Ultrasonic Windscreen Clearing Without Mechanical Wipers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional windscreen wipers have limitations such as a narrow field of view, smearing, juddering, and the need for frequent replacement, which impair driver vision during heavy rain, especially at night, and existing ultrasound-based proposals have not been implemented effectively.
Innovation Solution
An ultrasound windscreen system using piezoelectric transducers bonded to the windscreen to produce ultrasonic waves in the range of 0.5MHz to 5MHz, reducing surface tension and vaporizing rain droplets upon impact, eliminating the need for moving parts and potentially integrating with conventional wiper systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional windscreen wipers are used to clear precipitation, then the windscreen can be cleared intermittently, but the driver's vision is impaired during the traversal period and maintenance is required frequently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical wiper blade system with an ultrasonic vibration system. Piezoelectric transducers generate high-frequency vibrations (20-100 kHz) that create acoustic radiation pressure to repel water droplets and ice particles from the windscreen surface, eliminating the need for mechanical contact and intermittent clearing cycles
Solution Approach 2:
The ultrasonic vibration operates continuously or in sustained cycles, maintaining a constant clearing effect rather than intermittent action. The continuous vibration field ensures water and ice are constantly repelled, providing uninterrupted clear vision without the blind periods inherent in mechanical wiper traversal
2Reliability
If ultrasonic transducers are placed on moving windscreen wipers, then precipitation can be cleared, but the system becomes complex and energy loss occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The windscreen surface is divided into multiple zones, each served by separate piezoelectric transducers arranged in arrays. This segmentation allows independent control of different regions and enables the system to address localized precipitation patterns without requiring a complex moving mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the ultrasonic transducers from the moving wiper mechanism and bonds them directly to the stationary windscreen surface. This removes the complexity of moving parts while maintaining the precipitation clearing function through direct application of ultrasonic vibration at the treatment location
3Reliability
If ultrasonic transducers are insonified from corners or edges of the windscreen, then precipitation can be addressed, but significant energy is lost
Solution Approach 1:
Piezoelectric transducers are bonded directly to the specific regions of the windscreen where precipitation clearing is needed, creating localized ultrasonic fields. This ensures energy is concentrated where required rather than lost to corners and edges, improving efficiency while maintaining effective clearing coverage
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Provides a clear field of view during heavy rain without visible or moving parts, reducing maintenance costs and environmental waste, and can also defrost, demist, and clean the windscreen efficiently.
Implementation Method 1
one or more piezoelectric transducers bonded to the window wherein the apparatus is configured to ultrasonically vaporise the rain or drizzle insonifying the window using an ultrasonic wave produced by the one or more piezoelectric transducers
Implementation Method 2
ultrasonically vaporising the rain or drizzle using an ultrasonic wave... reducing surface tension and vaporizing rain droplets upon impact
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A method of clearing precipitation from a surface of a window comprises ultrasonically vaporising the precipitation. A vehicle windscreen (10), for example, has transducers (1-8) distributed around the edge and bonded to the windscreen to insonify it. The transducers are energised by a drive system (11 -14 and 121).