TMC is an independent, primarily volunteer organization that relies on ad revenue to cover its operating costs. Please consider whitelisting TMC on your ad blocker and becoming a Supporting Member. For more info: Support TMC
  1. TMC is currently READ ONLY.
    Click here for more info.

Will Future Teslas Have Lasers For Wipers, Among Other Patented Innovations?

Discussion in 'Tesla, Inc.' started by TMC Staff, Nov 27, 2020.

  1. TMC Staff

    Joined:
    May 19, 2017
    Messages:
    1,182
    This article is about the five possible unusual innovations that you may see in a production Tesla in the not too distant future. Tesla files a lot of patents, as do all manufacturers, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that a patent filing confirms a particular gadget will make it into production. Some of the ideas they...
    READ FULL ARTICLE
     
  2. Uncle Paul

    Uncle Paul Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2013
    Messages:
    6,105
    Location:
    Canyon Lake,CA
    Would seem concerning to have lasers pointed at drivers eyes. Windshield glass probably will provide protection, but still...
     
  3. Black Krack

    Black Krack Member

    Joined:
    Dec 26, 2019
    Messages:
    11
    Location:
    Indianapolis
    Smell like fried retinas lol
     
  4. Daks

    Daks Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2020
    Messages:
    126
    Location:
    Anchorage, AK USA
    Maybe lasers with wiper backup? Is a laser going to have enough power to remove a ton of snow/ice like a wiper?

    Touchscreen steering wheel seems like something that could happen and would neat if you could also customize it. Maybe I have more commonly used things I want to do then someone else. The sensors for occupant type or seatbelt usage can't be that difficult either....
     
  5. katbc

    katbc Member

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2020
    Messages:
    97
    Location:
    British Columbia
    I like the physical button and scroll wheel, otherwise I'd think I have to look at the wheel to make sure I'm pressing the right area (I'm sure muscle memory would kick in real quick though and I'd adapt like everything else I've adapted to). I'm just remembering how I could text on the old button phones without looking down (not in the car!) because I could physically feel the buttons. I can see my future children roll their eyes at this comment.

    I'd very much like it if when someone isn't wearing their seatbelt, or if they are wearing it incorrectly, the driver can touch the screen of that seat (you know how it comes up with a read "no seatbelt" signal) and it makes a fart sound or something.

    I'm not too worried about anything Tesla comes out with, they come out with great stuff, and if it isn't good, they change it. I'm sure they've thought about lasers in the eyes.. come on people, they won't do that if it's a risk.
     
    • Like x 1
  6. HankLloydRight

    HankLloydRight No Roads

    Joined:
    Jan 18, 2014
    Messages:
    12,795
    Location:
    Connecticut
    You can see that most of the claims for the "laser glass cleaner" were rejected due to prior art: US20190351873 PULSED LASER CLEANING OF DEBRIS ACCUMULATED ON GLASS ARTICLES IN VEHICLES AND PHOTOVOLTAIC ASSEMBLIES (scroll to the bottom).

    Also, as a Laser Safety Officer (LSO), I'm pretty sure they wont be able to find a wavelength of laser that's powerful enough to actually remove debris and not be harmful to humans (even in a "pulsed" mode). Any visible laser over 5mw used in commerce (i.e. not in private) can be harmful to humans and is regulated by the FDA and Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH). And 5mw is really not powerful at all, considering most laser pointers are in the hundred-mw range. Any laser used outdoors over 5mw also requires filing with the FAA PER USE. Having lasers in cars driving around pointed upwards (towards the windshield) is a non-starter on so many levels it's not even funny. Even having a laser with enough power to just melt ice is going to be in the several watt range (1000mw) and tightly regulated. This is mostly for visible laser wavelengths, but even lasers in the IR or UV range are very dangerous to humans especially because we can't see the emitted light and can blind you without even realizing it.

    Laser Pointer Safety - Laser Classes (1, 1M, 2, 2M, 3R, 3B, 4)

    It sounds like someone at Tesla said "hey, let's use a freakin' laser to blast debris off of a windshield" without even researching the prior art (there are two patents already that cover most of Tesla's patent application)... or knowing a single thing about laser strength or laser safety regulations in the U.S. :rolleyes:

    [​IMG]
     
    • Informative x 1
    • Like x 1
  7. dark cloud

    dark cloud Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2018
    Messages:
    1,886
    Location:
    BC
    If they could aim the lasers away from windshield, towards the incoming debris, and use the lasers to zap the moisture from the bugs before they hit the windshield, or vapourize them completely, along with the other debris, that would be useful. Of course that means they would all be pointing towards the sky, and those annoying pilots would start complaining...
     
  8. Goodtohave

    Goodtohave Member

    Joined:
    Mar 16, 2019
    Messages:
    362
    Location:
    Canada
    How about rain sensing wipers that work? Like every other car I have ever owned?

    Everything has to be rethought
     
    • Funny x 1
    • Love x 1
  9. CLK350

    CLK350 Member

    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2019
    Messages:
    186
    Location:
    New York City
    The next logical step improvement Tesla could bring hasn't been patented, or is already so well known there is no patent for it. Altho they could well try and patent an unusual variation of it. Much more significant than windshield wipers stuff.

