Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a unique kind of HVAC system that may be used in future Ford autonomous vehicles (AVs), Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on February 10th, 2022, published on January 14th, 2025, and assigned serial number 12194816.
The Ford Authority Take
With Ford currently mulling the idea of creating a fully autonomous robotaxi of its own with the intentions of competing in that burgeoning market, we’ve seen the automaker publish quite a few patents pertaining to AVs in recent months, as well as different types of HVAC systems too. That list includes ideas for a roof-mounted HVAC system, as well as another for a moveable overhead rail-based HVAC system. Now, this newly published patent keeps that trend going with a new idea for a unique kind of HVAC system that may be used in future Ford autonomous vehicles, specifically.
In this patent, Ford envisions a future in which autonomous commercial vehicles used for things like ride sharing services will spend downtime at charging stations being refueled, without any occupants onboard. Thus, it makes sense to develop a special sort of HVAC system for those vehicles that would reduce energy consumption automatically when there is no rider present, but once the vehicle picks up a rider, it should also return to a normal state and a desired temperature.
That’s precisely what this system would do, as it would automatically resort to an energy-saving, conservative temperature setting when there is no rider inside, but then, rapidly bring that temp to within a predetermined range when it’s on its way to pick up a passenger. In this case, Ford proposes doing that via a large air flow control system located on top of the dashboard, which could open up and quickly cool or heat the cabin as desired. It’s an interesting idea, and one that could easily wind up being used in future Ford autonomous vehicles, too.
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