Apple files patent for ‘object detection’ in an Apple Car

Let the Apple Car rumors roll on. Apple has applied for a patent (number US 20230350018 A1) for “Object Detection” as a safety feature in a vehicle.

About the patent filing

In the patent filing, Apple notes that some folks don’t wear their seatbelts properly — if at all. The tech giant wants its vehicle (should it ever actually see the light of day) to have a radar system that detects objects in front of the car when it’s moving.

As a result, the Apple Car would inform its passengers of the object and tell ‘em to adjust their seatbelts accordingly. The smart car would also tell folks to buckle up and/or buckle up properly.

Summary of the patent filing

Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent filing: “A system that includes a radar sensor configured to transmit radar waves receive a first group of reflected radar waves and a second group of reflected radar waves. A restraint includes a material that causes the transmitted radar waves to reflect off the restraint to generate the first group of reflected radar waves, and the second group of radar waves is reflected off objects other than the restraint. A controller is configured to determine a shape of the restraint based on the first group of reflected radar waves.”

When might we see an Apple Car?

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple’s work on the Apple Car has “lost all visibility at the current time. He adds that if Apple does not adopt some kind of acquisition strategy to make inroads in the automotive market, it is unlikely that the ‌Apple Car‌ will be able to go into mass production “within the next years.”

On. Nov. 18, 2021, Bloomberg reported that Apple was accelerating development on its “Apple Car.” The article said that the electric vehicle will be self-driving and could roll out in 2025. 

What’s more, in a note to clients — as noted by AppleInsider — investment bank Wedbush said Apple is likely to announce a strategic electric vehicle partnership in 2022 to lay the groundwork for an “Apple Car” release in 2025.

If Kuo is correct — and I suspect he is — those predictions are way too optimistic.