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Rain Blaster
Stream of air keeps you dry while getting into your car. | |
The transition from walking with an umbrella to sitting in my car always seems like a drippy affair. The rain blaster is a powerful flat fan mounted in the ceiling of the vehicle (or inside the trunk and directed up to the roof). When a water sensor detects it is raining, the door of your car has just
opened, and you have just sat down - it sends out a blast of air along the top edge of the door, giving you a rain-free "canopy" so you can sit, shake out your umbrella, then get in your car without getting wet.
This could probably be done much easier with a real canopy that pops out like a wing above the door to shelter you while you get settled in the car, but I liked the idea of the air-powered rain re-direction. The cheaper version would be this pop-out - button-activated type.
For clarification - air blower type would be powerful enough (and angled correctly). to keep the rain off the door.
The pop-out (manual) type would be like the wings on Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang (see link), but above the door (not below it). Perhaps you could even have the Chitty-Chitty sound going on as it engaged.
Try this, [dentworth]
http://www.cnn.com/.../flame.thrower.car/
You'll certainly get a warm blast [angel, Nov 13 2004]
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
http://www.hollywoo...release%20Loose.JPG
Closeup [trekbody, Nov 15 2004]
Door umbrella
Car_20Door_20Pop-out_20Umbrellas
I gave a long annotation with this very idea, only to find it already halfbaked. [kamathln, Nov 26 2008]
Too cool.
http://www.cnet.com...ir/#ftag=CAD590a51e
[2 fries shy of a happy meal, Oct 14 2014]
car underdoor
Car Underdoor
[pashute, Oct 14 2014]
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This would make for such a cool patio umbrella.
"Quick kids it's starting to sprinkle, everyone under the force field." |
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I want a portable one--"invisible umbrella"! |
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'Hold onto your hat, glasses and dentures, Grandma. I'm going to open now.' |
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I love the warm blast I get in some store fronts, (in cold weather) when you first open the door. This would be nice feature in cars. |
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[dentworth] - That's one thing that even the most expensive luxury cars haven't sorted out - the ten minutes of freezing cold interior between when you get in at 07:00 on a winter's morning and when the engine warms up enough to make the heating work. |
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Perhaps this could be done by the car itself building up interior air pressure when it detects rain outside. More rain = more pressure. The pressure is suddenly vented when the door is open, leaving you toasty warm and dry. Oh yes: hot air. Unfortunately this will not work for your passenger, unless your timing is perfect, and then only half as well. |
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It occurs to me that the patio version could be made with a series of leaf blowers. You would want them angled, not straight up, or a puddle will accumulate in the air over the leaf blowers, writhing and churning ominously in the bitter wind. |
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I use a butler with a large black umbrella. |
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a piece of fabric attached to the top of the door, which can then be retracted into the roof vis a vis a roll-up window shade would work nicely as well. |
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I was wondering if we can have "Umbrella standards". |
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Cars can have a concealable holder in the door. Once
you "hand over" the umbrella to the umbrella holder,
you just sit inside the car. |
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The holder is precaliberated to hold "standard"
following umbrellas in such a way, that it covers you
completely till you are inside the car. Deluxe
versions even attempt to tilt the umbrella if the rain
is coming in sideways. |
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Once you are inside the car, you just press a button.
As the umbrella follows a particular standard, the
folding and storage of the umbrell in the door itself
can be automated. |
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This accomplishes two tasks. |
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Ah well, both the "you dont get wet"s are different.
in the first one, you dont get wet when trying to fold
the umbrella, which is outside while you are inside. |
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The second "you don't get wet" is from the water
dripping from the umbrella, as the umbrella is stored
upright in the door itself. |
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This also has a third advantage. If, when you reach
your destination, it is still raining, then you can
use the same button you used to fold it, to now
reverse the process. as soon as you open the door, the
umbrella, still on the holder, comes out of the car
and opens up. Care must be taken so the points don't
poke your eye (seasoned halfbakers must have by now
noticed the oppurtunity to solve another problem). The
umbrella is now ready for use, and you can get out of
the car without getting wet. Oh! and dont forget to
pick it form the holder before leaving the car. |
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