infotainment / telematics / internet of...
TRANSCRIPT
Issue3 / November 2015 Video Enabled
INFOTAINMENT / TELEMATICS / INTERNET OF EVERYTHING
IS CONNECTED CAR IMPORTANT TOTHE GLOBAL NETWORK OPERATOR?Connected Car talks to Matt Key, CommercialDirector, Vodafone M2M
NEW VOLVO PLATFORM DELIVERSCONNECTED CAR EXPERIENCEVince Holton talks to Volvo’s connected car team
CONNECTING PEOPLE AND THINGSSINCE 1876!An interview with Konstantin Zervas, Director ofBusiness Development at Ericsson
FCA RESPONDS TO HACK ATTACKPan-industry realisation that security has to come first
BLUETOOTH AUDIO FRAGMENTATIONIN AUTOMOTIVE ENVIRONMENTSNextGen discusses audio fragmentation and how itmanifests in the vehicle
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CONTACT DETAILS:Publisher/Editor-in-chief:Vince Holton · [email protected]: +44 (0)7850 544445
NextGen Contact:Andor Miles-Board [email protected] Telephone: +44 (0)3331 120 000www.nextgen-technology.com
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INTRODUCTIONFROM THE EDITOR
ello, and welcome to the third issue of Connected Car magazine. In recent weeks the automotive sector has been over-shadowed by
news of Volkswagen’s attempts to rig vehicle emission data recording.
There is no question that this story will run and run, and that there willalmost certainly be wider-reaching implications than we realise today.While emissions are not part of Connected Car’s remit, we are veryinterested indeed in the way that car manufacturers capture, manage andshare the data that is being generated by their cars. Taking things to thenext level, we are also concerned with the way that unscrupulous hackersmay be trying to access that data, and their attempts to gain access tovehicle control systems.
In this area, the most visible manufacturer is Fiat Chrysler Automobiles(FCA), which, as most of the automotive and tech world knows, has beenthe subject of an orchestrated hack attack. Two ambitious security pro’sdecided to publicly demonstrate the vulnerability of current spec JeepCherokee SUVs by infiltrating the car’s control systems via the (Harman)infotainment system.
FCA responded with due briskness, but the implication of the two ‘culprits’seems to be that they were merely making visible the tip of an iceberg.There are doubtless other examples of vulnerability across the autoindustry.
In this issue of Connected Car I took a look at how security issues in theautomotive sector mirror, or at least follow in the footsteps of, similarexperiences in the computing sector. Today, we don’t think about howpoorly served consumers and businesses were by the leading techcompanies - just a few years ago - when it came to protecting our dataand our systems. Can the car industry learn lessons from the Information,Communications and Technology (ICT) sector? Yes, it probably can. And itneeds to do so very quickly, and to take security very seriously.
Meanwhile, NextGen looks at audio fragmentation, and how it manifestsitself in the vehicle and with peripheral devices connected to the mobiledevice when streaming audio, and updates the Top Handset Releases byRegion data that is included in every issue.
Elsewhere in this issue we have great interviews with Ericsson, Volvo andVodafone, and with the help of BMW and Volvo we have new ConnectedCar video productions to keep you informed and entertained. We willcontinue to grow our video archive over the coming months.
Vince HoltonEditorConnected Car
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F E AT U R E S
Interviewing Volvo’s connected carteam plus new XC90 connectivityvideo feature
Automotive IoT: Connected Car talksto Matt Key, Commercial Director,Vodafone M2M
FCA is centre-stage as vehiclehacking hits the headlines, but arethere lessons to be learned from thecomputer sector?
Automotive Bluetooth issues:Bluetooth audio fragmentation
An interview with Konstantin Zervas,Director of Business Development,Ericsson
S H O W C A S E
Connected car video review
S U B S C R I B E
Subscribe free of charge toConnected Car magazine
I N D U S T RY D ATA
Access quarterly updated tableslisting the cellphones that carmanufacturers should be most awareof, region by region
E V E N T S
A round-up of significant connectedcar events happening around theworld.
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CONTENTS
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INTEL REVIEWSAUTOMOTIVECYBERSECURITY BESTPRACTICES
With a view to mitigating cybersecurityrisks associated with connectedautomobiles while encouragingtechnological progression andinnovation, Intel has announced theestablishment of an Automotive SecurityReview Board (ASRB). The board willapparently encompass top securityindustry talent across the globe withparticular areas of expertise in cyber-physical systems. The ASRB researcherswill perform ongoing security tests andaudits intended to codify best practicesand design recommendations foradvanced cybersecurity solutions andproducts to benefit the automobileindustry and drivers. Intel alsopublished the first version of itsautomotive cybersecurity best practiceswhite paper, which the company willcontinue to update based on ASRBfindings.
Chris Young, senior vice president andgeneral manager of Intel Security toldConnected Car, "We can, and must, raisethe bar against cyberattacks inautomobiles. With the help of the ASRB,Intel can establish security best practicesand encourage that cybersecurity is anessential ingredient in the design ofevery connected car. Few things aremore personal than our safety while onthe road, making the ASRB the right ideaat the right time."
Intel will provide the ASRB with itsautomotive development platforms onwhich to conduct research. Findings willthen be published publicly as part of anongoing process. To motivate the ASRBresearchers, Intel will award a new car tothe member who provides the mostsignificant and impactful cybersecuritycontribution that can be implemented onIntel's automotive platform.
See also ‘FCA responds to hack attack’on p15.
ERICSSON CONNECTEDVEHICLE CLOUD WINS 2015 LTEAWARD
Ericsson’s Connected Vehicle Cloud wasrecognized for a 2015 LTE Award at therecent LTE World Summit in Amsterdam.Winning in the category of Most InnovativeLTE Application, Connected Vehicle Cloudwas highlighted for achieving innovation inthe global LTE industry.
Ericsson suggests that mobile broadband ischanging how consumers interact with theworld around them. Powered by the cloud,the connected car promises to extend thisinteractive dynamic to drivers andpassengers on the road. Ericsson isforecasting that Connected Vehicle Cloudwill deliver a significant opportunity forstakeholders in the automotive ecosystem toreach drivers and passengers in new ways.
Konstantin Zervas, Director BusinessDevelopment, IoT Solutions, Ericsson, andinterviewed by Connected Car elsewhere inthis issue said: “The rapidly evolvingNetworked Society encompasses billions ofconnected people and devices in anincreasingly mobile world, with cloud-basedaccess to everything. The connected vehicleis the newest frontier for the networkedsociety that is emerging from thisconfluence of mobility, broadband and thecloud.”
Ericsson’s position is that Connected VehicleCloud builds on today’s telecom networkcapabilities and is intended to deliverimproved quality of experience, creatingnew business opportunities for theautomotive ecosystem and new M2Mrevenue streams for operators. The companyclaims that it is the most completeConnected Car platform in the globalautomotive industry, connecting vehiclesand their occupants with automotivemanufacturers, dealers, traffic authorities,network operators, repair shops, supportcentres, app developers, content providers,media agencies and other types of business.
See Connected Car interview with Ericsson’sKonstantin Zervas on p23.
BOSCH JOINS KO-HAFRESEARCH INITIATIVE
Bosch has joined forces with a number ofother suppliers, automakers, and public-sector partners to launch the “cooperativehighly automated driving” (Ko-HAF)research initiative, which aims to pushforward the development of automateddriving. The publicly funded project willtackle the challenges of highly-automateddriving, in which drivers no longer needto be constantly vigilant. But for this tohappen, technical precautions arenecessary. Dr. Dieter Rödder, head of thefuture mobility systems unit at Bosch'scorporate research and advanceengineering told Connected Car, “Highlyautomated vehicles rely on informationabout their surroundings – informationwhich supplements the data collected bytheir own sensors.” Within the frameworkof the Ko-HAF project, Bosch has assumedprimary responsibility for developing abackend solution for collecting andmaking available such information.
The backend solution is based on vehiclescommunicating wirelessly with a centralserver. For the duration of the project, avariety of vehicles belonging to thedifferent project partners will collect thedata. Along with information on objects inthe road, this also includes data on theexistence and quality of lane markings.An expanded digital map will then bemade available for the vehicles todownload. This will enable them to beinformed in plenty of time about traffichazards behind a bend or just over thecrest of a hill.
In a separate announcement, ConnectedCar learned that international automotivesupplier Continental is taking on thecoordination efforts of the Ko-HAFresearch project.
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GERMAN CAR MAKERS BUYMAP SERVICE FROM NOKIA
Audi, BMW and Daimler have agreed withNokia Corporation that they will acquireits mapping and location services businessHERE. The acquisition is intended tosecure the long term availability of HERE’sproducts and services as an open,independent and value creating platformfor cloud-based maps and other mobilityservices accessible to all customers fromthe automotive industry and other sectors.The three partners will each hold an equalstake in HERE; none of them is seeking toacquire a majority interest.
A joint statement from the threecompanies said that HERE is laying thefoundations for the next generation ofmobility and location based services. Forthe automotive industry this is the basisfor new assistance systems and ultimatelyfully autonomous driving. Extremelyprecise digital maps will be used incombination with real-time vehicle data inorder to increase road safety and tofacilitate innovative new products andservices. On the basis of the shared rawdata, the companies believe that allautomobile manufacturers can offer theircustomers differentiated and brand-specific services.
The social benefits of what is being called‘swarm intelligence’ are enormous: Theyfacilitate warnings of hazards in real time,of icy roads for example, based oncalculations of individual data such asABS activations and outside temperature.Upcoming traffic jams will be identifiedmore precisely in the future, significantlyreducing the risk of accidents. In this way,the vision of accident-free driving isgradually becoming reality. In a furtherstage, the data could be used to learn aboutcritical bends on the road, in order to warndrivers in good time or to activateassistance systems. Anticipation of greenphases of stoplights could navigatevehicles through an urban area on a “greenwave” with the appropriate engineperformance and minimized fuelconsumption.
High-precision maps are important forautonomous driving and many otherforms of assistance systems, as thesetechnologies require an up-to-date plan ofa vehicle’s surroundings exact to thenearest centimetre, in order to react in realtime. While HERE is said to alreadyproduce extremely precise static maps,they can be verified more exactly andcontinually updated with a constant flowof data from vehicles’ surroundings.
FCA US DEMOCRATISESADVANCED DRIVER-ASSISTTECHNOLOGIES
FCA US is expanding the number of itsvehicles that feature Full-Speed ForwardCollision Warning-Plus as standard. Thissystem combines radar and cameratechnologies – an innovation oncereserved for luxury-brand vehicles, saysFCA.
Full-Speed Forward Collision Warning-Plus doesn’t just detect potential frontalcollision conditions. It detects, thenconfirms before activation occurs.Confirmation occurs when the twotechnologies – radar and camera – agreethat an obstacle is present, and accordingto FCA, consistently outperforms thosesystems that employ singular solutions toobject-detection.
When Full-Speed Forward CollisionWarning-Plus activates, it pre-fills thevehicle’s brakes and transmits audible andvisual warnings for the driver tointervene. No driver response triggersbrief brake application as a tactile alert.
If the driver remains unresponsive and thefrontal collision risk remains, brakingoccurs autonomously to slow the vehicleand reduce an impact’s severity. However,the system may bring the vehicle to a fullstop if a frontal collision appearsimminent at speeds below 25 miles perhour (mph).
LUXURY PHONES FOR LUXURY CARS
The second mobile handset developedby Vertu for Bentley made its debut atthis year’s Goodwood Festival ofSpeed. Vertu was formerly a division ofNokia and claims to be the world’sleading manufacturer of luxury mobilephones. Part of the five-yearpartnership between Bentley andVertu, the new Vertu Signature forBentley has been on display at anumber of key seasonal events thissummer, including the Pebble BeachConcours d’Elegance in August. It wasofficially launched on September 18.
Since its first appearance in 2002,Vertu claims that the voice-centricSignature mobile has become a luxuryicon in its own right. Although, withits simple choice of ‘call’ or ‘text’,Signature may not be the first choicefor a car driver wanting to use hisphone as a connectivity device, Vertuclaims that the Signature maintains itsappeal alongside the company’scontemporary smartphones.
Signature for Bentley ownershipincludes one year’s complimentaryaccess to Vertu Concierge offered by adedicated Lifestyle manager, providingwhat Vertu describes as ‘expertassistance designed to meet your everyneed’, 24 hours a day. Vertu Conciergeis accessed via the dedicated Vertu Key– a ruby button on the side of thehandset and is accessible via voice oremail from anywhere in the world.
Vertu Signature for Bentley is availablefor order now.
LSEWHERE IN THIS ISSUE, Connected Car magazine talkedwith Ericsson, the Swedish telecoms expert that is providing
cloud services as part of a three-way partnership in the USAinvolving Volvo Cars, AT&T and, of course, Ericsson. This is a trail-blazing initiative, and one which aligns with Volvo Cars’ apparentintent to grasp the connectivity nettle, and to set new standards ofease of use, convenience and quality user experience. ConnectedCar magazine decided to learn more from Volvo, and was able totalk directly with Volvo’s core team of connectivity experts. Volvoalso kindly loaned us an example of its new luxury SUV, the XC90,and so this feature includes a video review of the car’sinfotainment and connectivity system.
