AUTOMATIC RAIN OPERATED WIPER SYSTEM

1. INTRODUCTION

A windscreen wiper or windshield wiper is a device used to remove rain and

debris from a windscreen. Almost all motor vehicle, including trains, aircraft and
watercraft, are equipped with such wipers, which are usually an essential
requirement. A wiper generally consists of an arm, pivoting at one end and with a long
rubber blade attached to the other. The blade is swung back and forth over the glass,
pushing water from its surface. The speed is normally adjustable, with several
continuous speeds and often one or more "intermittent" settings. Most automobiles
use two synchronized radial type arms. It takes a lot of force to accelerate the wiper
blades back and forth across the windshield so quickly. In order to generate this type
of force, a worm gear is used on the output of a small electric motor.
The worm gear reduction can multiply the torque of the motor by about 50
times, while slowing the output speed of the electric motor by 50 times as well. The
output of the gear reduction operates a linkage that moves the wipers back and
forth. Inside the motor/gear assembly is an electronic circuit that senses when the
wipers are in their down they are parked at the bottom of the windshield, and
then cuts the power to the motor. This circuit also parks the wipers between wipes
when they are on their intermittent setting. With drivers exposed to an ever increasing
number of distractions, automatic rain-sensing wiper. [1]
systems become an even more appealing feature, as they work to minimize the
time the driver must take his/her hands off the wheel. These systems detect droplets of
rain on the windshield and automatically turn on and adjust the wiper system in
accordance to the level of precipitation. Current rain-sensing systems use an optical
sensor to detect the presence of water on the windshield, and relay wiper control data to
the vehicle's body control module (BCM). Unfortunately, these optical rain sensors suffer
from a small sensing area, are prone to false-positives, and are too expensive to be
included as standard equipment in most vehicles. [ 1]

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Over the past two decades, the automotive industry has aggressively researched
ways to exploit modern computing and electronic advances in the development of
safety, reliability, and entertainment technologies. Despite this, automatic rain-sensing
wiper systems are relatively uncommon in modern vehicles for a number of reasons.
They are often too expensive, too unsightly, or too unreliable to be desired in new
automobiles. Many attempts have been made at constructing an effective, reliable, and
cheap rain detection and wiper control system for vehicles speed and intermittent
interval automatically according to the amount of rain. To measure the amount of
water usually use optical sensor. In this type of sensors uses the fact that the refraction
angle and the amount of reflection of the light are different when the 2 windshield
is wet. Even though optical sensors are used widely they have some disadvantage. One
of disadvantages is the sensitivity to external light. Another problem is occurs when car
drive at night or gone through tunnel and even in underground parking. For this many
systems still activate the wiper when the car comes out of tunnels or underground
parking lot. Another shortfall, maybe a major one is that the sensing area is a relatively
small portion of windshield. Hence the system operates only with limited area. The
wiper system may fail to activate when there are some raindrops on the driver’s line of
sight, but not on the sensing area. They are often too expensive, too unsightly, or too
unreliable to be desired in new automobiles.[1]
For solving these problems, In this paper, we present the concept using a
vision-based smart wiper system that a driver to collect visual information during
precipitation this is done Using PIC microcontroller with CAN (Controller Area
Network) facilities. Use of CAN controller because that combine the connection
between windscreen wiper switch, windscreen wiper motor and windscreen wiper
restoration machine, and related unit. This was originally developed for use in cars but
now used in industrial automation and control applications. CAN is a high-integrity
serial data communications bus for real-time control applications. CAN controller
have master and slave system.[1]

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Slave system collect the information about like amount of rain,

temperature, moisture from sensor and from various other unit. This information
sends it towards mater for father processing. Master analysis that data and take a decision
and make logic. The decision include at what speeded the wiper motor rotate, and
check whether there is any change in outer and inner temperature if there is small
changes then no action to be taken, and if there is vast changes in temperature then
which will automatically make the response to the presence of moisture and
according adjust that temperature and remove moister inside car windshield.

1.Fig:Implementation On Car
The problem definition is to design a prototype for a PIC microcontroller
(PIC18F2580) based vision system aid in windshield assembly which controls the
windshield wiper speed based on the amount of water. For this a comprehensive study of
sensors, actuators and mechanical design was done. Development of hardware module and
the software has progress. The basic method used for designing the circuit is that a rain
level sensor will detect the amount of rain and give the signal to the controller.

