USPTO
Pretty dystopian, if somewhat expected, use of connected cars started the rounds this week with the discovery of a patent published last month titled “Systems and Methods for Reclaiming Vehicles.”
The patent, filed by Ford, describes a system that allows banks and leasing companies to remotely disable certain functions (such as the air conditioner or radio), or to disable the vehicle itself if the person leasing the vehicle fails to pay. I’m explaining.
Recognizing that the United States has become a very car-centric society since the 1950s, the patent states that “in the event of an emergency, a vehicle may be placed in a lockout state so that it can be moved to a medical facility. It explains how to temporarily lift the facility if the emergency is a medical emergency.”
The patent also describes how the lockout is conditional and allows the owner to continue using the vehicle on weekdays, so the disruption doesn’t affect their lives. The system also allows you to operate your car within defined geofences.
In addition to using the vehicle’s GPS sensor to determine the location of the vehicle, the patent uses other sensors such as optical cameras, lidar, and ultrasonic sensors to determine whether the vehicle is parked in a garage. and suppressing reacquisition attempts.
Self-driving cars can effectively retrieve and even drive to a seizure location upon request from a retrieval computer.
“We have no plans to deploy this,” Ford told Ars.
