GM Patents Tech That Monitors How You're Loading Your Pickup Truck So It Can Tell You You're Doing It Wrong

It's never a good idea to exceed your pickup's payload capacity, but some people don't realize they're doing it. A recently published patent application by General Motors describes a system that could solve that problem by detecting when a truck is overloaded and notifying the driver. It would even detect uneven loads that could cause a hazard and make suggestions on how to distribute them more evenly.

While the system performs some complex calculations to accomplish this, the required hardware is quite simple, using cameras on the front and sides of the truck, plus one overlooking the bed. Many trucks already have these cameras, particularly toward the top of the trim ladder, so this is just a new way to use the existing technology. 

A special computer processor analyzes images from these cameras to determine how much and in what direction the truck is leaning compared to when it's unloaded. From there, it can calculate how much the suspension has compressed, which tells it how much the load weighs. If it's higher than the truck's payload capacity, a warning appears on the dashboard that the truck is overweight. 

The system may also use data from the truck's inertial measurement unit to determine whether the truck is level or parked on a slope to ensure that the correct weight is calculated. It's basically the same way the Level function of the iPhone's Measure app works. The processor can then adjust its calculations based on how the truck is parked to ensure an accurate weight measurement.

GM's system is more than simple nagware that tells you you're doing it wrong. In some cases, it can even tell you how to fix the problem. For example, if you've loaded 3,800 pounds in the back of your Chevy Silverado 2500 HD, the warning could tell you that you are about 400 pounds overweight, so you know how much you need to remove. That won't help if you're hauling one large item, but if it's a lot of little stuff, you can take enough out to fall below the limit and keep the truck driving safely, as well as prevent your suspension from failing under heavy load.

The system can also determine where the payload's center of gravity is. If it's too far forward or back, or side to side, it can suggest how to redistribute the load so that it's safer and rides better. This can help prevent unpredictable handling or problems like hitting the rear bumper on the ground because the weight is too far back.

Of course, just because GM patents something doesn't mean it will ever go into production. We'll probably never see an electric GM motorcycle, but this idea seems a bit more practical and broadly useful to truck owners. It also seems like an addition to trucks that shouldn't be difficult to implement in the real world. All the cameras and input devices are already there, and this is just a new way of processing their data with a real safety benefit that will also look good in product brochures, especially if the competition doesn't have it.