Hello Everyone,
We own a 2020 Lincoln Corsair. Among ues many tech features is an automatic wiper option. The way it works is you set the wipers to auto mode and not only do they come on when it rains, but it automatically adjust the speed. This includes them operating similar to intermittent wipers.
My question is, how does it detect rain and how does it know when to adjust the speed up or down? I’m thinking it used a camera to see how much rain is on the windshield, but I really don’t know.
Infrared sensors
That’s the new way. The old way, the wipers were powered by vacuum-pressure tubes, and you could adjust the pressure. Adjust it just right, and a dry windshield would be too much friction for them to start, but when they got wet, the friction would be decreased, and they could go.
The article is sorta odd in that it implies these sensors are a new thing. But the tech of using total internal reflection to detect raindrops is decades old. My 2003 BMW did it and I think it was old tech even then.
My Tesla does it via camera, basically to save on the $5 sensor (the camera was already there for Autopilot). It’s actually worked fine for me, but I know a lot of people have problems with it. Maybe they should splurge on the extra sensor. Then again, those $5 components add up after a while.