US-12618541-B2 - Apparatus for defrosting a vehicle light

Abstract

An apparatus for defrosting a vehicle light comprises a frame, a heating element connected to at least a portion of an internal facing surface of the frame, an attachment mechanism, and an electrical communication connection electrically connected between the heating element and a power source. The heating element may be configured to generate heat in the direction of the vehicle light, thereby melting snow, ice, or frost buildup on or in the vehicle light.

Inventors

• Justin Hartenstein

Assignees

• AAC Enterprises LLC

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20211223

Claims (19)

1. 1 . An apparatus ( 10 ) for defrosting a vehicle light ( 52 ) comprising: a frame ( 100 ) having an external facing surface ( 110 ) and an internal facing surface ( 120 ), a heating element ( 200 ) connected to at least a portion of the internal facing surface, an attachment mechanism, and an electrical communication connection ( 400 ) electrically connected between the heating element and a power source; wherein the attachment mechanism is selected from the group consisting of at least one mounting bracket ( 300 ), a plurality of protrusions adapted to provide a friction fit with a surface of the vehicle ( 50 ), an adhesive, a fastener, a set screw, and combinations thereof; and wherein the apparatus is configured to connect to an exterior surface of a vehicle or a vehicle light lens ( 54 ); wherein the apparatus is configured to connect to the exterior surface of the vehicle or vehicle light lens such that a gap exists between the internal facing surface of the frame and at least a portion of the vehicle light lens when the apparatus is connected to the vehicle; and wherein the gap has a gap distance measurement ( 56 ) in the range of between 0.1 cm and 12 cm.
2. 2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a temperature sensor ( 500 ) electrically connected to the power source.
3. 3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the temperature sensor is connected to at least a portion of the external facing surface.
4. 4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the frame comprises the heating element.
5. 5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the heating element is a conductive tube type heater.
6. 6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heating element is selected from the group consisting of a ceramic heating element, a resistance wire, a conductive heating strip, and a screen-printed conductive silver paste.
7. 7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a switch electrically connected to the electrical communication connection.
8. 8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the frame comprises at least one cross member ( 130 ).
9. 9 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the heating element is connected to at least a portion of at least one of the cross members.
10. 10 . An apparatus ( 10 ) for defrosting a vehicle light ( 52 ) comprising: a frame ( 100 ) having an external facing surface ( 110 ) and an internal facing surface ( 120 ), a heating element ( 200 ) connected to at least a portion of the internal facing surface, an attachment mechanism, and an electrical communication connection ( 400 ) electrically connected between the heating element and a power source; wherein the attachment mechanism is selected from the group consisting of at least one mounting bracket ( 300 ), a plurality of protrusions adapted to provide a friction fit with a surface of the vehicle ( 50 ), an adhesive, a fastener, a set screw, and combinations thereof; and wherein the apparatus is configured to connect to an exterior surface of a vehicle or a vehicle light lens ( 54 ); and wherein the apparatus is configured to connect to the exterior surface of the vehicle or vehicle light lens such that at least a portion of the internal facing surface of the frame is in direct contact with at least a portion of the vehicle light lens.
11. 11 . The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising a temperature sensor ( 500 ) electrically connected to the power source.
12. 12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the temperature sensor is connected to at least a portion of the external facing surface.
13. 13 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the frame comprises the heating element.
14. 14 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the heating element is a conductive tube type heater.
15. 15 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the heating element is selected from the group consisting of a ceramic heating element, a resistance wire, a conductive heating strip, and a screen-printed conductive silver paste.
16. 16 . The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising a switch electrically connected to the electrical communication connection.
17. 17 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the frame comprises at least one cross member ( 130 ).
18. 18 . The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the heating element is connected to at least a portion of at least one of the cross members.
19. 19 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the apparatus is configured to connect to the exterior surface of the vehicle or vehicle light lens such that a gap exists between the internal facing surface of the frame and at least a portion of the vehicle light lens when the apparatus is connected to the vehicle.

Description

CROSS REFERENCES AND PRIORITIES This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/135,852 filed on 11 Jan. 2021, the teachings of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. BACKGROUND Frost, ice, snow, and moisture on or within a vehicle lighting assembly poses a particular problem for vehicle drivers—especially those living in cold-weather climates. For example, frost, ice, and snow buildup on top of or inside the lens of a headlight can be particularly dangerous as it can block or diffuse light emitted from the headlight resulting in the vehicle driver having difficulty seeing the road in front of them at night. A number of solutions are commonly used in vehicles for removing frost, ice, snow, and moisture. The simplest of these apply to the vehicle's front and rear windshields, and commonly involve the use of a forced air heater which applies hot air to an interior surface of the window (typically seen for vehicle front windshields) or a series of heating elements applied to or embedded in the window (typically seen for vehicle rear windshields). Solutions for removing frost, ice, snow, and moisture from a vehicle lighting assembly have also been proposed. The most common solution involves the placement of heating wires or other heating elements onto or embedded in the lighting assembly housing. One such solution is proposed in United States Patent Publication No. 2018/0245767 which discloses a headlight equipped with heating wires, which is implemented such that transparent heating wires are disposed in the plastic of the headlight and the plastic of the headlight is heated through the generation of heat by the heating wires. Such prior art solutions may be useful for new vehicles where they can be included in the original lighting assembly. However, such solutions are impractical for existing vehicles which do not include an existing solution for removing frost, ice, snow, and moisture from the lighting assemblies. As the heating elements are integral components of the lighting assembly, these solutions require complete replacement of the lighting assembly, which is often an expensive and labor-intensive task. The need exists, therefore, for an improved solution for removing frost, ice, snow, and moisture from a vehicle lighting assembly which can be retrofit to existing vehicle lighting assemblies. SUMMARY Described herein is an apparatus for defrosting a vehicle light. The apparatus may comprise a frame, a heating element, an attachment mechanism, and an electrical communication connection. The frame will have an external facing surface and an internal facing surface. The heating element may be connected to at least a portion of the internal facing surface of the frame. The electrical communication connection may be electrically connected between the heating element and a power source. The apparatus may be configured to connect to an exterior surface of a vehicle or a vehicle light lens. The attachment mechanism may be selected from the group consisting of at least one mounting bracket, a plurality of protrusions adapted to provide a friction fit with a surface of the vehicle, an adhesive, a fastener, a set screw, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise a temperature sensor. The temperature sensor may be electrically connected to the power source. In certain embodiments, the temperature sensor may be connected to at least a portion of the external facing surface of the frame. In certain embodiments, the frame may comprise the heating element in the form of a conductive tube type heater. In other embodiments, the heating element may be selected from the group consisting of a ceramic heating element, a resistance wire, a conductive heating strip, and a screen-printed conductive silver plate. In some embodiments, the frame may comprise at least one cross member. In some such embodiments, the heating element may be connected to at least a portion of at least one of the cross members. In certain embodiments, the apparatus may be configured to connect to the exterior surface of the vehicle or vehicle light lens such that a gap exists between the internal facing surface of the frame and at least a portion of a vehicle light lens when the apparatus is connected to the vehicle. In some such embodiments, the gap may have a gap distance measurement in the range of between 0.1 cm and 12 cm. In other embodiments, the apparatus may be configured to connect to the exterior surface of the vehicle or vehicle light lens such that at least a portion of the internal facing surface of the frame is in direct contact with at least a portion of the vehicle light lens. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of an apparatus for defrosting a vehicle light. FIG. 2 is an assembled side cross section view of an embodiment of an apparatus for defrosting a vehicle light. FIG. 3 is an assembled perspect