Rivian has filed a patent application for a heated lens that could be used to reduce precipitation build-up on vehicle lamps. 

“In an automotive system, different lamps can be used to illuminate the environment,” the patent says. “The lamps can illuminate the environment at night and in otherwise dark environments.” 

The patent gives examples of foggy environments or tunnels as dark environments. 

Lamps help drivers not only see the environment but also help sensors collect data, the patent says. 

Sometimes precipitation — snow, ice, rain, or mist — can build up on lenses, including polycarbonate lenses. 

“The precipitation can block or otherwise reduce illumination by the lamps,” the patent said. “This problem can be compounded with light-emitting diode (LED) lamps, which can produce less heat than halogen lamps and therefore more susceptible to snow and ice accumulation.”

The patent says a conventional method to resolve this problem could involve placing wires on the lenses and running current through the wires to heat the lenses. It adds that wires can further obstruct the light. 

A carbon nanotube layer, possibly including a film layer, can be placed between the layers of other materials of the lens, the patent says. This could also include a heating element, such as a wire that conducts current, or a busbar, specifically a silver busbar.

“By heating the heating elements coupled with the carbon nanotube layer of the headlamp, the carbon nanotube layer can transfer heat to the other layers of the headlamp,” the patent says. “The heat transfer can cause the precipitation to dissipate or slide off of the lens, thus causing the headlamp to emit light unobstructed.” 

The patent adds that because the carbon nanotube layer is translucent, it does not obstruct the light from the headlamp. 

A sensor could read data regarding weather conditions such as if it is snowing, the patent says. A controller could then respond by turning on the heating element. The control could also discharge a current or energy to the battery. It could cause the battery to discharge or stop discharging the energy or current to the heating element. 

The carbon nanotube also could be integrated into the lenses of a windshield, windows, and mirrors, or the shell of a vehicle, the patent says. 

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Feature image courtesy of Rivian. Embedded photos from U.S. Patent and Trademark Office application.