Ford Global Technologies, LLC

Methods and components for optimizing the performance, efficiency, and control of electric motors, inverters, and power converters within electric vehicle and hybrid vehicle drivetrains.

Focuses on the structural integrity, housing, mounting, and physical integration of battery cells into robust and protected packs within electric vehicles, including manufacturing considerations.

Devices and structural elements within the vehicle cabin or attached to the vehicle body designed to organize, secure, or support various articles, equipment, or even pets, often featuring customizable compartments or robust attachment mechanisms.

Systems utilizing various sensors (e.g., cameras, radar, sonar) to perceive the vehicle's surrounding environment, detect objects, and process/display relevant information to the driver for enhanced awareness, assistance in maneuvers, or safety.

Systems designed to manage the temperature of multiple components in electric or hybrid vehicles, such as batteries, electric motors, power electronics, and the passenger cabin, often using shared or interconnected cooling/heating circuits.

Software, algorithms, and associated hardware for monitoring, controlling, and optimizing battery performance, safety, and lifespan, including charge/discharge cycles, thermal regulation, and system integration.

Technologies for efficiently delivering power to electric vehicles, encompassing fast charging, wireless charging, and smart grid integration, alongside vehicle-side control and management of the charging process.

Innovations in the materials, manufacturing, and assembly of vehicle body components to enhance rigidity, crashworthiness, and functional integration.

Technologies that enable automated or mobile device-controlled access to a vehicle, including keyless entry, remote functions, and power-assisted steps or pedals designed to facilitate easier ingress and egress.

Systems and methods for enhancing the safety of vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists) by improving their detection, prediction, and precise localization relative to the vehicle, often leveraging communication technologies and specialized markers.

Seat designs and mechanisms that allow for dynamic adjustment, folding, removal, or repositioning of seats or seat components to adapt to various passenger, cargo, or vehicle usage scenarios.

Addresses the design and arrangement of electric motors, transmissions, and associated power electronics (like inverters) to form integrated drive units for hybrid or electric vehicles, including specific components like busbars and electric brakes.

Safety features built into or around vehicle seats to protect occupants during various accident scenarios, including airbags, pre-crash positioning, and blast attenuation.

Integration and control of electronic components within the vehicle, including power distribution, thermal management for integrated circuits, and advanced user interfaces such as voice assistants, often involving specialized housings or trim.

Technologies for monitoring vehicle performance, detecting faults, collecting operational data, and providing remote assistance or automated control based on sensor inputs and network connectivity.

Methods, tools, and component designs that facilitate the efficient and robust manufacturing, assembly, and attachment of vehicle seat structures, covers, and internal mechanisms.

Technologies for safely and efficiently connecting, stabilizing, and maneuvering trailers, including hitch mechanisms, load sensing, and trailer-specific steering or stabilization.

Integrated systems for managing parking facilities, guiding vehicles to available spots, and providing notifications, often leveraging sensors, communication, and remote control.

Algorithms and systems for planning and executing complex vehicle maneuvers, often involving cooperation with other vehicles or infrastructure, to optimize traffic flow, avoid collisions, or navigate challenging scenarios. This includes lane changes, cut-ins, and traffic congestion.

Technologies specifically designed for securing children in vehicles, including child safety seats, impact absorption features, and mechanisms to ensure correct installation or detect misuse.

Electronic, hydraulic, or steer-by-wire systems that precisely control vehicle direction, often incorporating feedback loops, compensation, and adaptation for various driving conditions or vehicle types.

Systems for coordinating and controlling fleets of autonomous vehicles or machines, including task allocation, route optimization, and monitoring their operational status and progress.

Algorithms and systems for generating, optimizing, and executing trajectories for autonomous vehicles or robots to move through an environment, often involving obstacle avoidance, route validation, and goal reaching.

Control systems for managing vehicle braking and maintaining a stationary state, including brake pedal actuation sensing, automatic brake hold functions, and coordination with parking brakes.

Systems enabling wireless communication between vehicles (V2V), vehicles and infrastructure (V2I), or vehicles and other entities (V2X) to share information for traffic management, safety, and navigation.

Non-core functionalities or convenience items directly integrated into or associated with vehicle seats, such as adjustable pillows, fitness devices, audio systems, or tray tables.

