Apple CarPatents

Apple patent involves a climate control system for an Apple Car

This graphic illustrates a climate control system for an Apple Car.

Let the Apple Car rumors roll on. Apple has been granted a patent (number 11535081) for a climate control system for a vehicle.

About the patent

This patent relates generally to the field of vehicle climate control systems. In the patent Apple notes that vVehicle climate control systems are designed to change environmental conditions such as humidity and temperature within a vehicle cabin. Many climate control systems adjust environmental conditions by providing thermally conditioned fluid, generally air, to the vehicle cabin using a series of ducts, outlets, and user-manipulated directional control devices. 

For example, many climate control systems include manually-adjustable vanes or registers positioned across rectangular duct outlets located on interior surfaces such as the instrument panel or the center console within the vehicle. These outlet and vane combinations use a large amount of space within the vehicle and grant a limited amount of fluid delivery control to the user.

Apple wants its vehicle to have excellent climate control that doesn’t take us much space as traditional systems.

Summary of the patent

Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent: “A fluid delivery module includes a housing defining a fluid flow path between an inlet and an outlet. The housing includes a top surface portion and a bottom surface portion that are movable to vary a flow direction of a fluid flow along the fluid flow path. 

“The fluid delivery module includes an outlet treatment movable to vary a flow rate of the fluid flow exiting the outlet and a control unit configured to send commands to move at least one of the top surface portion, the bottom surface portion, or the outlet treatment according to a fluid delivery profile that dictates a flow pattern of the fluid flow.”

When might we see an Apple Car?

Apple has scaled back its “ambitious” plans for a self-driving electric car and postponed the launch date back a year to 2026, reports Bloomberg.

The article says that Apple plans to sell a consumer “Apple Car” for “under” $100,000. Other points from the article:

° Apple wanted its vehicle to come without a steering wheel or pedals, but has decided that such a plan isn’t feasible at this time.

° The Apple Car will have guided driving features that work on highways, but won’t be fully autonomous.

° Apple currently plans to develop a vehicle that lets drivers conduct other tasks — say, watch a movie or play a game — on a freeway and be alerted with ample time to switch over to manual control if they reach city streets or encounter inclement weather. 

° It will sport an Apple-designed custom processor to power AI (artificial intelligence) functionality.

° It will use the cloud for some AI processing.

° Apple might offer a remote command center that could assist drivers and control cars from afar during emergencies.

° Apple may also offer its own insurance program.

° Apple still hasn’t dialed in on a design for its first vehicle and the team is still working in a “pre-prototype” stage.

Dennis Sellers
the authorDennis Sellers
Dennis Sellers is the editor/publisher of Apple World Today. He’s been an “Apple journalist” since 1995 (starting with the first big Apple news site, MacCentral). He loves to read, run, play sports, and watch movies.