Patents by Inventor G. Thomas Checketts

G. Thomas Checketts has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11981294
    Abstract: Examples of the present disclosure relate to techniques for headlamp heater control. In examples, a headlight assembly comprises a heater, which is used to prevent or remove condensation/precipitation on a lens of the headlamp assembly. Given it may be difficult for an individual to know when to manually turn the headlamp heater on, an electronic control unit (ECU) may evaluate a set of rules to determine when to automatically enable or disable the headlamp heater. The rules may be associated with atmospheric conditions outside the vehicle, the state of the vehicle (e.g., whether windshield wipers are turned on, whether windshield defog is enabled, whether a mirror heater is turned on, etc.), and/or user input received by an ECU of the vehicle, among other examples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignee: PACCAR Inc.
    Inventors: Scott M. Conway, G. Thomas Checketts
  • Publication number: 20210339709
    Abstract: Examples of the present disclosure relate to techniques for headlamp heater control. In examples, a headlight assembly comprises a heater, which is used to prevent or remove condensation/precipitation on a lens of the headlamp assembly. Given it may be difficult for an individual to know when to manually turn the headlamp heater on, an electronic control unit (ECU) may evaluate a set of rules to determine when to automatically enable or disable the headlamp heater. The rules may be associated with atmospheric conditions outside the vehicle, the state of the vehicle (e.g., whether windshield wipers are turned on, whether windshield defog is enabled, whether a mirror heater is turned on, etc.), and/or user input received by an ECU of the vehicle, among other examples.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2021
    Publication date: November 4, 2021
    Inventors: Scott M. Conway, G. Thomas Checketts