Embedded Light Sensors in Vehicle Window Assemblies
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle sensors face challenges in effectively monitoring and illuminating the external environment due to interference from environmental elements, which degrades sensor data and light beam quality, requiring additional gaps in the vehicle body for separate sensor and light emitter installations.
Innovation Solution
The integration of element assemblies within the vehicle that combine light emitter devices and sensor devices via a common window element, utilizing a housing with a baffle element and window cleaner to mitigate interference and maintain clear visibility, allowing for concurrent light emission and environment monitoring without additional body gaps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate sensor and light emitter installations are used, then environmental monitoring and light emission functions are provided, but additional gaps in the vehicle body are required and environmental interference degrades performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines light emitter devices and sensor devices into a single integrated element assembly that shares a common window element. This merging allows both light emission and environmental monitoring functions to be provided through a single aperture in the vehicle body, eliminating the need for separate gaps while enabling concurrent operation of both functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The common window element serves multiple functions: it acts as the transparent barrier for light emitter devices to provide illumination and as the same barrier for sensor devices to monitor the external environment. This multi-functionality allows the single window element to support both lighting and sensing operations simultaneously.
2Measurement precision
If environmental elements are present at the window, then sensor data accuracy and light beam quality are degraded, but clearing the window requires additional mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The window cleaner mechanism is integrated into the element assembly and automatically cleans the common window element when environmental elements are detected. The system uses the sensor devices to detect contamination on the window and triggers the cleaner mechanism to remove the elements, maintaining optical clarity without requiring external intervention or complex separate cleaning systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor devices provide feedback about the condition of the common window element, detecting when environmental elements are present. This feedback triggers the window cleaner mechanism to activate and remove the contamination, creating a closed-loop system that maintains sensor data accuracy and light beam quality through automatic monitoring and cleaning.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enhances sensor data accuracy and light beam quality by reducing environmental interference, enabling effective monitoring and illumination of the external environment while minimizing the need for additional vehicle body apertures.
Implementation Method 1
the window element completes an enclosure of the interior space and establishes a transparent barrier between the interior space and an external environment
Implementation Method 2
the at least one light emitter device is configured to direct a light beam into the external environment through the window element
Implementation Method 3
the at least one sensor device is configured to monitor at least a portion of the external environment through the window element
Data Source
AI summary
Some embodiments provide a vehicle which includes a one or more sets of light emitter devices and sensor devices included in a common element assembly of the vehicle which includes a common window element via which the light emitter devices and sensor devices can interact with an external environment in which the vehicle is located. The sensor devices and light emitter devices can be communicatively coupled, and operation of the light emitter devices and sensor devices can be adjustably controlled to mitigate interference by the light emitter devices with sensor data representations generated by the sensor devices. The window element can include a reflection-mitigating layer which mitigates reflection of light beams emitted by one or more light emitter devices in an assembly towards one or more sensor elements of one or more sensor devices included in the same assembly.