In Car Connectivity & (IoT) Internet Of Things

Click For All Engineering Well Technologies>>>

Internet of Things (IOT) will be more and more important for next generation vehicles. A few applications in IOT Eco-System detailed in September Economic Times that may be of interest for potential automotive integration.

1. Microchipped clothes could tell washing machines how to treat them.
2. Data from factory robots could allow algorithms to predict when they will break down.
3. Implanted sensors will spot early signs of illness in farm animals.
4. Micromanage farm animal feedings.
5. For chip-design need firms specializing in the sort of low-power chips for IOT needs.
6. Partly thanks to smartphones, which are packed with everything from miniaturized cameras to gyroscopes and accelerometers, the cost of tiny sensors is dropping.
7. New sorts of chips which will cost less than a cent each and will be able to harvest the energy they need to run from sunlight or ambient heat.
8. Lurni, a sensor designed to be clipped to disposable nappies monitors sleep patterns and sends smartphone alerts to parents whenever their little darlings need changing.
9. Ubiquitous communications mean that data gathered by comparatively simple chips can be analyzed by much more powerful machines in the data centers.
10. Whirlpool, the world’s biggest maker of home appliances, already offers smart dishwashers that can be controlled remotely by a smartphone app that also scans food barcodes and conveys cooking instructions to an oven.
11. Smart buildings-from airports to office blocks-can already track the people who move through them in real time.
12. Imagine an action film, he says, in which a smart television, equipped with the sorts of gaze-tracking cameras already used in smartphones, can wait until it has a viewer’s full attention before showing a monster leaping out from behind a door.
13. Real-time data mean that the firm’s engineers can watch Power Train, Break and other safety critical items wear out based on usage and repair before safety failure occurs.
14. The advertising industry is already experimenting with “smart” bill-boards, which can use cameras and facial-recognition software to assess people’s reactions to their contents.
15. Gadgets from high-tech locks.

“ In car connectivity was very actively displayed at the 2015 CES in addition to IoT being actively developed by technology innovators for car / home / office connectivity. Design HMI will add to this page as more information becomes available “

Internet Of Things – SABRE Infotainment Development System 

The comprehensive new SABRE (Smart Application Blueprint for Rapid Engineering) for Auto Infotainment (AI) development system leverages the proven performance and scalability of Freescale’s i.MX 6 series applications processors to speed and simplify Ethernet Audio Video Bridging (AVB) deployment.

The development system helps connect a broad array of onboard multimedia nodes using automotive grade Ethernet components and is optimized for hardware/software integration. Freescale has also introduced automotive-grade AVB Ethernet software stacks engineered to work seamlessly with the development system’s hardware for a truly comprehensive solution.

Freescale’s new SABRE for Auto Infotainment system helps automotive OEMs and their Tier One suppliers rapidly create and deploy automotive multimedia systems for this new paradigm.”

For more information refer http://johndayautomotivelectronics.com/freescale-sabre-infotainment-development-system-enables-ethernet-avb/

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Keyssa’s “Kiss Connectivity” Technology

Kiss Connectivity uses an extremely high frequency (EHF) carrier to transport electrical-based protocols over a short distance through plastics and air.

Unlike wireless networks like Wi-Fi and cellular, Kiss Connectivity is a point-to-point connection. Data travels securely from one device to another.

The connectors used in Keyssa’s wireless Kiss Connectivity are currently able to transfer up to 6 gigs of data per second. To put things in perspective, the latest WiFi standard can handle up to 1.35 gigs a second, and that’s assuming that no one else is using the network. The fastest USB standard currently tops out at 5 gigs a second, and NFC around 400 kilobits a second.

For more information view http://keyssa.com/technology/

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Internet Of Things – Vehicle to Vehicle Communication

General Motors’ V2V (vehicle to vehicle) communication technology has the potential to mitigate many traffic collisions by sending and receiving basic safety information such as location, speed and direction of travel, between vehicles that are approaching each other. It will provide useful warnings to drivers, like this “Hard Braking Ahead” warning.

Reference: http://www.mlive.com/auto/index.ssf/2015/02/mit_calls_car-to-car_communica.html

Volvo  CAR 2 CAR Red Light Violation Warning would warn drivers approaching a controlled intersection on a green light, if a car approaching on the cross street was about to run its red light and potentially collide with them

Reference: http://www.gizmag.com/volvo-car-2-car-communication-consortium/24892/

___________________________________________________________________________________________

JCI Heads Up Display Design Concept

The heads-up display (top) in the Johnson Controls ie3 concept car provides essential information to the driver without the driver having to take his or her eyes off the road.  The ie3 multi-controller (bottom) provides connectivity and access to features and controls intuitively to minimize driver distraction.

Reference: http://www.johnsoncontrols.com/content/us/en/about/our_company/featured_stories/automotive-design-part-1.html

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Audi Smart Display Is An Android Tablet For The Road

Audi’s Smart Display will make use of the LTE (4G) connectivity  to provide internet access, allowing the passenger to stream music, browse YouTube videos and look up Wikipedia.

Passengers can also check out the speed the driver is going, current RPM of the engine as well as read emails and engage in a spot of social networking on Twitter, Facebook and the rest.