We started off by asking Volvo about the cooperation project in theUSA. This was a multi-way, fast-moving conversation with your
Connected Car writer outnumbered five to one, and with the Volvoguys all contributing to the dialogue as and when necessary. As aresult it was hard to keep up with who was saying what, and so wehope that Volvo and our readers are OK with us handling the followingfeature as a ‘Connected Car talks to Volvo’ interview rather thanidentifying who made each statement!
CC: Why did Volvo get involved with AT&T and Ericsson in the USmarket?VOLVO: We realised that the global automotive industry faces a bigchallenge with all of these new connectivity features, plus the buildingexpectation from consumers that their cars will include connectivityfeatures, just as their laptops, phones, tablets and other mobiledevices do. This is creating a problem for all of the car companies as
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CONNECTED CAR INTERVIEW
NEW VOLVO PLATFORMDELIVERS CONNECTEDCAR EXPERIENCE
Vince Holton talks to Volvo’sconnected car team.
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VOLVO CARS CONTRIBUTORS:Joakim Alfredsson, Senior Manager, R&D Infotainment & Connectivity, Electrical & Electronics Systems EngineeringDavid Holecek, Director, Connected Products and Services, MSSSascha Heiniger, Communication Manager Connected Car, Corporate CommunicationsJohan Isaksson, Senior Manager Connected Car IT Development, Group ITFredrik Hulth, Manager, R&D Connectivity & Telephony, Electrical & Electronics Systems Engineering Isac Antblad, Head of Connected Car, Group IT
we have very long, industrial-level lead times when it comes todesigning and creating our cars. And, of course, cars have a muchlonger life than the average consumer electronics device.
We realised that we had to take a new approach, and couldn’t relyon things that were just built into the car itself. We needed a smarter,more modern way of approaching things, and this is when wewondered whether we could start to offload some of the functionality tosomewhere else – somewhere outside the car – treating the car moreas an interface to functionality that resides somewhere else. Perhaps,we thought, this would be on a server somewhere, or, even better, inthe cloud environment. The goal was centred around globalconnectivity bringing new functionality to the customers more quickly,and keeping the car fresh and up to date long after it was originallyspecified and built. This concept would also allow us to enabledifferent functionality in different markets and regions.
We couldn’t just offload all of the responsibility onto the customersto try to figure everything out, and at the same time we didn’t want totry to become a mobile network operator ourselves. We realised thatwe needed strong partnerships with network operators to make thiswork. AT&T was a natural fit for us in the US market as it had goodcoverage, a lot of experience in this area and also a willingness toembrace new concepts.
The process started some time ago. We started providing telematicssolutions as far back as 2000, as the second car company to thismarket after GM with OnStar. And we were first OEM in 2010 tointroduce an app allowing our customers to remotely connect with andcontrol their car. We were also the first car company to provideconnectivity across its entire range of cars, and across all markets.We did this in 2014. Our partnership with Ericsson started in 2013with model-year 15 cars. Ericsson provides the global cloud platformand also adapts this to meet our regional needs. This is a long-termagreement, and covers not only the new cars we are launching now,but also the legacy cars that have been launched since Volvo becameinvolved in providing connectivity. The three-way project includingAT&T and Ericsson started with model-year 15 cars. Separate to theproject with Ericsson, we also have another programme in place withAT&T based around connectivity.
CC: On a day to day basis, how does the partnership with Ericsson work? VOLVO: We are using Ericsson as a service provider for the cloudsolution. The infotainment & telematics systems in the car areconnected to Ericsson’s Multiservice Delivery Platform (MSDP) cloud
environment for the connectivity solution. We work with a differentprovider for the telematics part of the solution, in this case WirelessCar.
CC: OK, and how is Volvo handling software inside the car – bothsystem level and apps? Is Ericsson involved with this at all, or areyou perhaps working with someone like QNX?VOLVO: No, we have a Tier 1 supplier that supplies us with the basicsoftware and then we have done some in-house development atVolvo. Volvo-dedicated apps that we support through our designscheme use the Ericsson platform to communicate with the outsideworld. With the new Volvo XC90, we present these apps in the centraldisplay and in the instrument cluster in front of the driver. We work infour regions – Japan, China, Europe and the US - and have scheduledabout 30 apps. At the moment we are supporting apps such asTuneIn, Pandora and Douban FM internet radio, Glympse, local searchof places such as gas stations, hotels, restaurants and more, andweather reports for all markets. We are also supporting Over the Air(OTA) upgrades to enable new functions on all cars in all markets.
CC: Do these OTA updates happen automatically, or does thecustomer have to opt-in?VOLVO: We are asking the customers whether he wants to downloadthe updates manually, or enable automatic updates. The customercontrols all of this via software that Volvo has developed which isactually downloaded to the head unit in the car, rather than running ina browser window as other car companies have done. It’s like an appstore, but without the payment element. This too will itself be updated,along with updates to things like the navigation software. We think it isvery important that we have the best possible maps software in thecar. Our customers can do these upgrades over the air if they like, orvia a USB Flash drive if they want to use a faster connection outside ofthe car.
CC: Will all of this functionality become available across the entirerange of Volvo cars?VOLVO: We are looking at all of our cars, but there are and willcontinue to be slight differences in the set-up of some of the cars andtheir systems, and we also want to tailor the offering to the differentcars. So, for example a high-end car like the XC90 SUV may featuredifferent apps and features to some of our other cars. We will base thisaround regional differences and will use the demographics of thedifferent customer groups. However, we do have a roadmap that seesus continually adding functionality to all Volvo cars.
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Click on the moviescreen here towatch ConnectedCar’s video reviewof the Volvo XC90’sOn Call system
CC: You’ve been majoring on Volvo developed and supported apps,but what is your position on people wanting to run additional third-party apps such as Spotify, for example?VOLVO: We have a multi-layered approach. There are certain coreapps that we want people to be able to use with the best possible levelof integration and the best interface, and those are the things that webuild into the car, using the cloud to distribute the code. This is wherewe do much of the development and integration in-house, alongsideour partners. We don’t just treat these companies as suppliers, webecome partners with them and develop alongside them. We thenmake sure that the consumer recognises the functionality of a specificapp as he or she has been familiar with on a smartphone or otherdevice, but at the same time the user experience will have been totallyintegrated into the Volvo design language. Achieving this quality levelof user experience is only possible by Volvo working closely with thesuppliers. Secondly, we are adding directly integrated support for thedeep functionality that Apple is providing iPhone users throughCarPlay, embedded as part of the user interface. And here we feel wehave an advantage as we are – together with Tesla – the only ones tooffer a portrait-mode screen. As a result, CarPlay will be naturallyembedded as part of the user interface, as opposed to most of ourcompetitors who have landscape format screens. In those cases, theCarPlay interface fully takes over the OEM interface, meaning that youhave to switch backwards and forwards between those two worlds,making the user experience less seamless. At the same time, we’reworking with Google to bring Android Auto into the cars as well.Finally, we also offer standard Bluetooth streaming for people wantingto use other apps or services from their smartphones.
This is how the multi-layered approach works. We will continue towork with the app developers to bring their apps into the Volvo appplatform, because while we know that CarPlay and Android Auto arequalifiers for the premium car companies, we know that we do it betterwith our own platform.
On top of this it is important that there is an integrated 3G/4Gmodule to support the connectivity aspect. The consumer can add hisor her own data plan (SIM) so that as soon as the car is switched onit is always connected to the Internet. You don’t need to have yoursmartphone with you and you don’t need to set up a Bluetooth pairingconnection. This connectivity is handled by our telematics system,which allows remote control of functions of the car such as remoteheating and cooling, locating the car, lock and unlock functionalityetc, all via a smartphone. This functionality has been in place for 5years now.
CC: Other car companies, such as Ford with SYNC and BMW withConnectedDrive, are using the smartphone as not only a controldevice for functions in the car, but are also transferring some of theprocessing functions onto the smartphone. How important do youconsider the smartphone to be as an interface between the user andthe car? In some ways Volvo is using it as a valuable and usefultool, and in some it is not.
VOLVO: We are really happy not to be in that business! It’s amaintenance headache because you need to make sure thatapplications are continually updated on the phones. We would ratherdo it on the correct side, which is on the head unit, and then we addCarPlay and Android Auto for additional customer benefits. In additionto this, the Ericsson cloud platform allows us to enable our ownservices and back-end assistance such as a connected servicebooking function, so we are not only working with third-party servicesuppliers, we are our own third-party, value added service supplier forVolvo cars.
CC: It all sounds marvellous, but as I’m sure you will know only toowell, connectivity issues are still the number one consumercomplaint according to J D Power’s research. How is Volvoaddressing these problems?VOLVO: It’s a difficult topic, that’s for sure. Since we launchedBluetooth telephony we have always had customer complaints. Itdoesn’t matter if it is our fault, or the phone company’s fault – at theend of the day the customer isn’t happy and is complaining to ourdealers. We are not alone, all car companies are experiencing this –some more than us. It is hard to see how this will not be an ongoingproblem, as software constantly needs updating from the devicemanufacturer’s side, and it is not always properly tested. What we –Volvo – can do, is to continually work to make it easier for thecustomer to understand what to do when there is a problem. We areconstantly working on making the Bluetooth pairing process easier, forexample, and last year we introduced our support site (VolvoConnectivity Support) which provides lots of information to help ourcustomers resolve the most common problems.
For the bigger, longer-term picture, this is where the embeddedmodems in premium cars do make life easier, as the customer doesn’tneed to do anything to get connected. Every Volvo car shipped to theUSA is connected via the AT&T arrangement, and it is hard to imaginethat life could be made any easier than doing it that way – you startthe car and you are automatically connected to the AT&T network.
CC: Indeed, well, let’s finish off our talk today by consideringsomething that struck me recently. As part of its XC90 launchprogramme, Volvo is running some beautifully crafted TVcommercials for the car. However, these make no mention of thecars connected functions. When other manufacturers are making abig play of connectivity, is it a conscious decision on Volvo’s part notto do so?VOLVO: It is deliberate, and well spotted! We see that there is so muchto say about this new flagship car that we don’t need to focus onconnectivity. The car is beautiful in and of itself, and the XC90 is thefirst car launched on our totally new platform. We are savingpromotion of the connectivity aspects for when this functionality isenabled on more of our cars. That is the point when we will push whatcould be termed the ‘utilitarian’ aspects of the cars. Right now we aremajoring on the halo effect of the new XC90.
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9D I G I TA L I S AT I O N T O D R I V E B M W S T R AT E G Y, B U T W I L L T H I S C A R C O M PA N Y G O T H E S A M E WAY G O O G L E D I D ?
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ROM THE OVERVIEW THAT I WAS GIVEN RECENTLY HERE INTHE UK (SEE THE CONNECTED CAR VIDEO FEATURE BELOW),
IT WAS CLEAR THAT BMW’S IN-CAR SYSTEMS ARE BECOMINGEVER MORE SOPHISTICATED. IT WAS NO SURPRISE, THEN, TOREAD THIS STATEMENT BY HARALD KRÜGER, CHAIRMAN OF THEBOARD OF MANAGEMENT OF BMW AG, WHICH WAS PART OF ANUPDATE SENT TO CONNECTED CAR DURING AUGUST, AND WHICHSUGGESTS THAT BMW COULD WELL METAMORPHOSE INTO A VERYDIFFERENT TYPE OF COMPANY.
Harold Krüger: “The decisive question that guides our actions is:What kind of company do we want to be in the future and how do weset the right course?
“Above all, digitalization and the associated technical possibilities,are set to change the automobile and its fundamental role in oursociety. Digitalization will also change the whole process ofindustrialization in our sector. The car could be viewed as the largestmobile data storage device and will be an essential element of the“Internet of Things”. Following the technological change towardssustainable mobility, this is the next radical change for our industry.
“We regard new technological trends above all as new opportunities– for the car, our industry and customers. Based on this, we arecurrently conducting a comprehensive update of our strategy. At thisstage it is still too early to go into further detail. For us, “speed” isimportant, but it is more important to look at possible trends andcarefully analyze them both from a qualitative and quantitative point ofview. The goal is to align our strategy with future challenges up to theyear 2025 and beyond.
“With ConnectedDrive, Future Retail, DriveNow and digital services,we offer customers a wide range of services and connectivity. For a longtime now, we have been far more than just a vehicle manufacturer.
“The acquisition of Nokia’s mapping and locationservices business, HERE, by the three German premium carcompanies is a further strategic step. The acquisition isintended to secure the long term availability of HERE’sproducts and services as an open, independent and valuecreating platform for cloud-based maps and other mobilityservices. This platform is and will be accessible to allcustomers from the automotive industry and other sectors.
“HERE will play a key role in the digital revolution ofmobility, combining high definition maps and data fromvehicles to make travel safer and easier for everyone.
“HERE is laying the foundations for the next generation ofmobility and location based services. For the automotiveindustry this is the basis for new assistance systems and,ultimately, fully autonomous driving.
“As you can see: We are taking strategic decisions with along-term perspective. We are aligning our business modelto the complex challenges of today and tomorrow. We also
continue to invest in the company – in our products and brands, newservices and our production sites worldwide.
“We will continue to adapt the BMW Group to meet futurechallenges. And our company will further strengthen its position as aprovider of individual mobility in the premium segment. In this area,we also intend to be the leader.”
Which begs the question: if we were to somehow fast-forward 20years, would we recognise BMW as the same company we knowtoday? Dare we suggest that far from being a pure, automotive productcompany, BMW could have become an IT company, perhaps evenevolving into a data-driven, multi-faceted services company? And darewe go even further and suggest that BMW (and other car companies,of course) could follow Google, and quietly evolve one modusoperandi – car-making – into another – that being a Google-styleadvertising platform?
