Smart Rear Defog can be defined as an optimized control algorithm that sets the state of a vehicle's rear defog relay based on a logical assessment of vehicle parameters and environmental conditions. The use of the optimized control algorithm will minimize the amount of user interaction needed to operate the rear defogger and it will minimize the amount of heat rejected to the environment which in turn will improve the vehicle's real world fuel economy or electric range. This paper provides a detailed description of the smart rear defog control system as well as evidence to demonstrate its robustness to variances in environmental conditions and vehicle usage compared to the traditional rear defog system commonly used in many vehicles today.
