Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a holographic projection system, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on February 19th, 2021, published on December 6th, 2022, and assigned serial number 11518299.
The Ford Authority Take
In recent years, Ford has filed a handful of patents presenting ideas for projectors or other types of screens that could be used in future vehicles, including one for a projector located in the tailgate of crossovers and/or SUVs, an in-car movie projector for self-driving vehicles, and a retractable video display system. Now, this new Ford patent outlines yet another similar idea, albeit with a few notable differences in terms of how it operates.
Unlike a traditional projector setup, this Ford patent presents a device that uses a water mister and a controller that are capable of communicating with the projection device. When the user activates this system, the water mister begins working, followed by the projection device, which in turn projects an image onto the water mist.
While such an idea may seem a bit frivolous and without real merit, Ford mentions that there is one thing that it could be quite useful for – locating a vehicle in a parking lot, particularly in the dark or other low-light conditions such as when fog is present. The automaker believes that such a system could make it easier to locate a vehicle in those specific circumstances.
This could certainly be true, particularly since the patent notes that customers would be able to project different images using this system. In the patent, we can see a Lincoln “Star” symbol being used as an example, but the possibility remains open that we could change this to different images, so that there’s no confusion with other nearby users. In that event, this is an interesting idea that may have some merit.
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Comments
A holograph, really? All that technology = more crap to break.
Why not use a pop up strobe light that activates from the fob.
Hey Ford, concentrate on making better vehicles, not stupid sh*t
Such comments make me wonder if you think the impossibility of simultaneously walking and chewing gum is like a universal proof demonstrating that a company with a bevy of engineers might be capable of doing many different things at once.
Or maybe it is that you don’t know how sausage is made.
Could be useful as sign language for stupid drivers! As long as i can upload my own images and activate them as needed. I see this as very useful. mostly for slow drivers in the passing lane or people with their brights on.