Ford patent would move parked vehicle to avoid collisions
Ford has filed a patent that allows a parked vehicle to avoid a collision by using sensors that watch the vehicle’s surroundings from multiple angles.
The patent describes the technology as “light impact detection.” It says this type of detection can determine if a moving object will likely impact a vehicle and if the impact will likely occur at a relatively low speed.
Light impact detection captures moving objects in a virtual sensing grid around a parked car, the patent states.
Based on the level of threat, the vehicle could flash lights or sound its horn. The vehicle could also determine the evasive distance around the vehicle to determine whether it should move to avoid the threat.
A diagram in the patent shows an example of sensors that could be used, including a front view camera, surround view cameras, rear-view camera, medium range radar sensors, short range radar sensors, and ultrasonic sensors.
The Drive notes that many vehicles today already have the hardware to operate the technology.
“Think Tesla’s Sentry Mode, combined with a subset of its Full Self Driving technology,” The Drive says. “There are, however, significant legal issues to overcome.”
The article questions who is liable if no one is driving the vehicle. This is a similar question law enforcement is posing regarding self-driving taxis.
The Drive also focuses on the technology allowing the vehicle to communicate with other nearby vehicles.
“This then allows the car that is about to be impacted not only to communicate with the impacting vehicle, but also with other vehicles around it,” The Drive article states. “ This could conceivably mean the vehicle could not only move out of the way of an incoming crash, but also communicate with nearby parked vehicles so they could autonomously move aside and create space for the vulnerable vehicle.”
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