10 technologies that can make cars "smart"

    Automobile intelligence is a general concept, but when broken down by functionality, automobile intelligence technology can bring many benefits to drivers, such as increased driving safety, saved travel time, improved fuel efficiency, and better in-car entertainment experience. This article will review the most advanced automobile intelligence technologies, with which your car can be "instantly intelligent"!

1. Automatic parking: Relieve parking pressure

    The automatic parking system can be regarded as one of the components of the autonomous driving technology system. Large automakers such as Ford and Volvo have launched similar technologies this year, and even parts manufacturer ZF has launched its parking application.

    Ford's fully automatic parking assist uses ultrasonic sensors to scan the vertical and diagonal positions of parking spaces when the vehicle speed is 18 km/h or less, giving the driver enough reaction time to avoid driving past the parking space. The driver can control the vehicle through a remote control device inside or outside the car. Vehicles equipped with fully automatic parking assist will automatically steer, accelerate, brake, and automatically drive the vehicle into the parking space based on the guidance system related to cameras and sensors. "Imagine that you are driving into a parking lot, and there is only one parking space left. When you park the vehicle, there is no space to open the door," said Scott Fosgard, a spokesman for Ford, at a press conference. "In this case, this (fully automatic parking assist) will help the driver 'get out of trouble'. The driver does not need to be in the car, and the vehicle can automatically drive in or out of the parking space 100% of the time."

    The automatic parking systems launched by other car companies basically use the same principle, but the types of sensors and installation locations are different.

    But ZF's parking app is different. In the company's test field, there is a car with a trailer attached to the rear. Generally speaking, "two-stage" vehicles connected to a trailer are more difficult to park in a garage because the front and rear sections turn in opposite directions when reversing. ZF's Smart Trailer Parking app is implemented through a smartphone, and the transmission is selected as forward or reverse gear by touch, and the speed is selected. After these settings are completed, the user can use his finger to drag the body of the car on the screen according to his wishes, and at the same time, the trailer in the parking lot will move with his finger. The driver does not need to operate the vehicle himself at all to park the vehicle correctly in the garage.

2. Smartwatch: seamless connection with vehicle systems

    Mercedes-Benz launched the Pebble smartwatch at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show and launched the accompanying Digital DriveStyle application.

    The Pebble smartwatch is equivalent to the "second display" of the driver's smartphone. This innovative wearable device unveils a new way to configure the connected car. For example, when the driver is outside the vehicle, he can get information such as the remaining fuel, door lock status, vehicle location, etc. from the Pebble watch. When the driver is in the car, the watch display will automatically switch, and through V2V technology, it can remind the driver of the road conditions ahead and issue a vibration prompt. In addition, users can activate the Digital DriveStyle functions according to their preferences through different buttons, such as reporting accidents, route planning, Siri voice system activation, remote multimedia control, and displaying surrounding road conditions.

3. “Driver Awareness Exploration” technology: route planning before the driver enters the car

    At the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show, Toyota launched a "Driver Awareness Exploration" concept car, DAR-V. Through the touch screen installed on the side window glass of this car, the driver can obtain information such as traffic, weather, and appointments before setting off, and even mark the location of gas stations passed by on the road. Through the remote control, multiple planned tasks during the trip can be planned on the window display. Toyota said that if these "daily tasks" are planned before the driver enters the car, the driver can focus more on the driving process.

    The purpose of this technology is not only to minimize the damage when an accident occurs, but also to eliminate the possibility of accidents from the source. It is using a new technical approach to minimize the chance of drivers being distracted while driving.

    In addition, the DAR-V system can distinguish different occupants in the car and reduce driver distraction through other methods. For example, when children are playing in the car, the system will automatically tighten the child's seat belt. This relieves the pressure on parents to balance road conditions and children's behavior while driving.

4. SMS lock system: suppress driver distraction

    With the rapid development of in-car entertainment information technology, the hidden danger of distracted driving is gradually emerging. Sprint has long been concerned about the issue of sending and receiving text messages while driving, and has launched an innovative tool that can lock the text messaging function while the vehicle is driving. The device plugs into the vehicle panel through the vehicle's OBD II diagnostic interface. It can lock the text messaging and web browsing functions of the smartphone connected to the vehicle system. At this time, if the phone receives a text message, it will be stored and the owner can read it when the car is parked. In addition, the owner can set the device to automatically reply with statements such as "I am driving now, I will reply later".

    "Relevant studies have also shown that texting while driving is more likely to cause an accident than drinking a bottle of wine," said Nathan George, vice president of technology at telematics provider Modus, which partnered with Sprint to develop the text lock device.

    The biggest advantage of this system is that it plugs directly into the car's OBD II port, rather than a mobile phone app, so there is no need to worry about low battery. In addition, it will remain in an "always on" state and users cannot turn it off or disable it.

5. Gesture recognition/body sensing technology: Execute various interior functions by making various gestures in the air

    Not long ago, Google announced that it had applied for a patent for a gesture-based self-driving car. This further promoted the pace of application of self-driving cars. This gesture-based self-driving car patent can adjust the air-conditioning fan speed, air-conditioning temperature, radio volume, wipers, driver's seat and window glass position according to the driver's gestures, just like the working principle of Kinect. The technology comes from the innovative company Flutter, which has been acquired by Google.

    This autonomous vehicle gesture system includes at least one 3D depth camera installed on the top of the car interior and a laser scanner to detect and record the driver's gesture changes at all times. The gesture sensing area of ​​this autonomous vehicle gesture system is specific. The fan speed can be controlled by sliding up and down on the vents, and the temperature can be controlled by sliding left and right; tapping the speaker gently can turn down the radio volume, and raising your fingers and placing them near your ears can completely turn off the audio and video system. In addition, "waving your arm in the neutral position on the left side of the driver" can raise the driver's seat position. Flutter also stated that it will continue to develop a gesture control system based on the size of the gesture, with the aim of realizing the functions of "pause", "next song" and "previous song" for the audio and video system.

