Future Ford Vehicles May One Day Work Around Blocked Mirrors

February 5, 2024 1:29 pm

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a system capable of providing alternative views for blocked mirrors that could be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on July 29^th, 2022, published on February 1^st, 2024, and assigned serial number 0034407.

The Ford Authority Take

In recent months, Ford has filed a few patents that aim to help improve outward visibility in vehicles, as well as perhaps provide a little additional security. Those filings include ideas for a multi-plane augmented reality image generating system and a vehicle body mounted side view mirror assembly with off-roading and security features, while the automaker also launched its new digital rearview mirror nearly one year ago, to boot. Now, those efforts continue with this new patent filing outlining an idea for a system capable of providing alternative views for blocked mirrors that could be used in future Ford vehicles, too.

As Ford points out in this patent, drivers can oftentimes face restricted visibility when their passengers move around the cabin, which can also be true of items that are being carried as cargo. This can present an element of danger, as blocked mirrors could prevent the driver from seeing other objects and/or people positioned around the vehicle, which could result in an accident.

This new system aims to eliminate that danger by first detecting when a vehicle’s rear or side mirrors might be blocked, as well as whether or not there’s an object near the vehicle that might be in its path. If that’s the case, the system would automatically switch to a camera view instead of a traditional mirror image, giving the driver a better look at their surroundings. It’s a pretty simple idea, and given the rise of digital mirrors in vehicles these days, would presumably be pretty easy to incorporate in those vehicles as well.

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 comprehensive Ford news coverage.

By Brett Foote

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.