5 Apple iCar Patents That Reveal What the Electric Car Might Be
Speculation regarding the Apple Car continues to heat up, and much of the chatter surrounding the Apple Car is largely based on rumors.
Nonetheless, it is possible to paint a concrete picture of what Apple has in mind for its Apple Car by analyzing this project’s existing patents and patent applications. So, here’s a look at five Apple Car patents and what they reveal about the Apple Car.
1. Guidance System With Gesturing Using iPhone
Apple’s patent application,titledGuidance Of Autonomous Vehicles In Destination Vicinities Using Intent Signals, details how Apple’s autonomous vehicle will successfully navigate difficult routes where some user input might be necessary. The patent application demonstrates how a user might use a mobile device, presumably an iPhone, to guide the autonomous vehicle through a difficult route once it is near the destination.
Apple wants its vehicle to be autonomous, so the driver input must be devoid of any steering wheel or brake pedal modulations. The method Apple has in mind for its Apple car allows the driver to fine-tune the automobile’s direction and ultimate destination by controlling it via gestures and voice commands.
The patent also details how the user can control the vehicle’s displacement through a route using a virtual joystick on the operating mobile device’s screen. This technology would be especially useful when telling the Apple Car where you’d like it to park itself, either next to X or Y in a potentially ambiguous scenario.
This patent application sheds some light on how Apple plans to address some of the pitfalls that might emerge when commuting in a fully autonomous vehicle and demonstrates that user input will be present, at least for the first iteration of its Apple Car.
2. Automatic Charging Station
IfApple’s hiring of a former Ford execis any indication, things are about to heat up in the electric car segment. But, any serious venture into the electric car market must be accompanied by the appropriate charging infrastructure. Along this line, Apple has been granted a patent described as a “charging station with passive alignment mechanism,” which essentially aims to eliminate the need for driver intervention when charging an electric vehicle.
As per the patent, the vehicle would drive into the charging station and align itself with the charging mechanism without driver intervention. This patent is firmly in line with Apple’s fully autonomous vehicle aspirations.
Once the vehicle is driven near the charging station’s charging area, the alignment mechanism connects itself to the vehicle’s charging port, commencing the recharging process without the need for the driver to be present.
This technology is somewhat comparable to manufacturers that allow the vehicle’s entire battery to be swapped for a fully recharged one because both methods potentially allow the entire process to occur without any driver intervention.
3. Informative Exterior Lighting
Apple filed a patentapplication relating to an advanced lighting system that displays information to other drivers. This system can use the rear windshield to display information such as a conventional third brake light and even warning text pertinent to the vehicle’s operation status.
The rear window is used as a billboard of sorts to display a warning to other drivers whenever necessary, clearly demonstrating a bias towards the driver-less operation of the Apple Car because this interactive rear window would most definitely hinder the driver’s view when illuminated.
This particular feature seems to be taken straight out of a sci-fi film and could bring forth a revolution in car design. Vehicles are currently in a design rut, even electric ones. The basic design of a vehicle has stayed mostly the same for decades, but Apple seems on track to change the way the industry thinks about automotive design.
4. AR View of the World
AR technology has manycool applications in our daily life, and this system proposed by Apple is no exception. Apple wasgranted patent #10,922,886for an augmented reality display, and the use-cases are fascinating. The system gathers data from various sources, potentially cloud-based storage, and creates a virtual overlay of information onto the real-world image of the road ahead.
This information is used to create an AR model that complements the real-world view that the driver is experiencing, helping to display more relevant data about a scene, even parts of it that may be occluded to the driver. The implications of this system as a safety device are fascinating, especially if the driver can benefit from warnings emanating from the AR display regarding the upcoming road conditions which they cannot see with the naked eye.
5. Concealed Interior Touchscreens
Another interesting Apple Car patent described as “concealed user interfaces” describes a system that could become a staple in all future cars. The patent details how touchscreens scattered throughout an interior could remain out of sight while unused, and the instant a hand approaches the system, it would light up, presenting itself to the user.
This technology follows along the lines of what Bentley does with its interior, hiding the navigation system behind a fancy wooden panel. But the Apple Car could potentially take it one step further by scattering these user interfaces throughout the vehicle, potentially in unexpected places like the vehicle’s floor.
Apple’s Self-Driving Car Will Be a High-Tech Auto
The patents covered in this article hint at a self-driving future for the Apple Car. From the informative lighting in the rear window of the Apple Car to the automated charging station, it is clear Apple envisions an autonomous first foray into the automotive industry.
Especially revealing are the patents covering interior elements of the Apple Car, such as the interactive interior that could be filled with countless screens. The fact that Apple is thinking about ways to counter the navigational pitfalls associated with autonomous driving, specifically through passenger input using a mobile device, is also highly indicative of Apple’s autonomous ambitions.
You can now leave your car keys at home and use your iPhone or Apple Watch to drive your car. But how can you do that? And is it safe?
These are the best free movies I found on Tubi, but there are heaps more for you to search through.
I plugged random USB devices into my phone and was pleasantly surprised by how many actually worked.
Turn these settings on, and your iPhone will be so much better than before.
Tor spoiled me forever.
These plugins will make you wonder why you used Photoshop in the first place.
