US 12,284,727 B1
Sensor system with integrated convection heating
Daniel Glenn Johnson, San Francisco, CA (US); Arvind Pattabhiraman, Alameda, CA (US); Alexander Winter, Sunnyvale, CA (US); and Austin In-Jei Yi, San Francisco, CA (US)
Assigned to Zoox, Inc., Foster City, CA (US)
Filed by Zoox, Inc., Forster City, CA (US)
Filed on Oct. 15, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/503,191.
Int. Cl. H05B 1/02 (2006.01); B60S 1/02 (2006.01); G01S 7/481 (2006.01); G01S 7/497 (2006.01); H05B 3/84 (2006.01)
CPC H05B 1/0236 (2013.01) [B60S 1/026 (2013.01); G01S 7/4813 (2013.01); G01S 7/497 (2013.01); H05B 3/84 (2013.01); G01S 2007/4977 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle comprising:
a housing encasing a sealed space, the housing comprising a window configured to allow transmission of electromagnetic emissions;
a heater disposed in or on the housing; and
a rotatable assembly disposed in the housing and configured to rotate relative to the housing, the rotatable assembly comprising:
an emitter to emit the electromagnetic emissions through the window into an environment;
a detector to detect electromagnetic emissions reflected through the window from objects in the environment; and
a protrusion extending from a portion of the rotatable assembly disposed in the housing configured to move air within the sealed space to promote convective heat transfer from the heater to the window during rotation of the rotatable assembly within the housing.