In a recent article in ‘The Patent Magazine,’ Alessio Iannicelli discusses the agreement Apple Inc is about to sign with LG to produce the first 100% electric Apple Car. Although no date has been set for production to begin, sources claim that Apple plans to unveil the car before the end of 2022 and put it on the market by 2025.
Apple has already produced a bunch of patents for automotive-related innovations, suggesting a luxurious and user-friendly design. The patents listed below offer insight into what potential features could look like, although there is no guarantee that every patented idea will make it into development stages.
AUGMENTED VIRTUAL DISPLAY
Family number: 69021083 (US2018089900 AA)
Apples 2018 patent showcases a VR system for vehicles to implement methods for dealing with problems with moving vehicles that could cause motion sickness in passengers. The VR system may support ‘virtual views that match visual cues with physical motions’ experienced by the passenger. This may help increase productivity because passengers can work while sitting in the vehicle without feeling nauseous.
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR HEDGING FOR DIFFERENT GAPS IN AN INTERACTION ZONE
Family number: 84005215 (US2021089041 AA)
A self-driving car or an autonomous vehicle from Apple, may not be too far away.
The above patent shows the systems and methods for controlling an autonomous vehicle. A motion strategy for guiding the autonomous vehicle into the flow of traffic at an interaction zone is created depending on whether the automated vehicles could enter the interaction zone at the second gap that exceeds a confidence level.
METHOD FOR LOCATING A VEHICLE
Family number: 53538698 (US2013103200 AA)
Find my iPhone now available for find my car? This patent details using a portable device such as your iPhone to help in locating your vehicle when it is parked. Sensors on the vehicle connect to the phone via Bluetooth to identify the position. Making it quick and easy to locate your vehicle even when you are offline.
CLIMATE CONTROL
Family number: 61748107 (US2018001734AA)
Climate control differs from air conditioning as it uses more sensors and a computer to allow for more accurate temperature regulation in the cabin. The technology is also simpler to operate than air conditioning since the vehicle users control the temperature.
The idea of the patent is to equip the vehicle with sensors that monitors the temperature both inside and outside of the vehicle and changes the temperature accordingly. Apple has looked at having different cabin regions set at various conditions to meet the needs of both the driver and passengers to offer optimal comfort. The climate control system uses different vehicle components to control the climate conditions, such as the windows and sunroof.
DETERMINING LOCATION OF A CALENDAR EVENT
Family number: 64277354 (US2016357804 AA)
This Apple patent looks at a method of determining a location of an event stored on the calendar application. The event is shared between the application to the vehicle’s GPS, so it can locate the route and estimated time to the destination before the event. The navigation application can provide routing updates along the course of the journey. This could help to save time and even shed a light on areas of heavy traffic in advance.
This article features patent information from PatBase. PatBase is a patent database from which to search, review, share and analyse business-critical patent information and non-patent literature. Patent filings can offer a strong indicator of a company’s future, from geographic expansion to upcoming product launches.
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Sources: https://www.thepatent.news/2021/04/21/apple-car-first-electric-car/