FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 OF 1970)
AND
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See Section 10; rule 13)
TITLE OF THE INVENTION “AIR SUPPLY TO VEHICLE LAMPS”
APPLICANT(S)
TATA MOTORS LIMITED
Bombay House, 24 Homi Mody Street,
Hutatma Chowk, Mumbai 400 001, Maharashtra, India; an Indian company.
PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to vehicle lamps, and more specifically related to supplying air to vehicle lamps.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Vehicles, such as cars, include lamps, such as headlamps, that emit light. Sometimes, water droplets may form inside the lamps due to condensation. The condensation may happen if a relative humidity (a percentage of the amount of water vapour in the air at a given temperature compared to the maximum possible water vapour amount in the air at that temperature) in the lamp becomes 100 %.
[0003] The presence of the water droplets in the lamp may impact driving experience of driver of the vehicle. For instance, if water droplets are present on an inner surface of a headlamp or on a lens in the headlamp, the water droplets are visible in the light from the headlamp that falls on the road. This may distract the driver of the vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] A lamp system for a vehicle includes a thermally-conductive (TC) and a blower attached to the TC plate. The TC plate that can be heated and has a plurality of openings through which air can pass. The air passing through the TC plate gets heated due to the heating of the TC plate. The blower receives the hot air through the plurality of openings and blows the hot air. A lamp is coupled to the blower to receive the hot air. A control unit monitors humidity in the lamp. When the humidity breaches a first humidity threshold, the control unit causes heating of the TC plate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0005] The features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will be better understood with regard to the following description, and accompanying figures. The use of the same reference number in different figures indicates similar or identical features and components.
[0006] Fig. 1 illustrates a lamp, according to an implementation of the present subject matter.
[0007] Fig. 2 illustrates a blower system, according to an implementation of the present subject matter.
[0008] Fig. 3 illustrates a blower, according to an implementation of the present subject matter.
[0009] Fig. 4 illustrates a guiding element, according to an implementation of the present subject matter.
[0010] Fig. 5 illustrates a TC plate, according to an implementation of the present subject matter.
[0011] Fig. 6 illustrates a heating element, according to an implementation of the present subject matter.
[0012] Fig. 7 illustrates a vehicle having a lamp system, according to an implementation of the present subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
[0013] The present subject matter relates to air supply to lamps used in vehicles. Using techniques of the present subject matter, formation of water droplets in the lamps can be prevented.
[0014] In accordance with an implementation of the present subject matter, a blower system is provided corresponding to a lamp, such as a headlamp. The blower system includes a heating element that can be heated by supplying electric current thereto. A thermally-conductive (TC) plate, such as a copper plate, is attached to the heating element. The TC plate includes a plurality of openings through which air can pass. Since the TC plate is attached to the heating element, in response to heating of the heating element, the TC plate also gets heated. The heating causes air passing through openings of the TC plate to get heated. The heated air may be devoid of water droplets and may be referred to as hot dry air.
[0015] A blower is attached to the TC plate to receive the hot air through the plurality of openings. The TC plate may be disposed at an inlet of the blower. The blower may blow the hot air through an outlet of the blower. The hot air blown by the blower is received by a lamp. The hot air increases the temperature within the lamp, thereby preventing formation of water droplets therein. The hot air also causes evaporation of the water droplets that may have formed in the lamp.
[0016] A control unit is provided to control heating of the heating element, thereby controlling the flow of hot air to the lamp. The control unit may monitor the humidity in the lamp. The control unit may allow heating of the heating element if the humidity in the lamp breaches a humidity threshold, such as increases beyond the humidity threshold. The humidity monitored may be relative humidity, and the humidity threshold may be slightly less than 100 %, such as 80 %.

[0017] By causing supply of hot air to the lamp when the humidity in the lamp is close to 100% (which indicates that water droplets are likely to be formed within the lamp), the formation of water droplets in the lamp is prevented.
[0018] The implementations herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting implementations that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating preferred implementations and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the implementations herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the implementations herein include all such modifications. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the implementations herein can be practiced and to further enable those skilled in the art to practice the implementations herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the implementations herein.
[0019] Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the implementations herein. Also, the various implementations described herein are not necessarily mutually exclusive, as some implementations can be combined with one or more other implementations to form new implementations.
[0020] Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1 through 7, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown preferred implementations. Further, for the sake of simplicity, and without limitation, the same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components. The implementations herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the drawings.

