Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for an in-car video conferencing system that may be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on June 6th, 2023, published on December 12th, 2024, and assigned serial number 0414284.
The Ford Authority Take
Since shifting the focus of new vehicle development to the interior a couple of years ago, Ford has been keen to note that it sees future vehicles more as mobile offices than merely basic modes of transportation. As such, the automaker has also filed a few patents aimed at different ways it may accomplish that goal, including one that presented us with an idea for a remote maneuvering system with a display screen inside of a vehicle, along with a camera. There would also be a camera and video screen mounted on the outside of the vehicle, enabling people on the inside and outside to communicate with and see each other. Now, this newly published patent keeps that trend going with a new idea for an in-car video conferencing system that may be used in future Ford vehicles, too.
The entire concept behind this new patent is to make vehicles more suitable for digital meetings, though Ford points out that current systems are a bit inadequate in terms of the number and location of cameras, poor video feeds, and issues with microphones and related sound quality. As such, it proposes this system, which would utilize multiple cameras, microphones, and screens, along with sensors that could determine where people are located inside of the vehicle and make adjustments based on that data to optimize quality.
It’s pretty clear that Ford believes we will one day host a considerable number of meetings from within our vehicles – including ones that involve multiple participants, as is the case here. If that ultimately comes to fruition, there will certainly be a need for systems like this, which are capable of carrying out that task without presenting any problems for those involved – making it quite useful, potentially.
Comments
Just another way to make money for Ford as you can bet it would be a subscription service. Would it be available while the car is moving which is a real safety hazard and if only while parked then you might as well use your cell phone for video calls
Heck yes! More distracted drivers! Keep up the stupid ideas Ford!