Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a pet detection system, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on January 10th, 2022, published on July 13th, 2023, and assigned serial number 0219527.
The Ford Authority Take
Over the past several months, Ford has filed a large number of pet-related patents, including one for a pet mode, a seat bottom mounted airbag that protects pets, a pet restraint system, an integrated pet bowl with water level sensing technology, and a pet monitoring and control system. Now, this newly filed patent introduces an idea for a slightly different kind of pet detection system.
This particular pet monitoring system would be able to use sensors and cameras to monitor pets both inside and outside of a vehicle, even using facial recognition technology to identify different kinds of pets. Each pet would have its own unique profile based on its pose and gait, as well as its bone structure. As such, the system would be able to determine if the pet belongs to the vehicle owner, or if it’s someone else’s.
If the pet does in fact belong to the vehicle owner, the system could open the door or even lower the running board if it approaches the door and wants to get inside the vehicle. Additionally, if the pet is laying down inside the vehicle and panting, the system could automatically turn on the air conditioning, or even notify the owner remotely if the pet appears to be anxious, excited, or not feeling well.
This is an interesting idea for certain, and one that many pet owners would probably find useful. Thus, we could see it coming to reality at some point in the future, particularly since Ford seems keen to continue developing pet-friendly features.
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Comments
Dear Ford,
I don’t need a detection system. I just need to be able to tell the truck to maintain an air temp when I park it.
Maybe they should spend the same effort to remind parents that they are leaving a child in the car to possibly die!
If the car is electric or hybrid, the A/C can be powered on to keep the interior cool with locked doors. I do this with my Fusion Hybrid because the A/C compressor is 100% electric. It can run for over twelve minutes before the gas engine turns on for three minutes to recharge the battery. So in real life the electric A/C in Ford vehicles can run for hours with no risk for human or animal passengers.
How do you keep the vehicle from turning off after 30 minutes? We have a PowerBoost F150 but unless the generator is running, the truck shuts off after 20-30 minutes so we have to keep going out while at a restaurant to restart the engine. Having a “Pet on-board” setting would really make it a lot more safe for our furry friends!