Today, BMW is likely to regard such a suggestion as heretic, butthink back. When we all started to say ‘let’s Google that’ a few yearsago, did we really know what Google’s long-term plans were? Or howits search engine would be developed into the data capturemonstrosity that basically now owns our lives? How Amazon wouldtake over the world of retail, and where we would all ultimately be led?
I think not. With my Nostradamus hat on for a moment, I beseech you to
remember these words, and to recall them in 20 years’ time when aBMW drone delivers your weekly shopping, and points out that as youare getting a bit thick around the midriff, perhaps you might like to buysome BMW running shoes and a low calorie BMW energy drink?
DIGITALISATION TO DRIVE BMWSTRATEGY, BUT WILL THIS CARCOMPANY GO THE SAME WAYGOOGLE DID?
By Vince Holton
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Click on the movie screen below to watch Connected Car’s overview ofBMW ConnectedDrive.
QUALCOMM AND BRUSASIGN WIRELESS ELECTRICVEHICLE CHARGING LICENSEAGREEMENT
Qualcomm and BRUSA Elektronik haveentered into a Wireless Electric VehicleCharging (WEVC) patent licenseagreement. BRUSA, an automotive Tier 1power electronics supplier, has licensedQualcomm Halo patented inventions tocommercialize WEVC systems for Plug-InHybrid and Electric Vehicles (EVs). Underthe terms of the agreement, Qualcommgranted to BRUSA a royalty-bearingpatent license to develop, make andsupply WEVC systems for certainautomobile manufacturers.
BRUSA Elektronik has been pioneeringtechnology in this area with its "ICS"wireless charging system which thecompany claims can transfer power tovehicles safely and at high efficiency,eliminating the need for charging cablescurrently required by EVs.
BRUSA has developed its own coilgeometry called FRAME technology. Thecoil is rectangular and enables inductivecharging of electric vehicles with theintegration of power electronics both inthe vehicle and in the base plate enablinga one box system. BRUSA will work withcertain major automotive manufacturersto commercialize its wireless chargingsystem including specific aspects of theQualcomm Halo inventions. Josef Brusa,CEO of BRUSA Elektronik AG toldConnected Car: "Wireless charging willwin, it will give e-mobility a big boost, itwill set new, sustainable technology apartfrom old gasoline-based technology. Weare determined to make wireless charginga reality. We already offer technicallysound and commercially viable systemsto the market and we are excited aboutthe potential of wireless charging."BRUSA is apparently working on WEVCsystems with several leading automakersthat have firm plans to introduce wirelesscharging in their automobiles in the nearfuture.
MERCEDES-BENZ LOOKS INTOTHE FUTURE
Mercedes-Benz calls its "Concept IAA"(Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile)two cars in one: an aerodynamics worldchampion with a Cd value of 0.19 and adesign-led four-door coupé. The conceptcar, which celebrated its world premiereat the Frankfurt International MotorShow, switches automatically fromdesign mode to aerodynamic mode when the vehicle reaches a speed of 80km/h, when numerous aerodynamicsmeasures alter the shape of the vehicle.Inside, the "Concept IAA" offers newtouch-based functions and providesMercedes-Benz’ idea of what the interiorof a business saloon might look like in the near future.
The car features Car-to-X technology, forexample, which enables it tocommunicate with other vehicles or othersources of information. Mercedes predictsthat this technology will provide a majoradvance in helping to avoid accidents, asobstacles or events which are not visibleto the vehicle itself can be detected - the"Concept IAA" is able to look around thecorner, as it were.
The interior apparently continues thedesign line of the S-Class and S-ClassCoupé. OFN (Optical Finger Navigation)buttons, embedded in the clusters in asimilar hovering manner as the touchpadin the centre console, enable the driver toscroll through the instrument clustermenus. The OFN button on the leftcontrols the left-hand display, while thebutton on the right controls the right-hand display.
Mercedes-Benz suggests that the "Concept IAA" offers a foretaste of thebusiness saloon of the near future. Thecompany's view is that all of theseexterior and interior features andoperating concepts preview not just theway our cars will look but also the waywe will interact with them, and before too long.
BOSCH AND TOMTOMPARTNER ON MAPPINGTECHNOLOGY FORAUTOMATED DRIVING
The two companies have agreed tocollaborate in the area of maps forhighly automated driving. Under thisagreement, TomTom is designing thenecessary maps, while Bosch, on thebasis of its systems engineering work,is defining the specifications thesemaps have to meet. The maps arealready being used in the automatedvehicles Bosch is testing on certainpublic roads in Germany (A81) and inthe United States (I280). Commentingon the importance of this venture,Bosch board of management memberDr. Dirk Hoheisel told Connected Car:“Only with high precision maps willautomated driving on freeways bepossible from 2020.” And Jan Maartende Vries, Vice President Automotive atTomTom, added: “By the end of 2015,we want to have new high-precisionmaps for automated driving for allfreeways and freeway-like roads inGermany.” Road coverage willsubsequently be extended to the rest ofEurope and North America.
Maps for highly automated driving andthe maps used in current navigationsystems differ primarily in tworespects. First, accuracy is significantlyhigher – down to decimetre precision.Second, the map material for highlyautomated driving consists of multiplelayers. The traditional base navigationlayer is used to calculate routes from Ato B, including the sequence of roads tobe driven. The localization layer uses apositioning concept providing highlyaccurate map data, which theautomated vehicle uses to accuratelycalculate its position within a lane. Todo this, the vehicle compares itssensed environment with thecorresponding information in thelocalization layer.
NEWS
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ALL KNOW THAT THE CELLULAR OPERATORS WIELD ALOT OF POWER AND INFLUENCE WHEN IT COMES TO
ARCHITECTING THE WAY PEOPLE AND DEVICES COMMUNICATEWITH EACH OTHER. AND YET, AFTER MANY YEARS OF DOMINANCETHE NETOPS ARE FACING NEW CHALLENGES. AS THE INTERNET OFTHINGS, MACHINE TO MACHINE (M2M) AND SMART CAR/SMARTCITY/SMART EVERYTHING MARKETS DEVELOP, THEY MUSTCOMPETE IN THEIR OWN BACK YARD WITH FEISTY NEWCOMPANIES PROMOTING LOW-POWER DATA NETWORKS, ANDTHEY MUST WORK WITH NEW CUSTOMERS. SELLING A GLOBAL,BACK-OFFICE CONNECTIVITY PLATFORM TO THE WORLD’S LARGESTCAR COMPANIES IS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT PROPOSITION TOSELLING A NEW IPHONE TO A CONSUMER. SO, HOW ARE THEYCOPING? TO FIND OUT, VINCE HOLTON SPOKE WITH MATT KEY,WHO, FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS HAS BEEN STEERING VODAFONE’SM2M BUSINESS.
VH: How important is IoT/M2M to network operators such as Vodafone?MK: Hugely important. To the point that we see this as one of the keyactivities that will be the future of the communications serviceproviders and global network operators. It’s an area we are hugelycommitted to. In the 6-7 years that we have been involved in Machineto Machine (M2M) development, the business I look after has gonefrom a couple of people, to a half a billion pound turnover businesswith 1300 staff. But it is not just network operators such as Vodafone.
We see the IoT as being crucial to the future of the huge number ofdifferent types of businesses involved in the network and in the securecapture, transit and analysis of data.
The key components will be the device - which we understand verywell at Vodafone, the space – which could be the room, the building,the office, or the city. Then there is the vehicle – it could be a car, or itcould be a bike, or a truck, a train or an airplane. Then there are theinterfaces and the transitions between these things. These might becore connectivity, energy or it might be more nebulous things such asrights, identity or ownership of data.
The truth is that it’s nice to be involved in something that everyone isso massively interested in.
VH: Yes, but at the same time as being interested, people are alsoterrified that they may not be part of it, or left out, don’t you think?MK: Well, yes, and from our part it is great to be considered byGartner to be global number 1 in this space, but at the same time thiscreates a real pressure to maintain that position, and to stay part ofthe ecosystem, especially with all of the new companies that arejoining that were simply not there 2-3 years ago.
VH: Do you think that in the M2M/IoT environment and in Smart Car,Smart City, the cellular network operators can compete with thosenew players like Weightless, for example, who are launching IoTnetworks in unlicensed, free spectrum, claiming that their solutions
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CONNECTEDCAR
INTERVIEWJUST HOW IMPORTANT IS CONNECTED CAR AND AUTOMOTIVE M2M TO THEGLOBAL NETWORK OPERATOR?
Vince Holton talks to Matt Key, Commercial Director, Vodafone M2M
Matt Key, Vodafone
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CONNECTED CAR LOOKS ATVODAFONE’S
AUTOMOTIVE M2MSTRATEGY
are lower cost, lower power and much better optimised for IoT thancellular-based networks?MK: I think M2M is going to be a really broad ecosystem of devices,networks and providers. Vodafone is primarily a cellular operator anda satellite comms provider, but we are also a massive fixed lineprovider, and our fixed line business is equally applicable to the IoTand M2M space. In addition to this you have probably seen fromrecent announcements that we are developing our own low powercellular network for M2M, which we call Cellular Internet of Things.Ultimately we want to be the gateway for our customers so that theydon’t need to worry about what transport layer their data is passingover – they can be connectivity agnostic.
I do think that some of the low-power network solution providerswho are operating in unlicensed and unregulated spectrum are doinga great job, but there are use cases that are more attuned to moreestablished technology solutions, and that when it comes to extendingtheir IoT networks into the vehicle, they may well struggle to offervalue, coverage and secure systems.
VH: OK, well we are now coming onto IoT in the car. Vodafone hascreated and publicised a video on the subject of automotive IoT. Canyou tell me the background to Vodafone’s thinking? MK: Automotive is still probably our largest vertical sector withinVodafone M2M. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, Vodafoneidentified the M2M opportunity in the automotive sector before manyothers – pre-IoT. I’m talking basic monitoring, performance trackingand assessment and the control and modification of some of thoseparameters. That evolved into services on top of that – vehicletracking, stolen vehicle recovery, Internet in the car etc. So we wereearly in providing base connectivity for early adopters in this market.It’s public domain information that Vodafone supports many of theworld’s largest automotive brands, and the ones we can talk about inthe public domain include BMW, Jaguar Land Rover, Porsche,VW/Audi, Daimler and Mahindra Reva in India. We have learned andevolved alongside these companies as they have learned what M2Mand IoT might do for them. We and they understand that while thenetwork is a core enabler, it is not all that is required to provide thecustomer with the solutions and the value that they want.
So we invested heavily not only in the core network developmentand SIM management, but also in technologies and partnerships thatcould help us offer automotive customers these broader services.Perhaps the most important example of this was when Vodafonebought Cobra Telematics last year. The goal was to give us increasedaccess to all aspects of automotive and much more specialist industryknowledge and to be able to offer a true end-to-end service. Forexample, with the Porsche’s Car Connect service, we not only providethe telematics and in-car Internet, but we also provide a full solutionfor stolen car recovery – if a car is missing, we will deal with thecustomer, we will track the car and identify its location, we will deal
with the authorities and will even manage moving the car to whereverit needs to go.
VH: OK, well let’s drill down a little deeper. When you say you‘support’ the manufacturers, what does that support boil down to?MK: Automotive companies are massively complex to support due tothe long lead-times of the manufacturing process, the legislation thatthey are governed by and the fact that they are embracing so manyleading edge technologies. We need to be a partner with them ratherthan simply a supplier, and from very early on we have to be part ofthe new car design process, enabling the services that will beincluded. As well as having to master our own processes, we have toknow, understand and master the processes of the car company too.We have to understand all of the components in a new car, what theyare, what they do, what is needed and who is going to provide thosecomponents - and when – and all from very early on. We have to beingrained in the car company’s thinking. We can bring quite a lot tothe table, because when it comes to the consumer that will be drivingthe car, and that person’s needs and expectations of what the car willdo for them – beyond what he would expect from a standard carcompany offering – Vodafone has a great deal of experience. Weunderstand consumers, consumer devices and the services that runover those devices.
VH: Basically, though, Vodafone is providing the core networkplatform, isn’t it?MK: Yes it is but also the device management platform, the physicaldevices the consumer will bring into the car, apps or completesoftware platforms such as Porsche Car Connect that run on iOS,Android or the iWatch. We also have design and manufacturingcapability that came as part of the Cobra acquisition. This means weare much more than just the network provider, we are providing muchmore of the complete supply chain. If a car company says that itneeds a new telematics box to do X, Y and Z, we have the design,manufacture and test capability to do this and to deliver it.
In addition to equipping new cars, we also have a large aftermarketbusiness to help customers make the cars that they already havebetter, and better connected.
Vodafone really does have a layer of expertise and capability in theautomotive sector that goes above and beyond what you would expectfrom a network operator.
VH: What do you consider to be the net ops specific role inconnected car?MK: We feel that we have a crucial role to play as the car evolves intobeing a critical component of the Internet of Things. If you have databeing gathered about where a car is, whether it is hot or cold, how it isbeing driven, this is interesting not only to the automotivemanufacturers. They realise that thisdata is also very interesting to many,many other organisations too – insurersbeing a prime example. Insurers areusing that data to offer pay as youdrive, or usage-based insurance.Applications like these are thejustification for the intense focus thatVodafone has put on the automotivesector, and as the IoT develops thenVodafone’s contribution and skill sets become of interest to a broader,more lateral set of companies. Only this week, for example, it wasannounced that Vodafone helped BMW launch its DriveNow product,which is effectively a car-sharing service – pick up a car at one point,drive it for a while and drop it off. It is the systems and technology thatVodafone has created that allows that sort of service to be offered.
