One effect of the miniaturization of the digital camera over the past couple of decades has been an increased interest from drivers in recording their exploits behind the wheel. The Chevrolet Corvette caters to this demand by offering the world’s first factory dash cam and data logger, which receives vehicle data like speed, RPM, acceleration forces, and steering angle, and can lay real-time readouts over the video it captures.
So what’s Ford’s answer? According to Autoblog, the automaker recently patented a new sort of in-car camera mount that can not only receive vehicle data, but also use a small motor to turn the camera automatically as programmed.
Ford’s patent describes a mount that can be placed in a number of different spots, with an internal motor that allows it to alter the camera’s yaw while it records. Since the mount receives data like the vehicle’s steering angle, it could be set to turn the camera with the direction of the front wheels so that it’s always pointed at the road ahead. Alternatively, users could decide to control the camera’s direction manually from within the car, according to the Ford patent, using the infotainment touchscreen, steering wheel controls, or a connected smart device.
Whether the data collected by the mount could ever be used to compose real-time readouts like those offered by the Corvette’s Performance Data Recorder is unclear, but it seems likely. Should Ford’s automatically-rotating car camera mount ever actually make it to market, we’re sure there’d be no shortage of Ford GT, Focus RS, and Shelby GT350 owners out there willing to bite.
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