# US 12,760,861 B2 · Vehicle light with heating element > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,760,861 B2 - Document ID: US12760861B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/940,157 - Filed: 2024-11-07 - Published: 2025-05-08 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - Earliest claimed: 2023-11-08 - Assignees: Wheel Pros, LLC - Applicants: Wheel Pros, LLC - Inventors: Matt Kossoff; Yoshitaka Ishida; Chen Yu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12760861B2 ## CPC - F21S 45/60: Heating of lighting devices, e.g. for demisting - F21S: NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS ## Abstract A vehicle light has a heating element and a radiator vent that creates and distributes heated air inside the vehicle light. This prevents fog buildup on the inside of the light in cold and wet weather, allowing for more efficient and therefore safer lights for vehicles. A series of ceramic heating elements is arrayed in front of individual spines of a radiator vent. As each ceramic heating element receives electricity from the vehicle, its surface heats up. Air is blown past the heating elements and directed through the radiator vent by two or more blower motors. A temperature sensor regulates the amount of electricity that is sent to each ceramic element. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle light comprising: a headlamp front lens; a headlight housing connected to the headlamp front lens to define an interior section therebetween; a radiator defining a passage between the interior section of the vehicle light and an outside of the vehicle light; a temperature sensor attached to the headlight housing outside of the interior section, the temperature sensor configured to measure an ambient air temperature of air surrounding the vehicle light; a first heating element positioned within the radiator, the first heating element having an on state in which the first heating element is resistively heated by electrical energy delivered thereto and an off state, the first heating element configured to switch to the on state when the temperature sensor measures the ambient air temperature below a threshold temperature; and a first blower motor attached to the headlight housing and positioned to blow air through the passage of the radiator and into the interior section of the vehicle light when in an on mode thereof, the first blower motor configured to switch to the on mode when the temperature sensor measures the ambient air temperature below the threshold temperature; wherein the first blower motor in the on mode thereof is configured to blow air across the first heating element in the on state thereof to increase a temperature of the blown air to a temperature greater than the ambient air temperature to heat the headlamp front lens. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle light according to claim 1, wherein the first heating element is a ceramic heating element. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vehicle light according to claim 1, wherein the first heating element is an acrylic heating element. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle light according to claim 1, further comprising a second blower motor. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle light according to claim 1, wherein the radiator comprises a first spine and a second spine, each of the first spine and the second spine extending from a front side of the radiator into the interior section towards the headlamp front lens of the vehicle light, the first spine and the second spine spaced apart by the passage. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The vehicle light according to claim 5, wherein the first spine and the second spine taper distally as the first spine and the second spine extend into the interior section. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The vehicle light according to claim 5, further comprising a second heating element, the first heating element disposed within the first spine and the second heating element disposed within the second spine. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The vehicle light according to claim 7, wherein the radiator comprises a total of at least six spines including the first spine and the second spine. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The vehicle light according to claim 1, further comprising light elements disposed within the interior section of the vehicle light, the light elements configured to emit light. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The vehicle light according to claim 1, further comprising a mounting frame configured to mount the vehicle light to a vehicle. ### Claim 11 A vehicle light comprising: a front side and a back side opposite the back side, the front side and the back side defining an interior section therebetween; a radiator defining a plurality of passages between the interior section of the vehicle light and an outside of the vehicle light; a temperature sensor attached to the back side of the vehicle light outside of the interior section, the temperature sensor configured to measure an ambient air temperature of air surrounding the vehicle light; a plurality of heating elements positioned within the radiator and extending into the interior section of the vehicle light, the plurality of heating elements having an on state in which each heating element is resistively heated by electrical energy delivered thereto and an off state, the plurality of heating elements configured to switch to the on state in when the temperature sensor measures the ambient air temperature below a threshold temperature; and a blower motor attached to the back side and positioned to blow air through the plurality of passages of the radiator and into the interior section of the vehicle light when in an on mode thereof, the blower motor configured to switch to the on mode when the temperature sensor measures the ambient air temperature below a threshold temperature; wherein the blower motor in the on mode thereof is configured to blow air across the plurality of heating elements to increase a temperature of the blown air to a temperature greater than the ambient air temperature to heat the interior section of the vehicle light. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The vehicle light according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of heating elements are acrylic heating elements. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The vehicle light according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of heating elements are ceramic heating elements. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The vehicle light according to claim 11, wherein the radiator comprises a plurality of spines extending into the interior section of the vehicle light. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The vehicle light according to claim 14, wherein each spine has a respective heating element of the plurality of heating elements disposed therein. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The vehicle light according to claim 15, wherein the plurality of spines includes between two spines to six spines. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The vehicle light according to claim 14, wherein adjacent spines of the plurality of spines are spaced apart by a respective passage of the plurality of passages. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The vehicle light according to claim 11, wherein the radiator is configured to direct air blown by the blower motor toward an interior surface of the front side of the vehicle light. ### Claim 19 A vehicle light comprising: a headlamp front lens; a headlight housing connected to the headlamp front lens to define an interior section therebetween; a radiator defining a passage between the interior section of the vehicle light and an outside of the vehicle light, the radiator including a first spine and a second spine each extending into the interior section along a spine axis towards the headlamp front lens of the vehicle light along a, the first spine and the second spine spaced apart by the passage; a temperature sensor attached to the headlight housing outside of the interior section, the temperature sensor configured to measure an ambient air temperature of air surrounding the vehicle light, a first heating element disposed within the first, the first heating element having an on state in which the first heating element heats the first spine and an off state, the first heating element configured to switch to the on state when the temperature sensor measures the ambient air temperature below a first threshold temperature; a second heating element disposed within the second spine, the second heating element having an on state in which the second heating element heats the second spine and an off state, the second heating element configured to switch to the on state when the temperature sensor measures the ambient air temperature below the first threshold temperature; and a blower motor attached to the headlight housing and positioned to blow air through the passage of the radiator and into the interior section of the vehicle light when in an on mode thereof, the blower motor configured to switch to the on mode when the temperature sensor measures the ambient air temperature below a second threshold temperature, the blower motor blowing the air through the passage in a direction parallel to the spine axis of the first spine and the second spine; wherein the blower motor in the on mode thereof is configured to blow air across the first spine and the second spine with the first heating element and the second heating element in the on state thereof to increase a temperature of the blown air to a temperature greater than the ambient air temperature to heat the headlamp front lens. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The vehicle light according to claim 19, wherein the first spine and the second spine taper distally along the spine axis as the first spine and the second spine extend into the interior section. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The vehicle light according to claim 19, wherein the first threshold temperature and the second threshold temperature are the same.