US-20260129721-A1 - HEATING ASSEMBLY AND VEHICLE CAMERA SYSTEM

US20260129721A1US 20260129721 A1US20260129721 A1US 20260129721A1US-20260129721-A1

Abstract

A heating assembly includes an electric heating plate, a primary thermal conductive layer, a first insulating layer covering the primary thermal conductive layer, an auxiliary thermal conductive layer covering the first insulating layer, and a driving power supply. The electric heating plate comprises a glass layer, a transparent conductor layer disposed on the glass layer, and a decorative layer disposed between the glass layer and the transparent conductor layer. The decorative layer defines a light-transmitting window area and a light-impermeable area. The primary thermal conductive layer comprises two electrical connectors, respectively disposed on opposite sides of the transparent conductor layer. The transparent conductor layer has a first line impedance between the electrical connectors. The auxiliary thermal conductive layer has a second line impedance matching the first line impedance. The driving power supply applies a driving voltage to the primary thermal conductive layer and the auxiliary thermal conductive layer in parallel.

Inventors

Ting-Ying LIU
Tai-Shih Cheng
Wei-Yi Lin
An-Lun Han
Feng-Cheng Hsu

Assignees

TPK GLASS SOLUTIONS (XIAMEN) INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251027
Priority Date: 20241106

Claims (10)

1 . A heating assembly, comprising: an electric heating plate, comprising: a glass layer; a transparent conductor layer, disposed on the glass layer; and a decorative layer, located between the glass layer and the transparent conductor layer and defining a light-transmitting window area and a light-impermeable area; a primary thermal conductive layer, comprising two electrical connectors respectively disposed on opposite sides of the transparent conductor layer, wherein the transparent conductor layer has a first line impedance between the two electrical connectors; a first insulating layer, covering the primary thermal conductive layer; an auxiliary thermal conductive layer, comprising an opaque metal or metal composition and covering the first insulating layer, wherein the auxiliary thermal conductive layer forms a patterned continuous wiring corresponding to the decorative layer and at least partially overlaps the primary thermal conductive layer corresponding to a stacking direction of the primary thermal conductive layer, and the auxiliary thermal conductive layer has a second line impedance matching the first line impedance; and a driving power supply, which applies a driving voltage to the primary thermal conductive layer and the auxiliary thermal conductive layer in parallel.
2 . The heating assembly of claim 1 , wherein the primary thermal conductive layer is configured with a first heating mode to start when power is on, so that the light-transmitting window area is heated evenly, the auxiliary thermal conductive layer is configured with a second heating mode to start when the power is on, so that the light-impermeable area is heated, and the second heating mode and the first heating mode are activated simultaneously.
3 . The heating assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the two electrical connectors has a resistance value smaller than 1 Ohm.
4 . The heating assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first line impedance is in a range of 25 Ohms to 35 Ohms.
5 . The heating assembly of claim 1 , wherein a resistance of the second line impedance has a 3% to 5% difference from the first line impedance.
6 . The heating assembly of claim 1 , wherein the light-transmitting window area has two edges opposite to each other, and the two electrical connectors at least partially overlap the two edges in the stacking direction, respectively.
7 . The heating assembly of claim 1 , further comprising: a first anti-reflection layer, disposed on one side of the glass layer away from the transparent conductor layer; and a second anti-reflection layer, disposed on the transparent conductor layer away from the glass layer.
8 . The heating assembly of claim 7 , further comprising a hydrophobic coating layer, wherein the hydrophobic coating layer is disposed on one side of the first anti-reflection layer away from the glass layer.
9 . The heating assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a second insulating layer, wherein the second insulating layer covers the auxiliary thermal conductive layer.
10 . A vehicle camera system, comprising: the heating assembly of claim 1 ; and a lens, located on one side of the electric heating plate where the primary thermal conductive layer is disposed and aligned with the light-transmitting window area in the stacking direction.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims priority to China Patent Application 202411577704.5, filed Nov. 6, 2024, which is incorporated herein by reference. FIELD OF DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates to a heating assembly and a vehicle camera system. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) systems are based on a remote sensing technology that uses light to measure distances or shapes of objects. LiDAR systems have been implemented in many areas, including autonomous vehicles, unmanned aerial drones, topographic surveys, and environmental monitoring. However, LiDAR systems can be interfered with under various environmental factors in actual applications. Among all environmental factors, moisture and ice especially pose a significant impact on LiDAR systems. For example, small particles in moisture or ice will scatter the laser light and cause the light to lose partial energy, and, in some cases, the light cannot even return to the receiver, resulting in lesser accuracy in measurement. A water molecule can absorb laser light, especially light of specific wavelengths, which further weakens the returning laser signals. While transmitting through moisture or ice, a travel path of light may change due to reflection, causing measurement errors. Laser light may undergo multiple reflections within the moisture or ice and generate multiple return waves, leading to the LiDAR system failing to detect the distance of the target object accurately. Therefore, the solution that can solve the aforementioned problems of heating assemblies and vehicle camera systems is where the industry focuses its research efforts and development resources, and intends to achieve. SUMMARY In view of this, one objective of the present disclosure is to provide a heating assembly and vehicle camera system that can solve the aforementioned problems. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, to achieve the aforementioned objective, a heating assembly comprises an electric heating plate, a primary thermal conductive layer, a first insulating layer, an auxiliary thermal conductive layer, and a driving power supply. The electric heating plate comprises a glass layer, a transparent conductor layer, and a decorative layer. The transparent conductor layer is disposed on the glass layer. The decorative layer is disposed between the glass layer and the transparent conductor layer and defines a light-transmitting window area and a light-impermeable area. The primary thermal conductive layer comprises two electrical connectors, and the electrical connectors are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the transparent conductor layer. The transparent conductor layer has a first line impedance between the electrical connectors. The first insulating layer covers the primary thermal conductive layer. The auxiliary thermal conductive layer comprises an opaque metal or metal composition and covers the first insulating layer. The auxiliary thermal conductive layer forms a patterned continuous wiring corresponding to the decorative layer and at least partially overlaps the primary thermal conductive layer in a stacking direction of the primary thermal conductive layer. The auxiliary thermal conductive layer has a second line impedance matching the first line impedance. The driving power supply applies a driving voltage to the primary thermal conductive layer and the auxiliary thermal conductive layer in parallel. In one or several embodiments of the present disclosure, the primary thermal conductive layer is configured with a first heating mode to start when power is on so that the light-transmitting window area is heated evenly. The auxiliary thermal conductive layer is configured with a second heating mode to start when power is on so that the light-impermeable area is heated, and the second heating mode and the first heating mode are operated simultaneously. In one or several embodiments of the present disclosure, each of the two electrical connectors has a resistance value smaller than 1 Ohm. In one or several embodiments of the present disclosure, the first line impedance is in a range of 25 Ohms to 35 Ohms. In one or several embodiments of the present disclosure, a resistance difference between the second line impedance and the first line impedance is about 3% to 5%. In one or several embodiments of the present disclosure, the light-transmitting window area has two edges opposite to each other. The two electrical connectors at least partially overlap the two edges in the stacking direction, respectively. In one or several embodiments of the present disclosure, the heating assembly further comprises a first anti-reflection layer and a second anti-reflection layer. The first anti-reflection layer is disposed on one side of the glass layer away from the transparent conductor layer. The second anti-reflection layer is disposed on one side of the transparent conductor layer away from the glass l