Ford Patent Filed For Winch Control Input Device System

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a winch control input device system, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on July 7^th, 2021, published on January 12^th, 2023, and assigned serial number 0010224.

The Ford Authority Take

As Ford Authority reported last week, Ford recently filed a patent for an EV winch and winch operating method that uses an electric vehicle’s charge port to power that particular apparatus. Now, this new Ford patent continues that theme by introducing an idea for a winch control input device system that could use the accelerator pedal in a vehicle to retract the winch – a unique idea given the fact that most are currently controlled via a remote of some sort.

According to this Ford patent, users could control the winch via the accelerator pedal by first shifting the vehicle into park and then activating this system. The winch could be configured to speed up as the user pushes the pedal down further, however, it isn’t the only existing component that Ford suggests using for such a job.

Other examples include the brake pedal, a steering wheel-mounted switch, a cruise control switch, or any number of other controls. In electrified vehicles, the front motor is also mentioned as a way to operate a winch, and as seen in the previously-filed patent, users could presumably control that device via the vehicle’s infotainment screen or a smartphone app.

These are all interesting ideas, and ones that could very well make their way to production vehicles at some point in the future. It wasn’t that long ago when the idea of a vehicle being sold with a factory-installed winch seemed like something that would likely never happen, but given the incredible popularity of off-roading these days, the sky is quite literally the limit at this point.

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 ongoing Ford news coverage.