Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for an all-wheel drive system with traction control that may be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on October 19th, 2023, published on August 6th, 2024, and assigned serial number 12054045.
The Ford Authority Take
In recent months, Ford has explored a couple of different ways that future all-wheel drive systems may function, filing patents for ideas such as an AWD system with a triple clutch setup, as well as a line lock feature for AWD vehicles, too. Now, this newly published patent gives us yet another example of that – this time, via a concept for an all-wheel drive system with traction control that may be used in future Ford vehicles, too.
As Ford notes in the patent filing, when there is a lot of friction present between the wheels and the surface a vehicle is traveling on, quite a lot of propulsive force can be applied. However, in situations where friction is limited, applying too much torque to the wheels results in wheel slip – not an increase in vehicle speed, as well as the potential for the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
That’s precisely where this patent would come into play, as it aims to better control the application of torque via an all-wheel drive system by using traction control to reduce torque when wheel slip occurs. This system would accomplish that using a controller that is capable of calculating wheels speeds individually, and then making adjustments as needed to maintain traction. It’s an interesting idea for certain, and one that may very well wind up in future Ford vehicles.
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.
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