Ford is investigating all the different ways drones might be used in a car. Several drone-related patents submitted by researchers from the automaker’s Global Technologies division were recently accepted. The patent applications’ accompanying drawings are fascinating to study even though not all of them will be realized.
The images show different ideas that increase the safety, comfort, and convenience of vehicle occupants. One shows the deployment of a drone from the back of a Ford F-150 as a safety precaution. This drone is known as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). In the event of a collision, the drone, which is kept in the “vehicular drone storage compartment,” would activate, sound an alarm, and flash a light to notify first responders.
Another observes a drone docking station being installed on a vehicle so that, in the event of a traffic jam, the drone could, for example, deliver food. Another envisions the drone scanning the road conditions further along the route and relaying that information back to the car’s computer or the road infrastructure, such as signs and bridges. traffic lights.
Ford’s researchers are thinking about how to use drones effectively without causing more safety concerns, as evidenced by the patenting of solutions relating to their use in public spaces. This includes giving the drone the ability to recognize an “emergency condition,” i.e. a crash risk and transmitting a warning message to the car and/or the owner. Additionally, they think about how the UAV would touch down on the back of a moving vehicle.
