Siri, Find My Car! Apple Files Car Locator Patents

Dude, where's my car? A pair of patents recently filed at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office indicates that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is working on technology that would help iPhone users find their car, even in areas with poor GPS reception.

The patents for "Automatic identification of vehicle location" and "Vehicle location in weak location signal scenarios" indicate that Apple has plans for further iOS vehicle integration with its CarPlay system. The patents detail mechanisms that would allow users to pair an iPhone handset to a car through Bluetooth, after which GPS and various sensors including accelerometer, compass, and gyroscope would be employed to find the car. In the event of poor GPS reception, the mechanism would use its Wi-Fi and mobile phone tracking to determine the location of a paired vehicle. Prompting the mechanism would be as easy as saying “Find My Car” as a command to Siri on an iPhone.

It's unknown whether Apple will implement its newly patented technology into future versions of its iOS software; however, the Cupertino, California-based company has made serious efforts toward iOS car integration with its CarPlay system. Twenty-nine automakers have already teamed up with Apple to implement the entertainment and navigation console into their vehicles. The first cars equipped with CarPlay are expected to hit markets by the end of the year.