Proposal

MARE Windshield Wiper System

ECE4007 Senior Design Project Section L02, Group 4 Michael Whitfield, Team Leader Eric Williams Anthony Harris Renaud Moussounda

Submitted September 17, 2007

TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................... ii 1. Introduction............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1. Objective............................................................................................................................ 1 1.2. Motivation.......................................................................................................................... 1 1.3. Background........................................................................................................................ 2 2. Product Description and Goals.............................................................................................. 2 3. Technical Specifications ......................................................................................................... 3 4. Design Approach and Details................................................................................................. 4 4.1. Design Approach ............................................................................................................... 4 4.2. Codes and Standards.......................................................................................................... 9 4.3. Constraints, Alternatives, Tradeoffs ................................................................................ 10 5. Schedule, Tasks, and Milestones.......................................................................................... 11 6. Project Demonstration.......................................................................................................... 12 7. Marketing and Cost Analysis............................................................................................... 13 7.1. Marketing Analysis.......................................................................................................... 13 7.2. Cost Analysis ................................................................................................................... 14
8. Summary............................................................................................................................................ 16 9. References .......................................................................................................................................... 17

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The MARE automated windshield wiper system with voice activation is a system used to automatically detect rainfall and activate the windshield wipers without driver interaction. This product will be developed to mitigate driving distractions and allow drivers to focus on their primary task: driving. The major distraction eliminated with the development of this product is the manual adjustment of windshield wipers when driving in precipitation. The few seconds that a driver takes their attention off the road to adjust a knob while driving in sub par conditions could potentially lead to car accidents. Car manufacturers would readily purchase such a design to incorporate in their vehicles. There are similar autonomous windshield wiper systems on the market today, but no existing system includes speech recognition to switch from manual to automatic modes. The windshield wiper system will detect precipitation with an erroneous detection rate of less than 5 percent. A prototype MARE system will first be developed before the system is mass produced. The MARE windshield wiper system will detect precipitation through optical and impedance sensors that will activate a control unit; speech recognition will be integrated into the system through additional hardware. The MARE system is anticipated to cost about $504 to produce per unit and would retail at $600, netting a 16% profit.

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MARE Windshield Wiper System 1. INTRODUCTION This proposal is for the development of an automated windshield wiper system with voicerecognition capability. This proposal provides a detailed assessment of the most important factors that need be considered in the development and mass production of such a product. These factors include the project description, technical specifications, detailed design approach, charted schedule, cost analysis, and marketing analysis. 1.1. Objective The objective of the project is to develop an automatic windshield wiper system with the add-on capability of voice-activation. Car manufactures will be the primary customer for system integration of MARE into their future automobile lines and to independent customers who would like to include the capability. Similar systems are currently installed in some of the more luxury vehicles on the market; however, none have speech-recognition capability. 1.2. Motivation MARE is not a completely new device; however, the capability of the device that the team is developing will be the very first of its kind. No windshield wiper system exists that combines autonomous activation through infrared rain sensors with the capability to control the system through speech recognition. This unique windshield wiper system is being developed for several reasons, with the primary reason being safety. The National Highway and Transportation

Safety Association reports that 26% of all car accidents are caused by distractions [1]. By eliminating the need for drivers to adjust wiper speed while driving in inclement weather, the
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number of accidents that occur in precipitation can be reduced. Also, preliminary cost analysis would make the system relatively inexpensive. Cost (and subsequently price) analysis will be considered in section 7 of this document. 1.3. Background. Although our idea is original, there are similar products already on the market. Existing products on the market include the Rain Tracker system by Opto-Electronic Design, Inc. [2] and the TRW rain sensor [3]. While the existence of these two products helps the development of our project, it does create a potential issue of copyright infringement and patent violations if caution is not taken in the development of the system. The improvement of existing windshield wiper systems is still an area of interest for researchers. In 2001, Turkish professors presented a report at an IEEE conference that concentrated on the design and implementation of a rain sensing system [4]. In 2005, Japanese researchers proposed a windshield wiper system that used small cameras installed in cars windshield to detect rain [5]. This proposal was considered to be elaborated upon; however, time constraints quickly had the idea rejected. 2. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION AND GOALS Goals: Detect rainfall on windshield Detect intensity of rainfall Automatically activate windshield wipers once rainfall is detected Free from adverse effects of extraneous and environmental factors