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VH: But aren’t these services limited to customers of just your network?MK: That really does vary. In many instances the services a customeris using in the car are provided as part of the service contract offeredby the car company as part of its connected car package. This is tiedto the factory-fit SIM or module that is installed in the car. The reality isthat the car driver assumes he is dealing with the car manufacturer,and may well be unaware that Vodafone is providing the networkplatform.
Then at another level, this is overlaid with the roaming agreementsthat Vodafone and other network operators have agreed, whereby, ifcoverage becomes patchy on one network, the M2M SIM in the carwill be seamlessly switched to the next best available network.
As we have rolled out these services we have found that theautomotive companies seem to fall into two camps. There are those,like BMW and Porsche that have decided to manage the onlineservices that their customers use in the car, and then there are thosethat are offering more of a ‘mirroring’ strategy, whereby they enable theuse of apps and services that are brought into the car on theconsumer’s mobile devices.
Most of the car manufacturers that Vodafone is dealing with arethose that recognise the value of the data that their cars are generatingand who want to control the in-car Internet experience. As well asrecognising the value of the data, they also see it as an extremelygood way of building a direct relationship with the driver, which haspreviously not been the case. Until now, direct connection with thedriver has been restricted mainly to the dealer, insurer or financeprovider.
VH: Are we likely to see Vodafone participating in widely-publicisedconnected car projects such as the AT&T, Ericsson, Volvo project inthe USA?MK: This really comes down to being a branding decision. It isprobably true to say that Vodafone is already involved in similarprojects, but for a variety of branding reasons this is not always jointlypromoted or publicised. It is probably also true that this type ofpromotion is more commonplace in the USA than in Europe or othermarkets. It would be nice if more European companies were a bitmore outgoing! In the meantime we are quite happy to sit in thebackground and provide a robust service that works for themanufacturers and the customers.
VH: Well, for all of the excellent applications and services that arebecoming available to car drivers, it is widely acknowledged thatconnectivity issues are the biggest cause of complaint for car users,and security and privacy issues are up there too. Does Vodafoneacknowledge this, and what can you do to help?MK: Security is at the heart of everything we do and of everything wedesign. That’s bottom-up network security, SIM security, devicesecurity – this is at the core of what we do. There must be nocompromise of that as a principle. Referring back to the low-power IoTnetworks that we talked about earlier, which are operating inunlicensed, unregulated space, this is where we have a realadvantage when it comes to providing truly secure solutions. We ownthe network and the access and exit points and this provides us with asignificantly better chance of delivering a secure, end-to-end service.
Where interoperability issues are concerned, once again we see thatthere are differing levels of responsibility accepted by the carcompanies. There are those that want to own and operate theenvironment inside the car, and those that are happy to let the car’ssystems be run by the mobile device that the consumer brings into thecar. In the latter case we see that this is working pretty well today, with
micro-networks running over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi,and in truth Vodafone is not really becominginvolved in resolving interoperability issues. We dounderstand that for our customers, getting this rightis a challenge and one that requires biginvestment. Operators like Vodafone have spentmany years making it very simple for customers toreceive their new phones or mobile devices, switchon, register on the network and just get going. Bycomparison, this is a brave new world for the carcompanies as they get into a direct interaction withtheir customer and with his or her attempts tobecome part of the connected car or Internet ofThings ecosystem. There will have to be asignificant focus on making the process simpleand streamlined.
VH: So does Vodafone get directly involved inhelping car drivers to use the connected systemsthat it is enabling, or perhaps advice on dealingwith interoperability issues?MK: We don’t do this as a specific, consumer-
facing product or service area, but we certainly help our automotivecustomers think about user interfaces, for example. As an instance ofthis we will shortly be announcing a project with a large automotiveclient where Vodafone worked very closely with the car company toarchitect the way a driver can select and implement a package ofservices once his free in-car Internet period has ended. We can do thatbecause we have millions of customers coming on- and off-contractevery year, which gives us unrivalled experience of managing theprocess and making it really simple, and really easy.
We do this because we understand the critical importance ofretaining customers.
Information about Vodafone’s automotive M2M portfolio, includingan interesting video, can be found at this link:http://www.vodafone.com/business/m2m/automotive
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CONNECTED CAR VIDEO REVIEWVIDEO
SHOWCASEWe monitor web video presentations on the subject of connected car technologyon an ongoing basis, and each issue will include a selection that we have reviewed.
If you spot great videos, or would like to put forward your own company’s video forinclusion in a future issue of Connected Car, contact us.
Pivotal Connected Car Demo.
Ericsson: Driving the connected car.
GM Canada’s new mandate: The Connected Car.
Vinli - Your Car Connected.
The Connected Car: What Feature Is MostImportant To Consumers?
Google: Android for Auto.
Visa Connected Car.
Click the movie screens to watch the videos
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HAS BEEN WIDELY REPORTED THAT DURING JULY THISYEAR, CHRIS VALASEK AND CHARLIE MILLER, A COUPLE
OF WILY SECURITY RESEARCHERS, WERE ABLE TO WIRELESSLYHACK AND TAKE OVER CONTROL OF THE STEERING, BRAKES ANDTRANSMISSION OF A CURRENT SPEC JEEP CHEROKEE AS IT WASBEING DRIVEN, ALL DONE VIA THE INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM.VALASEK AND MILLER (A CYBERSECURITY EXPERT WHO USED TOWORK AT THE USA’S NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY) USED A HIGHLYELABORATE AND DETAILED PROCESS TO EXPLOIT THE FACT THATFCA’S UCONNECT INFOTAINMENT PLATFORM IS ALSO CONNECTEDTO USA SPRINT MOBILE DATA NETWORK. THE ONLINE FUNCTIONSOF THE UCONNECT SYSTEM ALLOW USERS TO REMOTELY ACCESSFUNCTIONS ON THEIR VEHICLES.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) responded quickly, and launched avoluntary recall of some 1.4 million vehicles. The company’sstatement, which we believe it is important to reproduce in full, said:
“FCA US LLC is conducting a voluntary safety recall to updatesoftware in approximately 1,400,000 U.S. vehicles equipped withcertain radios.
The recall aligns with an ongoing software distribution that insulatesconnected vehicles from remote manipulation, which, if unauthorized,constitutes criminal action.
Further, FCA US has applied network-level security measures toprevent the type of remote manipulation demonstrated in arecent media report. These measures – which required nocustomer or dealer actions – block remote access to certainvehicle systems and were fully tested and implemented withinthe cellular network on July 23, 2015.
The Company is unaware of any injuries related to softwareexploitation, nor is it aware of any related complaints,warranty claims or accidents – independent of the mediademonstration.
Customers affected by the recall will receive a USB device that theymay use to upgrade vehicle software, which provides additionalsecurity features independent of the network-level measures.Alternately, customers may visit http://www.driveuconnect.com/software-update/ to input their Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs)and determine if their vehicles are included in the recall.
The security of FCA US customers is a top priority, as is retainingtheir confidence in the Company’s products. Accordingly, FCA US hasestablished a dedicated System Quality Engineering team focused onidentifying and implementing best practices for software developmentand integration.
The software manipulation addressed by this recall requiredunique and extensive technical knowledge, prolonged physicalaccess to a subject vehicle and extended periods of time towrite code.
No defect has been found. FCA US is conducting thiscampaign out of an abundance of caution.
Customers are urged to acquire the software update.
Note – the bold type and italicisation is FCA’s, not ours.
The hack’s perpetrators duly responded to FCA/Sprint’s actions,Valasek tweeting praise for their response in quickly blocking theattack and issuing the recall for 1.4million cars.
The reality is that connected car and the whole Internet of Things(IoT) ecosystem are facing similar issues to those that the PC industryhas experienced. It’s interesting to note how the approach to security
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Across the automotive industry, realisation slowlydawns that security should come first, last and always
FCA RESPONDS TOHACK ATTACK
IT
“Looks like I can't get to @0xcharlie's Jeep from myhouse via my phone. Good job FCA/Sprint!”Chris Valasek @nudehaberdasher
evolved as computers around the world started to go online. MicrosoftWindows launched in 1985, but it would be almost ten years beforeWindows Update site was introduced (and three more before itdelivered live security updates). Microsoft eventually realised that infact no operating system that was open and easy for end users couldbe perfectly secure. Microsoft now works with security researchers andrelies upon disclosures from white hat hackers to identify and fix flawsbefore they can be widely exploited. Indeed, Microsoft, Google andothers now incentivise security researchers to find vulnerabilities atregular ‘Hackathons’, with big rewards going to those who find anddisclose issues before they can be widely exploited. This concept isalready being considered in the automotive sector, witness the fact thatthe Canadian military has offered $630,000 to anyone that can carryout a hack on a vehicle, and which will then work with Canadianauthorities to find a solution.
This picture of global vulnerability to hacking is currently only gettingbigger as the online ecosystem evolves. Many online devices arefound to have vulnerabilities in the IoT and it’s interesting to note theapproach to fixing them. Recent examples are Belkin’s WeMo homeautomation devices, where a security flaw potentially allowedunauthorised remote access to the devices. This was quicklyaddressed by a firmware update. However commercial pressures andeconomies mean that responses to vulnerabilitiescannot always be so well managed when lowcost generic devices are connected. A flaw inUniversal Plug and Play (UPNP) was discoveredin a high proportion of home routers, allowing hackers to access therouters configuration from the internet and potentially gain access toprivate data on internal networks. Many routers are consideredcommodity items and updates to such devices can be limited, andeven when available such updates are installed only by end userswho proactively search for them. Many average users are unaware ofthe problem and hardware support has almost certainly long sinceexpired, leaving thousands unknowingly exposed. Meanwhile, therecent Android Stagefright flaw affecting huge numbers of Androidusers has proved challenging for those with older devices that are nowoutside the official update path and firmware is no longer beingupdated. Technical users can often find and install firmware updatesbut the average user will likely remain in the dark about theimportance of such a proactive approach to updates.
A recent survey by Google compared the security practices andbeliefs of experts versus average users. It rated the top ten approachesto online security of expert vs average users. At number one, securityexperts understand that frequent updates are key to online securitywhile non experts still believe that running antivirus software is themost important protection to online threats (security expertsunderstand that antivirus packages do little or nothing to mitigate zero-day exploits - the most prevalent attack vectors online today). The bestadvice, confirmed by expert users, is that keeping products updated isthe most important security action.
So, with automotive manufacturers already well versed in handlingvehicle recalls and understanding the importance of long termconsumer support, auto updating connected cars to patch securityvulnerabilities seems an obvious answer, but there are technicalchallenges. While many cars are now online via high speed Wi-Fi and4G connections, and could potentially download updates quite easily,once the download starts, the slow data transfer speed on the CANbus inside the car may make updating nodes difficult. It is easy to seehow a lengthy download could fail if a car is started while thedownload is underway, moved to a new location and stopped again.Furthermore, in enabling firmware updates and patches the industrywill need to adopt certificate signing to prevent unauthorised third partymodification of firmware update files, as this otherwise becomes apossible attack vector.
A PAN-INDUSTRY FIX SOME WAY OFFWhile it may have been possible to aggressively hack the FCA system,a number of other car companies have been identified with similarpossible attack vectors. It is widely acknowledged that Valasek andMiller had access to data that the average hacker would be unlikely tohave, such as firmware code sources and the car’s IP address. Or asFCA puts it “unique and extensive technical knowledge, prolongedphysical access to a subject vehicle and extended periods of time towrite code”.
It is also the case that these two guys had and still have a deeply-vested interest in promoting what they are doing. They are pitchingthemselves as cybersecurity experts and using the Jeep exercise as ahighly public, self-promoting case study. FCA was just unfortunate tohave been the selected target. With the current scramble to embedconnectivity in cars it is known that similar security weaknesses existin other vehicles on today’s roads, and many other car companiesmust be looking on nervously.
GRASPING THE NETTLEIt is not unreasonable to suggest that across the connected car andthe wider Internet of Things sectors, security is potentially the poisonedchalice. Security is also something that tends to be the can (no punintended) that is kicked down the road in the excitement of the averagetechnology or product development cycle. If the vision of theconnected car is to be realised, every car company, every Tier 1supplier, every cloud platform and software developer needs to makesecurity an absolute priority. Luckily, the automotive industry is wellplaced to grasp this nettle and has both infrastructure and resources tomitigate security vulnerabilities. For the wider Internet of Thingshowever, which is founded upon a proliferation of ultra-low costconnected devices, and with low levels of ongoing support, theoutlook for the average user may be less positive. Ultimately, thegrowth of the Internet of Things means an engagement not only ofmanufacturers, but also - crucially and for the time being at least - theend user in the security and maintenance of connected technologies.
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JAGUAR F-PACE EMBRACESCONNECTIVITY ANDWEARABLE TECHNOLOGY
The all-new Jaguar F-Pace is described byJaguar as a performance crossover and itsinfotainment and connectivity technologyis described as industry leading. Thepremium InControl Touch Pro system isbased around a 10.2-inch touchscreen,with a quad-core processor and solid-statedrive, and runs on ultra-fast Ethernet. As aresult, Jaguar describes the user interfaceas “instinctive and extremely quick withsharp and incredibly responsive graphics”.Up to eight devices can be connected tothe vehicle's Wi-Fi hotspot at one time.
