Continuing just-auto’s new series of research snapshots – pulled from its automotive research platform, QUBE – Matthew Beecham reviews some novel and obscure wiper blade innovations including one technology that could eliminate the wiper altogether.
Superficially, wiper blades appear the same today as they did when the first electrically-powered windscreen wiper system appeared in 1926. Yet appearances can be deceptive. Lack of space under the bonnet, cost constraints, product reliability, aero-dynamic drag, looks, pedestrian impact legislation, and technical innovations in the rest of the control system such as CAN Bus have triggered a number of wiper innovations over the years.
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On the OE side of the market, the flat (beam) wiper blade has dominated driven by the need for improved product quality, comfort and aesthetics. Flat blades are also the growth story of the aftermarket, typically used as a direct replacement for OE fit parts but also as an option to upgrade from conventional blades.
Yet drivers do not replace their blades as often as they should. It remains a challenge for manufacturers to educate the driving public on the simple but safety-critical maintenance. In response, wiper makers have launched a number of initiatives to nudge drivers into changing their blades, ranging from e-mail reminders to in-store marketing material to wiper wear indicators which gradually change colour.
Rear blades are becoming increasingly ‘designer’ like with the wiping arm integrated into the blade, itself increasing flat.
Wiper blades are becoming longer due to the trend for larger and raked windscreens. Trico recently expanded its so-called Flex product line to include blade lengths from 730mm, 750mm and 800mm.
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By GlobalDataDespite the wiper blade being a mature technology, manufacturers are still pushing back the technical boundaries. A notable innovation from Trico that caught our eye recently is dubbed the ‘Trico Ice’. As the name suggests, the blade is designed with a synthetic blended “armour” that protects the wiper components from ice and snow.
Some interesting blue sky research is taking wiper blades to another level. For example a university researcher has invented a solution to prevent wiper blades from sticking to the windscreen on frosty nights. “You see some people flip their wipers up when snow is forecast,” said David Perlman, a senior research scientist at Brandeis University during a demonstration of this invention, “but that can be an invitation to vandals if you park on the street.” So Perlman came up with the idea of a spring-loaded peg that automatically retracts when the wipers are switched on. The peg raises the wipers a few centimetres off the windscreen, just enough to prevent them from freezing to the glass.
Meanwhile, some ultrasound technology being developed by the McLaren Group may even result in the elimination of windscreen wipers. The F1 racing car constructor says it is adapting technology pioneered for fighter jets as an alternative to the traditional windscreen wiper. The high-frequency sound waves envelop the windscreen like a force field and repel water and insects.
Finally, car windscreen wipers are being used to help scientists understand climate change too. A team of researchers at the University of Hanover have developed a novel way to measure rainfall across different parts of a region. Currently, meteorologists rely on rain gauges to record the amount of rainfall in a certain location. In the UK alone, there are about 4,000 registered rain gauges that are used to monitor climate change. But a static tin collecting rainfall doesn’t capture the true variation across, say, a five mile radius. So the research team are equipping volunteer cars with GPS equipment in order to measure rainfall and better understand weather patterns across a location. These cars record their location and speed at which their windscreen wipers are operating, enabling the scientists to build a more representative picture of rainfall across a region.
