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n connected car news are Toyoda, Caresoft, Uptake, DTNA, Targa Telematics & BMW
In this Article
LED Interior Alerts
Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. (TOKYO:7282) has developed an LED driver alert lighting system that adds an alert function to decorative lighting. This system is used on the new Toyota Prius.
Toyoda Gosei has been developing high value-added products that combine electronic components with its core rubber and plastic technology. Adding functions for communication between vehicle and occupants via LED lighting (human-machine interface system) to the steering wheel, instrument panel and other cockpit products contributes to the creation of more secure and comfortable mobile spaces.
The new LED driver alert lighting system visually alerts drivers using strong light at times such as when they remain stopped at an intersection without noticing that the vehicle in front of them has moved forward, or before the vehicle’s automatic deceleration system begins operating when a pedestrian or some obstacle is detected. The brightness of the strong light used to alert the driver is about 30 times higher than conventional decorative lighting. The light distribution design uses a light guide to direct the light toward the driver’s seat, so that it is easily noticeable by the driver even during the day.
Caresoft Iceberg Bennchmarking
Caresoft Global, a global engineering company specializing in automotive benchmarking and engineering solutions, announced the release of its Iceberg Benchmarking System 3.0, the latest edition of the company’s comprehensive and scalable enterprise platform for accessing and creating teardown data for full vehicles.
Today, auto OEMs are experiencing significant competitive challenges, including inflation and supply chain issues, and the need to reduce costs has never been greater. Therefore benchmarking data has taken on even more significant importance as it can provide actionable insights that will allow OEMs to make informed decisions regarding their product designs based on benchmarking data.
“Our customers have told us that while they can get significant benchmarking data from similar platforms, what they need most are system-level insights of the vehicles studied and recommendations regarding design efficiencies they can incorporate into their vehicles,” said Terry J. Woychowski, President, Caresoft Global. “Data without critical insights will not provide the analytics necessary for OEMs to make sound decisions ensuring that they have optimized their systems and developed the fittest designs achievable. Customers want to be able to understand how the data can help them optimize their products and their businesses. By unlocking the power of focused benchmarking data—and letting companies put those insights to actionable use—the Iceberg Benchmarking System 3.0 stands to make a major impact on R&D and product development programs globally.”
The new Iceberg 3.0 takes data analysis to new heights with its advanced cross-referencing capabilities. Users can access Iceberg Benchmarking System 3.0 and compare data in fine detail, perform analytics, and export information in the format that suits them best. This system represents a significant advancement in data analysis, going beyond just being an upgrade to delivering a paradigm shift in how data is processed and understood.
The latest enhancements in the Iceberg Benchmarking System 3.0 include the following:
- A fully integrated Analytics Module that provides mass, material, and parts analytics for each vehicle and its configuration. All information in Iceberg is transformed into data points, including the entire electrical data catalog, to facilitate comparisons. Customizable exports allow users to configure the data as they wish and export it as spreadsheets.
- A new Global System Wide Search, which offers granular insights and searches by vehicles, parts, or documents, as well as searches by materials used or the material subgroup. Standard parts can be viewed or removed, and parts can be cross-referenced across other studies to determine similar parts used in other vehicles.
- Improved data management, allowing users to access many of the data packages that are organized in a hierarchical structure for better-benchmarking insights.
- A Similar Parts feature allows users to discover similar parts across the vehicles and compare.
- Iceberg 3.0 now offers users the ability to measure components with teardown photographs, and an improved online 3D viewer, along with the ability to group vehicle structure by manufacturer or materials, hide standard parts from the structure, cross-reference parts across other advanced studies, and many such feature upgrades have helped users to view the data as they wish.
Over the last few years, Caresoft has redefined conventional ideas about benchmarking, moving away from raw data to provide rich, synthesized insights that have directly influenced R&D, product development, and cost-optimization pursuits for companies worldwide. The Iceberg Benchmarking System 3.0 represents the next evolutionary stage in that project.
Uptake SaaS for DTNA
Uptake, a leader in predictive analytics software-as-a-service (SaaS), has entered into a commercial agreement with Daimler Truck North America LLC (DTNA), a leading manufacturer and provider of commercial vehicle products, services and technologies. The agreement will enable the use of innovative data-as-a-service (DaaS) technology to power Uptake Fleet, Uptake’s comprehensive predictive maintenance and work order analytics technology for the transportation industry.
Through this DaaS agreement and upon customer consent, DTNA will facilitate streaming of the necessary data to power Uptake Fleet. Uptake will administer the technology to help fleets optimize vehicle lifecycles and reduce repair costs using predictive vehicle maintenance. By analyzing information from subsystem sensors and work orders, Uptake can predict vehicle problems well in advance of a fault code and recommend corrective actions before they lead to costly repairs, delays or roadside breakdowns.
“Trucking companies are facing unprecedented challenges today, from delays in acquiring parts to labor shortages and rising repair and maintenance costs,” said Kayne Grau, CEO of Uptake. “Since its inception, Uptake has been focused on connecting data, assets and operators. Our agreement with DTNA will provide our customers and partners with even more data-driven insights to ensure fleets are fully operational, safe and reliable.”
Uptake will deploy 65 data-science models to help DTNA customers save money by minimizing their number of unplanned maintenance events. Uptake Fleet also offers real-time intelligence on the performance of individual vehicle parts and subsystems. Using predictive maintenance, operators buy only the parts they need when they need them, and tailor repair schedules to individual vehicles based on their actual usage.
Targa Telematics & BMW
Targa Telematics – a technology company specializing in the development of IoT solutions and digital platforms for connected mobility – has signed a strategic partnership with BMW to expand its portfolio of solutions for connected mobility.
Thanks to this agreement, Targa Telematics is able to integrate a stream of connected car data also from BMW and MINI vehicles directly into its platform. This enables the company to provide its customers with an advanced suite of GDPR compliant telematics solutions, without the operational overhead of installing aftermarket hardware into the vehicles.
Following similar agreements with other manufacturers in the automotive sector, this new collaboration allows Targa Telematics to strengthen its focus on global data integration. In the automotive market, the number of hardware solutions installed on-board by car manufacturers in the latest models is significantly increasing. This is why the IT company is aiming to integrate the data streams produced by in-car systems of all manufacturers, with who it is signing various partnerships. The connected car is a crucial trend in the automotive industry and Targa Telematics is one of the leading companies in car manufacturer data.
The objective of Targa Telematics is to be able to provide fleet managers and drivers with more and more digital services, simplifying the provisioning process in vehicles.