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Voice-controlled system activation/deactivation Meet or exceed the response time of the driver Adaptable to all vehicles Reliable (Fail rate < 5%) Easy to install

The primary goal of MARE is to automatically detect rainfall and activate the windshield wipers without driver interaction. This system should respond to rainfall in a similar manner as if the driver were manually controlling his or her windshield wipers. Voice activation will be used to initiate the system from manual to automatic. The automated windshield wiper system will consist of: A mechanism for sensing rain and rain intensity A microcontroller to output a control signal to the windshield wipers A signal-conditioning circuit to determine the type of signal needed at the motor of the windshield wipers. 3. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Building a prototype requires a complete, simple, seamless and risk-free integration into modern automobiles. Adding the system will be completed by parallel installation so as not to compromise the original controls. A successful product will meet the demands and expectations of its customers therefore accuracy, reliability, and adjustment are very important. The system should be able to respond to the presence of precipitation within half a second after detection. This is very important especially in a sudden obstructing squall. The system should accommodate drivers' preferences by adjusting wiper speed with an optional speech recognition
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feature. Table 1 highlights the main design specifications.

Table 1. Technical Design Specifications

Characteristics False Rain Detection Rate Sensors Operational Temperature Voltage Requirement System Response Time Impedance Sensor Surface Size Power Requirement System Weight Seamless Integration and adaptation Less than 5 % -40 to 84C

Specifications

12- 5 Volts DC Less than 500 ms from rain contact <= 4 cmxcm TBD TBD Adaptable to all vehicles and tunable sensitivity

The system will be reliable when it comes to detecting moisture and triggering the appropriate response. A greater 95 % acceptance rate is expected. In order to reduce costs associated with maintaining the system, a small knob will be designed to adjust the whole system to a desired sensitivity level. The system should be able to normally operate in extreme weather conditions. IR sensor performs better in cold weather where water is almost frozen, while impedance sensors are exceptional in hotter environments. Moreover, a nominal voltage of 12 V or lower should be enough voltage to power the prototype. 4. DESIGN APPROACH AND DETAILS 4.1. Design Approach The system can be summarized with the block diagram in Figure 1. The components that require the most resources are the rain sensors, speech recognition hardware and software, power supply, input/output signal modules and the windshield wiper mechanism.

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Figure 1. Block Diagram of the System with Inputs and Outputs

All components will be linked by a PIC or MSP430 microcontroller. The rain sensors are separated into two categories for an accurate solution. The speech recognition module is powered by the HM2007 chip. The input signals the microcontroller and output module signals the windshield wiper mechanism. The control panel enables or disables the entire system without affecting any other circuit to which the system is attached. 4.1.1. Speech Recognition The team plans to use HM2007 for the speech recognition feature [6]. The most important factor in speech recognition software/hardware is the accuracy of the speech recognition device. Speech recognition equipment must be able to filter out ambient noise to limit or even eliminate false rejections and false acceptances. The HM2007 is accurate and small enough to fulfill the needs of this project. 4.1.2. Power Supply

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A stable power supply is necessary to assure that all electronics, especially the microcontroller is working properly. Figure 2 shows the basic configuration of a 12 Volt to 5 Volt converter.

Figure 2. Power Supply

Table 2 summarizes the role of some components used to construct the power supply. In the case where this power source is not fulfilling its purpose, one solution is to have two similar power supplies. One power supply will be assigned exclusively to the microcontroller, and the other supply will power the rest of the system.
Table 2. Power Supply Parts Summary

Part Name Diode D1 Voltage Regulator Capacitors Power Switch LED D2

Part Number 1N4001 LM7805 TO-220 -

Use Protect System if polarity is reversed Converts voltage Reduce ripples from signals Serve as on/off switch If turned on, power supply is OK

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4.1.3.

Impedance Sensors The impedance sensor to be implemented is the grid sensor shown in Figure 3. The sensor

works by outputting a voltage, which is a function of how much water is in between the teeth. The closer the teeth, the more sensitive the sensor becomes. For the prototype, the separation distance will be adjusted between 0.10 mm and 1.0 mm to the desired sensitivity. At least two sensors will be made and placed at different locations on the glass to increase reliability [4].