A 10.2-inch 1080p display provides ample viewing space for content, while an Nvidia Tegra T40 processor adds the processing grunt necessary to make the Android interface move along smoothly. The Audi tablet coincides with Google’s Open Automotive Alliance ─ OAA for short.

Reference:  http://recombu.com/cars/article/audi-smart-display-is-an-android-tablet-for-the-road

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Mazda Smart Connect Application

Mazda 3s set to go on sale this autumn will feature the car maker’s next-generation automobile connectivity system, dubbed Mazda Connect.

Understand Mazda is the first to finalize a global licensing agreement with Aha by Harman, a web content platform for automobiles.

Mazda Connect Human Machine Interface (HMI) based on its Heads-Up Cockpit concept.  Mazda Connect enables the use of a variety of web apps and services, such as Aha, by linking with your smartphone.  The in-vehicle software can be updated to support additional functions and evolving smartphone operating systems so that it will never go out-of-date.  It has a flexible hardware structure to meet a wide range of needs flexibility, and more apps and services for the system will soon be available.

Reference:  http://siliconangle.com/blog/2013/10/02/newest-electric-vehicles-smart-cars-to-personal-transporters/

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Android 2-DIN Infotainment System In Car Connectivity

Best of 2015 CES Innovations; In-Vehicle Audio-Video:

Android 2-DIN Infotainment System that enhances driving experience with:

– Navigation and driving assistance

– Vocal and steering wheel controls

– In vehicle networking

– Advanced audio player and effects

– An extension of driver’s digital life

The device can switch between Android Auto and Apple CarPlay with the push of a button,.

List of features are – Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Siri Eyes Free, Android Auto Voice, and Hands-Free Telephony.

The receiver can also tap into the car’s in-car network and GPS to provide and most functions can be routed through the vehicle’s steering wheel controls.

For more information go to: http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/parrot-rbn6-infotainment-ces/

______________________________________________________________________________

The Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) is an organization driving global technologies for smartphone-centric car connectivity solutions dedicated to cross-industry collaboration in developing MirrorLink®, an open standard for car-smartphone connectivity.

According to WIRED typical 20-year-old uses his phone to send over 2,000 text messages a month, share status updates with upwards of 500 friends, or access one of the over 3 million apps available. As part of the time is spent in the car (estimated as 280 hours per year) assumption is that connectivity to the internet is essential in the car.

Few links on articles on In Car Connectivity commenting on the vision and business end of vehicle connectivity are shown below:

https://www.strategyand.pwc.com/reports/connected-car-2016-study

http://www.businessinsider.com/internet-of-things-connected-smart-cars-2016-10

http://www.mckinsey.com/industries/automotive-and-assembly/our-insights/disruptive-trends-that-will-transform-the-auto-industry

http://blog.caranddriver.com/the-imminent-future-of-car-to-car-connectivity/

Per CRADLEPOINT White Paper mobile service enterprises deploy 3G/4G/LTE internet in fleet vehicles to handle data and GPS tracking and remote location using cloud-based software.

Added to that is the WIRED report and assumption for In Car Connectivity in coming years per is as below:

• Vehicles can deploy digital signage that can be configured / updated externally.
• Video streaming capability offers the advantage of real-time video surveillance.
• Paramedics can look up vital information and update records immediately.
• Smart tinted windshields so you can scan messages on Heads Up Display.
• In parallel tinted glare, free windshields allow news stream on your heads-up display.
• 50%+ cars on the road are fully autonomous.
• Phone call pauses the news stream pauses.

Challenge:

1. Power consumption can drain battery voltage in cars and buses so energy harvesting would necessarily need to be part of the solution coupled with better energy management.
2. Weather conditions, temperature fluctuations and other issues can create blackout zones which would confuse driver and reduce reliability.
3. Driver safety when you review driving habits of self-driving cars, connected cars and 200 million+ older cars in North America occupying the same ecosystem.

Not to forget the biggest driver to IN Car Connectivity and development is not really OE’s but new players in the field like Google, Apple and of course TESLA. Advancements in cloud based software coupled with hardware capabilities has resulted a high-end car having millions of lines of computer code that govern everything.

The three key technologies already in market are:

Apple CarPlay^TM

MirrorLink^TM

AndroidAuto^TM

However, the Auto OE’s technology development is of course confidential between all OE’s and innovators. For example, a key deliverable for in car communication and connectivity voice communication which unfortunately still has a long way to go despite the improvements in Ford SYNC and other technologies.

White current technology allows you to remotely start your vehicle, unlock the doors, check the fuel level, and much more from your smartphone that cannot really be termed as In Car Connectivity.

Monitoring your vital signs by linking up to a fitness band or other wearable or if the car detects you’re nodding off, the vehicle can react automatically. Or, if your fitness band detects an increase in heart rate, adaptive cruise control may kick in and give you more breathing room from the car ahead of you.

With aging population monitoring Health & Wellness while driving has also been a focus. However, consumer demand is still low for monitoring driver’s physical and mental state.

For more information contact designhmi@gmail.com

____________________________________________________________________