Sayad Avoidance: Ferrari patents system that prevents parking curb scraping

Ferrari system applies brakes to prevent splitter and body damage

At some point in our driving lives, especially for those who have cars with low ride height, there’s a good chance you’ve experienced scraping either the underchassis or the front chin of your ride by accident or by pure misjudgment.

Well, this may not be a problem for much longer, at least if you have a Ferrari in your garage. Maranello has filed a patent that basically prevents these occurrences through automatic braking and the use of sensors, leveraging technology that’s already out in the market.

Basically, the patent application is simple. The sensors detect the height of objects in front of the car. If the object is deemed too high for the front bumper to clear, the system sends an audible warning. But should the driver keep going forward and not respond, the system will automatically apply the brakes.

So think of it as forward collision warning, but for low objects. Ferrari points out that the system will be particularly useful in parking, where the low nose of most supercars makes it difficult to judge or spot a parking curb. There’s also good reason to think it won’t be activated while you’re cruising at speeds to avoid phantom braking and risk a rear-end collision, as that feature will be taken over by the automatic emergency braking instead.

This could potentially work together with the car’s axle lift system – a common feature for modern-day supercars to clear obstacles on the road. But curiously, the patent doesn’t say that it will automatically engage the front axle lift feature yet.

Furthermore, this being a patent doesn’t automatically mean it will be a common feature for Ferrari sports cars of the future. Automakers just patent these things so an intellectual property is protected whether they use it or not.