Intelligent rain sensing and fuzzy wiper control algorithm for vision-based smart windshield wiper system

Windshield wipers play a key role in assuring the driver's safety during precipitation. The traditional wiper systems, however, requires driver's constant attention in adjusting the wiper speed and the intermittent wiper interval because the amount of precipitation on the windshield constantly varies according to time and vehicle's speed. Because the manual adjustment of the wiper distracts driver's attention, which may be a direct cause of traffic accidents, many companies have developed automatic wiper systems using some optical sensors with various levels of success. This paper presents the development of vision-based smart windshield wiper system that can automatically adjust its speed and intermittent interval according to the amount of water drops on the windshield. The system employs various image processing algorithms to detect water drops and fuzzy logic to determine the speed and the interval of the wiper.