Hence, in the present embodiment the sensor 119 detects the actual presence of fog or frost on a surface such as the display window 102 and this detection is used to control the heater 144 as depicted in the example flow chart of 
In this example, if a fog or frost condition is established at 244, the heater 144 can be activated at 246. As will be discussed later, the activation of the heater may be further subject to other conditions such as the state of charge of the battery and temperature thereof.
Furthermore, it is noted that in all embodiments it is desirable to incorporate a level of hysteresis into the process of turning the heater on and off to assure that the system does not become unstable.