Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a road obstacle detection system that may be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on June 13th, 2023, published on December 19th, 2024, and assigned serial number 0416839.
The Ford Authority Take
Ford has filed a handful of patents in recent months that center around one concept, in particular – developing systems capable of detecting various objects near a vehicle. That list includes ideas for a power cable obstacle detection system, as well as an obstacle detection system for off-road-focused vehicles. Now, this newly published patent adds to that list with another concept, this time, for a road obstacle detection system that may be used in future Ford vehicles, too.
The idea here is a pretty simple one – to create a system that’s capable of detecting when there are objects in the road that are near a vehicle, particularly ones that might be located in that vehicle’s blind spot when it’s traveling around a corner. As many of us are painfully aware, it can oftentimes be hard to see such objects, and as a result, accidents can occur, not to mention damage to one’s vehicle. Thus, Ford proposes using a special camera that would capture images of the area around a vehicle which the driver may not be able to see.
If the system detects an object in one’s blind spot, it would issue a warning to the driver informing them of that obstacle, both visually and audibly. Overall, it’s a pretty simple idea that may not be terribly difficult to implement into future Ford vehicles, but could also prove to be a big help in many ways. The Blue Oval could even perhaps work to tie such a system into existing driver aides, helping to avoid obstacles automatically, but for now at least, we’ll just have to wait and see what the future holds.
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