Windshield wiper ideas

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Contents

Things that effect wipers

  • Bugs
  • Rain
  • Snow
  • Ice
  • Leaves/Flowers
  • Pollen
  • Frost
  • Rocks
  • Branches
  • Food/Grease
  • Poo

Problems/Ideas

  1. Cleaning-Wipers get dirty
  2. Auto-start
  3. Wipers frozen - heated blades
  4. Cover entire windshield
  5. Analog speed control
  6. Too loud
  7. Different types of fluid
  8. Rainx-shoot onto windshield
  9. Shield out of roof
  10. Compressed air + Rainx
  11. More force to break ice
  12. Hot air blown on outside on windshield
  13. Leaves stuck in blades
  14. Self-cleaning bladess
  15. Protection while not in use so they don't get dirty or frozen
  16. Shoot out sun blocker
  17. Sleet gets stuck
  18. Snow Tunnel - dangerous to have snow falling on windshield
  19. Steering wheel control
  20. Speed adjustment based on car speed
  21. Visibility sensor - adjust speed
  22. GPS incorporation
  23. Wiper without rain - don't let it happen
  24. Thermometer - heat at certain temp
  25. Flyers annoying
  26. Nanorobots on shield at all times
  27. Deploy robots from hood
  28. Single sweeping across wiper-tracks along top and bottom of windshield
  29. Retractable scraper
  30. Metal blades
  31. Bump to wipe off wipers
  32. Different material instead of rubber?
  33. Vacuum to suck the rain off
  34. Combination of compressed air and vacuum
  35. Wiper blades change color when degraded
  36. Easier way to change wiper blade
  37. Be able to only replace the rubber part of wiper blade—waste less
  38. Make process of changing blades easier
  39. Incorporate harder blade for scraping in wipers—two blade system one trough and one rubber
  40. Clear wiper blades
  41. Add part to wipers that mucks out leaves from part of car where wipers rest
  42. Seasonal wiper blades
  43. When car is first started, wipers wait for things such as frost preventing there movement to be removed and then start
  44. Horizontally moving blades
  45. Sponge
  46. Heat windhield so that water evaporates
  47. Remove windhields
  48. Umbrella
  49. Carmera
  50. Canopy all roadways
  51. Visual Filter
  52. Automated vehicle
  53. Vibrating Windshield
  54. Second windshield that can slide up and down and clean off
  55. More aerodynamic Windshield wipers
  56. Mutiple blades
  57. Potential "lotion layer"-soap layer
  58. Protien to get rid of bugs
  59. Robotic art to squeejee
  60. More stylish windshield wipers-colors, skins "pimped out"
  61. LED light up as winshield wipes
  62. High pitch noise to make birds stay away
  63. Blades disintegrate after they are unuseful-spectacular failure after the final failure, wait until parked
  64. Vacuum hoses attached to wipers
  65. Compressed attached to wipers to blow things away
  66. Casing around windshield wiper
  67. Snap-in windhield wiper blades
  68. Broken end pieces smooth so it doesn't scrape your windshield (if blade snaps off)
  69. Hook to remove water dumps at center of windshield
  70. Another wiper-type object to get the dirt line off your windshield
  71. Suction or gutter at bottom to get rid of fluid rising up windshield
  72. Third wiper at top hanging down
  73. Three dimensional scoop that could collect leaves and then "boop" them off the end
  74. Wiper on the inside of the car to wipe off fog and other stuff
  75. Explore other materials, possibly get rid of streaks
  76. Sticky so it adheres to glass
  77. Multiple blades...3D motion where it only goes in one direction to wipe off water. Reverse side has scraper and high powered water jets
  78. Muti-purpose wipers like above that would twist to engage/disengage different functions
  79. Rotating blade with different sides for different purposes
  80. Spinning as wiping (as in car wash)
  81. Do cleaning/wiping tasks for other parts of car
  82. Bend in wiper so that it cups the water
  83. Change directions in bend depending on direction of travel
  84. Three dinensional gutter on sides that would collect things as wipers run into them
  85. Lengthen and retract at points as they move along so that more of the windshield is covered
  86. Spray water on your winshield at all times to create laminar flow so you can see through it
  87. Hose blasts on sides of windshield to get objects off
  88. Change shape with layers to redirect flow around
  89. Hydrolics to bounce the water off the windshield
  90. Millions of balls of very absorbant material that roll from the top and gets streamed back to the top and dried, also clear and non-refractive
  91. Solar panels on top of cars to power wipers
  92. Little hairs on windshield to soak up water
  93. Micro-oraganisms
  94. Look into mirrors that are under umbrellas
  95. Winshield is computer screen, when it senses low visibility switches to a camera feed
  96. Enchance vision with camera, highlight edges of road, cars brighter
  97. Sensors instead of cameras to find objects and edges-red team

Top Ideas

In order to select the best ideas out of the top 97 in order to get rid of the unwanted the ideas. Every person on the team was given up to five top choice votes worth two points and then an unlimited number of secondary choice votes worth one point each. The results were tallied up and below is a list, in order from greatest to least support, of the results.