[0021] Fig. 1 illustrates a lamp 102, according to an implementation of the present subject matter. The lamp 102 may be part of a vehicle (not shown in Fig. 1), such as a car. The lamp 102 may emit light and may be, for example, a headlamp that is used to illuminate the road on which the vehicle is travelling. The lamp 102 may accommodate a lens (not shown in Fig. 1) for emitting light. Hereinafter, the lamp 102 is explained as a headlamp.
[0022] Water droplets may form inside the headlamp 102 when the relative humidity in the headlamp 102 becomes 100 %. To prevent the formation of the water droplets, the vehicle may include a blower system 106. The blower system 106 may be coupled to the headlamp 102 and may supply hot air to the headlamp 102 to increase the temperature inside the headlamp 102. The increase in the temperature decreases the relative humidity in the headlamp 102 and therefore, prevents formation of water droplets and vaporizes the already-formed droplets.
[0023] The blower system 106 may be disposed in an engine compartment of the vehicle. Further, the hot air from the blower system 106 may be supplied to the headlamp 102 through one of a plurality of openings that are provided on a periphery of the headlamp 102 to allow for ventilation of the headlamp 102. The opening may be the opening 108.
[0024] Fig. 2 illustrates the blower system 106, according to an implementation of the present subject matter. The blower system 106 includes a blower 202 that can suck air and blow the air to the headlamp 102 (not shown in Fig. 2). The blower system 106 includes a guiding element 204 that is coupled at an outlet 206 of the guiding element 204 to receive the air blown by the blower 202. An outlet 208 of the guiding element 204 is coupled to the opening 108 of the headlamp 102 to supply the air collected from the blower 202 to the headlamp 102.
[0025] The blower system 106 also includes a thermally-conductive (TC) plate 210, which is made of a thermally-conductive material, such as copper. The TC

plate 210 may include a plurality of openings and may be attached to the blower 202. For example, the TC plate 210 may be disposed on an inlet of the blower 202. Accordingly, air flows into the blower 202 through the openings of the TC plate 210.
[0026] The TC plate 210 can be heated to cause heating of the air that flows through the openings of the TC plate 210 and into the blower 202. To cause heating of the TC plate 210, in an implementation, the blower system 106 includes a heating element 212. The heating element 212 may get heated in response to being supplied with electric current. In an example, the heating element 212 may be a thermoelectric generator (TEG). The heating element 212 may be attached to the TC plate 210. For example, the heating element 212 may be substantially plate-shaped, and may be disposed on the TC plate 210. Accordingly, a surface of the heating element 212 may be in contact with that of the TC plate 210. Since the heating element 212 is in contact with the TC plate 210, when the heating element 212 gets heated (due to supply of electric current thereto), the TC plate 210 also gets heated.
[0027] The heat of the heating element 212 is uniformly distributed across the surface area of the TC plate 210. Therefore, the air that enters the blower 202 through the openings of the TC plate 210 has a uniform temperature. In an example, the temperature of the hot air may be about 50° C. The hot air may be devoid of water droplets due to the heating, and may therefore be referred to as hot dry air.
[0028] In an implementation, the heating of the TC plate 210 may be caused by a control unit, which may, for example, control supply of electric current to the heating element 212. The heating of the TC plate 210 may be performed based on humidity in the headlamp 102.
[0029] Fig. 3 illustrates the blower 202, according to an implementation of the present subject matter. The blower 202 may be operated by supplying electric

current thereto. The electric current may be supplied, for example, from a battery (not shown in Fig. 3) that powers the electrical loads in the vehicle. When the blower 202 is operated, air is sucked in through its inlet 302 and is ejected through the outlet 206. The inlet 302 may be circular in shape. In an example, the inlet 302 may have a diameter of about 5 cm. The TC plate 210 (not shown in Fig. 3) may be disposed on the blower 202 such that the TC plate 210 covers the inlet 302.
[0030] Fig. 4 illustrates the guiding element 204, according to an implementation of the present subject matter. As explained earlier, the guiding element 204 conveys hot air from the blower 202 to the headlamp 102 (not shown in Fig. 4). In an example, an inlet 402 of the guiding element 204, through which the hot air from the blower 202 is received in the guiding element 204, has a greater area than the outlet 208. Accordingly, when the hot air travels in the guiding element 204, from the inlet 402 to the outlet 208, the hot air travels through area of decreasing area, and therefore, the pressure of the hot air increases.
[0031] Fig. 5 illustrates the TC plate 210, according to an implementation of the present subject matter. In an example, the TC plate 210 has dimensions of 50 X 50 X 0.3 mm. As illustrated, the TC plate 210 includes a plurality of openings, such as openings 502-1, 502-2, 502-3. The openings may be uniformly distributed across the surface of the TC plate 210. Further, the openings may extend through the thickness of the TC plate 210, thereby ensuring that air can pass through the TC plate 210. In an example, each opening may have a diameter of approximately 1 mm.
[0032] Fig. 6 illustrates the heating element 212, according to an implementation of the present subject matter. As illustrated, heating element 212 may be substantially plate-shaped, and may be disposed on the TC plate 210 (not shown in Fig. 6). The heating element 212 may be a TEG, which can be heated by supplying electric current thereto. To facilitate supply of electric current, the heating element 212 may include terminals 602 and 604. The terminals 602 and 604 may be

