Ford at present gives a zone lighting system that permits drivers to show exterior lights on and off remotely utilizing an app. Nevertheless it appears Ford engineers are serious about tweaking this method.

Immediately’s zone-lighting system repurposes different lighting components, just like the headlights and taillights. In a patent utility printed by the USA Patent and Trademark Workplace on Sept. 5 (and initially filed in 2022), Ford discusses utilizing devoted roof-mounted lights as an alternative.

As described within the utility, lighting components can be sandwiched between the roof panel and the tops of the doorways, windshield, and rear window. This would supply a hoop of lights across the automobile’s roof—with a number of attainable makes use of.

Based on Ford, these lights “may doubtlessly meet necessities for daytime working lamps,” however is also illuminated at a decrease depth in autonomous automobiles, which would wish the lights to be seen by drivers and pedestrians, however would not essentially want the added illumination to “see” the highway forward.

Ford roof-mounted lighting system patent picture

Totally different patterns is also used to convey data. In an EV or plug-in hybrid, lights may blink whereas the automobile is charging and keep illuminated when charging is full, in line with Ford. It is a extra elaborate model of the charging-indicator lights that may already be discovered on the dashboards of some EVs.

Different prospects embrace mild pulses triggered when the driving force walks up with the important thing fob, or yellow blinking that mirrors a automobile’s hazard lights.

As with all patent functions, there isn’t a assure that this lighting system will attain manufacturing. Nevertheless it is perhaps a bit simpler to combine into future automobiles than a few of Ford’s different current patents, together with an extendable cargo mattress for pickup vehicles.