Tesla patented laser wipers to remove dirt from a windshield

One would assume that everyone would be on deck at Tesla with researchers, engineers and software developers all working together to rectify the automaker’s problem. problematic autopilot functionality, but instead, the company is devoting resources to other futuristic features: like laser wipers.

We’ll be the first to admit that the current method of cleaning a vehicle’s windshield while driving is far from perfect. Assuming the wiper blades themselves aren’t covered in dirt and you haven’t forgotten to top up the wiper fluid, they tend to smear dirt and other debris on them. the windshield instead of effectively wiping it. Windshield wipers can do a passable job of keeping raindrops from obstructing the driver’s view on the road, but it’s a technology that definitely needs to be upgraded, and if Tesla has anything to say about it. subject, one day they could be replaced by lasers.

As vehicles become smarter and depend on technologies such as cameras, sensors and even energy-generating photovoltaic panels whose performance is hampered by a build-up of dirt, there is even more demand for a way to keep the various surfaces of a vehicle clean that does not involve a daily trip to a car wash.

Initially deposited with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 10, 2019, but finally approved earlier this week, Tesla’s patent for “pulsed laser cleaning of debris accumulated on glass items in vehicles and photovoltaic assemblies” looks as disturbing as it is innovative. The patent describes a system in which a “debris detection circuit” can determine if dirt has accumulated on glass surfaces which must be kept as clean as possible for optimum functionality, such as road monitoring cameras or even the windshield through which a driver looks. . Depending on how much dirt is detected and where it is, the intensity and focus of a laser is calibrated to direct the beam specifically towards the problem area (imagine a stain of bird poo on your windshield) so that, because it is rapidly pulsing, it has enough intensity to burn off dirt, without actually penetrating the glass surface and causing damage to occupants inside or sensitive electronic devices.

On the one hand, the approach eliminates complicated mechanical machines that are prone to breakdowns as well as an additional electric motor that places heavy demands on an EV’s battery. It also removes the wiper blades that move back and forth across the windshield, which can often be a distraction for a driver. On the other hand, a laser powerful enough to burn dirt out of a window is definitely something to be concerned about. You are not even supposed to look directly at the low power laser diodes used in laser pointers, but the beam intensity should be increased significantly for this application.

The patent describes an approach in which the laser beam is rapidly pulsed so that it “limits the penetration of the laser beam to a depth less than the thickness of the glass article” and although this may provide some peace of mind. mind to the occupants of the vehicle. , what about other people around the vehicle, including other drivers on the road, who might be exposed to unwanted reflections from the beam? In an ideal world that would never happen, but in an autonomous ideal world Teslas wouldn’t crash into police cars either.. The self-cleaning laser system could be limited to use only when the vehicle is safely stopped, or even inside a garage, but then it would be useless for the random times when something splashes onto your windshield while you are on the road. As futuristic as the idea sounds, we’re pretty happy to stick with our old-fashioned solution for now.