Figure 3. Grid Sensor with varying electrical conduction due to water

A problem with this particular approach is that sometimes rain water is not very conductive; therefore, the output voltage will be very small and undetectable. One way around this problem is to use another impedance sensor that monitors capacitance instead of conductance. The sensor represented in Figure 4 is made of two thin copper plates placed around a glass, thus forming a capacitor. The presence of water changes the permittivity of the capacitor. The sudden change results in a detectable current/voltage that is fed into a special

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input signal module for amplification and standardization.

Figure 4. Capacitance Rain Sensor

Obviously, the reliability and accuracy of the two impedance sensors discussed above can be improved by combining a multitude of them. However, they are vulnerable to corrosion, dirt, and other kinds of deposits. 4.1.4. Optical Sensors The optical sensors will be used to bounce beams of light through the windshield, and look for disturbances in the beams caused by raindrops. Typically, a rain sensor will have an emitter that emits pulses of light, coupled into the windshield with a lens. These beams travel through the windshield at about 45 degrees. The beams are totally internally reflected by the outside surface of the windshield, so they bounce back into the sensor. The sensor then detects the reflected beams and measures them. If rain drops are present on the outside surface of the windshield, some of the beams escape and this reduces the intensity of the beams. The detector will measure this reduction in intensity and communicate that to the rest of the system that

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actuates the windshield wipers 4.1.5. Critical Paths

This project will require a lot of effort because the system itself comprises many independent subsystems that have to be made dependent of each other. Difficulties are forecasted to be present when subsystems have to be interfaced with one another. Obviously, getting all the parts on time is crucial for the progress of the project. The first major task is building the rain sensors and testing them to see if they are reliable enough to detect moisture. Each sensor will have to be tuned and adjusted after hours of testing. As discussed earlier, some alternatives can be used if the first approach is not working. The infrared-based rain sensor setup will be a technical challenge for the team since it has various imported components. The most challenging part will be to connect and test the microcontroller and the rest of the system. Fortunately, the task will get easier when testing individual components to the chip 4.2. Codes and Standards

The codes and standards that the team will pay close attention to relate interfacing MARE with the automobile controls. The sensor and the microcontroller are governed by universal standards such as the NEC, the National Electric Code [7]. The microcontroller will also abide by USB protocol in order to load in a program from the PC. In automobiles, information from one sensor and/or data from one system can be communicated with other systems using multiplex wiring to reduce the number of sensors and the amount of wire used in a vehicle. Two predominant protocols have emerged as standards, but several other protocols exist that are specific to manufacturers' applications. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has

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established SAE J1850 as the standard for multiplexing and data communications in U.S. automobiles [8]. However, data communications for trucks and On-Board Diagnostics II (OBDII) are based on the Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol developed by Robert Bosch GmbH [9]. The SAE Vehicle Network for Multiplexing and Data Communications (Multiplex) Committee has defined three classes of vehicle networks: Classes A, B and C [8]. Class A is for low-speed applications such as body lighting [8]. Class B is for data transfer between nodes to eliminate redundant sensors and other system elements [8]. Class C is for high-speed communications and data rates typically associated with real-time control systems [8]. The project will be considered as a class C application. 4.3. Constraints, Alternatives, Tradeoffs The main constraint that we must consider is copyright and patent infringement. There are very similar products on the market including the Rain Tracker that triggers autonomous windshield wiper action [2]. The chief patent that we must work around is Guy Mullers patent for a rain sensing system, registered in 1991 [10]. Another major constraint is time; because of the amount of time (approximately 11 weeks) the team has to complete the project with intermittent status reports the team has to keep the scope of the project fairly small. This hinders the originality of the project. The project has to build upon existing ideas to make the development time of a prototype feasible within the teams allotted time. Because of the products that are quite similar, there are few alternatives the team has to the design approach we have taken. Multiple approaches were considered before this design approach was decided upon. For instance, the rain sensor module could have been replaced by a

