Windshield Heater Zone Control for EV Defrost Power Saving
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional power control systems for vehicle hot-wire heaters do not consider power consumption, which is a significant issue for electric vehicles with limited power supply.
Innovation Solution
A power control device that switches between alternating control and entire surface control based on external air temperature and vehicle speed, optimizing the energization of hot-wire heaters to reduce power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all hot-wire heaters are simultaneously energized to ensure effective defrosting, then defrosting effectiveness is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The front window heating area is divided into multiple independent zones (upper, lower, left, right) with separate hot-wire heaters for each zone. This segmentation allows selective energization of only the required zones based on detected frost conditions, rather than energizing all heaters simultaneously, thus reducing unnecessary power consumption while maintaining effective defrosting where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs periodic scanning of temperature sensors across different window zones to detect frost conditions. Based on this periodic detection, the control unit selectively energizes heaters in a sequential or alternating manner rather than continuous simultaneous operation, achieving effective defrosting through periodic activation while significantly reducing overall power consumption.
2Reliability
If hot-wire heaters are energized to remove frost from the front window, then visibility is improved, but power consumption becomes excessive for electric vehicles
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality control by detecting frost conditions in specific window zones and energizing heaters only in those localized areas where frost is detected. Temperature sensors monitor each zone independently, and the control unit activates heaters selectively based on local conditions rather than uniformly across the entire window, ensuring visibility is maintained in affected areas while minimizing power consumption.
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 effectively reduces power consumption by alternating or simultaneous energization of hot-wire heaters, prioritizing power use based on vehicle conditions, ensuring efficient heating and avoiding wasteful energy use.
Implementation Method 1
hot-wire heaters provided respectively in a plurality of areas which are obtained by dividing a front window
Data Source
AI summary
A power control device of the present invention controls the electric power of a vehicle which includes hot-wire heaters provided respectively in a plurality of areas which are obtained by dividing a front window. In particular, the power control device of the present invention switches between alternating control and entire surface control based on an external air temperature of the vehicle and a speed of the vehicle, the alternating control being for sequentially energizing each hot-wire heater provided in each of the plurality of areas, and the entire surface control being for simultaneously energizing all the hot-wire heaters provided in the plurality of areas.