Through Thick and Thin
We know of no other rain sensor that delivers good performance with thick windshields.
The Widest Glass Compatibility By Far
The Rain Tracker sensor adapts itself to the windshield. If the parameters of the windshield change over time, due to, for example, pitting of the windshield surface, the Rain Tracker adapts to those changes. Glass compatibility:
- Minimum windshield transmittance requirement: 12% at 880 nM
- Windshield thickness range: 4 mm to 12 mm.
- These specifications accommodate essentially all windshields used on cars, light trucks, heavy trucks, recreational vehicles, construction vehicles, and so on. There are a few exceptions such as armored cars, locomotives, and large jet liners.
- Only the Rain Tracker offers this combination of both wide windshield thickness range and IR-absorbing glass.
Power Through Solar Absorbing Glass
The Rain Tracker sensor work swell with solar absorbing glass. Typical windshields used in modern vehicles are 20% IR (880 nM) transmissive. Some are as low as 17%. Some shadebands can be as dark as 8%, so we recommend mounting the Rain Tracker out of the shadeband. The OE optical rain sensors on the market specify a windshield transmittance of, for example, 26%, +/- 1%. Because of the round-trip passage of the beams at a 45 degree angle, it is more than 8 times harder to make a rain sensor that works at 12% IR transmittance than it is at 26%.
This is possible in the Rain Tracker because:
- The Rain Tracker optics are very efficient. All active optical surfaces (32 of them in all!) are molded into a single part.
- The LED servo uses a patented technique that affords it a very wide dynamic range.
- Our patented DSP algorithms dig signals from the smallest rain drops out of the noise, even in the presence of large ambient light disturbances.
Wide Compatibility Reduces Your Cost
Windshield compatibility has been a huge logistics headache for the automotive industry since the introduction of rain sensors. Many OE rain sensors have placed tight restrictions on windshield transmittance. This drives up the cost of the windshield, as it needs to meet additional specifications.
But worse, it means that windshields incompatible with rain sensors proliferate into the aftermarket. It is quite impossible for a human to tell the difference between a windshield that is compatible with rain sensors, and one that is not. We do not see infrared so well. So, windshields will inevitably end up in the replacement market that are not compatible with the rain sensor.
So, the customer gets a his windshield replaced, and his rain sensor no longer works. So, they take out the brand-new aftermarket windshield and put in a (seemingly identical, but more expensive) OE windshield, at horrific expense. Or, just as bad, the customer gives up the rain sensor feature. As the vehicle manufacturer, you say this is not your fault. Maybe it is not, but the customer does not care! Your costs goes up and perceived quality goes down.
Do not brush off rain sensor windshield compatibility. It has been a huge headache and expense for vehicle manufactures and their dealer-support network. The Rain Tracker uses technology to get rid of that headache and thereby reduce cost.