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2. BACKGROUND AND RELATED WORK

2.1. Automatic Wiper system:

Vehicles are now available with driver-programmable intelligent (automatic)

windscreen wipers that detect the presence and amount of rain using a rain sensor. The
sensor automatically adjusts the speed of the blades according to the amount of rain
detected. Rain-sensing windscreen wipers appeared on various models in the late
20th century, one of the first being Nissan's 200SX/Silvia. As of early 2006, rain-
sensing wipers are optional or standard on all Cadillac and most Volkswagen, and
are available on many other main-stream manufacturers.[2]
2.2. Why Automatic Wiper?
In the present automobiles the number of facilities is much higher. The
driver has to concentrate on road while driving, and with increased traffic, things
get frustrating. The features in the car like GPRS to trace the route, music system, air
condition system etc may drive away the attention of the driver. Thus an effort
has been made to reduce the effort put by driver in controlling the speed of the
wiper and put more concentration on his driving. Since this system is put into use in
many higher end cars and has been successfully working, an effort was made to
reduce the cost of the system so that this system can be implemented in common
economic cars where a common man can also enjoy the benefits. In section II, the
detail explanation about designing aspects of the system is given. In section III the
working procedure of the system is given. The section IV covers the calculations
involved, algorithm and the supporting graphs. The Conclusion is drawn in Section V.[2]

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2.3. DESIGN OF AUTOMATIC WIPER SYSTEM

It was found that the rain sensor is the expensive unit in the present system and an
effort is done in making a sensor which is reasonable by price, the Cup Sensor. The
sensing device used here is basically a conical shaped cup with a tray on the top
of the cup to collect maximum possible amount of water. The different views of the
device are shown below. [3]
When the rain begins and the visibility to the driver is reducing, the
system has to trigger the wiper to wipe the water on the screen. It can so happen
that the driver feels the need of wiper but because the floater has not reached the
level of the probe the system may not begin its function. Thus certain conditions
were considered and the calculations were carried out for the placement of the
probes at appropriate heights. Also there is a small opening at the bottom of the cup
which eventually drains water from the cup. If the rate of filling is greater than
rate of discharge of rain water than the water level rises to the next probe level and hence
the wiper speed increases. [3]

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2.3. Fig . The water collected at the bottom in a cup type rain sensor[3]

2.4. CONSTRUCTION OF AUTOMATIC WIPER SYSTEM

Many attempts have been made at constructing an effective, reliable, and cheap
rain detection and wiper control system for vehicles. A perfect system could subtract one
more task from the driver's workload, and allow them to better keep their eyes on the
road and hands on the wheel during foul weather. Despite this, automatic rain-sensing
wiper systems are relatively uncommon in modern vehicles for a number of reasons.
They are often too expensive, too unsightly, or too unreliable to be desired in new
automobiles. While a number of different design approaches have been made to improve
upon these issues, none have been successful enough for the technology to become
widely adapted in new vehicles. By far the most common rain detection method, and the
one currently employed by Hyundai vehicles, is the use of an optical sensor.[3]
These optical sensors function by transmitting an infrared beam at an angle
through the windshield and measuring the reflection to determine the presence of water.
This is a relatively difficult task, requiring complex circuitry and precision
manufacturing. Optical sensors are thus somewhat expensive and can produce false
readings when dirt or other particles on the windshield cause a reflection mimicking that
of rain. Because it relies on an infrared beam for detection, the optical sensor also suffers
from a very small sensing area on the windshield, limiting its effectiveness in rapidly
responding to light rain. In addition, the sensor housing is physically bulky, reducing its
appeal in luxury vehicles. These issues can largely be mitigated by using a capacitive
sensor rather than an optical one. Instead of sending an infrared beam through the
windshield glass, a capacitive sensor works by emitting an electric field which can pass
through the glass to interact with objects resting on it. Because water and other objects
such as dirt or rocks interfere with the electric field in very different ways, the sensor will
be less likely to be fooled if designed correctly. Unlike a standard capacitor, which
confines the electric field lines between two conductors in a tight package, a capacitive
sensor allows the field lines 8 to spread out, and is designed to maximize the fringing of
the electric field lines away from the conductors. [3]

