Apple granted patent for operating an Apple Car in bad weather

Let the Apple Car rumors roll on. Apple has been granted a patent (number US 11833978 B1) for a “Sensing System With Sensor Window Having A Superhydrophobic Surface” for a vehicle.

About the patent

The goal is to make it safe to ride in an Apple Car during inclement weather. In the patent Apple notes that automated control systems may be operated according to conditions of the environment. The conditions of the environment may be sensed with different sensing systems, which may include optical sensors that sense the environment with electromagnetic radiation, such as infrared light or visible light. However, debris, such as water-based debris (e.g., rain drops, snow, ice, mud) may interfere with the sensing system’s ability to sense the environment. Apple wants to overcome such issues with an Apple Car.

Summary of the patent

Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent: “A sensing system that includes an optical sensor and a sensing window. The optical sensor is configured to sense with electromagnetic radiation an environment. The sensing window is coupled to a structure, such that the electromagnetic radiation passes therethrough from the environment to the optical sensor to be sensed thereby. The sensing window includes an inner side that faces toward the optical sensor and an outer side that faces away from the optical sensor. The outer side includes a superhydrophobic surface that is in fluidic communication with the environment.”

When might we see an Apple Car?

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said that Apple’s work on the Apple Car has “lost all visibility at the current time. He has noted 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 few 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.