Ford Patents Autonomous Vehicle Entertainment System

Self-driving cars do seem to be well on their way in becoming mainstream vehicles, although there is still much more room for improvement in order to avoid accidents such as crashing into a bus. Hence, additional tests are still mandatory, but this does not mean that self-driving cars will not be the norm down the road. Ford looks as though they are preparing for such a day to arrive, having received a patent that was approved by the U.S. Patent Office where an “Autonomous Vehicle Entertainment System” is concerned.

In other words, we are looking at a drive-in movie theater, save for the fact that this particular theater is meant only for those who sit within the car. Outsiders will only be able to look on in envy, and this would come in handy only when the car is fully autonomous so that you can check out the latest movies or even live TV that is being projected while you are being ferried through algorithms to your office or destination.

The roll-down screen will deploy from the top of the windshield, where images are shown from a ceiling-mounted projector. Of course, this is the possible next step in evolution for in-vehicle entertainment systems, as right now, dashboard displays or the center console display would do their jobs perfectly fine, while screens embedded into headrests for the rear passengers are pretty adequate, too.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Transportation
Tags: ford, Patent