Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for an energy absorbing seat, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on September 22nd, 2020, published on March 24th, 2022, and assigned serial number 0089070.
The Ford Authority Take
In recent weeks, Ford has filed a number of seat-related patents, including one for a wet seat detection and mitigation system, a fully automatic seat positioning system, a seat assembly with a pivotable armrest and airbag, a seat bottom-mounted airbag system, and a side airbag with adaptive positioning. Now, this latest Ford patent aims to redesign the humble automotive seat and make it more capable of protecting occupants in the event of a crash.
On the surface, this Ford patent depicts a seat that looks a lot like a traditional unit one might find in any modern vehicle, but in this case, it’s fitted with a series of tracks. Those tracks allow the seat to move in the event of a crash, which would presumably help absorb the impact that an accident might have on the vehicle’s occupants.
As is the case with many safety features present in modern vehicles, the idea here is to divert the forces generated by a collision to places other than an occupant’s body, which would in turn reduce the chances for an injury to occur. In recent years, we’ve seen similar technology in the form of crumple zones and vehicle structures that are capable of absorbing an impact and diverting energy away from a vehicle’s cabin. Doing so by modifying a seat seems like another way to accomplish this same goal and reduce an occupant’s chance of being injured as well, though it remains to be seen how such a design might perform in the real world.
We’ll have more on this and all Ford patents soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford trademark news, Ford business news, and continuous Ford news coverage.
Comment
Very nice to know that Ford is actively seeking to enhance the passenger safety of its cars.