Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a tagged object tracking system that could be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on January 10th, 2023, published on July 13th, 2023, and assigned serial number 0224675.
The Ford Authority Take
Ford has been keen to explore the idea of tracking items in vehicles using cameras and sensors for some time now, recently filing patents for a self-learning cargo system and a luggage detection and tracking system while also launching the new Ford Pro tracking tool, which is designed to help fleet owners keep tabs on their pricey tools and prevent them from being lost or stolen from the job site. Now, this newly filed patent keeps that trend going by introducing an idea for a tagged object tracking system that could be used in future Ford vehicles, too.
While tracking systems are certainly nothing new, this patent aims to create such a thing that’s capable of tracking objects designed to be transported by a vehicle. This can include equipment or tools located inside a work van, helping to prevent those items from being lost – whether intentionally via theft, or accidentally, in the event that a worker leaves something behind at the work site or somewhere else.
Users would be able to place tracking tags on pretty much anything they desire, however, whether that be tools or other valuable items. A tracking tag would also be located inside the vehicle carrying those items, while a tracking device would be able to notify users if it loses communication with any item with one of these tags on it.
This is a rather simple solution for a common problem, as well as a natural progression given the rise of devices such as Apple’s AirTags that have launched in recent years. As such, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this type of feature show up in future Ford vehicles, at least in ones destined for fleets, if not retail customers, too.
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Comments
And it will help Ford know what is in your van so they can analyze what you have and, better yet, sell that information to data brokers who will profile you and then try to upsell you everything under the sun. It isn’t for your convenience, it is for their profit at your expense.
It’s worth noting Ford has already done this starting back with 2009 models with the Ford Tool Link. I think only difference being that was exclusive with a couple tool brands, this sounds more like an air tag where you can stick it on anything. But exact same technology