And they’ve got nothing to do with water dispersion.
When it comes to automotive entities that are at the top of their game, few can boast the success that Hyundai can. Of course, to continue its phenomenal growth, a company needs to reinvest in new technologies, which Hyundai has been doing with robotics and, more recently, synthetic fuels. Naturally, electric vehicles like the Ioniq 5 are a big part of the brand’s continued and projected success, and while these EVs can make certain traditional features obsolete, Hyundai’s newest invention is something that will benefit any kind of driver in any kind of car. Thanks to new patent filings uncovered by CarBuzz, we now know that Hyundai is making great strides in how safe stationary cars are.
CarBuzz
USPTO
USPTO
Hyundai
The patent documents were filed in June of last year before being published last week and are simply titled “Apparatus for displaying vehicle state using wiper.” What does that mean? Well, Hyundai has envisioned a windshield wiper arm that integrates LED lighting, reflective materials, and a special wiper arm motor for the purpose of making stationary vehicles easier to see and identify. With these components combined, Hyundai’s invention sees a repeating pulse of colorful light (presumably amber or red) being projected backward, towards oncoming traffic.
Imagine a car sitting idly on the shoulder of the freeway at night. Seeing it from a distance would be difficult, even during the day. To avoid a crash, this wiper arm would project a vivid light back which would flash intermittently or even “oscillate” from side to side. This, says Hyundai, would be far more effective than the safety triangles normally used when a car is stopped on the shoulder.
Hyundai
Hyundai
The invention goes on to describe that the wiper arm could project this warning light over varying distances simultaneously, making the stationary vehicle easy to identify and avoid from near or far. The biggest benefit is that passengers would not have to endanger themselves by placing a safety triangle on the road behind their stranded vehicle. With a dynamic warning light drawing attention from miles away, other road users would have ample time to prepare, just as they do when construction vehicles have those huge LED signboards activated. Furthermore, this invention could also be used as an additional means of signaling a turn, further bolstering safety. Will it ever make production? Who knows, but anything that makes driving on our roads safer is worth exploring.
Hyundai
Hyundai
