Ford looks to have developed a new drift mode system that works with both internal combustion and electric motors.
The new drift mode came to light from a recent US Patent and Trade Mark Office (USPTO) filing.
Ford’s drift system will work with a controller as per the filing.
“A controller is programmed to, in response to the vehicle being in a drift mode, decouple the driven wheels from the actuator, engage the friction brakes to lockup the driven wheels, and place the actuator in speed control and command a torque to the actuator based on a difference between a measured speed of the actuator and a target speed of the actuator.”
The filing also confirmed that the system would work on both internal combustion engines and electric motors.
“A vehicle includes an engine having a crankshaft, an electric machine having a shaft, a front-end accessory drive (FEAD) having a tension member operably connecting the crankshaft and the shaft, a drivetrain operably coupling the engine to driven wheels.”
Essentially, the drift mode will decouple the driven wheels and use the on-board brakes to lock them to induce the slide. Then the system will add power as needed to maximize the slide.
The system will add or back off power based on the wheel speed sensor data.
Although there are many drift systems on the market, the Ford system is far different as it includes friction brakes. Which Ford do you think the drift mode will premier on?
You can read the full patent below.
1Source: Motor1