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video camera system. The system was to imitate human vision and triggers a response. Such an approach was discarded because it too expensive and too broad for the project. Moreover, having a camera at your windshield is not a very attracting feature a driver wants since it might a cluttering effect. Tradeoffs include a less sophisticated system in the interest of time constraints and economic tradeoffs. The team initially considered the ability of the MARE windshield wiper system to automatically activate headlights when it detected precipitation. Although, this would have been a wonderful feature to include in the design scope, the project would have become too large. Thus, the team had to leave this feature out of the MARE windshield wiper system. In order to develop a sustainable product with the ability to mass production, the MARE windshield wiper system could potentially become a more expensive device than the team originally hoped. Fortunately, the team did not have to strongly consider ethical, political, or environmental issues in the development decisions. 5. SCHEDULE, TASKS, AND MILESTONES The Gantt chart below (Figure 5) shows the building blocks and milestones of the project. The first milestone is to get all the parts and start building components. The degree of difficulty is somewhat proportional to the length of the task in the chart. It is anticipated that most of our time and resources will be spent assembling all the components and debugging the microcontroller code. Michael Whitfield is primarily in charge of all paperwork regarding organization and reporting. He will also work on getting the speech recognition module to run. Renaud Moussounda is in charge of designing and building the impedance sensors, the power supply, and help program the microcontroller. He is keeping the website updated as the project
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progresses. Eric Williams will focus on the infrared rain sensor configuration and testing. He will help program and debug the microcontroller. Anthony Harris will help build power supply and interface the windshield mechanism with the rest of the system.

Figure 5. Gantt Chart of the Project

6. PROJECT DEMONSTRATION The prototype demonstration of the MARE windshield wiper system will be tested for its primary application: the successful detection of rain/moisture. Therefore, for the purpose of the project demonstration, the mechanical elements (e.g. electrical motor, worm gear, etc) will not be displayed in the demonstration. Instead, outputs from the micro-controller will illuminate LEDs as a signal of successful rain detection and initiation of windshield wiper blades. Illumination of

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the LEDs should occur within the parameters of the project specifications. A water bottle or mist-spraying bottle will be used to provide moisture to the sensor laden plexi-glass windshield. Several iterations of moisture application - from heavy moisture to light mist - will be applied to the windshield to ensure acceptance testing of the MARE. Upon deposition of amounts of water on the windshield the sensors shall detect the presence of water effective within specification parameters. Throughout the design process each individual sensor (IR sensors and Impedance sensors) component will be tested for detection of water and initiation of LED output. Upon completion

of successful acceptance testing of each individual sensor component, a fully integrated subsystem of IR sensors will be acceptance tested; likewise a sub-system of impedance sensors will be acceptance tested. Finally, the sub-systems will be integrated into the complete system for full acceptance testing. Environmental considerations such as moisture due to humidity, condensation, fog, and dirt/dust will not be taken into consideration with regard to project demonstration. The detection of rain is the primary purpose for prototype demonstration. 7. MARKETING AND COST ANALYSIS 7.1. Marketing Analysis Presently, there are two rain detecting technologies on the market. TRW Inc. and OptoElectronic, Inc. manufacture devices that use IR sensors as the premise of rain detection. The MARE windshield wiper system utilizes a dual detection sensor package to detect rain. This setup raises the price of the MARE windshield wiper system compared to competitors but allows for redundancy in rain detection and hence greater reliability. The add-on capability of voice
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activation gives the MARE a competitive advantage over existing rain detection technologies. The marketing strategy for MARE centers on appealing to luxury automobile owners and elderly drivers. Luxury automobile owners enjoy the use of such high tech devices to accentuate their riding experience. Elderly drivers can appreciate the ease of use of the system. In order to market to these consumers, the team will pursue heavily product demonstration at AARP conventions and automobile shows. This approach will mitigate costly advertising schemes and provide real-time demonstration of MARE to the target consumer groups. Additionally, product demonstration at automobile shows will provide product exposure to large automobile companies that may lead to investment sources or product acquisition offers. 7.2. Cost Analysis

The cost considerations for MARE are two-fold. The prototype analysis demonstrates the costs of design, production, and testing of the complete system. The table 3 below shows the itemized material cost in order to construct the prototype system. Some parts listed in the above table are available at no charge via third-party sources however, for the purposes of this proposal all cost are included. The team anticipates spending roughly 24hrs/week in engineering hours to complete the prototype. Based on the proposed schedule the team expects to spend roughly 13 weeks completing the prototype design; an additional 100 hours of contingency design has been factored into the labor budget for miscellaneous design considerations. At a standard rate of $30.00/hr per engineer the pure labor estimate sums to roughly $12,360. The total developmental cost of the prototype estimate sums to a mere $24,344.

