Advanced vehicle electronics are at the forefront of customer choice and a key differentiating feature in the final purchase-choice of a new vehicle. The days of overwhelming dashboards with standardized dials, buttons, dials and sliders are being quickly replaced with a consumer demand for meaningful driving information systems delivered with the same speed, accuracy and simplicity as their personal digital devices.
In this context Continental, the international automotive supplier, is committed to bringing consumers’ digital lifestyle into the vehicle in a safe, responsible manner that assists the driver in increasing attention and awareness of the task of driving. Continental is at the core of all critical developments needed for seamless connectivity. They provide technologies ranging from intelligent antenna modules and telematics units to Ethernet based vehicle electronics architecture, complete infotainment systems, head-up displays and touchpads,
“Mobile phones, tablets, laptops and even game controllers have heightened consumers’ expectations regarding intuitive, useful connectivity as well as the speed and simplicity of user interfaces,” says Mr. Helmut Matschi, Continental board member and head of the global Interior Division. “Continental is committed to assisting carmakers meet and exceed their customers’ expectations through responsible in-vehicle information management solutions that increase driver awareness, not detract from it. Our goal is for in-vehicle information to act as a digital companion to support the driver and passengers in their needs and increase the safety surrounding the act of driving.”
Next Generation Infotainment:
Bringing cloud computing into the vehicle the next generation infotainment system allows for services that enhance the entertainment experience as well as driving safety. Continental is using a Genivi conformant system that is capable of using HTML 5 for new automotive Apps. With this package the platform features functions such as a cloud media player and it is ready for vehicle-to-X communications, making it possible to report safety-critical information like a traffic incident automatically to the Cloud or other Vehicles. Speech input, touchscreen, touchpad and gesture recognition make operating the infotainment system easy and intuitive.
Touchpad:
Integrated in the Genivi based infotainment system, Continental’s Touchpad technology allows drivers to control the system in a similar way to their laptop or tablet, again bringing their preferred and accepted user interface from their everyday digital life into the vehicle. Replacing knobs, buttons and slider controls, the touchpad features a capacitive multitouch surface that allows drivers to control the system through finger movement and through character and gesture recognition, greatly simplifying the user interface and reducing the amount of distraction by giving adaptive haptic feedback.
Combiner Head-up Display Unit:
One of the most effective ways to reduce distraction is to bring critical information, such as speed, navigation and alerts directly into the drivers field of vision. Continental’s wide range of head-up displays (HUD) simplify the information exchange with the driver, reducing the frequency and duration that the eyes leave the road to obtain driving critical information. Once only found in high end vehicles due to cost, Continental has developed the combiner HUD unit that comes packaged with its own display screen. This breakthrough greatly reduces costs for system integration in the car and allows a high volume access to the simplified integration across carlines, making HUD technology applicable for almost all price points of vehicles.
AutoLinQ for Electric Vehicles:
A perfect example of intuitive application of telematics that mirrors the empowerment customers feel and expect in their everyday digital life provided through smart phone Apps. AutoLinQ for Electric Vehicles empowers drivers to get “live” information from their electric vehicle, including charge status, range, remaining charging time and much more. Through direct information exchange with the vehicle, as well as cloud based services, it even enables the user to control the charging of the vehicle’s drive battery remotely. This technology provides a big step towards making the usage of electric vehicles as spontaneous, autonomous and flexible as conventional vehicles with internal combustion engines.
“Information can be a driver’s best companion as long as it is relevant, accurate and delivered in a way that allows the driver to receive benefits from it, not be distracted by it,” added Matschi. “Continental’s telematics and HMI experts around the globe are developing and delivering the next steps for in-vehicle information management, bringing the idea of the vehicle as a digital companion to life.”