The navigation system can save you timeby learning your commute, offers door-to-door guidance and can even advise othersof your arrival time. Navigation can also beshown full-screen - in 3D - in the 12.3-inchHD virtual instrument cluster.
In line with current trends, the F-Paceincludes a suite of advanced driverassistance systems. The stereo camera atthe heart of the Autonomous EmergencyBraking system now features a pedestriandetection function - a Jaguar-first. Thestereo camera alsoenables Lane DepartureWarning, Lane KeepAssist, Traffic SignRecognition, anIntelligent Speed Limiter,and Driver ConditionMonitor systems.
Key information such as vehicle speed andspeed limits can be projected directly intothe driver's line of sight by the laser head-up display. Jaguar claims that compared toconventional systems, laser technology issmaller and lighter and the images remainclear even in bright sunlight.
And it seems that Jaguar is embracingwearable technology, as the F-Pace alsobrings the world debut of Jaguar's ActivityKey. This is a waterproof, shockproofwristband with an integrated transponder
that is intended to support active lifestylesbecause it allows the keyfob to be securelylocked inside the vehicle - invaluable ifyou're going surfing, for example, orkayaking. Locking the all-new F-Paceusing the Activity Key will disable anykeyfobs left inside.
Connected Car asked Peter Virk, Headof Connected Technologies & Apps atJaguar Land Rover for his take on thesystems in the F-Pace:
"The Jaguar F-PACE is packed full ofindustry-leading connectivity andinfotainment technology. It is by far oneof our most connected vehicles to date.
The F-PACE has Jaguar Land Rover'slatest InControl Touch Pro - the World'smost advanced infotainment system,developed in-house, with a powerfulquad-core processor and ultra-fastEthernet allowing up to eight devices tobe connected to the WiFi Hotspot at anyone time.
Through our Connected Cartechnologies, Jaguar Land Rover isbringing the power of the internet intoits vehicles, developing a range ofconnected technologies fromembedded to smartphone Apps.
We have also developed a suite ofInControl services that you can accesswhile away from your vehicle fromsmartphones and the Apple Watch -enhancing the marriage betweendriving and technology".
VISTEON AWARDED GLOBALINNOVATION PRIZE BYNISSAN
Visteon has received a GlobalInnovation Award from Nissan MotorCorporation for a pioneering 7-inchdisplay instrument cluster withadvanced graphics, featured in the all-new 2015 Nissan Murano.
Hiroto Saikawa, chief competitiveofficer, presented the award to Visteonin a ceremony at Nissan’s globalsupplier event in Yokohama, Japan,attended by more than 200 global autosuppliers. Visteon’s Loick Griselain,vice president, Renault-Nissancustomer group, who accepted theaward for the company, told ConnectedCar, “We are honoured to be recognizedby Nissan for this innovativeinstrument cluster, which represents a‘first” development milestone for bothNissan and Visteon’s Japan team.”
Based on Nissan’s mid-sized crossoverplatform, the Murano features Visteon’sfirst cluster program with an integrated7-inch thin-film-transistor (TFT)display developed for Nissan. Thecluster’s graphics were specified byNissan to give the driver quick andeasy access to vehicle and drivingstatus – including maps, weather andspeed limit – and to provide best-in-class functionality. The cluster alsofeatures turn-by-turn navigation,advanced driver assistance system(ADAS) warnings, hybrid electricvehicle (HEV) informationmanagement, 3D appliques foranalogue gauges and synchronizedcontrol of the brightness of display andvehicle information.
Supporting 17 languages, theinstrument cluster launched on theNissan Murano platform across globalmarkets this year.
NEWS
CSR PLATFORM FOR DISPLAYAUDIO INFOTAINMENT ANDSDR TUNERS
Semiconductor company CSR, recentlyacquired by Qualcomm, has announcedthe CSRatlas7 which it says offersautomobile manufacturers a highlyintegrated, cost-effective, pre-packagedDisplay Audio solution. By integratinginfotainment, connectivity and locationfeatures in a single turnkey system on achip (SoC) solution for the in-vehicleenvironment, CSR is claiming that it canenable the cost-effective extension of newfeatures usually associated with high-endvehicles, to entry and mid-level cars. CSRis also entering the car radio tuner front-end market with tuneX, combininghardware and software to provide asoftware-defined radio (SDR) solution.
The CSRatlas7 application processor has adual-core CPU and GPU architecture withintegrated peripherals, includingBluetooth, Software Defined Radio (SDR),GNSS baseband, an audio DSP and audio-codecs components. Advancedinfotainment features enabled byCSRatlas7 are intended to provideconsumers access to in-vehicleinfotainment and navigation applicationsvia the head unit. For example, the CSRaptX audio codec is integrated for wirelessaudio streaming.
The software and hardware solution isavailable with a number of differentiatingsoftware stacks including: CarPlay andMirrorlink for streaming multimediabetween the external devices and the in-vehicle infotainment system; cVc for highfidelity audio over hands-freeapplications; and SDR with tuneX frontends that support all worldwide radiostandards. The chipset comes with a pre-integrated and qualified software packageto reduce the complexity for infotainmentsystem providers.
CSR offers tuneX front-ends or tuneXsoftware demodulators as standaloneproducts or as part of an integrated radiopackage on the CSRatlas7 platform. CSR
can also offer tuneX as a solution workingon a third-party platform.
HARMAN SUPPORTS V2XCLASSROOM EXPERIENCE
Square One Education Network andHarman International are gearing up tobring vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X)development to life in K-12 classroomsthroughout Michigan. To kick off thisinitiative, Square One and Harman –working with content partners P3 Groupand PTC – held their first teacher workshopduring August at the William D. FordCareer-Technical Centre, where teachersdeveloped the first prototype classroom kitof materials that that was presented atseveral Michigan schools in September.
The partnership with Harman will assist indriving Square One’s hardware- and kit-focused teacher workshop model. Themodel provides participating teachers withthe necessary training and classroomequipment for students to actively pursueV2X research, design and demonstrationactivities. The collaboration apparentlysupports Square One’s initiative to connectstudents with industry professionals to givethem access to technology, engineers andopportunities that encourage theexploration of science, technology,engineering and math (STEM) careers. Inaddition to supporting these activities,Harman presented Square One with a$10,000 donation for teacher training,including V2X technology starter kits andworkshops.
Phil Eyler, President of Harman’sConnected Car division commented, "AtHarman, our goal is to lead the automotiveindustry in new connected technologiesthat make the in-car experience seamlesslyproductive, entertaining, safe and secure.Extending this investment into education –particularly in the emerging world of V2Xtechnologies and services - is a natural fitand one we are proud to support.”
Harman also plans to adopt local schoolswithin the new V2X Lab School Network to
further support in-classroom participationat any level.
KENWOOD MULTIMEDIA UNITSINCLUDE BOTH APPLECARPLAY AND ANDROID AUTOSUPPORT
Kenwood claims that its DDX9902S andDDX9702S are currently the onlyaftermarket receivers equipped with AppleCarPlay and Android Auto, which allowsusers to switch between connecting aniPhone or Android-based phone withouthaving to manually change settings or resetthe unit. This enables multiple drivers ofthe same vehicle to plug in the phone oftheir choice and enjoy their entertainmentoptions and driver-centric apps.
The set-up seems quite sophisticated. Oncea smartphone is plugged in, voicerecognition and voice playback become theprimary means of controlling audio andentertainment from the smartphone. With Apple CarPlay, Siri enables users tocontrol, read and reply to messages andmore by simply speaking, and providesaccess to music, podcasts, and Apple Mapsfor full-featured, voice-controllednavigation. With Android Auto, Googlevoice actions let drivers and passengersplay music selections, get drivingdirections and hear turn-by-turn navigation,while Google Now cards highlight location-and preference-aware information at theright time.
Kenwood’s intention is that the two double-DIN DDX units will be the centre of avehicle's entertainment and informationsystem. A large, 6.95-inch resistive touchdisplay puts navigation, back-up cameraview, and audio / video entertainmentoptions at the driver's fingertips. Both unitsare equipped with Bluetooth for playbackof streaming media from a Bluetooth-enabled phone or media device as well ashandsfree phone conversations. In addition,native control of Pandora and iHeartRadioprovide an integrated entertainmentinterface when using a connectedsmartphone.
NEWS
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HIS ARTICLE AIMS TO DISCUSS THE PHENOMENON OF AUDIOFRAGMENTATION AND HOW IT MANIFESTS ITSELF IN VEHICLES,
OR WITH OTHER DEVICES LIKE BLUETOOTH SPEAKERS THAT HAVEBEEN CONNECTED TO THE MOBILE WHEN STREAMING AUDIO.
In an ideal environment, there would be no audio fragmentation, but RFconditions are never ideal. Audio fragmentation is also indicative of otherissues that may happen before fragmentation is noticed acoustically andcan cause missing SMS alerts or invalid call setups.
This article explores some of the reasons for this fragmentation and how itcan be reduced or eliminated by changing the orientation or position of themobile to mitigate the effects of the human body, or when metallic objectsreflect or scatter the RF signals.
BUFFERINGBluetooth A2DP Audio is buffered. If it wasn’t buffered, then audiofragmentation would be much more prevalent. For reference: 48 A2DP(SBC) packets (3dh5) are transmitted every second, below this data ratesome level of audio fragmentation will occur. Different devices have varyingbuffer sizes - typically, between 100ms to 250ms. Though larger buffersperform better, they also induce lags such as significant delay whenchanging tracks.
There are several buffers involved; the first is on the stack from the mobile,the second is the mobile’s Bluetooth chip, third is the infotainment center’sBluetooth chip, and finally the stack inside the infotainment center. Bufferoverflows may be caused by poor buffer management, time sensitive audiopackets (synchronization) or due to higher priority traffic passing through theBluetooth link.
DEFINITIONS OF AUDIO ISSUESAudio fragmentation can occur when not all A2DP packets are received andthe infotainment system’s buffer is drained, and audio disruption willnoticeable to the user. Audio fragmentation generally manifests itself as gaps
in the music and/or music skips. Audio gaps are caused by bufferunderflows and music skips occur from buffer overflows or when time-sensitive audio has to discard packets (note: packets may need to bediscarded to keep pace, especially, for example, synchronization to video). If this happens, the audio will skip parts of the music stream. Music soundsfaster when there is around a 10% packet loss, the most noticeable effect isthat the music appears to speed up.
Music skips are defined as when the user can detect that the tempo of themusic is faster, and in the worst case, parts of words of the vocals aremissing. This is due to packets being discarded when buffers overflow.Normally, the packets can be throttled to avoid overflows, but there arecases where the packets are time sensitive and so discarded.
Skipping audio is rarer than audio fragmentation, and typically caused onthe mobile’s side by poor RF not allowing the buffers to properly drain. Withtime sensitive packets some packets are discarded to ensure fidelity.
FACTORS AFFECTING AUDIO FRAGMENTATION IN AND AROUND THE VEHICLEAudio fragmentation and music skipping are normally caused by low signalstrength (RSSI) and/or high radio frequency interference (RFI). When thishappens, the Bluetooth link suffers severe packet loss. The Bluetooth tracesused for this article show packet loss across multiple channels, making thisproblem an overall Bluetooth issue, and not easily avoided by utilizingfrequency hopping.
LOW RSSI WITHIN THE AUTOMOBILEAlthough having a longer operation range for the Bluetooth link is normallydesirable, another strategy is to reduce the range and improve performanceover a shorter distance. The following are a list of factors that have effects onRSSI even at short range:
1. “Large body of water” (i.e. human body) in the path between theantennas. The human body can alter the signal strength dramatically.2.4 GHz radio waves are absorbed very efficiently by water, making thehuman body a key factor affecting the signal performance. Additionalpeople in the vehicle will further reduce signal strength.
2. Metal objects between the two antennas may also degrade the signalperformance. Although the majority of vehicle interior trim is made fromplastic, cloth & leather, many surfaces can be metal coated. Metalizedplastics used in the dashboard will affect the in-vehicle signal profile.Similarly, cup holders often have a metal finish for hygiene reasons, andalso present a convenient location to store the mobile device. This putsthe mobile antenna in a metal container, potentially affecting deviceperformance.
3. The bodywork of the vehicle can either focus the Bluetooth RF, disperseit, or create interference with out of phase reflections. A vehicle’s bodystyle can have a significant impact on the range and quality of Bluetooth RF. Metallic trim can cause signal strength hot and cold spots within the cabin.
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BLUETOOTH AUDIO FRAGMENTATION IN AUTOMOTIVEENVIRONMENTS
By Jeff Clark, Engineering Manager, NextGen Technology
T
4. Direction of the antenna RF transmission profile – most mobile devicesare designed to have better antenna transmission from the back of themobile, due to the shielding effects from the display and the humanhead.
5. Vehicle seats and items on a seat or the seat back will also reducesignal quality.
6. Most vehicles have a second row of seats and some a third row. MostBluetooth nodes are located in the dashboard area, so a passenger inthe third row could be 2-3 metres from the Bluetooth antenna. Over 1metre the distance becomes more of a factor in the signal strengthequation.
