US-20260126520-A1 - SENSOR COVER

US20260126520A1US 20260126520 A1US20260126520 A1US 20260126520A1US-20260126520-A1

Abstract

A sensor cover includes a base layer, a cover layer disposed on the base layer and made of a self-healing material, and a heating film disposed between the base layer and the cover layer and configured to generate heat. The base layer and the cover layer are integrated with each other through a double injection molding process.

Inventors

Hong Heui LEE
Dong Ha Kim
Jin Young Yoon
Wan Ho SON
Eung Joo Kim
Tai Won Kim

Assignees

HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
KIA CORPORATION
ECOPLASTIC CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20250513
Priority Date: 20241105

Claims (20)

1 . A sensor cover comprising: a base layer; a cover layer disposed on the base layer and formed of a self-healing material, the cover layer being integrated with the base layer; and a heating film disposed between the base layer and the cover layer, the heating film being configured to generate heat.
2 . The sensor cover of claim 1 , wherein each of the base layer and the cover layer is made of a material configured to transmit radio waves therethrough.
3 . The sensor cover of claim 1 , wherein the base layer is made of polycarbonate, and the cover layer is made of polyurethane.
4 . The sensor cover of claim 3 , wherein the base layer further comprises glass fiber.
5 . The sensor cover of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the base layer is 2.34 to 2.86 millimeters (mm).
6 . The sensor cover of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the cover layer is 0.4 to 1.0 mm.
7 . The sensor cover of claim 1 , wherein the cover layer is made of soft polyurethane or is made of soft polyurethane and hard polyurethane.
8 . The sensor cover of claim 1 , wherein the heating film comprises: a film layer; and a plurality of heating wires disposed on the film layer and spaced apart from one another by a preset interval therebetween.
9 . The sensor cover of claim 8 , wherein the film layer is made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and the plurality of heating wires are made of copper and silver.
10 . The sensor cover of claim 8 , wherein a thickness of each of the plurality of heating wires is 70 to 90 micrometers.
11 . The sensor cover of claim 8 , wherein the preset interval is 5 to 7 millimeters.
12 . The sensor cover of claim 8 , wherein the heating film further comprises a connector connected to the heating film and configured to supply an electrical signal to the heating film, the connector being disposed at a side surface of the sensor cover.
13 . A vehicle comprising: a radar sensor; and a sensor cover that covers at least a portion of the radar sensor, wherein the sensor cover comprises: a base layer, a cover layer disposed on the base layer and formed of a self-healing material, and a heating film disposed between the base layer and the cover layer, the heating film being configured to generate heat.
14 . The vehicle of claim 13 , further comprising: an outside temperature sensor configured to detect an outside temperature; a cover temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the sensor cover; and a controller configured to receive information from the outside temperature sensor, the cover temperature sensor, and the radar sensor, the controller being configured to control an operation of the heating film based on the collected information.
15 . The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to: receive the outside temperature from the outside temperature sensor while the vehicle is in operation, and operate the heating film in response to the outside temperature being below 0 degrees Celsius.
16 . The vehicle of claim 15 , wherein the controller is further configured to stop the operation of the heating film in response to the temperature of the sensor cover being greater than or equal to a preset temperature.
17 . The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to: determine whether the radar sensor performs a normal operation while the vehicle is in operation, and operate the heating film based on determining that the radar sensor performs an abnormal operation while the vehicle is in operation.
18 . The vehicle of claim 17 , wherein the controller is configured to: determine whether the radar sensor performs the normal operation while the heating film is in operation; and stop the operation of the heating film based on the radar sensor performs the normal operation.
19 . The vehicle of claim 13 , further comprising a controller configured to collect state information of the heating film and to control an operation of the heating film based on the collected information.
20 . The vehicle of claim 19 , wherein the controller is configured to: determine, while the vehicle is in operation, whether the heating film performs a normal operation based on the state information of the heating film; based on determining that the heating film performs the normal operation, determine whether (i) a temperature of the heating film exceeds a preset threshold temperature or (ii) an overcurrent flows through the heating film; and stop the operation of the heating film based on determining that the temperature of the heating film exceeds the preset threshold temperature or that the overcurrent flows through the heating film.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims, under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a), the benefit of priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0154826, filed on Nov. 5, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a vehicle sensor cover. BACKGROUND A vehicle may include heating wires arranged at various locations of the vehicle for various purposes. For example, heating wires may be installed on the mirror or rear window of a vehicle to remove snow, frost, and the like from the surface thereof, thereby securing visibility of a driver. As another example, heating wires may be installed in a seat or a steering wheel of a vehicle, which may quickly warm a driver or an occupant in the vehicle in chilly weather. In some cases, vehicles may include environmental sensors configured to monitor and analyze environmental conditions, such as a radar sensor, a LiDAR sensor, and a camera to assist safe driving of a vehicle or enable autonomous driving of a vehicle through detection of the surrounding environment. Performance of an environmental sensor may deteriorate due to foreign substances, snow, frost, and the like attached to the surface of the environmental sensor. In order to secure performance of the environmental sensor, heating wires may be applied to a device adapted to protect an environmental sensor, or the heating wires may be directly applied to an environmental sensor. SUMMARY The present disclosure describes a sensor cover configured to protect an environmental sensor of a vehicle. For example, the present disclosure describes a sensor cover configured to enable an environmental sensor of a vehicle to be normally operated in a low-temperature environment. According to one aspect of the subject matter described in this application, a sensor cover includes a base layer, a cover layer disposed on the base layer and formed of a self-healing material, the cover layer being integrated with the base layer, and a heating film disposed between the base layer and the cover layer, the heating film being configured to generate heat. Implementations according to this aspect can include one or more of the following features. For example, each of the base layer and the cover layer can be made of a material configured to transmit radio waves therethrough. In some examples, the base layer is made of polycarbonate, and the cover layer is made of polyurethane. In some examples, the base layer can further include glass fiber. In some implementations, a thickness of the base layer is 2.34 to 2.86 millimeters (mm). In some implementations, a thickness of the cover layer can be 0.4 to 1.0 mm. In some implementations, the cover layer can be made of soft polyurethane or made of soft polyurethane and hard polyurethane. In some implementations, the heating film can include a film layer and a plurality of heating wires disposed on the film layer and spaced apart from one another by a preset interval therebetween. For instance, the preset interval can be 5 to 7 millimeters. In some examples, the film layer can be made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and the plurality of heating wires are made of copper and silver. In some examples, a thickness of each of the plurality of heating wires is 70 to 90 micrometers. In some implementations, the heating film can further include a connector connected to the heating film and configured to supply an electrical signal to the heating film, the connector being disposed at a side surface of the sensor cover. According to another aspect, a vehicle includes a radar sensor and a sensor cover that covers at least a portion of the radar sensor. The sensor cover includes a base layer, a cover layer disposed on the base layer and formed of a self-healing material, and a heating film disposed between the base layer and the cover layer, the heating film being configured to generate heat. Implementations according to this aspect can include one or more of the following features. For example, the vehicle can include an outside temperature sensor configured to detect an outside temperature, a cover temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the sensor cover, and a controller configured to receive information from the outside temperature sensor, the cover temperature sensor, and the radar sensor, the controller being configured to control an operation of the heating film based on the collected information. In some implementations, the controller can be configured to receive the outside temperature from the outside temperature sensor while the vehicle is in operation, and operate the heating film in response to the outside temperature being below 0 degrees Celsius. In some examples, the controller can be further configured to stop the operation of the heating film in response to the temperature of the sensor cover being greater than or equal to a preset temperature. In some implementations, the contr