"FORD OPENS PORTFOLIO OF PATENTED TECHNOLOGIES TO COMPETITORS TO ACCELERATE INDUSTRY-WIDE ELECTRIFIED VEHICLE DEVELOPMENT"
福特汽車新聞稿：
https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2015/05/28/ford-opens-portfolio-of-patented-technologies-to-competitors-to-.html
福特汽車開放（"OPEN"）專利組合的意思恐怕不是如Tesla告訴大家如果"善意"使用它的專利就不會被告，福特汽車目的是分享研發技術給相同領域業者，與競爭者一起朝透明、敞開與合作的方向走，專利以授權與移轉為主（"The patents would be available for a fee."）
新聞稿特別列舉分屬不同技術領域（但都針對車輛）的3件相關可供購買的專利（"available for competitors to purchase"）：
US5764027（IPC:H01M 10/44）
這是一個電池充電平衡的技術，每個陣列型電池中的電池元（cell）彼此之間都會有放電率的差異，這可能會影響電池效能，特別是用於車輛動力的用途，因此此技術就是估計每個cell的放電率/溫度/電壓等，作出放電平衡的補償措施。
1. A method for balancing charges of a plurality of batteries coupled in series, the method comprising:
(a) determining actual or estimated rates of self-discharge of the batteries; and
(b) individually shunting across one or more of the batteries to cause shunt currents which at least partially compensate for differences in said rates of self-discharge between batteries.
獨立請求項範圍涉及電池平衡方法，包括判斷實際或估計的自放電率；電池個別分流放電，做放電率補償。US6275763（IPC: B60T 7/12）
專利關於與溫度相關的車輛再生煞車系統，就是一種煞車防鎖死的技術，此案為考量溫度因素產生的影響改變煞車力道，能夠提昇煞車效率。
1. A braking system for a motor vehicle having a plurality of wheels for operation upon a road surface, wherein at least one of said plurality of wheels is a braking wheel, a vehicle service brake pedal, a friction braking system operative upon said braking wheel in response to actuation of the vehicle brake pedal for applying a friction braking force through said braking wheel, an anti-lock braking system cooperative with said friction braking system to control the friction braking force applied to said braking wheel upon detection of slippage of said braking wheel relative to the road surface, a regenerative braking system operative upon said braking wheel in response to actuation of the vehicle brake pedal for selectively generating an applied regenerative braking force through said braking wheel, and an ambient temperature sensor, said regenerative braking system operative at a first effective applied regenerative braking force upon application of said brake pedal at an ambient temperature above a first predetermined temperature and said regenerative braking system operative at a second effective applied regenerative braking force at an ambient temperature below a second predetermined temperature, said first effective applied regenerative braking force exceeding said second effective applied regenerative braking force.
獨立請求項界定一個煞車系統，先界定煞車系統的必要元件，其中有個偵測輪胎滑動的防鎖死系統；有個環境溫度感知器，與防鎖死系統連動，能夠根據溫度資訊控制煞車踏板。
US8880290（IPC: G06F 7/00）
專利關於駕駛行為回饋系統，系統可以監控車輛驅動與相關參數來評估駕駛行為，比如加速的行為，經此回饋系統而改善駕駛的行為，目的是可以讓車輛更省油。
1. A system comprising:
a controller configured to receive input indicative of vehicle acceleration, accelerator pedal position change and powertrain output power, calculate an instantaneous acceleration score based upon the input, and output a long-term acceleration score based upon the instantaneous acceleration score, a previous long-term acceleration score, and a forgetting factor weighting the instantaneous and long-term deceleration scores; and
an interface configured to display an acceleration feedback indicator indicative of the long-term acceleration score.
獨立請求項界定此回饋系統，包括有一控制器，接收車輛加速資訊、油門踏板的資訊，並計算即時加速分數，以輸出長程、前次，與即時加速分數與長程加速分數差異的相關權重，以及輸出長程加速回饋資訊的介面。（"forgetting factor (w)" based on the comparison between the instantaneous acceleration score (Sa) and the function of the long-term acceleration score (La).）
其他媒體：
http://blog.caranddriver.com/ford-offers-to-license-its-hybrid-and-electric-vehicle-patents-to-other-automakers/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewdepaula/2015/05/31/ford-follows-tesla-and-toyota-in-releasing-ev-patents/
（新聚能）http://synergytek.com.tw/blog/2015/06/07/ford_open_patent_to_license/
不少媒體也提到此舉類似Tesla與Toyota開放專利的目的，主要目的希望能夠加速擴大電動車的市場與其他車廠的接受度，但是手段不同，福特還是希望可以從中獲利！福特宣稱目前已經有650件專利、1000件正在審查的專利申請案，單在2014年就提出400件專利申請案。我想，就這個領域的portfolio來看，頗為驚人。
前次報導Tesla的新聞：http://enpan.blogspot.tw/2014/06/tesla-motors.html
不過當時的專利分析卻未看見福特相關佈局？
Toyota開放專利相關新聞（2020年以前燃料電池相關專利免費授權）：http://cleantechnica.com/2015/01/08/toyota-making-5600-hydrogen-fuel-cell-patents-free-use-industry-companies/
Toyota顯然是這方面領先業者：曾在台灣開賣的Escape Hybrid(2005)，其中的技術就來自Toyota專利授權：http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2005-ford-escape-hybrid-road-test-review
（照片來源：http://www.caranddriver.com/）
Ron
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