Vehicle Wiper Restart Delay for Dry and Icy Windshields
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wiper systems often remain active in dry conditions, leading to unnecessary operation that can cause damage to the wiper blades and create noise, especially when transitioning from wet to dry surfaces or icy conditions.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that stores the wiper system's active state upon power mode change from OFF to ON, generates a notification, and temporarily suspends wiper operation until a threshold time passes or user input is received, allowing the occupant to adjust the system state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the wiper system remains in active state after vehicle power cycle, then the wiper operation can resume automatically, but this causes inadvertent operation on dry or icy surfaces leading to blade damage and noise
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by storing the wiper operation state before power off and checking it upon power on, then temporarily suspending automatic resumption to allow user verification of current conditions. This prevents harmful automatic operation while maintaining the capability for convenient resumption when appropriate.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by notifying the user about the stored wiper state through visual or audible signals, allowing the user to verify whether wiper operation is currently appropriate based on environmental conditions. This feedback loop enables informed user decision-making before wiper resumption.
2Productivity
If the wiper system operates continuously in active state, then precipitation and debris are cleared effectively, but this causes unnecessary noise and potential blade damage when not needed
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts wiper operation state based on stored operational context and current environmental conditions. Rather than continuous operation, the wiper system transitions between active and inactive states based on user verification and current needs, reducing unnecessary noise and blade wear while maintaining clearing effectiveness when required.
3Ease of operation
If the wiper system automatically resumes operation after power cycle, then user convenience is improved, but this may cause operation on icy surfaces with sharp ice pieces that can damage the rubber strip
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies preliminary anti-action by temporarily preventing automatic wiper resumption after power cycle, blocking the potential harmful action of wipers contacting icy surfaces. The user must explicitly verify conditions and authorize resumption, thereby preventing damage from sharp ice pieces while preserving convenient operation when conditions are appropriate.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method causes data processing hardware to perform operations including, based on adjustment of a power mode of a vehicle from an ON state to an OFF state, and based on a current operation mode of a wiper system of the vehicle including an active state, storing the current operation mode of the wiper system. The operations also include, based on the stored current operation mode including the active state, and responsive to adjustment of the power mode of the vehicle from the OFF state to the ON state, operating the wiper system in an inactive state and generating a notification to a vehicle user. Furthermore, the operations include, based on the stored current operation mode being the active state, and responsive to passage of a threshold period of time after generating the notification to the vehicle user, operating the wiper system in the active state.