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Ford Patent Filed For Pothole Avoidance Detection System

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a pothole avoidance detection system, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on January 26th, 2022, published on August 4th, 2022, and assigned serial number 0242404.

The Ford Authority Take

Prior to filing a patent for a trailer sideswipe avoidance system back in May, Ford has long been exploring ways to help drivers avoid potholes. Back in 2017, that included using crowdsourcing to map out the locations of potholes, which could then be displayed on the vehicle’s navigation map. Additionally, both the Ford Fusion and Focus have previously been available with Continuously Controlled Damping with a pothole detection system. Now, this new Ford patent takes a more modern approach to an ages-old problem.

This Ford patent depicts a system that is incorporated into a vehicle’s driver-assist features, and is capable of reading the road ahead using a variety of sensors while the driver is cruising along. The system would feature built-in thresholds in terms of how far the wheels and suspension can move before it would cause damage, and at that point, either slow the vehicle down or move it around the pothole automatically.

Currently, driver-assist features don’t account for potholes, which makes using things like adaptive cruise control a bit of a headache for those that live in places plagued by crumbling roads. That’s precisely what this patent aims to correct, and as such, it makes quite a bit of sense. After all, human drivers are already used to dodging potholes on a daily basis in some parts of the world, so why not make semi-autonomous features act in the same manner while potentially preventing damage at the same time?

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.

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.

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Comments

  1. That’s all great, but all this does is add more cost to what are already very expensive vehicles, and adding another option that could potentially malfunction after your warranty expires.

    Reply
  2. They can road test it in Detroit. If it will work there it will work anywhere!! LOL

    Reply

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