Intelligent Rain Sensing and Fuzzy Wiper Control Algorithm for Vision-based Smart Windshield Wiper System

A windshield wiper system plays a key part in assuring the driver's safety during the rainfall. However, because the quantity of rain and snow vary irregularly according to time and the velocity of the automobile, a driver changes wiper speed and interval from time to time to secure enough visual field in the traditional windshield wiper system. Because a manual operation of windshield wiper distracts driver's sensitivity and causes inadvertent driving, this is becoming a direct cause of traffic accidents. Therefore, this paper presents the basic architecture of a vision-based smart windshield wiper system and a rain sensing algorithm that regulates speed and interval of the windshield wiper automatically according to the quantity of rain or snow. This paper also introduces a fuzzy wiper control algorithm based on human's expertise, and evaluates the performance of the suggested algorithm in an experimental simulator.