These five patents offer tips on what an Apple car will look like

These five patents offer tips on what an Apple car will look like

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Apple (AAPL) has not publicly commented on his plans for the project, dubbed Titan, so it is unclear exactly what will result from the effort. Some who follow the company think it could launch an entire autonomous electric car of the Apple brand. Others think Apple is more likely to partner with existing automakers to sell an operating system (iDrive, perhaps?), Self-directed tools or other technology.

However, there are some clues available. Apple holds a number of patents for car-related inventions that offer a taste of what an Apple car could look like. Patent documents filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office paint a picture – albeit relatively vague – of a luxury vehicle designed to be highly automated and easy to use.

Here are some of Apple’s most interesting car patents.

This invention may be important to Apple, making it easier for people to use their iPads, Macs or other devices while driving a car, especially when you drive alone, without getting sick.

The patent describes a virtual reality system that would help prevent passenger seasickness by providing “enlarged or virtual” screens corresponding to the physical movements that the passenger is experiencing.
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In one example, the system could project the content that a passenger wants to view, like a book, as virtual content outside and at a distance from the car. In this way, a passenger can read the page as a fixed object in the external environment while still seeing visual cues about the car’s movements, allowing him to “work, see or read in comfort without feeling sick as can happen if the passenger was trying to work or view the content on a physical screen of a portable computing device sitting on your lap, “says the patent.

“So … the VR system can help productivity, as vehicle passengers can do their job more comfortably while riding in the vehicle,” he says.

What’s more, he notes that VR experiences in a moving vehicle can provide “enhanced immersive virtual experiences” to passengers that are not possible from, say, an RV entertainment system in a room in your home.

‘Climate control’

This invention basically looks like an automated temperature control system for your car.

It uses sensors inside and outside a vehicle, in addition to other potential inputs, to measure data such as the temperature of the car’s seats or certain parts of the passenger’s body, or the amount of sunlight that radiates into a window or sunroof. This information can be used by the temperature control system to create a comfortable environment for passengers inside the car.

The system is also designed to communicate with wireless user devices to access information such as “user health data, user activity, user preferences” to better inform the ideal climate inside the car.

Based on the description, a car with this technology may be able to feel, based on the temperature of the leather seats and other data, that it is a hot day outside. And you can know, when communicating with your iPhone, that you just went for a run. So it can automatically adjust the car’s climate settings to help cool you down.

‘System and method for dynamic privacy and window tint’

Conventional car windows are unable to adapt the amount of light they let go to factors like who is in the vehicle, what they are doing or how the weather is outside, notes this patent, and therefore “would benefit from many improvements. ”

The invention described in this patent is a colored film that covers the exterior of a vehicle that adjusts based on data from various sensors, as well as “explicit” and “implicit requests or commands for dyeing”.

For example, at night, the system can automatically decrease the tinting level so that the passenger of the vehicle can see the light through the window, such as street poles and other cars. But if the passenger closed their eyes, it could darken the tone to make sleep more comfortable, according to the patent.

“As an additional example,” states the patent, “a vehicle occupant can place packages in a rear area of ​​the vehicle. The vehicle’s dyeing system can automatically adjust the hue of the adjustable outer surface to prevent others from seeing the packages.”

Although the invention is discussed in the context of a vehicle, the patent adds that it can also be used for privacy and tinting in other environments, such as residential or commercial buildings.

“Method for locating a vehicle”

This invention can help prevent the minutes (hours?) Of wandering around the parking lot when you forget where you left your car.

It is a method by which your “portable computing device” – say, your iPhone – can communicate with your car or the parking structure using a wireless connection like Bluetooth to help locate your vehicle. The location is determined using sensors in the car and in a parking lot.

One of Apple's car-related patents describes an invention where a wireless connection between your car and your phone can help you locate your car in a parking lot.

In some cases, other information may be provided in addition to or instead of location data, including payment information, such as “fees to be charged for parking, where and how to pay and / or how much is due, depending on the specific parking location and parking duration “, states the patent.

‘Charging station with passive alignment mechanism’

Most of us are familiar with the hassle of having to get out of the car to refuel when it is raining, cold or dark outside. What if, with an electric vehicle, you didn’t have to get out of the car to start it? That’s what Apple intends to do with this invention.

“Leaving a vehicle to connect it to a charging station can be inconvenient for the operator,” says the patent. He adds that cars that need to be plugged in manually could not be loaded without the presence of a human operator, a problem that the company apparently also wants to solve.

With this tool, an electric car could automatically connect to a charging station without human assistance after being parked next to the charger (either by a driver or with his autonomous driving capabilities). The charger also has an optional mechanism to adjust its height, to ensure that the plug can reach the charging port of the car.

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