Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a wheel impact detection system that may be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on September 4th, 2019, published on June 13th, 2023, and assigned serial number 11676429.
The Ford Authority Take
Over the past few months, Ford has filed several patents that aim to detect and/or prevent damage from occurring, including one for a vehicle damage identification system, a pothole avoidance detection system, a tire tread depth detection system, a harmful gas detection system in vehicles, a vehicular anomaly detection system, a changed driving conditions detection system, an errant EV charging detection system, and a vehicle defect detection system. Now, this newly filed patent keeps that trend going by introducing an idea for a wheel impact detection system that may be used in future Ford vehicles.
As Ford points out in this patent, wheel damage is a common occurrence, whether it happens when a vehicle runs into a pothole, curb, or similar hazards/obstacles, creating a major headache for vehicle owners. After all, wheel damage can be expensive to fix at best, and at worst, could even lead to a flat tire or the need for a new wheel altogether.
This patent aims to do something that isn’t always the norm – detect wheel damage quickly, as well as how extensive that damage might be. From there, it could alert the driver that something is wrong and give them guidance on how to proceed, as well as keep an eye on the status of the wheel damage if the problem isn’t too severe.
Much like a tire pressure monitoring system, this idea could wind up saving owners some money in the long run, or at the very least, warn them if driving on a damaged wheel is determined to be unsafe, making it quite viable for use in future Ford vehicles.
We’ll have more on this and all Ford patents soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford patent news, Ford business news, and non-stop Ford news coverage.
Comments
Ford needs to patent stupid idea since that is all they care about. Forget quality and keep filing BS patents.
All these surveillance systems are an upselling nightmare. You will be hounded by never-ending texts and alerts saying your Johnson Rod is about to explode because the tolerance of your thingamobob is no longer within Ford’s recommended guidlines of blah, blah, blah.
Instead of inventing a stupid system teach people to drive properly instead avoid potholes don’t get too close to curbs. All these systems make people lazy, I’ve got a new Kuga I wish there was a idiot proof turn off switch which well trained drivers can turn off all tech and actually drive the car and use their brains and observations.