Future Ford Vehicles Could Use Drive Gaze To Control Wipers

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a wiper control system based on driver gaze detection that may be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on February 26^th, 2024, published on August 28^th, 2025, and assigned serial number 0269821.

The Ford Authority Take

Ford has filed a few patents centered around ways to improve its vehicles' wipers in recent months, presenting us with ideas such as a wiper wear notification system and an automated windshield wiper system. Now, Ford has published yet another, similar patent, this time, an idea for a wiper control system based on driver gaze detection that may be used in future Ford vehicles, too.

Many modern vehicles come equipped with rain sensing wipers designed to change wiper speed based on how hard it's raining, but in this case, Ford proposes making a few tweaks when a vehicle is stationary. In this case, that means a system that captures images of the surrounding environment and the vehicle's interior, which it would then use to determine the intensity of precipitation. However, the difference between this and existing systems is that the wipers would only activate when the driver is looking out of the windshield, presumably helping to reduce wiper wear by stopping them from running when the vehicle is sitting stationary and they aren't needed.

"Submitting patent applications is a normal part of any strong business as the process protects new ideas and helps us build a robust portfolio of intellectual property,” Ford said in a statement. “The ideas described within a patent application should not be viewed as an indication of our business or product plans. No matter what the patent application outlines, we will always put the customer first in the decision-making behind the development and marketing of new products and services."