US 9,783,166 B1 · Windscreen clearing using surface monitoring

Abstract

Methods, systems and computer readable program products for maintaining windscreen visibility using surface monitoring are disclosed. In embodiments, the system comprises a set of sensors for monitoring a state of a windscreen surface and for generating one or more signals representing that state; a control system for analyzing the one or more signals to identify defined conditions of the surface of the windscreen and to generate one or more control signals; and a set of activatable devices for receiving the one or more control signals. The control signals activate the activatable devices to remove the identified conditions of the surface of the windscreen. In embodiments, the set of activatable devices includes air jets and cleaning fluid jets, and the control signals activate these jets to direct air and cleaning fluids onto the windscreen. This may be done to remove rain drops or dirt from the windscreen.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for maintaining windscreen visibility using surface monitoring, the system comprising:

a set of sensors for monitoring a state of a surface of a windscreen of a vehicle, and for generating one or more signals representing said state;
a control system for analyzing said one or more signals to identify defined conditions of the surface of the windscreen and to generate one or more control signals;
and
a set of activatable devices for receiving the one or more control signals from the control unit, the control signals activating the activatable devices to remove the identified defined conditions of the surface of the windscreen;
and wherein:
the set of activatable devices includes a plurality of different types of the activatable devices;
a given set of rules is provided for determining when to activate the different types of the activatable devices;
and
the control system analyzes said one or more signals generated by the set of sensors to determine which one or more of the different types of the activatable devices to activate based on said given set of rules.

6 more elements

A method for maintaining windscreen visibility using surface monitoring, the method comprising:

monitoring a state of a surface of a windscreen of a vehicle, and generating one or more signals representing said state;
analyzing said one or more signals to identify defined conditions of the surface of the windscreen and to generate one or more control signals;
and
activating a set of activatable devices, using said one or more control signals, to remove the identified defined conditions of the surface of the windscreen;
and wherein:
the set of activatable devices includes a plurality of different types of the activatable devices;
a given set of rules is provided for determining when to activate the different types of the activatable devices;
and
the analyzing said one or more signals representing said state of the surface of the windscreen includes analyzing said one or more signals representing said state to determine which one or more of the different types of the activatable devices to activate based on said given set of rules.

6 more elements

A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer program code tangibly embodied therein for maintaining windscreen visibility using surface monitoring, the computer program code, when executed in a computer system performing the following:
receiving one or more signals representing the monitored state of a surface of a windscreen of a vehicle;
analyzing said one or more signals to identify defined conditions of the surface of the windscreen and to generate one or more control signals;
and
activating a set of activatable devices, using said one or more control signals, to remove the identified defined conditions of the surface of the windscreen;
and wherein:
the set of activatable devices includes a plurality of different types of the activatable devices;
a given set of rules is provided for determining when to activate the different types of the activatable devices;
and
the analyzing said one or more signals representing the monitored state of the surface of the windscreen includes analyzing said one or more signals representing said state to determine which one or more of the different types of the activatable devices to activate based on said given set of rules.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Windscreen clearing using surface monitoring

Life of this patent

Windscreen clearing using surface monitoring

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20