Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for an anti-spoofing system that could be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on April 1st, 2022, published on October 5th, 2023, and assigned serial number 0311983.
The Ford Authority Take
Ford’s BlueCruise feature has come a long way since testers found some issues with it – and other brands’ hands-free highway driving assist features – a couple of years ago. Since then, BlueCruise has received near-universal praise, and continues to evolve with constant updates while more and more users continue to rack up more and more miles with the feature activated in more and more countries around the globe. Now, this newly filed patent for an anti-spoofing system aims to prevent users from trying to circumvent the safeguards used by such systems, and very well could wind up being used in future Ford vehicles as a result.
As we’ve seen in the past, some have managed to trick BlueCruise – which tracks head and eye movement to ensure a user is focused on the road ahead – and in some cases, have done so successfully. This patent aims to prevent that “spoofing” from happening, which is quite common in vehicles like those made by Tesla and Ford, which occasionally ask users to grab the steering wheel to prove that they are in fact paying attention to the road ahead.
This system would utilize steering torque sensors to determine input and be capable of figuring out whether it’s an actual human applying torque to the steering wheel or some sort of device or weight after asking the user to place their hands on the steering wheel. It’s a simple idea in concept, but perhaps a crucial one as Ford looks to expand its BlueCruise feature – and other autonomous driving aids – in a big way moving forward.
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 ongoing Ford news coverage.
Comments
Wait, so I can’t use my ankle weight to drive my truck anymore while I sleep? No thank you!
To much of big brother. I will purchase elsewhere if this becomes reality for Ford.
Shut up wright
Wonderful next Ford will not only prevent “spoofing” but will video tape you diving and notify law enforcement if you are speeding, had a drink , or fail to maintain eye contact with big blue brother. What a joke. We will charge you thousands for ‘Blue Cruise” then screw with you when you use it.
I had the “Eye-Site” or whatever they call it, in a Subaru Ascent I otherwise liked quite a bit. That finally tore it for me was when I was helping my brother and sis in law find a new house. Looking off straight ahead to look at addresses caused the electronic mother-in-law to kick up a fuss more than I was willing to tolerate. It also got to nagging at other times I did not deem necessary. I dumped that thing and bought something else.
I cover up all the spy cameras with tape.