International. The German automaker intends to use "scratch-sensitive skin" to detect friction. The film would be conductive, meaning it would detect a change in current when punctured or worn.
BMW recently made a patent application for a scratch detection system in vehicles that would allow it to alert drivers when their car is scratched.
According to the portal TheDrive, this system would consist of a body capable of detecting a scratch, a control unit and an alarm device.
The control unit could activate the alarm device to send a signal after analyzing and processing scratch detection information.
According to the Anglo-Saxon media, a scratch detection film would be applied to the lower part of the four sides of the vehicle body, as well as to the front and rear fenders of the vehicle, the exterior door panels, one side of the trunk or the outer panels of the front and rear of the vehicle's fenders.
The patent information indicates that this system emerged in China, where parking and driving are activities that are usually done in very tight conditions, causing cars to get scratched often without owners noticing.
BMW's idea is to use "scratch-sensitive skin" to detect friction. The film would be conductive, meaning that when it is punctured or worn, it would detect a change in current.
This, in turn, would alert the driver that the vehicle has been scratched. It could also enable the vehicle's various cameras when the scratch is detected to identify the perpetrator, assuming it is not an inanimate object.
BMW reports that this film would have a high degree of customization, matching the outline of a vehicle's body. This would be low cost, light weight, high sensitivity, high mechanical strength, reliable and durable.
