Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a system designed to monitor animals in a garage that may be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on July 19th, 2023, published on January 23rd, 2025, and assigned serial number 0024828.
The Ford Authority Take
Ford has filed a large number of patents in recent years revolving around one particular theme – making life a little bit better or more convenient for pet owners and their pets. Those patents include ideas for a special pet mode, a water bowl with vehicle communication, a system capable of disabling controls around pets, a new type of pet harness assembly, a large animal detection system, and a pet detection system. Now, this newly filed patent keeps that trend going with a new idea for a system designed to monitor animals in a garage that may be used in future Ford vehicles, too.
In this patent, Ford notes that many folks who own a home with a garage may have concerns about the safety of items in that type of structure, and as such, tend to install cameras or alarm systems that inform them when someone is trying to break in. However, those same types of systems may not be quite as effective when it comes to detecting the presence of a pet that may have become trapped in a garage, and that’s precisely where this concept comes into play.
In this case, Ford proposes using a vehicle to detect when a pet or other type of animal might be trapped in a garage. It would do that by using sensors to detect when an animal may be approaching the inside of that type of structure, or if it’s already inside. If that is the case, the system would notify the owner, giving them a little extra peace of mind in that regard.
Comments
Maybe they can set something up to detect when an animal is in the engine compartment eating the wires!
unnecessary
I have home cameras by Wyse that can detect pets, humans, and vehicles. They cost less than $40 each. Their software is cheap. No Ford patent needed.
Then people wonder why auto insurance keeps rising.