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New Ford patent filings have surfaced hinting at a driver assistance system designed to prevent collisions with trains.
First spotted by Motor1, the patent application was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in 2021, but it wasn’t until March 30, 2023. As Motor1 noted, the document shows two possible implementations of this idea, each -each uses sensors to detect oncoming trains as cars approach a railroad crossing.
Patent drawing of Ford’s buggy detection system
In one version, sensors will be placed on the railroad tracks on both sides of the crossing, and communicate with sensors inside the vehicle. If the system detects a train, it warns the driver not to cross it. Placing sensors on both sides of a crossing allows the system to verify that a train is actually off the track before giving permission, and not, for example, backing across the crossing.
The second version peels back a bit. Instead of placing sensors on the tracks, it will rely on in-car hardware, such as cameras and lidars, to observe rail crossing warning bars and lights—cues that human drivers sometimes ignore when approaching a railroad crossing.
Patent drawing of Ford’s buggy detection system
Ford also mentions sending information to other vehicles, so drivers know a train is occupying the crossing before they reach it. This feature, which sounds like vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication that automakers said in 2018 could help eliminate traffic lights, could assist emergency vehicles, allowing them to reroute around trains, Ford details in the patent.
The system will also help improve vehicle automation, according to Ford, allowing cars to stop automatically at railroad crossings without drivers having to take over. Automakers have filed several patents that could apply to autonomous vehicles, but the core technology itself is still under development. So it may be a while before we see something like Ford’s buggy detection system in production vehicles.
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