INTERFERENCE SOURCES - LOCAL AND EXTERNAL TO THE VEHICLE1. Other Bluetooth devices in the vehicle or in close proximity (such as
adjacent cars) may affect the number of available channels and limit theRF performance.
2. 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi operates in the same band as Bluetooth and althoughboth technologies are designed to co-exist, certain applications increasebandwidth and channel congestion. Streaming Bluetooth audio andsimultaneously downloading a large file over a local Wi-Fi node willaffect the system performance. Residential Wi-Fi hot spots add furtherinterference in the vehicle RF environment. Nearby vehicles will alsohave Wi-Fi and Bluetooth transmissions creating short-term interference.
3. Wi-Fi interference is magnified as Wi-Fi tries to hold onto a fadingconnection, such as when leaving your home while the mobile isconnected to domestic Wi-Fi. When the Wi-Fi signal becomes weak themobile tries to maintain the connection by allocating more channels,sacrificing Bluetooth channels.
4. The 2.4 GHz band is use by many other devices. Some of these may beimportant to an infotainment system, such as some car alarms, videosenders, ZigBee devices, even microwave ovens. Bear in mind, then,that if you have a microwave in your recreational vehicle, it will limityour bandwidth.
5. All vehicles generate RF noise from multiple areas, including CPUclocks, signaling bus lines and other PCB noise sources. Automotive Tier1 suppliers and vehicle manufacturers go to great lengths to minimizethese noise sources, primarily to protect civilian audio and televisionbroadcasts. However, with the advent of Bluetooth and Wi-Fitechnologies, more focus is required on emissions in the 2-5GHz bands.
Note:RFI can normally be handled by frequency hopping and channel mapping,however reflections and RF shielding caused by metal surfaces can’t bemitigated by frequency hopping as it will affect all channels.
OTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTORS • Some users have observed that older devices that are upgraded with
new operating system (OS) software become less responsive due to the‘operating burden’ on legacy hardware of the new OS or the effect ofinstalling resource hungry apps. This may affect the ability of the mobiledevice to service resource intensive tasks such as audio streaming, andleading to fragmented audio. A similar scenario could also take placewith the infotainment system, when memory capacity diminishes andsoftware updates consume more resources.
• The impact of reduced bandwidth as mobiles get more ‘connected’ everyyear, including low energy devices (watches, health monitors, etc.) andother Bluetooth peripherals, such as radar detectors.
• Streaming data that is passed into the infotainment system may haveaudio fragmentation due to reception over cellular or Wi-Fi connections,and therefore may not have anything to do with Bluetooth connectivity.
• Bluetooth Phone Book Access Profile (PBAP) and Message AccessProfile (MAP) are special file transfers that, once connection isestablished, will also reduce the bandwidth of audio packets until thetransfers are complete.
• Of note: the Bluetooth Human Interface Device (HID) profile can be amajor factor in audio fragmentation as it has an equally high servicepriority as audio, but typically HID doesn’t have high usage in vehicle.
TEST SETUPThe following is a description of the test setup used to recreate and measureaudio fragmentation. For the charts and data in this article, all the resultswere recorded with this base configuration:
a. Popular 2015 model SUV with three rows of seating, fitted with thecompany’s fully featured infotainment system
b. Wi-Fi enabled on all devices (infotainment center and mobile), but notconnected
c. Engine running with air conditioning on, but the vehicle is stationaryd. Vehicle is in a full car park with surrounding vehicles adding more
reflected radio wavese. A2DP is the only Bluetooth function being tested, but MAP is used to
mark the beginning and end of each test intervalf. Test engineer was wearing normal summer clothes, jeans and pull over
shirt with pocketg. Test engineer is the only person in the vehicleh. A Bluetooth sniffer was placed on top of the dash just over the head unit
(antenna location)i. Signal strength scale 0->13, from the Frontline BPA 600 protocol
analyser measurements. The infotainment signal strength is not a factorwith the BPA 600 placed so close
j. Buffer(s) size measured by comparing meta-data change to start of newsong, when selecting the next track for this system - for this unit thebuffer is approximately 250ms
k. Each location, mobile location and direction was captured with at least1 minute of audio
l. For each test, the average signal strength, low signal strength, highsignal strength, A2DP error rate including CRC errors and retransmittedpackets are combined and finally the audio gaps are measured. Ofcourse, the most significant metric is the engineer listening for audioissues.
m. The test locations included all sitting positions in each row. Jeans leftpocket, right pocket and shirt pocket were measured. The driver’s cupholder was tested. In each location the mobile was placed with thedisplay away from the engineer’s body and then towards his body. Thedistance to the infotainment centre was measured for each location.
n. Sub-Band Coding (SBC) codec was used throughout this testo. The retry /error rates shown in this article are strictly for the 3-DH5
packets. All other packet types were filtered out. Given the size andcomplexity of the 3-DH5 packet they are most likely to encounter errors.
p. The last two charts were a pure distance measurement with nothingjuxtaposed between the antennas. The measurements were through therear tailgate with the tailgate open. Measured Distances were between 5and 13 metres.
DATA AND DATA CHARTS
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The error rate increases rapidly at 1.5 metres, but being under 10%indicates we had very stable audio. The slight nose-dive at the end is due tothe 2.37 metres distance where the mobile is in the shirt pocket and has abetter line of sight.
The position of the mobile display (towards and away from the body) looksthe same for this mobile, but the first row shows a significant difference, withthe display towards the body providing a stronger signal. Although theaverage is about the same, the percentage of stronger signals is a goodindicator of the differences in the two directions. Note: neither means that thesignal has a direct shot to the infotainment system. An example would be thedriver’s side left pocket. Neither direction is towards the infotainment system.
This measurement shows that at 9 metres the error rate rises dramaticallycausing a higher degree of audio fragmentation.
This chart shows that beyond the first row, the elevation of the shirt pocketmeans the mobile device has a stronger signal strength. The shirt pocketlocation has a better line of sight to the infotainment system and alsoreduces the RF absorption in the seats.
Error rate exceeds 25% in the last row, and should exhibit audiofragmentation if listened to for a long period (1 hour) even with a 250ms buffer.
These results show the estimated probability of audio fragmentation given10 retries in a row. This is overly simplistic but does give an indication thata retry rate over 20% is likely to cause audio fragmentation.
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Same measurements but showing the audio gap data. After 9 metres, theaudio fragmentation becomes very significant. This table shows thedifference between a 100ms buffer versus a 250ms buffer. Note the 100msline is based on the left hand axis versus the right for the 250ms, showingat least a 5x reduction in perceived audio fragmentation.
Figure 7
Delta for when the human body is between the Infotainment Center and the Mobile
Height in Each Row
Delta for the various rows in the vehicle
Predicted Number of audio fragmentation events given the retry/error percentage
Retry % Frags in 1 hour Frags in 10 mins4% 0.00 0.008% 0.00 0.00
12% 0.00 0.0016% 0.00 0.0020% 0.04 0.0125% 0.34 0.0630% 2.13 0.3535% 9.93 1.6640% 37.75 6.2950% 351.56 58.5960% 2176.78 362.8070% 10169.11 1694.8580% 38654.71 6442.45
www.nextgen-technology.com
SUMMARYFrom these tests it is possible to conclude that:1. Error rates over 10% can cause fragmentation but audible distortion is very noticeable
when the error rate exceeds 25%. Audiophiles will notice the distortion sooner.2. In large SUV’s and people carriers/vans, the 3rd row of seats begins to approach the limits
of audio stability.3. To minimize the likelihood of audio fragmentation, the shirt pocket is the best location in
rows 2 & 3, while also keeping the mobile away from metal and as high as practical toprovide a more direct line of sight.
4. With the body between the infotainment system and the mobile there is a 50% drop inquality - 15% versus 23% error rates. Figure 5 shows almost a drop of one unit in signalstrength on average, with the most effect in the first row.
5. Distances beyond 8 metres show high retransmission rates and very noticeable audiofragmentation, while audio skipping was also observed. Beyond 10 meters the SMS Alertsbecame unreliable in addition to fragmented audio.
6. When the mobile is operating as a slave it will have more of an effect on fragmentationthan when it operating as the master, since two messages must be received by the slave(two polls) versus only one when the mobile is the master (single null).
7. The infotainment centre used stopped polling for several hundred milliseconds when itencountered several CRC errors in a row, causing the audio fragmentation to be quitenoticeable.
8. Buffer size is significant in absorbing short term transmission issues, but too large a buffercauses customer complaints due to lag in commands such as pause, play and track skip.
9. Seats and items on a seat or their back will also reduce signal quality.
RECOMMENDATIONS1. Use a Bluetooth Class 1 transceiver to improve the range. This is especially beneficial when
mobiles are also Class 1 devices and, in certain situations, use of a Bluetooth Class1transceiver may provide some improvement for Class 2 mobiles
2. Multiple Bluetooth antennas to improve coverage and diversity3. Make the mobile operate as the master to reduce the number of messages required to
transmit. The difference is that a ‘Poll 3DH5 Poll’ is required for each packet if theinfotainment centre is the master, versus “3DH5 Null” if the mobile is the master. The oneless packet for the same amount of data should make for fewer retransmits or less delaysin transmitting the data.
4. Provide user education or guidance, including suggestions such as:a. keep the body from interfering as a result of getting between the two antennasb. If the mobile is kept in a pocket, have the mobile’s display towards the body and use
a front pocket.c. Shirt pocket or cup holder is best
5. Increase buffer size to reduce perceived audio fragmentation and music skips, perhaps upto 500ms.
BOSCH IS WEB-ENABLINGPARKING SPACES
The key to active parking lotmanagement is the reliable detection ofavailable parking spaces. Bosch hasapparently developed a specialoccupancy sensor that is scarcely biggerthan a CD in terms of its circumferenceand measures around just threecentimetres in height. The sensors areinstalled in parking garages and on-streetparking spaces, either on or in theasphalt, as desired. The special thingabout this technology is that theoccupancy sensors operate wirelesslyand are powered by batteries, whicheliminates the effort and expense ofhaving to lay cables. Each battery has aservice life of up to seven years. Thanksto their robust plastic housing, thesensors are capable of withstanding anytype of weather conditions, in additionto the increased wear caused by heavytrucks and snow plows. Inside thehousing, Bosch installs two differentsensor technologies that corroborate theinformation collected by the other andthe company says that the benefit of thisis enhanced, error-free reliability fordetecting spaces.
The occupancy sensor checks at regularintervals whether a parking space isavailable. Using a gateway, which issimilar to an internet router, the Boschsensor relays the encrypted informationsecurely to a server, where a real-timeparking map of all free and occupiedspaces is created that can be accessedwith the app or online.
However, the service is not only fordrivers, but also parking lot operators.Bosch says that it can further improvethe occupancy rate of heavily-usedparking spaces through intelligentlyevaluating the data.
GEMALTO LAUNCHESCINTERION SECURE ELEMENTFOR PROTECTION OFAUTOMOTIVE ANDINDUSTRIAL IOT SOLUTIONS
Gemalto, a company that develops digitalsecurity solutions, has introduced theCinterion Secure Element, a tamper-resistant component embedded inindustrial Internet of Things (IoT)solutions to enable advanced digitalsecurity and lifecycle management. Thesecurity framework, named SecureElement, serves as the foundation of trustfor building the IoT security architecture.Gemalto believes this is crucial for long-lived industrial solutions such asconnected cars and smart meters that needprotection against evolving threats whileremaining flexible to accommodateenhanced functionalities and services.
Gemalto claims that leading edgeautomakers have already begunintegrating its Cinterion Secure Element inadvanced security architecture and thatCinterion Secure Element meets extremeenvironmental and longevity requirementsfrom the automotive industry and benefitsfrom smart card level security. Thisensures that data is stored in a safe placeand access is granted only to authorizedapplications and people helping to guardagainst digital and physical attacks.
In addition, Cinterion enables secure over-the-air management of security credentialsas well as software updates across thelifecycle of solutions.
Laetitia Jay, Vice President of M2MSolutions and Services at Gemalto toldConnected Car, "Gemalto's Security byDesign approach and suite of M2Moptimized solutions - including the SecureElement - provide end-to-end protectionfrom the edge to the core. Security andtrust among all types of connected objectssuch as cars, traffic lights or intelligentroad systems, will enable a whole realm ofinnovations in the IoT ecosystem."
LG COLLABORATES WITHFREESCALE ON INTELLIGENTCAMERA SYSTEM FORAUTOMATED DRIVING
LG Electronics (LG) and Freescale haveentered into a memorandum ofunderstanding to jointly develop next-generation vision processing solutions forcamera systems, with the autonomousvehicle and advanced driver assistancesystems (ADAS) market in mind.
The joint effort will enable LG to harnessits experience and R&D capacity incamera systems, computer visionalgorithms and electronics technologies toenhance existing ADAS technologies. Inaddition, LG is transferring technologiesfrom its home entertainment and mobilecommunications businesses intoautomotive components. With Freescale’slegacy of developing products for ADASapplications, both companies willapparently leverage each other’srespective expertise to accelerate theevolution of automated drivingtechnologies.
“We are excited by this opportunity towork with Freescale on next generationtechnologies such as ADAS,” said Dr. LeeWoo-jong, president and CEO of the LGVehicle Components Company. “As theautomobile evolves from a mechanical toan electronic system, LG will be in theperfect position to contribute itsexperience to the exciting area ofdriverless cars and automated driving.”
