Future Ford Vehicles Could Get Soiled Surface Monitoring

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a soiled surface monitoring system that may be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on May 4^th, 2023, published on September 17^th, 2024, and assigned serial number 12090925.

The Ford Authority Take

Ford has filed a pair of interesting patents in recent months outlining ideas for a wet seat detection and mitigation system, as well as an interior air monitoring system, both of which are designed to improve comfort – and even safety – inside a vehicle. Now, this newly published patent aims to do something along similar lines, but in this case, it would accomplish that by utilizing a system designed to use sensors to detect the presence of soiled surfaces inside of a vehicle.

This system is actually pretty sophisticated and would also rely on a camera to detect what areas a person’s hands come into contact with, and use that information to determine which surfaces in a vehicle need to be cleaned afterward. The system would even be able to determine if sufficient cleaning has occurred, and if that isn’t the case, it would notify the user that additional effort is required in that case.

While such a system may seem excessive for daily use, Ford points out in the patent filing that in the case of vehicles that are used by multiple people – such as a rental car or rideshare vehicle – this kind of setup would provide quite a few benefits. Not only is it beneficial to keep those types of vehicles free of any kind of dirt or grime, but also, germs and microorganisms that could be spread from person to person via contact surfaces. If this patent does come to fruition, it would provide a little extra assurance that a vehicle has been cleaned thoroughly, if nothing else.