connected to a battery of the vehicle to receive the electric current. In an example, the heating element 212 may generate heat of about 80° C.
[0033] Fig. 7 illustrates a vehicle 700 having a lamp system 701, according to an implementation of the present subject matter. The lamp system 701 includes a headlamp 702, a blower system 704, and a control unit 706. The headlamp 702 may correspond to the headlamp 102. The headlamp 702 may also be referred to as a headlamp assembly 702. The blower system 704 supplies hot air to the headlamp 702. The blower system 704 may correspond to the blower system 106. Accordingly, the blower system 704 may include a blower coupled to the headlamp 702 to supply hot air to the headlamp 702, a TC plate attached to the blower, and a heating element to get heated in response to receiving electric current, as explained earlier.
[0034] The control unit 706 may control supply of electric current to the heating element, thereby controlling heating of the heating element and controlling supply of hot air to the headlamp 702. The control unit 706 allows supply of electric current to the heating element when water droplets are likely to be formed in the headlamp 702 due to condensation. To determine that water droplets are likely to be formed in the headlamp 702, the control unit 706 monitors humidity in the headlamp 702. The humidity monitored may be relative humidity. When the humidity breaches, such as increases beyond, a first humidity threshold, the control unit 706 may allow supply of electric current to the heating element. In an example, the first humidity threshold may be a relative humidity slightly lesser than 100% (as a relative humidity of 100% indicates that water droplets will be formed due to condensation). For instance, the first humidity threshold may be 80% relative humidity. The supply of electric current to the heating element causes heating thereof, and consequently, heating of the TC plate.
[0035] In an implementation, when the control unit 706 allows supply of electric current to the heating element, the control unit 706 also operates the blower, such

as by allowing supply of electric current to the blower. Thus, the blower sucks in air and supplies the received air to the headlamp 702. Air is supplied to the blower through the TC plate, as the TC plate is disposed on the inlet of the blower. Since the TC plate is heated, the air passing through the TC plate and entering the blower also gets heated. The hot air is then supplied by the blower to the headlamp 702. The hot air increases the temperature of the headlamp 702, which decreases the humidity in the headlamp 702, and prevents formation of water droplets therein.
[0036] The control unit 706 may allow heating of the TC plate until the humidity in the headlamp 702 breaches, such as decreases less than, a second humidity threshold, and stops the heating thereafter. The second humidity threshold may be less than the first humidity threshold, and may be, for example, 60% relative humidity. Upon the humidity breaching the second humidity threshold, the control unit 706 may stop supply of electric current to the heating element and to the blower, thereby stopping supply of air to the headlamp 702 from the blower system 704.
[0037] To monitor the humidity in the headlamp 702, the vehicle 700 may include a humidity sensor (not shown in Fig. 7), which may be disposed in the headlamp 702.
[0038] Although the present subject matter is explained with reference to a headlamp, the techniques of the present subject matter can be utilized in other lamps of the vehicles.
[0039] The present subject matter prevents formation of water droplets in lamps of vehicles in a simple and efficient manner. The techniques of the present subject matter can be utilized in a variety of lamps and in a variety of vehicles. The blower system of the present subject matter is compact and achieves quick heating within the lamps.

[0040] The foregoing description of the specific implementations will so fully reveal the general nature of the implementations herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such modifications and adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed implementations. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the implementations herein have been described in terms of preferred implementations, those skilled in the art will recognize that the implementations herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the implementations as described herein.

We Claim:
1. A lamp system for a vehicle, the lamp system comprising:
a thermally-conductive (TC) plate that is heatable, wherein the TC plate has a plurality of openings through which air is to pass and wherein the air gets heated in response to heating of the TC plate;
a blower connected to the TC plate to receive hot air through the plurality of openings and to blow the hot air;
a lamp to emit light and coupled to the blower to receive the hot air; and
a control unit to:
monitor humidity in the lamp; and
cause heating of the TC plate in response to the humidity breaching a
first humidity threshold.
2. The lamp system as claimed in claim 1, comprising a heating element that is attached to the TC plate and that is to get heated in response to receiving electric current, wherein, to cause heating of the TC plate, the control unit is to allow supply of electric current to the heating element.
3. The lamp system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit is to:
stop heating of the TC plate in response to the humidity breaching a second humidity threshold, the second humidity threshold being less than the first humidity threshold.
4. The lamp system as claimed in claim 1, comprising:
a guiding element coupled to an outlet of the blower and to be coupled to the lamp to supply the hot air from the blower to the lamp.
5. The lamp system as claimed in claim 4, wherein an inlet of the guiding
element, through which the hot air is to be received from the blower, has a larger
area than an outlet of the guiding element, through which the hot air is to be supplied
to the lamp.

6. The lamp system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heating element is a thermoelectric generator.
7. A vehicle comprising:
a blower system comprising:
a heating element to get heated in response to receiving electric current;
a thermally-conductive (TC) plate attached to the heating element, wherein the TC plate has a plurality of openings through which air is to pass and wherein the air gets heated by the heat generated by the heating element; and
a blower attached to the TC plate to receive hot air through the plurality of openings and to blow the hot air;
a headlamp coupled to the blower to receive the hot air; and a control unit to:
monitor humidity in the headlamp; and
allow supply of electric current to the heating element in response to the humidity breaching a humidity threshold.
8. The vehicle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the blower system is disposed in an engine compartment of the vehicle.
9. The vehicle as claimed in claim 6, comprising a humidity sensor to sense the humidity in the headlamp.