Ford Discovers Serious Problem With Bug Splatter CarBuzz

Ford Discovers Serious Problem With Bug Splatter CarBuzz

Ford Discovers Serious Problem With Bug Splatter CarBuzz News Features New Cars Used Cars Sell My Car Shopping Tools Car Reviews Car Finder Compare Cars Best Cars Car Dealerships Used Car Reviews Car Advice Home News Ford Discovers Serious Problem With Bug Splatter

Ford Discovers Serious Problem With Bug Splatter

Sep. 05, 2019 4:45 AM ET by Ian Wright / Comments Yes, as in dead bugs. Across America, summer finds most of us dealing with what's best described as a genocide of bugs being left spattered across the grille, headlights, and windscreen of our cars. It's unpleasant but it's rarely life endangering. However, for an autonomous vehicle using many small sensors around the car, just one big bug splatter in the wrong place can cause serious problems. And it's an issue Ford is taking seriously with its autonomous Fusion Hybrid testbeds. Ford In fact, Ford has been taking the problem seriously to the point that the company sat down with zoologist and author of the book, "That Gunk on Your Car," Mark Hostetler, to find out about the various insects that we clean off of our cars. Ford engineers have also created around 50 patents related to self-driving cleaning and structural systems to try and solve the problem. Cleaning the bugs off the sensors isn't the solution Ford has arrived at though. Instead, the automaker has come up with a way of stopping the bugs reaching the sensors in the first place. Ford Ford Ford Ford The solution uses what Ford calls the "tiara," which is the section that sits on top of all its self-driving vehicles to hold the collection of cameras, LiDAR and radar sensors. In the tiara, Ford has built-in slots to funnel air out as the car is moving to create an air curtain that deflects bugs away from the sensor. When a bug heads towards the sensor, the air-flow simply deflects the bug away. So far, Ford has found the method successful but not so successful the occasional bug doesn't get through and splat over the sensor lens. That means Ford still needs its "next-generation" nozzles to squirt cleaning fluid on the sensor, but the tiara then helps by drying it with a jet of well-directed air. Ford Ford Ford

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Ford Fusion Hybrid Ian Wright Associate Editor After working his way through several loosely related careers, Ian finally took the hint and became an automotive journalist and photographer. He spent a few years freelancing before joining up with CarBuzz to combine his love of writing, photography, and cars into one neat package. When Ian is not staring down a lens or into a computer screen writing reviews and features, you can find him in Southern California enjoying winding mountain and canyon roads. If you can’t find him, he’s probably off-roading in the desert. Contact Ian @BothHandDrive @BothHandDrive LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top
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