Ford Patent Filed For Automatic Window Breaking Apparatus

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for an automatic window breaking apparatus, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on May 19^th, 2019, published on June 7^th, 2022, and assigned serial number 11351404.

The Ford Authority Take

Ford has filed a number of window and safety-related patents in recent months, including one for an enhanced anti-fogging window system, a heated side window system, a vehicular bailout detection and mitigation system, and a harmful gas detection system. This new Ford patent expands those offerings even further by depicting an idea for an automatic window breaking apparatus with obvious safety implications.

The Ford patent depicts a striker mounted in a vehicle’s door window housing, as well as a pyrotechnic charge that can drive the striker into the window, automatically breaking it in the event of an emergency when the driver or occupants aren’t able to exit via the vehicle’s doors. The vehicle would use a variety of sensors to determine if/when a window might need to be broken, such as when the vehicle is submerged in water or if it rolls over.

Such a system could prove to be a real lifesaver for those that find themselves submerged in water, when it can be difficult or even impossible to open the door or window. The same can be said when a vehicle is upside down or has sustained heavy damage to the point where the doors cannot be opened. In many cases, these are life or death situations, and while some carry tools designed to break windows in the event of an emergency, many do not.

A vehicle that is capable of breaking its own window in the event that an accident like this happens seems like a great idea, and one that could save at least a handful of lives every year. Thus, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see something like what’s depicted in this Ford patent land in a production vehicle one day.

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 non-stop Ford news coverage.