6. Intermodal navigation: In addition to route planning, it also provides other transportation options

    BMW and INRIX recently announced that they will be equipping the BMW i3 and i8 models with the first in-car "Intermodal Navigation" system. The new navigation system integrates public transportation options into the journey planning of the ConnectedDrive system.

    The intermodal navigation system will analyze the real-time traffic conditions and remind the driver to use a more convenient means of transportation to reach the destination when the surrounding traffic is extremely congested. In addition, the system will also indicate the bus stop closest to the current location. While providing optional public transportation, it will compare the bus schedule with the current time to provide the driver with the most time-saving solution.

    In addition to route planning and public transportation options, INRIX also offers INRIX EV Services for the i3 and i8 models. This service allows drivers to know the distance between their current location and their destination, and provides the most optimized route based on the remaining battery level in the vehicle, terrain and congestion, and also indicates the location of charging stations along the way.

    The INRIX public transportation database contains bus and train schedules and station locations in 17 countries. The INRIX EV service and Lianyun navigation service can update the database at any time through the Internet, including the latest charging station locations and schedule time adjustments.

7. Laser headlights: Combined with matrix LED light technology, it saves energy while improving safety

    BMW previously announced that it will use laser headlight technology for the first time on the BMW i8. Coincidentally, Audi also recently released its Sport quattro laserlight concept car equipped with laser headlight technology.

    The light emitted by laser headlights is different from traditional lights. It is a monochromatic light - compared with other lights, it has only one wavelength. This means stronger light intensity and focusing performance. BMW claims that the illumination distance of laser headlights can reach up to 600 meters, which is three times that of LED lights. Due to the high efficiency of lasers, less energy is required at the input end, which means lower energy consumption of the vehicle's electrical system. Compared with the square light-emitting modules in LED lights, the light-emitting modules in laser headlights are only one hundredth of the volume, providing more variability in the structural design of the headlights.

    The headlight system of the Audi Sport quattro laserlight concept car combines matrix LED technology with laser technology and uses dual light groups. The outer light group uses matrix LED and a perforated baffle to generate low beam, while the inner light group uses laser as high beam. The powerful laser diode (LD) has a diameter of only a few microns and is significantly smaller than LED, but the laser high beam can reach a range of 500 meters, which is about twice that of LED high beam, and the brightness is about three times that of the latter.

8. Automatic lane change technology: Let the car change lanes and overtake by itself

    BMW and its supplier Continental are preparing to conduct large-scale road tests on a new technology that will allow vehicles to change lanes automatically without the driver's manual intervention. They hope the technology will be available in production cars within three to five years.

    BMW's plan heralds the advent of the "hands-free car" era. In the future, automatic lane change technology will surely extend from a few luxury cars to the mass market. The test fleet will test automatic acceleration, deceleration and lane change technology at speeds below 130 kilometers per hour. When this technology is installed in mass-produced cars, the maximum speed allowed will be reduced, generally on highways with slightly worse road conditions. BMW is likely to use this technology as an upgrade configuration for its current driver assistance package.

    In addition to BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and other automakers also hope to add more advanced functions to the current driver assistance system. Hands-free lane-changing technology allows vehicles to automatically change lanes and overtake on highways that are not smooth.

9. Pedestrian detection technology based on wireless networks: can "see" through obstacles to find the road conditions ahead

    GM is currently developing a new pedestrian detection technology that allows the car to automatically take evasive action before the driver sees pedestrians or other road users ahead. The system is based on a Wi-Fi Direct network, which does not relay through a shared road signal base station, but uses a point-to-point wireless network mode to allow smartphones to directly obtain information.

    GM researchers have determined that Wi-Fi Direct networks can be integrated with other sensor-based object detection and driver alert systems to detect road users who are also equipped with smartphones and support Wi-Fi Direct networks, enabling point-to-point detection. The Wi-Fi Direct system uses point-to-point communication technology, eliminating the delay of the mobile phone receiving information from the intermediate base station. Generally, it takes 7 to 8 seconds for a mobile phone to obtain information from a communication base station, while using point-to-point technology it takes less than 1 second to obtain the location information of another mobile phone user equipped with the same network. Of course, all users need to keep their mobile phones connected to the Internet.

10. Driver health detection technology: The car performs corresponding functions according to the driver's condition

    Recent road safety surveys show that the United States is experiencing more crashes and more fatalities than ever before; some of the blame lies with drivers suffering from health problems.

    Some automakers have proposed a solution to this problem: developing car health monitoring functions to diagnose the driver's health status, and sending timely reminders or sending the driver to the hospital for rescue when the driver has sudden health problems. However, in the next decade, this situation may change: cars will have the following functions: diagnose the driver's health status, determine whether the driver is currently suitable for driving, and help avoid traffic accidents caused by health risks; in complex driving conditions, play soothing and cheerful music to adjust the driver's mood. The Ford S-Max concept car has such intelligent functions that can diagnose the owner's heart rate and blood sugar level.

    Toyota engineer Hideki Hada revealed that another possible function of future cars is to monitor the driver's pulse. The automotive industry is still in the experimental stage in this regard, and the main idea is to read the pulse rate through the driver's hand holding the steering wheel. "In some cases, this method is not applicable, such as when the driver wears gloves, the driver is accustomed to constantly changing the position of the hand, and the surrounding environment is constantly changing."