Integrated systems within vehicle seats that provide heating, cooling, ventilation, or air treatment (e.g., scenting) to enhance occupant comfort and well-being.

Systems and methods for detecting the presence, position, characteristics (e.g., weight, pressure, contact area), or state of vehicle occupants, often used for safety, comfort, or system control.

Techniques and hardware for autonomous systems to gather and interpret data about their surroundings, including obstacle detection, object recognition, and depth estimation, to inform control decisions.

Techniques for combining data from disparate sensor types (e.g., cameras, radar, mobile device signals) to achieve a more robust and comprehensive understanding of an environment or subject, often leveraging machine learning for interpretation and correlation.

Slurry compositions and coating processes for battery electrodes, including binder/active-material slurries, surface coating layers, and electrode-to-foil adhesion for cathode and anode.

Process and equipment for producing solid-state battery cells, including solid electrolyte synthesis (sulfide/oxide/polymer), thin-film deposition, lamination, sintering, dry-electrode fabrication, and stacking under controlled atmosphere.

Utilizing vehicle lights for communication, warnings, or signaling to other vehicles, pedestrians, or external systems, beyond basic turn signals and brake lights.

Processes and apparatus for disassembling spent batteries and recovering valuable materials (e.g., metals, electrolytes, plastics) through mechanical, chemical, or electrochemical methods for reuse or sustainable disposal.

Systems and methods for monitoring, controlling, and optimizing the movement of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other aircraft, including real-time connectivity, flight planning, and route modification.

Systems that dynamically adjust vehicle headlamp beam patterns, direction, or intensity based on driving conditions, vehicle state, or detected objects to improve visibility and safety.

Design and integration of systems for storing and delivering alternative fuels (e.g., hydrogen, CNG, or specific fuel vapor management for gasoline) within the vehicle, including pressure vessels and specialized valves.

Systems that monitor a vehicle operator's physiological state, attentiveness, or behavior using in-cabin sensors and machine learning to enhance safety or personalize vehicle functions.

Utilizing technologies like Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth beacons, or GPS/geofencing to determine precise location or proximity for services such as asset tracking, secure access, or localized information delivery.

Active anode materials and manufacturing techniques for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, including silicon-carbon composites, graphite, lithium-metal anodes, and electrode coating processes that improve capacity, cycle life, and rate capability.

Lighting systems designed for aesthetic enhancement, mood setting, or functional illumination within the vehicle cabin, often integrated into trim, panels, or transparent surfaces.

Combining lighting elements with other functional components or into complex structures, such as mirrors, emblems, or multi-function fixtures, often involving advanced optical or thermal management.

Techniques and architectures for ensuring the reliability, fault tolerance, and performance validation of autonomous driving systems, including redundant computing platforms and perception system monitoring.

Systems that manage and enforce entry or usage privileges using digital credentials, biometric identification, or remote control, often incorporating network connectivity and real-time status updates.

Development and optimization of novel neural network layers or architectures specifically designed to improve performance or efficiency for computer vision tasks.

Automated systems using image processing and artificial intelligence to identify, classify, and assess the extent of damage to structures or objects, supporting maintenance or insurance claims.

Techniques utilizing deep learning models like Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) or diffusion models to create new images, modify existing ones, or generate synthetic data based on various inputs or conditions.

Methods and systems for improving the quality of video streams, generating intermediate frames, or continuously locating and following objects within a sequence of images, even under occlusion.

Mobile applications and systems leveraging wireless communication and location data (e.g., GPS, RFID, geo-fencing) to provide context-specific services, transactions, or user interactions.

Methods and apparatus for improving the visual fidelity, resolution, or compression efficiency of video signals, often through advanced processing, up-scaling, or neural network-based filters.

Technologies for transmitting critical alerts and information during emergencies, often involving wireless networks, specialized devices, and protocols to ensure timely and targeted communication to users or emergency services.

Techniques and hardware architectures for optimizing the radio frequency (RF) front-end, antenna systems, and beamforming strategies in wireless networks to improve signal quality, capacity, and interference mitigation.

Utilizing machine learning, particularly deep learning, to analyze medical data such as images, sensor readings, or physiological signals for disease prediction, diagnosis, or treatment assessment.