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These electric field lines are known as “fringe fields”, and are vital to the
operation of a capacitive sensor. Because they extend away from the conductors, which
are typically just copper traces laid out flat on a printed circuit board (PCB), the fringe
fields can be interacted with by other objects. When conductive or dielectric objects
interfere with these fields, it changes the capacitance of the capacitive sensor, as seen in
Figures 1 and 2. This change in capacitance can then be detected via circuitry and used to
modulate an output signal. Capacitive sensors can detect the presence, position, and type
of conductive or dielectric material interfering with their fringe fields. When multiple
capacitive sensors are connected in an array, they can also be used to detect movement of
a conductive or dielectric object. This effect is most commonly seen in capacitive touch
pads, such as on popular products like the iPod Touch from Apple. [2]

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2.4. Fringes Interfacing with fringe field

The electric field is created by applying an alternating current (AC) voltage to one
of the conductors forming the sensor traces. A typical button sensor requires only two
conductors, which never physically connect but are separated by a small distance and
patterned into shapes. Depending on the application of the sensor, the sensor traces can
take on a variety of different sizes and patterns. The layout of the traces is often designed
to maximize the fringing fields over a given area. The traces, along with the materials
surrounding them, also form the base capacitance of the system, typically along the order
of 2 – 20 picot-Farads (pF) in magnitude. Base capacitance should be minimized when
possible, as the change in capacitance resulting from fringe field interference is often less
than 0.5 pF, and detection is easiest when the changing capacitance value is close to the
base value. The idea to use capacitive-sensing to detect rain on a windshield is not
entirely new, as seen in United States Patent US6094981, among others. However,
technical limitations have largely prevented such designs from being commercially
viable. With advances in modern integrated circuits over the past decade, however, this
problem can now be avoided under the proper design. HATCI had previously been
contracted with Enterprise Electronics to design a capacitive sensor for this application,
but development was halted. PREH, located out of Germany, have been able to create an
accurate multifunction device which includes a capacitive rain sensor, but also includes
other features such as temperature and humidity sensors. These extra features were
deemed not necessary for Hyundai vehicles, and the overall cost of the system was far too
expensive to be a practical alternative to optical designs. Design Team 6 has developed a
stand-alone capacitive rain sensor system that is both reliable and affordable. Unlike the
design from PREH, this sensor is a compact unit solely dedicated to the task of detecting
rainwater on the windshield and controlling the wipers accordingly. [2]
This allows the design to contain few parts, take up a small volume, and perform
its job extremely well. It is significantly cheaper than the current optical sensor, with an
estimated $11.40 per unit cost, down from $18 for the optical unit. It attaches to the
interior of the windshield in the same location as the optical unit, but takes up less
volume in the prototype unit and could be further refined if necessary in the production
model for aesthetic purposes. Most importantly, the new sensor utilizes highly accurate

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24-bit capacitance-to-digital converters and an on-board microcontroller to allow extreme

accuracy and prevention of false-positives, improving the reliability of the device. These
improvements in cost 10 and functionality will enable Hyundai to integrate the product
into more vehicles in the future, further improving vehicle safety in the modern era.[3]

2.4. Block Diagram of automatic wiper system[3]

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3. CASE STUDIES
3.1. Design a Capacitive-Sensing Circuit
The first proposed design was to build a capacitive sensing circuit from basic
components such as op-amps, comparators, and passive components. Due to experience
in analog circuitry, the team realized that the capacitive sensor traces form a variable
capacitor that changes as objects interfere with the 13 fringe fields. Many circuits exist
that utilize the time-constant principle of an RC circuit to produce an output waveform.
An a stable RC-multi vibrator circuit, as seen in Figure 3, produces a square wave output
with a frequency varying with respect to the capacitance of the sensor traces when they
are used as the capacitor. This varying square wave could then be interpreted by a

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microcontroller, and compared to known responses from rain to determine appropriate

wiper action.[2]

3.1.Figure: A stable multi vibrator capacitive-sensing circuit (C1 = C sensor)[2]

3.3. Working operation

The battery supplies the power to the sensor as well as rain operated motor.

Wiper motor is automatically ON during the time of rainfall. The senor is fixed in the

vehicle glass. The conductive (Touch) sensor is used in this project. It senses the

rainfall and giving control signal to the control unit. The control unit activates the

wiper motor automatically. This operation is called “Automatic rain operated.[2]

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3.3. Fig: Working Block Diagram of automatic wiper system[2]

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The system can be summarized with the block diagram as shown in Figure. The
components that require the most resources are the rain sensors, speech recognition
hardware and software, power supply, input/output signal modules and the windshield
wiper mechanism.[2]

3.3. Figure: Block Diagram of the wiper System with Inputs and Outputs

All components will be linked by a PIC or MSP430 microcontroller. The rain

sensors are separated into two categories for an accurate solution. The speech
recognition module is powered by the HM2007 chip. The input signals the
microcontroller and output module signals the windshield wiper mechanism. The control
panel enables or disables the entire system without affecting any other circuit to which
the system is attached.

