34 meets a standard (e.g., below freezing). If heating of the portion 14 of the windshield 16 may be necessary, in operation 806, the windshield monitoring module 20 begins acquiring image data from the camera 18 and processes the image data captured by the camera 18 to determine whether there is frozen material covering at least some of the portion 14 of the windshield. Alternatively or additionally, the windshield monitoring module 20 may use vehicle assistance programs (e.g., (e.g., weather forecasts or recorded rainfall) to obtain information on the likelihood of frozen material on the windshield 16.

[0054] In operation 808, method 800 includes determining whether or potentially that frozen material covers at least some portions 14 of the windshield 16. In operation 810, method 800 includes, based on the determination in operation 808 that frozen material covers at least some portions 14 of the windshield 16, activating a heating element 36 associated with the vehicle 10 to locally heat portions 14 of the windshield 16, thereby melting the frozen material covering at least some portions 14 of the windshield 16.

[0055] If the frozen material has melted during operation 812, then method 800 activates cleaning element 38 in operation 814 and deactivates heating element 36 in operation 816. Control then returns to operation 802.

[0056] In operation 818, when heating element 36 is enabled, method 800 initiates monitoring of heating of portion 14 of the windshield 16. In operation 820, method 800 determines whether the battery level of battery 40 meets a criterion (e.g., the battery level is below a threshold level). Based on the determination in operation 820 that the battery level meets the criterion, method 800 deactivates heating element 36 in operation 816.

[0057] In operation 822, method 800 determines whether the temperature difference between the windshield temperature in portion 14 measured by windshield temperature sensor 32 and the external temperature measured by external temperature sensor 34 meets a criterion (e.g., the temperature difference is greater than a threshold difference). Based on the determination in operation 822 that the temperature difference meets the criterion, method 800 in operation 824 disables heating element 36 or reduces the heat generated by heating element 36 to, for example, avoid damage to windshield 16 (e.g., cause windshield 16 to crack).

[0058] Many embodiments have been described. However, it should be understood that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Therefore, other embodiments are also within the scope of the following claims.

[0059] The foregoing description has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting of this disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular configuration are generally not limited to that particular configuration, but where applicable, they are interchangeable and can be used in selected configurations, even if not specifically shown or described. This can also be varied in many ways. Such variations should not be considered as departing from this disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising: windshield; The front-facing camera is configured to capture image data through a portion of the windshield that is smaller than the entire windshield. A heating element configured to locally heat that portion of the windshield; Data processing hardware; and Memory hardware that communicates with data processing hardware; the memory hardware stores instructions that, when executed on the data processing hardware, cause the data processing hardware to perform operations including the following: Determine whether the freezing material covers at least some of that portion of the windshield; and Based on the determination that at least some of the frozen material covers that portion of the windshield, a heating element is activated to locally heat that portion of the windshield, thereby melting at least some of the frozen material covering that portion of the windshield.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The heating element includes one or more infrared heating elements of the front-facing camera, which are arranged around the lens of the front-facing camera; and One or more infrared heating elements are configured to emit infrared energy toward that portion of the windshield.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, The heating element comprises one or more layers of transparent conductive material, which is embedded in or applied to that portion of the windshield.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, Identifying at least some of the frozen material covering the portion of the windshield involves processing image data to detect the frozen material.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The heating element includes two or more heating zones; The operation also includes: Estimate the thickness of the frozen material; and Based on the estimated thickness, one or more of the heating zones are selected; and Enabling heating elements includes enabling heating in one or more selected heating zones.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, The operation also includes: Determine that the external temperature meets the standard; and Based on the determination that the external temperature meets the standard, monitoring of the freezing material of that portion of the windshield is initiated.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, The operation also includes: Ensure the vehicle is closed and parked; and Based on the determination that the vehicle is closed and parked, monitoring of the frozen material in that portion of the windshield is initiated.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, The operation also includes: Determine that the battery level meets the standards; and Based on the determination that the battery level meets the standards: The interruption determines whether the freezing material covers at least some of that portion of the windshield; and The heating element is deactivated.

9. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a cleaning element, wherein, The operation also includes: It has been determined that at least some of the frozen material covering that portion of the windshield has melted; and Based on the determination that at least some of the frozen material covering that portion of the windshield has melted, a cleaning element is activated to remove the melted material from that portion of the windshield.

10. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, The operation also includes: Determine that the temperature difference between the external temperature and the temperature of that portion of the windshield meets a standard; and Based on the temperature difference that meets the standard, the heating element is deactivated.

Images