3 - Wipers frozen-heated blades - 6 votes
78 - Multi-purpose wipers that would twist to engage/disengage different functions - 6 votes
34 - Combination of compressed air and vacuum - 4 votes
67 - Snap-in windshield wiper blades - 4 votes
10 - Compressed air + Rainx - 3 votes
37 - Replace rubber part of wiper blade - 3 votes
42 - Seasonal wiper blades - 3 votes
5 - Analog speed control - 2 votes
7 - Different types of fluid - 2 votes
35 - Wiper blades change color when degraded - 2 votes
36 - Easier way to change wiper blade - 2 votes
38 - Make process of changing blades easier - 2 votes
39 - Incorporate harder blade for scraping in wipers - two blade system one tough and one rubber - 2 votes
56 - Multiple blades - 2 votes
79 - Rotating blade with different sides for different purposes - 2 votes
80 - Spinning as wiping - 2 votes
15 - Protection while not in use so they don't get dirty or frozen - 1 vote
69 - Hook to remove water dumps at center of windshield - 1 vote
77 - Multiple blade, 3D motion, forward movement different wiping from reverse - 1 vote
82 - Bend in wiper so that it cups the water - 1 vote
85 - Lengthen and retract at points as they move along so that more of the windshield is covered - 1 vote

Research on Wiper Blades

  • 90% of driving decisions are based solely on vision.
  • A survey of vehicles going through check lanes during National Car Care Month had shown that one in five vehicles had deficient windshield wipers or washing systems that could seriously impair the driver’s vision.
  • Drivers often wait several years to switch out a pair of wipers that went bad after only six to 12 months.
  • The United States had a total of 231,289,998 vehicles registered in 2004, and with one in five vehicles having deficient windshield wipers or washing systems, it is estimated that a total of 46,277,999 individuals are driving with impaired vision during stormy weather.
  • It is recommended that wiper blades be changed at least every year.
  • Research indicates that 60% of the drivers who don’t install their own wiper blades cite difficult installation as the reason.
  • Windshield wiper systems are designed to wipe 1.5 million times in their lifetime!


Common ways Wiper blades are damaged include:

  • Sun: Ultraviolet light and ozone deterioration
  • Oil: Car waxes and exhaust hold rubber-deteriorating oil
  • Airborne debris: Sand, mud and dust carried in the wind
  • Moisture: Acid rain and salt water (in moist air both near the shore and inland)


Different styles of motion:

Image:windshield.gif

Common Problems affecting wiper blades:
Image:wiperblade_problems.gif
A simple and helpful animation of how windshield wipers work: http://static.howstuffworks.com/flash/wiper-animation.swf

How to change Wiper Blades Just the Rubber part:
Taking them out:
http://www.expertvillage.com/evplayer.aspx?flv=wiper-blade-disassemble
Putting them in:
http://www.expertvillage.com/evplayer.aspx?flv=wiper-blade-assemble
Changing just the rubber part verses whole blade:
http://www.expertvillage.com/evplayer.aspx?flv=wiper-blades-pros
How to change whole wiper blade:
http://www.expertvillage.com/evplayer.aspx?flv=wiper-blades-remove


Interviews

People identified by there cars. Lists issues or ways windshield wipers could be improved.

Toyota 4-Runner

  • Once lost a wiper and if you keep wipers going it scratches the window so it would be nice if one dose lose a wiper it wouldn’t scratch window.
  • Be able to have wipers go very very slower.
  • Don’t like noise they make.
  • Even right after replacing wipers they still leave parts unclear.
  • It would be nice to have a more environmental solution, be able to just change just the rubber part rather than having to replace the whole wiper blade.
  • Back window wiper is different size then the front would be nice if they were the same.
  • Doesn’t clean bird poo or smashed bugs off very well.
  • Don’t want too many features added to windshield wipers, feels it adds more possibility of them breaking.
  • If driving with windows open and put on fluid it hits you…
  • Bought wipers recent b/c ad said “doesn’t chatter… new way of gliding” hopefully…

Subaru WRX Sports Wagon

  • No matter how fancy wipers stop being completely effective very soon after replacing.
  • Leaving parts un-wiped bad for light rain, residue is annoying.
  • Wipers don’t work if it’s freezing, have to squeeze windshield washer fluid and then that starts freezing.
  • Something that would act like scraper blades and get ride of ice would be nice.
  • If it is supper cold snow will bounce off windshield, under this condition visibility is good but if car is to warm the windshield becomes to warm and it cases snow to melt when it hits the windshield. This makes visibility bad and the melted snow can freeze making things worse.
  • Changing the wiper blades is “a bitch and a half” - would be nice if it was simpler.

Acura Integra

  • When really cold wipers will move ½ an inch and get stuck, if it could detect that there is ice in the way and wait till it’s gone to work or if it could get ride of the ice on its own.
  • Blades get worn out b/c it scraps along the ice and snow and junk so with out even doing that much they go bad… maybe tougher blades for winter time.
  • Want to control the windshield wiper speed range exactly.
  • Leaves get wedged in space where the wipers are, don’t like mucking it out if there was some way of pushing them out automatically.
  • Leaves get caught in part of the blade and then get cared along with the blades, no good way of removing them wail driving.
  • Better blade that could get ride of bird poo and bugs.
  • Longer lasting wipers.
  • Streaks are annoying.
  • When misty it fogs up on outside, better way of getting rid of this, maybe supper slow speed.
  • No different speeds for wiper in back.
  • With pollen it will all collect on the left and bottom leaving residue b/c wipers don’t cover the whole windshield.

Grand Am

  • When going really fast wipers shake, vibrating on windshield, making noise and don’t wipe well b/c of the bad seal against the windshield.
  • Want fluid on wipers themselves.
  • Wipers are hard to replace.
  • Wipers get ripped up when go over ice

Other User Comments

  • Have trouble with defrosting, don't know which way to turn knob
  • Fluid drips back up the windshield after cleaning windshield, have to wipe multiple times
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