[edit] Windshield Wipers
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| The entry-level BMW 135i coupe (priced at $34,900) arrives standard with rain sensing windshield wipers.
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Windshield wipers could be a under appreciated companion for providing improved vision during conditions of precipitation as such water and snow. Wipers are also handy in cleaning a windshield in dry weather of dirt, bugs, and other wet debris thanks to washer fluid reservoirs. Windshield washer fluid with deicing properties can greatly assist in wiping a frozen windscreen. Working well on the front, some vehicles since the late 1950s have employed wipers on the rear windows.
Commonly, windshield wipers systems are operated with a single electric motor turning a worm gear, the motion of the worm gear allows a sufficient force to be applied to a set of wiper blades. Standard tandem windshield wiper is synchronized by a hidden piece known as a wiper arm which also allows the wiper to complete a wipe cycle while the wiper motor maintains a steady, uninterrupted movement.
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History of Windshield Wipers
For such a simple device, it would surprise many to know that windshield wiper technology has involved a significant amount of contention since the invention's introduction. Patenting the first working windshield wiper system operational inside the vehicle in 1905, female inventor Mary Anderson's design developed the simple hand-operated unit auto manufacturers would embrace through the early 20th century. However, Mary Anderson would never be greatly profit from her evolutionary design even as windshield wipers became mandated on all United States automobiles in 1916.
As vehicle speed potentials increased and more convenience items were sought during the 1920s, the hand-operated systems would give way to powered windshield wipers running of engine vacuum. Cadillac introduced vacuum-driven wipers in 1929 with other automakers adopting this system for use well into the 1960s. While allowing the wipers to work under automation, performance of the unit depended largely on engine power causing instances of erratic or lack of movement. Though conceived by Bosch three years prior to the vacuum-operated wipers, electric motors were gradually became the main power source providing consistent and programmable units found on today's vehicles.
As electric motors expanded through automobiles, intermittent windshield wipers made their controversial debut on Fords in 1969. Highlighted in a recent Hollywood movie called Flash of Genius, Bob Kearns aggressively fought the Ford Motor Company's design over similarities to the intermittent wiper system he demonstrated to Ford in 1963. Becoming a monumental and highly personal legal battle for Kearn, he flatly refused claims that Ford's intermittent wiper setup related only to Ford's internal engineering. After 12 years in litigation, Ford settled with Kearns for 10.2 million dollars in a case of unintentional patent infringement. Later winning an additional nearly 19 million dollar amount from Chrysler, Kearns would be unsuccessful in suits filed against practically every other automaker including General Motors.
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Rain Sensing Windshield Wipers
The actuation of the latest development in wiper technology introduces an infrared optical sensor to scans a small portion of a vehicle's windshield. Once the optical sensor detects rain drops, the controls trigger the windshield wipers to activate. 67 years following the first manufacturer-installed vacuum powered windshield wiper system, Cadillac began the first vehicles to bring rain sensing windshield wipers to dealerships in 1996. A little more than a decade later, these rain sensing wipers have been made available on other luxury vehicle and tickled down to optional equipment on under $25,000 vehicles.
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Windshield Wiper Maintenance
The life of a windshield wiper blade is typically one year. Either replaced through by the rubber blades or changing the entire wiper blade assembly, wipers can be accomplished very inexpensively and the changed even by the novice do it yourself mechanic. The only two consideration when changing wipers is to identifying the specific connecting hardware as well as the length of wiper blades relating to the vehicle. Trico and Rain-X are popular replacement wiper companies keeping up with the growing length of wiper blades on newer vehicles.
External Links:
http://www.bmwusa.com
http://www.tricoproducts.com
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