Ford Reaches Milestone with Windshield Entertainment System Patent

Automakers are now looking into the possibility of entertaining car occupants in autonomous cars. Leading the way is Ford, which, with a patent recently published by the U.S. Patent Office, gives a clue to its thinking when it comes to occupying upcoming car occupants: a huge drop-down projection screen.

Based on the illustration in the automaker’s patent for an “Autonomous Vehicle Entertainment System”, the concept is similar to that of a drive-in movie theater, only zoomed in somewhat for in-car viewers. It is more of a driving theater, with a roll-down screen that deploys from the top of the windshield and displays images from a ceiling-mounted projector. Ford recognizes that the entertainment system could take the form of a gauge-cluster screen, in-dashboard displays, or even a small display embedded in the rearview mirror.

When it comes to the exploration of in-car entertainment, Ford is not the only one. In fact, Volvo focused on video-streaming-capable mobile data connections while Faraday Future unveiled its TV-screen-with-wheels concept at this year’s CES. In Ford’s patented hypothetical, the advanced entertainment system will either shut off or transition media to passenger-specific displays when the car switches out of autonomous mode and the driver regains control—which is actually key because it suggests that Ford is taking into account the in-between stages of autonomous-car development, where automobiles can operate by themselves only part of the time.

This supports the automaker’s public position that self-driving cars likely will still need drivers even after its near-term plan for selling such cars become a reality in four years and its “autonomous cars” attain Level 4 Automation as defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers. While it is true that Level 4 cars do not need a driver, they can drive themselves only under optimal conditions in “climates supporting optimal sensor performance and in areas that have been mapped in high resolution 3D, according to Ford.

In a statement, the automaker’s spokesman said that they submit patents on innovative ideas as a normal course of business. He noted that patent applications are designed to protect new ideas but do not necessarily indicate new business or product plans.