Vehicle windshield defrosting control based on frozen precipitation accumulation

1. A method for mitigating freezing-precipitation accumulation for a vehicle window, the method comprising:

retrieving ambient temperature data via a sensor,

when the ambient temperature data exceeds a temperature threshold for freezing precipitation:

sensing ambient light via a sensor device operable to sense ambient light from within a vehicle cabin to produce light magnitude sample data,

wherein the sensing ambient light from within the vehicle cabin to produce light magnitude sample data comprises:

capturing an image of a vehicle window surface span;

processing the image to produce image data;

processing the image data to produce image recognition data; and

generating the light magnitude sample data from the image recognition data;

comparing the light magnitude sample data with a baseline light magnitude sample data from within the vehicle cabin via a processor in communication with the sensor device operable to sense ambient light, and

when the light magnitude sample data does not provide a desired relationship with the baseline light magnitude sample data, generating a vehicle window defroster command for transmission to activate a vehicle window defroster operable to be powered by a vehicle battery source.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one sunload sensor operates for sensing the ambient light from within the vehicle cabin to produce the light magnitude sample data.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the baseline light magnitude sample data relating to a prior sensing of the ambient light within the vehicle cabin.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the baseline light magnitude sample data and the light magnitude sample data are each normalized with respect to an expected ambient light for a respective time-of-day.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

subsequently sensing the ambient light from within the vehicle cabin to produce subsequent magnitude sample data;

comparing the subsequent light magnitude sample data with a baseline light magnitude sample data from within the vehicle cabin; and

when the subsequent light magnitude sample data provides the desired relationship with the baseline light magnitude sample data, generating a vehicle HVAC command for transmission to activate a vehicle cabin HVAC operable to be powered by the vehicle battery source.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the light magnitude sample data correlates to a refractive index of the vehicle window to be affected by the freezing-precipitation accumulation of a vehicle window surface span.

7. A method mitigating freezing-precipitation accumulation for an electric-vehicle window:

receiving a remote start signal;

retrieving, in response to the remote start signal, ambient temperature data via a sensor;

when the ambient temperature data exceeds a temperature threshold for freezing precipitation:

sensing ambient light from within a vehicle cabin via a sensor device operable to sense ambient light to produce light magnitude sample data,

wherein the sensing ambient light from within the vehicle cabin to produce light magnitude sample data comprises:

capturing an image of an electric-vehicle window surface span;

processing the image to produce image data;

processing the image data to produce image recognition data; and

generating the light magnitude sample data from the image recognition data;

comparing the light magnitude sample data with a baseline light magnitude sample data from within the vehicle cabin via a processor in communication with the sensor device operable to sense ambient light, and

when the light magnitude sample data does not provide a desired relationship with the baseline light magnitude sample data, generating an electric-vehicle window defroster command for transmission to activate an electric-vehicle window defroster operable to be powered by a vehicle battery source.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein at least one sun-load sensor operates for sensing the ambient light from within the vehicle cabin to produce the light magnitude sample data.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the baseline light magnitude sample data relating to a prior sensing of the ambient light within the vehicle cabin.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the baseline light magnitude sample data and the light magnitude sample data are each normalized with respect to an expected ambient light for a respective time-of-day.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

subsequently sensing the ambient light from within the vehicle cabin to produce subsequent magnitude sample data;

comparing the subsequent light magnitude sample data with a baseline light magnitude sample data from within the vehicle cabin; and

when the subsequent light magnitude sample data provides the desired relationship with the baseline light magnitude sample data, generating a vehicle HVAC command for transmission to activate a vehicle cabin HVAC operable to be powered by a vehicle battery source.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the light magnitude sample data corresponds with the freezing-precipitation accumulation of an electric-vehicle window surface span.

13. A vehicle control unit comprising:

a communication interface to service communication with a vehicle network;

a processor communicably coupled to the communication interface and a plurality of sensor devices; and

memory communicably coupled to the processor and storing:

a sensor monitoring module including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

receive ambient vehicle temperature data;

compare the ambient vehicle temperature data with a temperature threshold for freezing precipitation; and

when the ambient vehicle temperature data exceeds the temperature threshold for freezing precipitation, receive light magnitude sample data from a sensor device operable to sense ambient light from within a vehicle cabin, wherein the sensing ambient light from within the vehicle cabin to produce light magnitude sample data comprises:

capturing an image of a vehicle window surface span;

processing the image to produce image data;

processing the image data to produce image recognition data; and

generating the light magnitude sample data from the image recognition data; and

an accumulation assessment module including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

compare the light magnitude sample data with a baseline light magnitude sample data from within the vehicle cabin; and

when the light magnitude sample data does not provide a desired relationship with the baseline light magnitude sample data, generate a vehicle window defroster command for transmission to activate a vehicle window defroster operable to be powered by a vehicle battery source to mitigate a freezing-precipitation accumulation of a vehicle window span.

14. The vehicle control unit of claim 13 , wherein at least one sun-load sensor operates for sensing the ambient light from within the vehicle cabin to produce the light magnitude sample data.

15. The vehicle control unit of claim 13 , wherein the baseline light magnitude sample data relating to a prior sensing of the ambient light within the vehicle cabin.

16. The vehicle control unit of claim 13 , wherein the baseline light magnitude sample data and the light magnitude sample data are each normalized with respect to an expected ambient light for a respective time-of-day.

17. The vehicle control unit of claim 13 , wherein:

the sensor monitoring module including further instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

subsequently sense the ambient light from within the vehicle cabin to produce subsequent magnitude sample data; and

the accumulation assessment module including further instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

compare the subsequent light magnitude sample data with the baseline light magnitude sample data from within the vehicle cabin; and

when the subsequent light magnitude sample data provides the desired relationship with the baseline light magnitude sample data, generating a vehicle HVAC command for transmission to activate a vehicle cabin HVAC operable to be powered by a vehicle battery source.