Ford uses thermal imaging to spot air leaks

Technology that has widely been used by the military, law enforcement and home inspectors is now helping Ford Motor Co. make its interiors more quiet and energy-efficient.

By using thermal imaging technology, Ford’s engineers have been able to quickly zero in on areas of the vehicle that may be leaking air from the cabin, so they can target ways to cut wind noise in transit and energy loss in the vehicle’s heating and cooling systems.

Ford claims, in a statement today, it is first in the industry to use the technology for that purpose. To test for air leaks, engineers heat the air inside the vehicles cabin and then record thermal images, looking for areas where warm air may be escaping. Engineers say that moonroofs, windows, doors, the base of the windshield and the trunk area are the most common sources of leaks.

In the past, engineers filled cars with smoke, looking for haze outside of the vehicles. They have even used specialized stethoscopes -- similar to the devices doctors use to listen to a patient’s heart -- to monitor air flow, a practice they still employ in addition to imaging. Thermal imaging can find leaks more quickly, and help identify smaller leaks that other equipment may have missed, the company said.

Ford says the technology helped the 2013 Fusion sedan earn a 67 percent approval rating for interior quietness, compared with 58 percent for the 2012 Toyota Camry sedan, according to a study conducted for Ford by RDA Group of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., in the first quarter of the year.

Thermal imaging isn’t entirely new to the auto industry. Several brands, including Cadillac and Hummer, have employed “night vision” safety devices that used thermal imaging to alert drivers to obstacles in front of or behind their vehicle, with mixed success.