Tesla filed a patent for high-tech windscreen wipers that clean a car’s windshield by burning off dirt and debris using laser beams.

 

The “Pulsed Laser Cleaning” system won’t damage the eyes of the vehicle’s occupants nor components that might be damaged by a high-intensity beam of light, the patent states.

 

 

Tesla also hopes to use the technique to clean solar panels and roof tiles built by its SolarCity subsidiary.

 

The patent document, filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, highlights the inefficiency of traditional windscreen wipers, which are unable to reach every part of a windscreen.

 

It also claims that removing dirt with water and soap results in “unproductive time” spent while waiting for the glass to dry.

 

The document goes on to explain the process of cleaning the glass surface of a car with the lasers, plus the cameras and sensors used for autonomous driving.

 

It states:

 

“The cleaning apparatus may be installed as a modular device in a vehicle and may be installed as a modular device in a vehicle and may provide a contactless means to clean different glass articles, for example, windshields, in-vehicle camera lenses, side windows, rear-view mirrors, and the like.”

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Tesla To Make The Patent Open Source

Tesla develops all-electric cars and the deployment of advanced self-driving capabilities as well.

 

The company also makes all of its patents open source. This means another manufacturer can make their version of the laser windscreen cleaners and sell them.

 

Making sustainable, fossil-fuel-free vehicles enter into the mainstream. This is an effort to combat climate change as it is one of Elon Musk’s personal motivations.

 

To achieve this, Mr Musk released all of Tesla’s patents in 2014. So, anybody can put to good use the firm’s technology. This is similar to how Volvo’s release of the patent to the three-point seatbelt in 1959 to improve passenger safety for everyone.

 

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