Thread: Toyota Rain Sensing Windshield Wipers

one clue I can give you is that lexus has the rain sensor built into the windshield, bmw, benz & jag, infiniti do the same......haven't looked into this further, but they all have sensors that are built into the windshield. I have seen add on aftermarket(dei maybe?) rain sensors though I think, start searching high end security accessories....good luck..........

Would help knowing what car you have.

One problem with your idea: POWER! The computer cannot be in standby if the rain sensor is to tell it something. That means that the computer will have to be on from when u start work till when you finish. Not a very good idea for batteries.

Ive seen sensors that sense water that are used for sprinkler systems. It turns them off in the rain. Its basically a sensor hooked to a relay. If you could get ahold of one of those you could make your own circuit pretty easily.

i remember seeing an old car show on TNN where they were showcasing a device which was basically a sensor mounted on the inside of the windshield behind the rear view mirror and it was wired into the wiper system and essentially did what the avalon does, but on cars that cant. beyond that, i have no clue about the product.

one thing i can suggest as far as power is concerned (which ive seen someone else here suggest) is to have the computer running all the time (or atleast the times you wish the rain sensor to do its work), and have the computer wired to the ignition so that it will start the car every 5 minutes or so and run it for a couple minutes to keep the battery charged.

i work for bosch and bosch makes em .. i neer thought of getting a hold of one to play with

there all mounted on the windscreen, maily behind the rear view mirror. it looks like a dark purple/blue arear thats maybe 5cm square.

they work by emiting ultraviolet (i think ultraviolet) like onto the windscreen and when the window is dry the layers on it will be flat the light will reflect off the top surface and bounce back at the unit and it knows there is no rain
when rain falls on the area on the sensor the light goes true the window into the ball of rain and cus the rain ball is round not flat it is reflect off an on a different agle and the unit wont pick it up sencing there is rain.
the more light that is not reflected back the heaver the rain is

Originally Posted by djmickyg

i work for bosch and bosch makes em .. i neer thought of getting a hold of one to play with

there all mounted on the windscreen, maily behind the rear view mirror. it looks like a dark purple/blue arear thats maybe 5cm square.

they work by emiting ultraviolet (i think ultraviolet) like onto the windscreen and when the window is dry the layers on it will be flat the light will reflect off the top surface and bounce back at the unit and it knows there is no rain
when rain falls on the area on the sensor the light goes true the window into the ball of rain and cus the rain ball is round not flat it is reflect off an on a different agle and the unit wont pick it up sencing there is rain.
the more light that is not reflected back the heaver the rain is

I think this is correct. My wife's Chrysler 300 has this feature as well. The harder it rains, the faster the wipers go.

Hmm, I guess I just assumed the rain sensor was built into the windshield because I have changed quite a few, & I know that you must specify whether the vehicle has rain sensor or not, I'm used to seeing defrosters built in to winshields as well as anntennas, so I just assumed..............but after thinking about this further I realize that although the winshields are different, it's just to accomodate the rain sensor mounted behind it.

sorry for the miss-information I guess I just didn't pay enough attention to the actual rain sensors, although I do remember one car did have a strange box type thing attached to the mirror mounting area, that must have been the rain sensor.......

Try another approach:

:: default position of windows == rolled up (security)
:: when temp (outside) > x then "vent" (roll down) windows 1/2"
:: when temp < y roll up windows (rain would cool outside temp below y)

They already have complete kits for this, & you get to set x and y values.