And now its latest patent wants to use this technology to control a car's window wipers.

 

It details a system in which every time the driver looks in their rear-view mirror the wipers on the rear window are activated² automatically. 

 

However, the filing hints that it could potentially work with wipers on the front windscreen too. 

 

The patent, called 'Windscreen clearing system for a vehicle', was filed by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) in March 2013 and awarded this week. It was originally spotted³ by Gizmag. 

 

When a driver decides to observe the environment behind the vehicle by looking through the rear windscreen, typically using a rear-view mirror, the rear windscreen may not be wiped and may be obscured. 

 

It is against this background that the present invention has been conceived. 

 

JLR added that the patent refers to a windscreen wiper system for a vehicle 'and particularly, but not exclusively, to a rear windscreen wiper system' that operates automatically in response to detecting eye-movement of a driver of the vehicle toward a rear-view mirror. 

 

It is likely to take advantage of the eye-tracking Driver Monitor System (DMS) JLR announced in January. 

 

JLR, with support from Intel and Seeing Machines, has developed sensing technology that monitors the driver's face and eyes to reduce distracted and drowsy⁴ driving.

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