Tech per se: Ford Tells You Why Your Hybrid's Engine Is On In a recent patent application, Ford contemplates a hybrid display to let you know why your hybrid's engine is turning on. I wouldn't mind one of these in my Prius.
Something like this been tossed around on the boards here for several years. Same concept, but rather than being phrased "why your engine in on" people have pondered "why can't I stealth?"
It's hard to believe that something like this would be patentable. Our intellectual property law system is seriously broken. Tom
Well, remember that this is simply a pending application, not an issued patent. A patent examiner has probably not even looked at this one yet. it is possible that they won't get protection or will only get very narrow protection to one specific display configuration.
This is why a graphical interface specifically designed for hybrids is needed. Whether a phone app or routed to the MFD. In addition to tracking standard variables, a well-designed display would be able to tell the driver why the engine won't shut off. For example, (and I'm talking about my GenII here, GenIII inputs might vary), give me the following graphs: Outside Air Temp | . . . . . Low . . . . . . . \/ . . . . . . . High . . . . . . . | Battery Temp | . . . . . . . . Low . . . . . \/ . . . . . . . . High . . . . . | Acceleration Load | . . . . . . \/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . High . . . . . . | Speed | 0 . . . . . . . . . . . 35 . . . . \/ . . . . 42 . . . . . . . . . | Accessory Load | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \/ . . . . . . . . High . . . . . . | With these graphs - or something similar, I would be able to tell that my speed's too high, the outside temp is too cold, or I'm pushing the car too hard. On a phone app, the charts themselves can turn green or red depending on whether they are individually within acceptable parameters.
Good point. In recent years the number of bad patents has reached epidemic proportions. I'm probably a bit touchy about this topic. Tom