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3.4. Impedance sensors

The impedance sensor to be implemented is the grid sensor shown in Figure . The
sensor works by outputting a voltage, which is a function of how much water is in
between the teeth. The closer the teeth, the more sensitive the sensor becomes. For the
prototype, the separation distance will be adjusted between 0.10 mm and 1.0 mm to the
desired sensitivity. At least two sensors will be made and placed at different locations on
the glass to increase reliability [3].

Figure: Grid
Sensor with
varying

3.4.electrical conduction due to water of impedance sensor[3]

A problem with this particular approach is that sometimes rain water is not very
conductive; therefore, the output voltage will be very small and undetectable. One way
around this problem is to use another impedance sensor that monitors capacitance instead
of conductance. The sensor represented in Figure 4 is made of two thin copper plates
placed around a glass, thus forming a capacitor. The presence of water changes the
permittivity of the capacitor.
Aaaaaaaaaaa
A

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The sudden change results in a detectable current/voltage that is fed into a special
MARE Windshield Wiper System ECE4007L02: Group 4 8 input signal module for
amplification and standardization.

3.4.1Figure: Capacitance Rain Sensor

Obviously, the reliability and accuracy of the two impedance sensors discussed
above can be improved by combining a multitude of them. However, they are vulnerable
to corrosion, dirt, and other kinds of deposits.[3]

3.5. OPTICAL SENSORS

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The optical sensors will be used to bounce beams of light through the windshield,
and look for disturbances in the beams caused by raindrops. Typically, a rain sensor will
have an emitter that emits pulses of light, coupled into the windshield with a lens. These
beams travel through the windshield at about 45 degrees. The beams are totally
internally reflected by the outside surface of the windshield, so they bounce back into the
sensor. The sensor then detects the reflected beams and measures them. If rain drops are
present on the outside surface of the windshield, some of the beams escape and this
reduces the intensity of the beams. The detector will measure this reduction in intensity
and communicate that to the rest of the system that actuates the windshield wipers.[2]

4. ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES/APPLICATION

4.1. ADVANTAGES

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 Low cost automation project.

 Free from wear adjustment.

 Less power consumption.

 Operating principle is very easy Installation is simple.

 It is possible to operate manually/automatically by providing On/Off switch

 Sensor cost is very low due to the use of conductive sensor.

4.1. DISADVANTAGE

 Additional cost is required incase optical sensor is used.

 This system applied in the case of water falling on the glass only.

4.3. APPLICATIONS

 It is used in four wheeler

 It is used in aircraft

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 It is used in train

 It is used in six wheeler

5. CONCLUSION

Our Automatic multispeed rain operated wiper system works well with
conductive sensor. As future extraction work the same can be carried out by optical
sensor. As far as accuracy of the system is concerned it is more accurate than conductive
sensor. But the reason for not using optical sensor is because due to higher cost.[1]

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As the conclusion for the project, the results shows all the aim objectives are
successfully achieved. The wiper system was well functionally according the water
condition from the outside of a car. This project showed a contribution on the
design of the automatic wiper system for the future research in this field. For the future
improvement, it is recommended the system to have literature review on the material
been used as the wiper, because the material used is still has a problem in the procure
issues especially for the hot and climate country. [2]

6. REFERENCES
6.1. Research paper
[1] ‘ Intelligent Rain Sensing using Automatic Wiper System.’ Sonali B. Madankar,
( Dept of CSE ), Dr. Milind M. Khanapurkar,( Professor, Dept of ECE,)

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[2] ‘ Automatic wipers with mist control’,American Journal of Engineering Research

(AJER), Ashik K.P, A.N.Basavaraju (Head , Dept. of Automobile Engg )

[3] Smart Wiper Control System’, International Journal of Application or Innovation in

Engineering & Management (IJAIEM), N. M. Z. Hashim(Faculty of Electronics &
Computer Engineering, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Hang Tuah Jaya, 76100
Durian Tunggal, Melaka Malaysia )

6.2.Website

[1] www.wikipedia.org

[2] www.sciencedirect.org

[3]www.slideshare.com

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