Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a lighting-based notification system that could be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on December 22nd, 2022, published on July 6th, 2023, and assigned serial number 0211721.
The Ford Authority Take
In recent years, Ford has explored different types of exterior lighting technology such as headlights that can project images onto the road ahead, as well as glare-free highbeams, which are already in use in Europe and may soon wind up on U.S.-based Blue Oval models as well, a move that was previewed by a recent patent filing. Now, this newly filed patent outlining an idea for a lighting-based notification system keeps that trend going, and also previews a feature that may soon find its way to future Ford vehicles as well.
The idea here is to create a system that’s capable of notifying drivers when an obstacle lies ahead in the roadway, helping them avoid contact with it. It would accomplish this using a controllable light distribution feature built into a vehicle’s headlights, along with a camera. Data obtained by the camera and sensors would determine if it presents a potential problem, at which point the headlights would shed light on that object.
This is certainly an interesting idea that has some merit, given the fact that it can oftentimes be difficult to see potential road hazards and obstacles when driving in low-light conditions. If a vehicle could detect these types of issues ahead of time and merely shed some light on them, it could very well prevent collisions from occurring, especially those that lead to vehicle damage or even injuries.
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.
No Comments yet