Let the Apple Car rumors roll on. Apple has been granted two more patents involving the rumored vehicle (though I think the tech giant will work with current car manufacturers rather than making their own vehicle from scratch.
Patent number 10,787,192 is for a “steer-by-wire system with multiple steering actuators.” It involves a vehicle that could not only be driven by a human being behind the wheel, or an automated (ie, self-driven) system, but also a remote control option.
The vehicle could be operated in a remote control mode, in which some or all of the tasks of driving are controlled by an automated control system or a human driver not located in the car. Think of an adult version of kids’ remote controlled toys.
Here’s the summary of the patent: “A method for controlling a vehicle includes operating a steering system in manual steer-by-wire control state and determining that a transition to an automated steer-by-wire control state is to be performed by the steering system. The method also includes entering the automated steer-by-wire control state upon determining that all conditions from a group of state entry conditions are satisfied, and operating the steering system in the automated steer-by-wire control state until determining that any condition from a group of state exit conditions is satisfied. The method also includes entering the manual steer-by-wire control state upon determining that any condition from the group of state exit conditions is satisfied.”
Patent number 10,787,060 is for “body structure ventilation.” The goal is to make a car that’s rugged yet with a design that allows proper cooling and heating of the interior for the comfort of passengers.
Here’s the summary of the invention: “A vehicle body structure located adjacent to a passenger compartment of a vehicle includes a first wall defining an interior space adjacent to the first wall; a second wall extending outward from the first wall and defining a passageway in communication with the interior space; and a duct having a body that is disposed in the interior space of the first wall and an outlet that extends outward from the body and is disposed in the passageway of the second wall. The duct routes conditioned air from the body through the outlet to the passenger compartment of the vehicle.”
