Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for an automatic rear defroster, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on June 11th, 2019, published on September 6th, 2022, and assigned serial number 11433742.
The Ford Authority Take
After experimenting with ways to eliminate fog from auto glass, Ford has filed a number of related patents in recent months, including one for heated windshield wiper blades, a vehicular switchable glass system, a heated side window system, a heated windshield camera viewing zone, an automated windshield wiper system, and an enhanced anti-fogging window system. Now, this new Ford patent continues that trend by introducing an idea for an automatic rear defroster.
The system depicted in this Ford patent would work very much like a traditional rear defroster, but would add in the ability to automatically turn itself on and clear the rear window without the driver needing to push any sort of button to activate it. However, the heating element would still be able to be activated or deactivated manually, if the driver so desires.
The idea here is pretty simple, but could add yet another layer of convenience to our driving experience. Rather than having to hunt for the rear defrost button – which isn’t something that a lot of folks use frequently – the vehicle could activate the defroster itself, then turn itself off when it determines that the glass is clear and easy to see through.
Of course, some would argue that such a system is unnecessary, but in recent years, we’ve seen the automation of a number of simple automotive features, so the ages-old rear defroster makes perfect sense as a next step in that evolution.
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Comments
This isn’t really a new idea. My 2010 Mercury Mariner and my 2016 Edge Sport has outside rear view mirrors that activate some sort of heating element when the temps are below a certain degree.
Also, I can remember Ford had front windshields that were tinted gold that did the same thing.
Surprised they don’t already do this. My 2005 Saab does this lol. It is a nice feature in the winter though. The other features I’m certainly curious about though.