While Matt Johnson, vice president andgeneral manager for Freescale’s Auto MCUgroup added, “Freescale is pleased topartner with LG on IP development forautomotive vision applications. Thecapabilities of each company are highlycomplementary and through sharing ofkey vision processing and automotivesafety capabilities, both companies expectto accelerate development ofdifferentiated solutions for ADASapplications.”
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23C O N N E C T I N G P E O P L E A N D T H I N G S S I N C E 1 8 7 6 !
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ONSTANTIN ZERVAS IS DIRECTOR OFBUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AT ERICSSON.
TODAY HIS FOCUS IS ON SERVICE MAINTENANCESTRATEGY AND THE IOT. HE HAS BEEN PART OFERICSSON’S CONNECTED VEHICLE CLOUD TEAMSINCE 2010, WHEN HE ATTENDED A TELEMATICSUPDATE EVENT IN DETROIT, WHICH TIME ALSOMARKED THE POINT THAT ERICSSON STARTED TOENGAGE WITH THIS MARKET.
VH: Give us a little of the background to Ericsson’sposition in the automotive sector.KZ: Ericsson has a strong legacy in telecoms –we’ve been working since 1876 when we startedthe whole thing! For some time now we have beenfocusing on a 3-step strategy. Part 1 wasconnecting places, part 2 was connecting people,and now we are working on part 3, which isperhaps the biggest step - connecting things – theIoT. Our origins are on the network side but it’squite a natural evolution for us to engage with thedifferent partners – the makers and developers in the different markets,the pioneers that want to transform their industries. These people areusing enablers such as broadband connectivity and the cloud to buildsystems and applications.
VH: What is the Ericsson vision for the connected car and how wouldyou differentiate yourselves from the competition?KZ: We have always seen the connected car as a natural citizen in theconnected society. But we see that not only does the car need to beconnected, the whole transport system needs to be.
We feel that the basic embedded technology to connect the car andprovide value added services is now in place, and so we are lookingat the next stage. Our Networked City demonstration with Volvo atMobile World Congress earlier this year, for example, showed how weare stepping beyond connecting the vehicle. We demonstrated remotecontrol of two Volvo CE compact excavators over mobile networks inreal-time. This was a full implementation of the 5G concept introducedat Mobile World Congress last year. This joint research projecthighlights what's needed from future 5G networks, and what we canachieve with state-of-the-art technology. And the opportunity is huge.
Now we’re looking at connected safety and saving lives. It is notenough to connect the car with the driver, you need to connect themwith the things around them. We have demonstrated how we canconnect the car with cyclists, and make them aware of each other inorder to prevent collisions.
VH: It sounds like your strategy is extremely ambitious, connecteverything, not just cars!KZ: Yes, that’s right. We design solutions for many industries, andthen we work with developers in each sector to bring them together inthe connected marketplace, where we are seeing a lot of interestingdynamics happening. What makes us unique is that while we arebuilding solutions for individual industries, they are always overlaid ontop of the same core or starting point - our horizontal, cloud platform.This uses a number of core components – service maintenance,analytics, the enterprise core catalogue and IoT billing that are all usedwhen we build industry solutions. We can then leverage and learnfrom the experience we gain on each project across many and diversesectors, constantly feeding this back to and continually improving ourhorizontal platform.
CONNECTEDCAR
INTERVIEWCONNECTING PEOPLE ANDTHINGS SINCE 1876!
Vince Holton talks connected car technology with Ericsson
Konstantin Zervas, Ericsson.
K
Ericsson has a long and very strong background in the communicationsmarket, and Vince Holton talked to Konstantin Zervas about Ericsson’s role in the
evolving connected car sector, including the company’s high-profilepartnership with Volvo Cars and AT&T in the USA.
Click this screen to watch the Ericsson Connected Car Cloud movie.
VH: Connected Vehicle Cloud is part of Ericsson’s Transport andAutomotive portfolio. Is Ericsson’s focus entirely on ConnectedVehicle Cloud, or are you active in development of the embeddedtechnology in the carKZ: Our message is quite clear. We deliver the cloud solution thatthe car is connecting to. Then we are happy to work with the OEMs,Tier 1s and leading device suppliers as they design, deliver andrefine the technology that is embedded in the car. Our goal is tomake the cloud solution credible, and so will work very closely withthese companies. We also work with Genivi, developing the way thecar connects to the cloud.
VH: Is Ericsson working with more OEMs than Volvo?KZ: Yes we are, but Volvo is the only one that we can disclose at themoment. We can talk about our work with AT&T, which has been thenetwork operator partner for the project with Volvo in North America.It’s a complicated puzzle though! Ericsson has a partnership withVolvo and is providing it with the Connected Vehicle Cloud solutionin 160 global markets, and then Volvo is working with AT&T in theUS on traditional, 1.0 telematics and embedded solutions. Then,Ericsson has a separate relationship with AT&T, which is broaderthan just the Volvo relationship. As I said, it’s complicated!
VH: What do you see as the major challenges for the connectedcar and what are your solutions?KZ: I see that the biggest problem comes from deploying a solutionor service on a worldwide basis – making sure that it worksglobally, in all markets and guaranteeing 24/7 quality of service.That was how Volvo was different. They decided to work with oneglobal solution from day 1 – Ericsson’s, of course – it made sensefor them to let one company manage all of the cloud and back-officesystems, as it would have been far too big a challenge to either do itthemselves or to try to do it with different partners in every territory.Not only do we have the cloud and software expertise but we alsohave our managed services business where we are helpingoperators and other service providers to maintain their networks orother real-time data services 24/7.
VH: Does this mean in a situation like this that Ericsson connectsthe OEM with network operators across the world?KZ: No, we’re not doing that. We need to stay objective as many ofthe operators are also our customers and so we want Volvo, orwhichever OEM it might be, to choose the operators they want towork with. We can help the OEM, of course, by telling them what
they should be looking for in theirdiscussions, but at the end of the day it is upto the OEM to select the operators.
VH: How does Ericsson align with AppleCarPlay and Android for Auto?KZ: As Ericsson is limiting itself to providingthe cloud solution, and isn’t involved withthe embedded technology, we don’t haveany connection with those in-car operatingsystems. We are happy to work with the Tier1s and other developers who are creatingthe gateway between the consumer devices,the in-car technology and then theconnection with the outside world, but weget involved from the point where thecommunication is leaving the car andconnecting with the Ericsson Cloud, notbefore. That link is created either byconnecting the car via the consumer’s phoneor via a pre-installed SIM in the car. In the
case of the Volvo, Ericsson and AT&T deal in the USA, that uses pre-installed SIMs, and the same is true in China as well with ChinaUnicom. Europe is a roaming area so there each dealer or customeradds the best SIM card for its market. So CarPlay and Android for Autoare really for the OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers to address.
VH: Is Ericsson looking at purely consumer solutions with ConnectedVehicle Cloud, or are you also considering fleet or freight operators,telematics solutions providers, insurance companies etc.?KZ: There is no limitation with Connected Vehicle Cloud, so we areworking with B2C and B2B solutions providers and we are alreadyproviding support for a number of use cases. The cloud is optimisedfor integrating and exposing APIs to build solutions. That is the bigbenefit of the ecosystem – connecting partners.
VH: How many vehicles on the road today are connected to theEricsson Connected Vehicle Cloud?KZ: The number that we released at the beginning of 2015 was ‘morethan 500,000’ vehicles, so while that is the published number, Isuspect it is a little higher today.
VH: Is Ericsson making its technology available to prominentsystems developers – is this an open platform?KZ: The Service Enablement Platform has all the flexibility needed forService Providers, such as OEMs, to expose APIs to applicationdevelopers in an open and secure way while protecting the OEM’s coreassets. However, what we still see in the automotive industry is thatthe OEMs prefer to keep this development in-house, working with theirown developers and partners who are building their core applications,and not exposing their data to just any developer as Apple and Googlehave been doing. This is what used to be called a walled gardensituation. I think things will stay this way for some time, with the OEMskeeping their core data to themselves and developing coreapplications themselves with select developer partners, and leaving itto Apple and Google to provide open developer ecosystems/marketplaces for long-tail applications. The OEMs are conscious thatthere are new things that they need to focus on, such as autonomousdriving, and new business models, new services.
VH: Is there any legacy benefit to being part of what was once adominant mobile and wireless systems company when working withthe auto OEMs?KZ: Certainly, our legacy has helped us a lot. Not just in connectedcars, but in everything that is connected. We have a lot of assets,
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Another example of a connected cloud-based application.
a lot of experience and a lot of enablers that benefit Ericsson in this space.
VH: And what would you see as the next step for Ericsson?KZ: Well, I think the next step for Connected Vehicle Cloud and value-added-services will be to look at connecting the transportationsystems with the road authorities and with the Smart Cities. Thatreally will be the enabler for new services such as autonomousdriving, car-sharing and so forth. That is where Ericsson is focussingnow. You might have heard of the Connected Traffic Cloud inBarcelona. The Connected Vehicle Cloud is the platform for theOEMs. The Connected Traffic Cloud is for the road authorities andSmart Cities. Imagine a scenario in the future where a car is enteringa city. The car has its own Connected Vehicle Cloud connectivity, andthe city has its Connected Traffic Cloud. This city cloud will take datafrom the car, and this will allow it to address issues such as trafficcongestion, parking and so on. This is the next stage – connectingeverything, creating a new ecosystem.
VH: OK, and to finish off in traditional fashion, how do you see theconnected car market changing in the next 3-5 years and beyond?KZ: Well, we are past connectivity 1.0, so over that period I wouldsay it will be all about innovation, creating new services, newbusiness models and new roles for long-established companies.The car companies are really transforming their roles, understandingthat they need to think about services rather than just products. It allrevolves around finding different uses of the data that cars aregenerating.
VH: Do you think this will be an easy transition, and are the OEMsready to take on these new roles?KZ: I don’t think it will be easy, and today I think we see OEMs justtaking the first, small steps. But I think it needs to happen. Knowinghow quickly it will happen is not easy. The only safe thing to say isthat it will probably take longer than we think!
http://www.ericsson.com/ourportfolio/transport/connected-vehicle-cloud
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ORSCHE INTRODUCED THE FIRST ALL-ELECTRICALLYPOWERED FOUR-SEAT SPORTS CAR IN THE BRAND'S HISTORY
- THE MISSION E - AT THE IAA IN FRANKFURT. AS WELL ASLOOKING LIKE A COMPLETELY CONTEMPORARY PORSCHE, THECONCEPT CAR APPARENTLY COMBINES ‘EXCELLENT’PERFORMANCE AND THE ‘FORWARD-THINKING PRACTICALITY OFTHE FIRST 800-VOLT DRIVE SYSTEM’.
Headline stats include over 600 hp (440 kW) system power andover 500 km driving range. All-wheel drive and all-wheel steering,zero to 100 km/h acceleration in under 3.5 seconds and a chargingtime of around 15 minutes to reach an 80 per cent charge of electricalenergy.
But let’s focus on what is happening inside the car. The instrumentcluster shows five round instruments displayed virtually in OLEDtechnology, i.e. by organic light-emitting diodes. The roundinstruments are organized according to the driver-relevant themes ofConnected Car, Performance, Drive, Energy and Sport Chrono. Thecontrols are just as innovative. An eye-tracking system detects, viacamera, which instrument the driver is viewing. The driver can thenactivate the menu of the instrument in focus by pushing a button onthe steering wheel and navigate in it – which also involves aninterplay of eye-tracking and manual activation. But that’s not all: thedisplay follows the seat position and body attitude of the driver in whatis known as a parallax effect. If the driver sits lower, higher or leans toone side, the 3D display of the round instruments reacts and moveswith the driver. This eliminates situations in which the steering wheel
blocks the driver's view of certain key information, for instance. Allrelevant information such as vehicle speed is always within thedriver's line of sight.
And who says that the German manufacturers do not have a senseof fun? The Mission E can even portray driving emotions: a cameramounted in the rear-view mirror recognizes the driver's good moodand shows it as an emoticon in the round instrument. The fun factorcan be saved together with individual information such as the route orspeed, and it can be shared with friends via a social media link.Okay…
The entire dashboard is chock full of new ideas and is divided intotwo three-dimensionally structuring layers. The upper layer integratesthe driver's display, and between the levels there is a holographicdisplay that extends into the passenger's side. It shows individuallyselectable apps, which are stacked in virtual space and arranged bypriority with a three-dimensional effect. The driver – or passenger – canuse these apps to touch-free control primary functions such as media,navigation, climate control, contacts and vehicle. The desired symbolis activated by gestures that are detected by sensors. A graspinggesture means select, while pulling means control. In addition, driveror passenger can use a touch display on the centre console to controlsecondary functions such as detailed information menus.
The concept vehicle can also be configured externally from a tabletvia Porsche Car Connect. Using “Over the Air and Remote Services” thedriver can essentially change the functional content of the vehicleovernight. According to Porsche, a simple update via the integratedhigh-speed data module is all it takes to implement the travel guide oradditional functions for the chassis, engine or infotainment system.The driver can use a smartphone or tablet to start updates from thePorsche Connect Store. Furthermore, Porsche Connect enables directcontact to a Porsche Centre for remote diagnostics or to scheduleappointments. Another function of integrated Remote Services is thedigital key, which can be sent via the Porsche Connect Portal. It notonly lets the owner open the doors, but also other persons authorizedby the owner such as friends or family. After successful authentication,the key can be used within a specific time frame and defined location.
