Ford Files Wheel Technology Patent for Greater Efficiency and Security

Photo Source: Ford

Snapshot

• Ford patents self-powered tire pressure monitoring sensors.
• The sensors allow for increased real-time data collection.
• Material like the kind utilized in sonar systems could provide more precise wheel control, improving high-speed driving, off-roading, and safety.

Ford filed a new patent this year (2024) at the German Patent and Trademark Office highlighting an innovative idea for a tire pressure sensor able to improve efficiency, high-speed driving, off-roading, and safety in future automobiles like the Bronco and Mustang. Indeed, the system would also identify and prevent theft.

What is a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)?

The indirect TPMS uses the same wheel speed sensors that the traction control and anti-lock braking systems depend on. By analyzing the rate of revolution of each wheel, the onboard computer determines the approximate size of each tire, and when one begins spinning more quickly than the others, the computer warns the driver of an underinflated tire. A direct TPMS relies on dedicated sensors and is more accurate. It also does not require resetting when tires are rotated, inflated, or otherwise altered.

Ford’s patent indicates that there are multiple advantages to accessing more tire data. However, with heightened processing power come elevated demands for electrical power. Even though powering a sensor that transmits only temperature and tire pressure is not too energy-intensive, Ford has much more elaborate plans, including one that requires the TPMS to be powered when the automobile is off.

To guarantee a steady supply of energy, Ford would use a piezoelectric material. Simply put, piezoelectricity is electricity resulting from contained heat and pressure, two things that are readily available within a moving tire. When the vehicle stops, any remaining energy can be stored in a small battery.

Why is it Crucial to Calculate Tire Pressure When the Vehicle is not in Motion?

If the tires are powered when the car is off, they can assess changes in pressure without drawing from the car’s power supply. For electric vehicles, this measure becomes doubly significant. For example, by relying on these sensors, a vehicle parked on the street would be capable of gauging when it is being jacked up because pressure in some tires would increase while pressure in others would decrease as the automobile is lifted on one side. 

If that is the case, the system would sound an alarm, such as making the horn go off, while also turning on external cameras, flashing the vehicle’s lights, and even relaying this information to law enforcement.

How Would Ford’s System Improve Off-Roading, Performance, and Safety?

More importantly, the patent mentions that real-time data, like pressure, wheel slip, temperature, and velocity could all be provided using one self-powered sensor. Combined with a camera, off-road vehicles like the Bronco could improve at judging terrain. 

Similarly, high-performance cars could use the customized information to boost lap times by allowing sharper turns through quicker control of individual wheels. Cars with self-driving technology would be able to modify their safety parameters like following distances, while daily-driven vehicles could automatically recognize ice on the road.

Support Ford’s Enhanced Technology at Sunrise Ford!

Ford’s tire technology idea is undoubtedly an interesting one and something that could easily be incorporated into future Ford vehicles. If you would like to support the Blue Oval’s inventiveness, please contact us. Are you excited about getting a new car? So are we. We are more than excited to help our customers; we are thrilled. If you are searching for a new option to buy or lease, take a look at our new vehicle inventory.