| 摘要 |
Methods and apparatus for melting snow and/or ice on a vehicle, such as an automobile, are disclosed. The apparatus includes a snow sensor mounted on t he outside of the vehicle and a controller positioned underneath the vehicle's hood. When snowfall is detected, the controller causes an engine of the vehicle to be started one or more times along with its heater and defroster. The heat from the engine and the inside of the vehicle are transferred to the vehicle's body and windows to melt the snow/ice over the vehicle. Advantageously, snow melting is performed automatically an d requires no effort or involvement from the driver of the vehicle. Preferably , the engine is started a number of times for brief time periods to keep fuel consumption low. Several advanced features are provided as well, and as some examples, the controller may be incorporated as part of an engine control unit or car alarm system of the vehicle; the controller may be configured to inhibit starting of the engine if a low fuel condition or driver in-use condition exists; and the controller may be configured to keep the snow sensing technology inactivated until a temperature reading from a temperatur e sensor is below a predetermined threshold and/or until physical contact from snow i s detected.
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