Admittedly, this is a show/concept car, but Porsche is showcasingsome innovative ideas here, and if a good proportion of them make itto production, then it will not only move the game on for electric cars(or at least drag the established motor industry a few steps nearer tocatching up with Tesla), but it will also deliver a host of newinfotainment, driver assistance and connected car functionality.
Although a launch date has not yet been announced, there has beena suggestion that a car such as the Mission E could be on the road inthree years.
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MOST HIGH-TECHPORSCHE YET?
Mission E concept combines OLED,eye-tracking, holography and high
speed data connectivity
P
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BENTLEY SUV PACKS IN TECH
Bentley Motors unveiled its BentaygaSUV at the 66th IAA in Frankfurt,describing the car as ‘combiningunparalleled luxury with effortlessperformance and everyday usability’.The Bentayga introduces a suite of driverassistance technologies and its on-boardinfotainment systems are also all-new.Bentley describes the Bentayga as aninnovative, advanced and connected car.
The core of the new system is an all-newtouch screen-based infotainmentplatform with additional haptic controls,classic analogue gauges, rear seatentertainment and a touch screen remotecontrol for rear climate comfort. Themain 8” display touch screen isconnected to a 60 GB solid-state harddrive for the storage of on-board media.
The rear seats and climate comfort arecontrolled via the Bentley Touch ScreenRemote – a handheld, smart-phone-sizeddevice with a 3.5” touch screen thatallows access to rear seat systems.
The Bentayga also introduces the newBentley Entertainment Tablet. When RearSeat Entertainment is specified, the carcomes with a pair of removable tabletsthat are connected to the car via on-board4G Wi-Fi. The Android-powered tabletsfeature a Bentley-specific interface andaccess to over a million Android Apps,and can be used away from the car, in theoffice and at home. Each tablet has a10.2” full HD display, has 32 GB of on-board storage (expandable to 128 GB viaa Micro-SDXC card), USB ports and afront-facing camera. The tablets fit intoholders installed to the backs of the frontseats, and can be connected via Bluetoothto wireless headphones. Audio can alsobe streamed through the vehiclespeakers, and new destinations can besent from the tablets to the Bentayga’snavigation system. Internet browsing isvia the car’s 4G Wi-Fi system, permittingaccess to internet radio and local orstreamed video.
Three different audio configurations areavailable. The standard sound system often speakers and six channels can beupgraded to the Signature system,consisting of 12 speakers, 12 channelsand a 700 watt amplifier.
The top-level on-board audio system isthe Naim for Bentley Premium soundsystem, featuring 18 speakers, 19channels, a 1,950 watt amplifier andSuper Tweeters.
In addition to these options, theBentayga is available with what Bentleysays is its widest ever range of lifestyleaccessories. For example, customerswith an interest in watersports maywish to specify the Load-Assist Tray andWet Gear Stowage options. Naturally!
BMW UPDATES MINICONNECTED APP
After five years on the road, the MiniConnected app is undergoing a majorrelaunch, the new version havingbecome available to download frommid-August. BMW told Connected Carthat the new and updated featuresinclude: Mini Streetwise, the basicfunctions Status, Apps and Profile,Online Search, Sports Instruments,Force Meter and Calendar
Mini Streetwise is the new centralfeature of the Mini Connected app. Itlets users display the best route on theirsmartphone before the journey has evenstarted. The app makes use of personaldriving data together with the user’sown past journeys and showsinformation such as journey durationand fuel consumption. The appdetermines the current location anddisplays all destinations recorded todate and the best routes on thesmartphone. If several drives to thesame destination have already beenrecorded, Mini Streetwise will calculatethe user’s personal best route as therecommended option.
Clicking on the destination pin callsup the estimated time of arrivaltogether with alternative routes,including data such as distance,journey duration and fuelconsumption. Users can choose tohave the places displayed on a map oras a list. This same information canalso be displayed in the CentreInstrument once the smartphone hasbeen connected to the Mini. Driverstherefore always have a clearrecommendation for the best way toget from A to B.
In addition to Streetwise, the vehicle’slocation, fuel level, potential rangeand last journey recorded can befound under the menu item “Status”.Clicking on the location opens a mapview showing the route to the parkedcar. All available and installed appsare listed under “Apps”, providingusers with a quick summary of all theapplications that can be used in thevehicle via Mini Connected. Thisincludes the third-party apps that areavailable for their Mini in the AppStore or that are already installed onthe smartphone and linked to thevehicle. In addition to this is the“Profile” menu item, where users canenter a name for themselves or theirMini, upload a photo and call up theirpersonal driving statistics.
NEWS
28T O P H A N D S E T R E L E A S E S B Y R E G I O N – Q 4 2 0 1 5
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TOP HANDSET RELEASES BYREGION – Q4 2015
MANUFACTURER MODEL
Apple iPhone 6S
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
Honor 7 PLK-L01
HTC Desire 626
Motorola Moto G 3rd Generation XT1541
Motorola Moto X Play XT1562
Motorola Moto X Style XT1572
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ G928F
Sony Xperia Z5 Compact E5823
Sony Xperia Z5 E6653
EUROPE Q4
MANUFACTURER MODEL CARRIER
Apple iPhone 6S AT&T
Apple iPhone 6S Verizon
Apple iPhone 6S Plus AT&T
Apple iPhone 6S Plus Verizon
Motorola Moto G 3rd Generation XT1540 T- ‐Mobile
Motorola Moto X Pure Edition AT&T
Samsung Galaxy Note5 N920A AT&T
Samsung Galaxy Note5 N920V Verizon
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ G928A AT&T
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ G928V Verizon
NORTH AMERICA Q4
iPhone 6S iPhone 6S Plus 7 PLK-L01
Desire 626Moto G 3rd GenerationXT1541 Moto X Play XT1562
Moto X Style XT1572 Galaxy S6 Edge+ G928FXperia Z5 Compact E5823
Xperia Z5 E6653
iPhone 6S iPhone 6S iPhone 6S Plus
iPhone 6S PlusMoto G 3rd Generation XT1540 Moto X Pure Edition
Galaxy Note5 N920A Galaxy Note5 N920VGalaxy S6 Edge+ G928A
Galaxy S6 Edge+ G928V
29T O P H A N D S E T R E L E A S E S B Y R E G I O N – Q 4 2 0 1 5
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iPhone 6S iPhone 6S Plus Mate S
P8 Max Pro 5 Galaxy Note5 N9200
Galaxy S6 Edge+ G9280 Mi 4c RedMi Note 2
Axon天机
iPhone 6S iPhone 6S Plus Torque G02
Urbano V02 iPhone 6S iPhone 6S Plus
iPhone 6SXperia A4 SO- ‐04G iPhone 6S Plus
Xperia Z4 402SO
MANUFACTURER MODEL
Apple iPhone 6S
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
Huawei Mate S
Huawei P8 Max
Meizu Pro 5
Samsung Galaxy Note5 N9200
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ G9280
Xiaomi Mi 4c
Xiaomi RedMi Note 2
ZTE Axon天机
CHINA Q4
MANUFACTURER MODEL CARRIER
au Apple iPhone 6S
au Apple iPhone 6S Plus
au Kyocera Torque G02
au Kyocera Urbano V02
docomo Apple iPhone 6S
docomo Apple iPhone 6S Plus
docomo Sony Xperia A4 SO- ‐04G
Softbank Apple iPhone 6S
Softbank Apple iPhone 6S Plus
Softbank Sony Xperia Z4 402SO
JAPAN Q4
CONTINENTAL SUPPORTSTOYOTA WITH MULTI-FUNCTION CAMERA ANDLIDAR
Continental has developed a newintegrated sensor module, MultiFunction Camera with Lidar (MFL), byintegrating a camera and an infraredLidar (Light Detection and RangingSensor) into a single compact unit.According to Continental’sannouncement, the module is now beingsupplied to Toyota for its new activesafety package, “Toyota Safety Sense C”for compact cars.
Continental told Connected Car that MFLrepresents a key driver-assistingtechnology to support its Vision Zerogoal of accident-free driving, includingno fatal accidents on the road, no injuriesand ultimately, no accidents.
Samir Salman, CEO Continental NorthAmerica commented, “We are proud tobe the supplier of this module to Toyota,taking a big step towards Vision Zero.With its three Continental-suppliedactive safety technologies - Pre-CollisionSystem (PCS), Lane Departure Alert(LDA) and the Automatic High Beam(AHB) - the Toyota ‘C-Package’ equippedvehicles make a significant contributionto driving safety and reduction ofaccidents, helping to move towards therealization of Vision Zero.”
The Multi Function Camera with Lidarintegrates two sensor technologies. Bycombining the strengths of a camera withthose of an infrared Lidar, the new sensormodule is able to detect objects ahead ofthe vehicle and can warn the driver of apossible collision with an audio andvisual alert. If the driver fails to brake intime, the system automatically appliesthe brakes. Up to approximately 50 mph,a crash can be completely avoided if therelative speed to the detected object isless than 30 mph. If the speed differencesare greater, emergency braking willconsiderably reduce the force of impact.
CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) cameras are already usedfor identifying objects in front of avehicle. However, Continental believesthat a CMOS camera alone cannot alwaysprovide completely reliable informationfor initiating automatic emergencybraking. Lutz Kuehnke, North Americanhead of Continental’s Advanced DriverAssistance Systems business unitexplained, “The Lidar sensor transmitsthree pulsed infrared beams with a 905nmwavelength and measures the time-of-flight until the reflected beams reach thereceiving optics.” The sensor monitors adistance of more than 30 feet in front ofthe vehicle, which classifies it as a short-range Lidar system. From the speed oflight and the time-of-flight, the MultiFunction Camera with Lidar is able tocalculate the distance to the object to anaccuracy of about four inches. Inconjunction with the CMOS camera, thesensor module provides reliable means ofobject categorization.
BOSCH IS TEACHING THINGSTO FEEL
Although they are only as small as a pinhead, they are changing everyday life inmany fields: tiny micromechanicalsensors. In cars, sensors identifydangerous situations and instantly alertthe control electronics to keep the vehicleon the road. Because sensors detect theearth’s gravity, smartphones can changetheir screen orientation to suit users’needs. “The key challenge in the ongoingdevelopment of our MEMS sensors istheir energy consumption. For example,more intelligence in sensors makes itpossible for us to reduce energyconsumption,” Dr. Franz Lärmer, a Boschsensor expert told Connected Car. “It ishard to put a number on the manypotential applications of sensors. They area key technology for the internet of things(IoT).”
With the aim of reducing sensors’ energyconsumption, Lärmer and his team in
Renningen, Germany have joined forceswith Bosch researchers in Palo Alto,California. “In the future, nearly alleveryday objects are likely to beequipped with sensors. This is arevolutionary development that willallow almost every object to gatherinformation about itself and itsenvironment. As a result, the potentialapplications of these objects will increasetremendously,” Lärmer said. “But otherthings are also playing an increasinglyimportant role, such as the combinationof several sensors and the integration ofsoftware intelligence.”
Microscopically fine structures areetched into silicon during MEMSproduction. On the sensor, the teeth oftiny comb-like silicon structuresintermesh. Less than one-quarter thethickness of a human hair, these comb-like structures are pushed up againsteach other during movement. Thedistance between the teeth changes,leading to a change in the electric currentin the structures. This current can bemeasured and calculated as an electricsignal that the sensor then transmits.MEMS sensors are extremely sensitivethanks to this technology, Lärmerexplained. “In a laboratory, you can usethem relatively easily to measure theearth’s rotation.” What is more, the finesilicon structures are already capable ofmeasuring movements of just onefemtometer. This is the unimaginablysmall distance of 0.000000000000001meters (10-15 meters), the same magnitudeas the diameter of atomic nuclei.
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NEWS
2015
2-3 November 2015
TU Automotive EuropeICS International Congress Centre, Stuttgart,Germanyhttp://www.tu-auto.com/europe/
17-19 November 2015
Connected Car Expo/ LA Auto ShowLos Angeles, California, USAhttp://connectedcarexpo.com/
18-19 November 2015
Internet of Things World Forum 2015London, UKhttp://iotinternetofthingsconference.com/connected-car/
2016
6-9 January 2016
Consumer Electronics ShowLas Vegas, Nevada, USAhttp://www.cesweb.org/
27-28 January 2016
Connected DriverBrussels, Belgiumhttp://www.connectedriver.events/
3-13 March 2016
Geneva Motor ShowGeneva, Switzerlandhttp://www.salon-auto.ch/en/
28-29 April 2016
Automotive SteeringTechnology 2016Steigenberger Hotel, Berlin, Germanyhttp://www.steering-technology.com/en/
8-9 June 2016
TU Automotive USADetroit, Michigan, USAhttp://www.tu-auto.com/detroit/register.php
28 June - 1 July 2016
Connected Cars conferenceOlympia Grand, London, UKhttp://connectedcarsworld.com/about/
AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY EVENTSConnected cars feature at events all over the world, and not just attraditional car shows. Connected Car maintains a list of significant shows.If you are aware of events we have missed, please feel free to let us know.
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INFOTAINMENT / TELEMATICS / INTERNET OF EVERYTHING
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Tel: +44 (0)3331 120029Email: [email protected]: www.nextgen-technology.com
The Connected Car brandmark is a trademark of Click I.T. Ltd.
All other logos and trademarks are the property of the relevant companies.
Copyright Click I.T. Ltd & NextGen Technology Ltd 2015
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