    To wit: what Munroe already suggested, get rid of the archaic steering wheel, and use instead a steering stick like they do in airplanes.
    This would free up a lot of space for the driver (+comfort) and enable one size fits all manufacturing, with dual (copilot) driver possibility.
    TESLA.Munro.steering.jpg
     
  10. HankLloydRight

    HankLloydRight No Roads

    Joined:
    Jan 18, 2014
    Messages:
    12,795
    Location:
    Connecticut
    MB tried this in the 90s:

    Did You Know Mercedes-Benz Tested a Joystick Control System in the 1998 SL-Class?
    and
    1996 Mercedes F200 Imagination: Concept We Forgot
     
  11. CLK350

    CLK350 Member

    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2019
    Messages:
    186
    Location:
    New York City
    Ha! didn't know - Just great !

    MBZ.concept.jpg



    " .. Mercedes explain the system in its own period-correct, oddly translated press release from the original F200:

    “Drive-by-wire is a technical solution entailing consequences for the interior, for example. If there is no more steering wheel and no more pedals, the passengers have more space and thus more comfort. It also serves safety since the cockpit and the footwell can be designed completely different. "

    Mercedes back in the days - actually up to 2008/ 2009 when it bought Tesla's electric drivetrains for its electric Benz were really topnotch on innovation - sadly no longer .. maybe too many wealthy but clueless besides money/ oil things folks
     
  12. Captbarret

    Captbarret Member

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2019
    Messages:
    16
    Location:
    Southington, CT
     
  13. Captbarret

    Captbarret Member

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2019
    Messages:
    16
    Location:
    Southington, CT
    My sentiments exactly. Never had them never wanted them. Now I see why
     
  14. ICUDoc

    ICUDoc Active Member

    Joined:
    May 19, 2015
    Messages:
    1,624
    Location:
    Sydney NSW
    Seeing as you're a LSO, can I check that this is correct, HLR?
    I think most laser pointers are 0.5-5mW, and many more output around 1 than around 5...
     
  15. HankLloydRight

    HankLloydRight No Roads

    Joined:
    Jan 18, 2014
    Messages:
    12,795
    Location:
    Connecticut
  16. Goodtohave

    Goodtohave Member

    Joined:
    Mar 16, 2019
    Messages:
    362
    Location:
    Canada
    They work perfectly on every BMW I have had since 2005.

    Simple Bosch sensor on the windshield that sees the prism of light in the rain , like most cars but Tesla had to try to make the cameras see the clear rain. Does not work
     
    • Like x 1
  17. Mikedrives

    Mikedrives Member

    Joined:
    Jun 5, 2019
    Messages:
    134
    Location:
    Evanston, IL
    #17 Mikedrives, Nov 30, 2020
    Last edited: Nov 30, 2020
    ...and couldn't the laser be reflected off the windshield and endanger others?

    While I have an expert on the line...
    Last year I was on a Southwest flight coming in to land at Midway in Chicago- Midway sits among dense residential neighborhoods. It was nighttime and it was Christmastime and I looked down, and thought I was seeing flashbulbs popping over and over from various houses' yards. I wondered if what was happening was that all these households that seemed to have old-timey flashbulbs popping off, if they were really the households that have the laser patterns swirling around on the front of their houses. That was my best guess. So that moment when it appears as a distinct flash, is that when the laser is hitting your eye and etching away at your retinas? Naturally, I couldn't look away...
    Any chance those are dangerous, either to the pilots, passengers, or little kids looking out their bedroom windows at the cool laser pointer in their front yards?
     
  18. HankLloydRight

    HankLloydRight No Roads

    Joined:
    Jan 18, 2014
    Messages:
    12,795
    Location:
    Connecticut
    Absolutely.


    Yes.

    No.

    No. Assuming they are legally sold Class IIIA lasers, they are under 5mw. These are 2mw: https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Projector-Controller-Landscape-Decoration/dp/B01EV4OGAU

    But it's not just mW that counts. It's also beam divergence. Low quality lasers have terrible divergence. Assuming the 2mW beam can hit your eye, by the time it reaches an airplane (and through a multi-paned window), the beam as diverged probably to several inches wide if not more. At that divergence and low power, the actual amount of laser light hitting your retinas is way way below the level of damage to human tissue. And also more than mw laser power and beam divergence -- it's also about total time of exposure across the retina. So if you're just seeing a flash for a fraction of a second from a 2mW beam one mile away, the effective power hitting your retina is miniscule. Visible, yes. Harmful? no.
     
  19. Mikedrives

    Mikedrives Member

    Joined:
    Jun 5, 2019
    Messages:
    134
    Location:
    Evanston, IL
    Thanks, Hank Lloyd Right, for all that good info. So much for my theory of getting free Lasik for my nearsightedness by occupying window seats on Southwest flights.
    I grew up in a prairie-style FLW house, btw. The guy's focus on curating exactly how one feels when entering a room or occupying a space was... laser-sharp. Mwah-mwaaahhhh.
     
    • Like x 1

Share This Page

  • About Us

    Formed in 2006, Tesla Motors Club (TMC) was the first independent online Tesla community. Today it remains the largest and most dynamic community of Tesla enthusiasts. Learn more.
  • Do you value your experience at TMC? Consider becoming a Supporting Member of Tesla Motors Club. As a thank you for your contribution, you'll get nearly no ads in the Community and Groups sections. Additional perks are available depending on the level of contribution. Please visit the Account Upgrades page for more details.


    SUPPORT TMC