Windshield Camera Lens Hood Uniform Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lens hoods for windshield cameras experience nonuniform heat distribution and require high energy levels to prevent fogging or icing due to the placement of heating elements below the bottom wall, leading to inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A lens hood design with a flat heating element embedded on the upper face of the bottom wall, utilizing a homogeneous electrically conductive plastic layer or film, covered with a thermally insulating layer and an electrically insulating TPU cover film, to ensure uniform heat distribution and low energy consumption, with power-supply electrodes angled for efficient heating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the heating element is spaced below the upper surface of the bottom wall of the lens hood, then the heating element can be installed, but nonuniform heat distribution results and high energy levels are required
Solution Approach 1:
The heating element is positioned directly on the upper face of the bottom wall at the precise location where heat is needed to prevent fogging and icing. This localized positioning ensures uniform heat distribution across the critical surface area, eliminating the nonuniform heating that occurred when the element was spaced below the wall. The direct contact configuration optimizes thermal transfer efficiency to the windshield interface.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of placing the heating element below the bottom wall and relying on thermal conduction through the wall material, the invention inverts the approach by positioning the heating element directly on the upper face of the bottom wall. This inversion creates direct thermal contact with the windshield-facing surface, achieving uniform heat distribution and reducing energy requirements.
2Temperature
If the heating element is embedded in the bottom wall, then uniform heat distribution is achieved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heating element is integrated directly into the bottom wall structure of the lens hood, merging two previously separate components (heating element and bottom wall) into a unified assembly. This integration simplifies the overall manufacturing process by reducing the number of separate parts and assembly steps, while simultaneously achieving uniform heat distribution across the bottom wall surface.
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
The solution achieves uniform heat distribution with reduced energy expenditure, effectively preventing fogging or icing while being easy to manufacture and install, using a thermally insulating and conductive film structure.
Implementation Method 1
the heating element, as a heat generator, has a homogeneous electrically conductive plastic layer or plastic film containing conductive particles
Implementation Method 2
the back face of the heating conductive layer or film of the heating element is covered with a thermally insulating layer or film
Data Source
AI summary
The lens hood used in combination with a camera on a back face of a windshield has a bottom wall spaced below the windshield and having an upper face turned toward the windshield, and a flat heating element carried on the upper face of the bottom wall. The surface of the bottom wall of the lens hood facing the windshield has a scattered light-capturing structure, and the surface of the heating element, as part of the bottom wall, at least partially forms this structure. The heating element is embedded in the bottom wall of the lens hood, so that the heating element completely or at least partially forms the upper face of the bottom wall.