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Table 3. Part Cost Analysis Part PIC/MSP Microcontroller Linear Voltage Regulator Copper Plates Wire (15 ft.) Circuit Breaker Switch Module LED Circuit Breaker Voice Module IR Sensors Plexi-glass Quantity 1 2 8 1 1 2 3 1 1 2 1 Price/ Unit $4.00 $1.50 $3.00 $3.00 $1.00 $3.00 $0.25 $1.00 $179.00 $14.00 $10.00 Total $4.00 $3.00 $24.00 $3.00 $1.00 $3.00 $0.75 $1.00 $179.00 $28.00 $10.00 $256.75

The team estimates that the mass production of MARE will significantly lower the material cost by 50%. Each unit will require no more than two hours for assembly and one additional hour for testing. Based on a modest production of 500 units sold per year at a price of $600 the team expects a 16% profit margin. The table below shows the overall figures and expected profit. Table 4. Profit Analysis MARE Windshield Wiper System Expected Profit Expectations Labor cost and Price Expectation Based on: Parts Cost Assembly Labor
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500 Units 140 20

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Testing Labor Total Labor Fringe Benefits, % of Labor Subtotal Overhead, % of Matl, Labor & Fringe Subtotal, Input Costs Sales & Marketing Expense Warranty & Support Expense Amortized Development Costs Subtotal, All Costs Profit Selling Price Total Revenue Total Profit

10 30 8 178 98 275 150 30 49 504 96 $600 $300,000 $48,093 16.0%

The team expects to make a respectable $96 per unit sold. The team fully expects the cost of production to steadily decrease in the future, as better methods of production are realized. 8. SUMMARY The parts for the development of the prototype are now being gathered. Initial development of the prototype will begin immediately because the processor that will be used is already in house. Significant lab hours will now be necessary to develop a working prototype by the anticipated due date, and the team will create regular meeting times to discuss the status of our

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project as well as work on the project in lab together. Preliminary testing can be done for the components that are already in house. The team has made great strides per the development of a concrete proposal, and the team anticipates the project coming to fruition. 9. REFERENCES [1] NHTSA Data Sheet, 2001, Available HTTP: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/departments/nrd12/809-716/pages/longdesc.htm [2] The Rain Tracker Makes Driving More Enjoyable, [Online Document], Available HTTP: http://www.raintracker.com/ProductInfo.htm [3] TRW Automotive Electronics: Rain Sensor, 2007, [Online Document], Available HTTP: http://www.trw.com/images/rain_sensor.pdf [4] M. Ucar, H. Ertunc, and O. Turkoglu, The Design and Implementation of Rain Sensitive Triggering System for Windshield Wiper Motor, In IEEE IEMDC, 2001, pp. 329-336. [5] H. Kurihata, T. Takahashi, I. Ide, Y. Mekada, H. Murase, Y. Tamatsu, and T. Miyahara, Rainy Weather Recognition from in-Vehicle Camera Images for Driver Assistance , In IEEE Intelligent Vehicles Symposium, 2005, pp. 205-210 [6] HM Data Sheet, 2007, Available HTTP: http://www.tranzistoare.ro/datasheets/2300/499674_DS.pdf [7] National Fire Protection Association, 2007, [Online Document], Available HTTP: http://www.nfpa.org/ [8] SAE Standards Development, Sep 2007, [Online Document], Available HTTP: http://www.sae.org/standardsdev/ [9] CAN Specification, 1991, [Online Document], Available HTTP:

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http://esd.cs.ucr.edu/webres/can20.pdf [10] G. Muller, Windshield Wiper System with Rain Detector, U.S. patent no. 5015931, issued June 11, 1991

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