Ford's Perfect Suicide Doors Design Will Embarrass Rolls-Royce

To this end, the vehicle's control system will incorporate sensors to measure variables such as wind speed and direction, the angle at which the vehicle is parked, clearance between the vehicle and a sidewalk curb, and proximity sensors to determine if and how far the door would be allowed to open.

This control system likely takes its cues from another recent Ford door-opening patent and will reduce the risk of damage due to errant door-flinging or a lack of situational awareness.

The patent makes other provisions, however, as one can't simply remove the B-pillar from a vehicle entirely without consequence.

B-pillars are critical to any closed-roof vehicle's structural integrity and play a major role in both side impact and rollover protection. Due to these requirements, Ford's engineers didn't completely remove the B-pillars in this new design. Instead, they have been relocated into the doors themselves.

The edges of the front and rear doors where they meet have been reinforced with high-strength steel. When closed, they combine to create a new B-pillar, which will swing out of the way when opened to give the desired uninterrupted side opening.

The body shell also features reinforced box sections in its roof and under its doors to maintain body rigidity, but it's important to note that the relocated B-pillars are still structural members when the doors are closed.

Yet another element here that differs from traditional doors are the rubber seals. Sealing and weatherproofing are accomplished by a new seal design using elastomeric polymers, which move into various positions in operation to avoid seal wear while ensuring complete sealing when the doors are closed. They deflate when the door needs to be opened and then reinflate once the door is closed, filling a cavity to seal it completely.

As for where we might see this tech, the Continental is dead and gone, but Ford'a patent documentation appears to use a Lincoln Nautilus for display purposes. A Nautilus Coach Door Edition could be in the cards, or perhaps we could just see it on a future Lincoln EV. After all, the Lincoln Star Concept featured butterfly rear doors and no B-pillar, so this new design could be a means of putting concept car design into production car reality.