A Heating system for a vehicle window and method of control

摘要

A heating system 101 for a vehicle comprises a window heater element 103, a vision system 111 that derives data from the environment external to the vehicle, and a controller 117. The controller 117 deactivates the window heater element 103 depending on the operational state of the vision system 111. The vision system 111 may image the environment through a portion of window 105 that is heated by element 103. Controller 117 may deactivate the element 103 during a warm-up phase of the engine. The vision system 111 may provide an error signal when it is unable to derive data about the external environment, and the controller 117 may activate the heating system on receiving this error signal. Controller 117 may determine if the vision system 111 is able to identify highway infrastructure or vehicles. The heater 103 may also be deactivated based on an external temperature. Imaging system 103 may be a road monitoring system with an imaging device attached or sealed against an interior face of the window 105.