There were some interesting connected car announcements at the Geneva International Motor Show about connected car features. The subjects included smart tires with apps, ADAS live maps, active steering on luxury vehicles, autonomous driving and new concept cars.
New Volvo Steers Clear with New Safety
Volvo Cars revealed the long-awaited new XC60 premium SUV at the Geneva Motor Show. The new car replaces Volvo’s highly-successful original XC60 with more advanced safety features Steer Assist has been added to theCity Safety system. A new safety system called Oncoming Lane Mitigation uses steer assist to help mitigate head-on collisions, while Volvo’s Blind Spot Indication System (BLIS) now uses Steer Assist functionality to reduce the risk of lane-changing collisions.
Cloud-Connected Tires
You’ve heard of smart connected cars, now there are smart connected tires and there’s an app for your tire. At the Geneva Motor Show Pirelli announed the Pirelli Connesso: a platform integrated into P Zero or Winter Sottozero tires available for the Replacement market (either plain black or colored) which communicates with the driver via an app, using a sensor embedded in the internal wall of the tire. This app supplies vital information on how the tire is working, as well as offering a series of personalized services.
The launch version of the Pirelli Connesso system recognizes each tire’s identification code, monitoring its status from manufacture in the factory to recycling at the end of life. It measures tire pressure and temperature even when the car is at rest, plus static vertical load, tire wear, number of kilometers covered for each tire, and, in a future version, the estimated remaining life in kilometers, as well as acting as a remote pressure gauge when tires are being inflated, providing a true and accurate reading without having to wait for the tires to cool down. Furthermore, Pirelli Connesso also alerts the driver when the pressure of one or more tires drops too low, or when the wear limit is approaching. In both cases, the app identifies the closest tire dealership and can directly book an appointment to rectify the pressures, or pre-order and change worn tires, cutting down on waiting time.
Compared to other on-board tire pressure monitoring systems currently used (TPMS), Pirelli Connesso works both when the car is at rest as well as when it is moving. In a future version, Connesso will also be able detect a drop in pressure remotely and immediately make arrangements for any new tires or maintenance needed, directly in the place where the car is parked. This type of functionality, which allows predictive tire management, has been developed by Pirelli’s engineers not only to satisfy the requirements of individual users, but also those of fleets and car sharing services.
The Connesso app will offer exclusive services such as indicating which motorsport events are taking place nearby, as well as giving the possibility to write reviews of tire dealerships, in order to share opinions of service received and read the views of other users in the Pirelli Connesso community.
Dynamic Maps
At the Geneva Motor Show, HARMAN International announced an industry-first solution for automakers that addresses the problem of stagnant map data for embedded navigation and ADAS systems, called HARMAN’s new dynamic map layers solution, powered by HARMAN’s compute platform, dynamically identifies differences between on-board map data and real-world information being captured through a vehicle’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), navigation system and on-board sensors. The solution is already deployed in the market with a major German automaker.
The dynamic map layers solution uses data collected from cameras and other car sensors to recognize road signs from the surrounding environment and compares it with the digital map information from the onboard navigation system. If a difference is detected, the information is anonymized and sent to the cloud, where HARMAN’s scalable cloud platform analyzes the data collected from other similarly-equipped production vehicles. Using spatial machine learning techniques, the solution can then, in real-time, deliver critical updates back to the road network. Taking ADAS and navigation to the next level, map layers also updates vehicles with critical map details to ensure that the connected car and its driver are up to date about road conditions ahead.
The solution will keep ADAS and navigation systems up-to-date with speed limit changes, warn drivers of upcoming construction zones and any other signs they may encounter on the road.
Autonomous IONIQ in Geneva
After its successful test drives on the streets of Las Vegas, Hyundai Motor brings its Autonomous IONIQ model as an exhibit to the Geneva Motor Show 2017.
Hyundai Motor has fitted the LiDAR hardware behind the autonomous IONIQ’s front bumper rather than using the typical roof-mounted approach, retaining the new car’s sleek design. The car’s advanced self-driving systems are kept as simple as possible by integrating existing functions from the production model, including the Smart Cruise Control system’s forward-facing radar and Lane Keeping Assist cameras.
The system also uses a GPS antenna to search for a location of each vehicle and high-definition mapping software delivers pinpoint accuracy for location, road gradient and curvature, plus lane width and indication data. In addition, a Blind Spot Detection radar ensures that even simple lane changes are executed safely.
Innovative Concept: Segula
Segula Technologies is accelerating the development of innovations in order to improve the safety of road users Its latest innovation will be presented as a worldwide first onboard its concept car, the Hagora Pulse. The new connected features are:
- Pedestrian detection and visual feedback. The system of cameras embedded in the windscreen identify the passenger about to cross in front of the car, takes control of the vehicle, and informs the pedestrian that he/she may cross, through a visual displayed on the front fender
- E-sense monitors the medical health of the vehicle’s occupants through sensors incorporated into the cockpit (steering wheel, seats) in order to accelerate medical care if necessary.
- V2V, one solution based on LiFi technology, integrated into the optics, enables the constant transmission of information between vehicles, thus preventing any pile-ups.
- Gesture commands, combined with augmented reality, promote the display of information on the windscreen by a simple movement of the driver’s head, without removing hands from the steering wheel, nor taking eyes off the road, thus increasing the level of safety while driving.
New Lexus Battery Tech & Ped Intuition
The LS 500h is fitted with a compact, lightweight, lithium-ion hybrid battery. It is 20 per cent smaller than the nickel-metal hydride unit featured in the current Lexus LS 600h, yet has a higher power density. It increases the luggage capacity by 25 l (versus LS 600h).
Using lithium-ion technology has also reduced the component’s weight, helping reduce the car’s overall mass, thus supporting overall fuel economy, emissions performance and handling balance.
It is the first Lexus hybrid battery to feature a satellite construction design, in which the cell voltage monitoring function has been made separate from the battery ECU. This allows for efficient use of what would otherwise be empty space inside the battery pack to house the wiring harness and battery cooling blower, thus reducing the unit’s overall dimensions. The cooling blower itself has been made more powerful and thinner in size.
The LS is equipped with the Lexus Safety System+ includes the world’s first intuitive pedestrian detection function with active steering. If a pedestrian is detected on the road ahead and a collision is imminent, this system will automatically apply the car’s brakes and steer around the person, while keeping to its traffic lane. The driver will be alerted to the system’s operation by a warning on the color head-up display.