connected car

Connected car certs and tests coming from USDOT and FHWA

dotimagineCertification testing and grants are making V2V and V2I connection protocols ready for deployment. The US Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration are working with partners to create standards and testing procedures for connected vehicles.

The US Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS-JPO) and the Certification Steering Committee have started to work with Danlaw, 7Layers and OCS to set up and deliver the next generation of certification services in support of the Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program and other near-term projects

The three companies will work  with the USDOT to define the scope of certification activates, test procedures t and test equipment. Related communities will be consulted at each step of the process. Once the procedures and equipment lists are determined, the companies will set up facilities to operate the tests.

7Layers will  develop test requirements, testing, test products for standards for V2V, V2I and V2X.
OCS (OmniAir Certification Services)  led by the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), will be working with the USDOT to create a gold standard certification program that will propel the connected vehicle program forward and promote manufacturer interoperability and user safety.

Telematics engineering company Danlaw, Inc. announced that it was awarded a grant by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to develop the Next Stage Certification Environment for connected vehicle technology for (DSRC) Dedicated Short Range Communication and standard, IEEE 802.11p.

DSRC is a range dedicated for cars only and has a great potential. In fact, DSRC is being used to make highways with wireless electric vehicle charging built-in.

Danlaw will develope standardized certification techniques, tools and the associated test environment for certification of the communication protocol, vehicle interface and environmental interactions associated with DSRC based connected devices.

Certification testing is important to ensure that future DSRC based devices communicate accurately and with high reliability  for the greatest safety.

Danlaw noted that as it develops the next generation DSRC certification environment, it looks forward to working with other DSRC stakeholders, device and component manufacturers, USDOT and Test Bed Operators to develop and finalize device specifications, test procedures, test suites, and supporting Plug Fests.

DSRC communications take place over a dedicated 75 MHz spectrum band around 5.9 GHz, allocated by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for vehicle safety applications. DSRC is preferred over Wi-Fi because the proliferation of Wi-Fi hand-held and hands-free devices that occupy the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, along with the projected increase in Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless mesh extensions, could cause intolerable and uncontrollable levels of interference that could hamper the reliability and effectiveness of active safety applications.

The DOT has not stated when it will require the deployment of DSRC in vehicles.

Danlaw has offices in the USA, UK, India and China. Danlaw’s specialty areas include telematics, infotainment, vehicle network communications, embedded systems development, testing and manufacturing. Their customers include automotive insurance and fleet companies, automotive OEMs and suppliers.

A video from DOT Connected Vehicle: The Future of Transportation explains an overview of the connected car future.

 

BMW beefs up ConnectedDrive security with HTTPS

BMW Group announced that it has increased the security of data transmission in its vehicles in response to reports from the German Automobile Association (ADAC).

Self-driving driverless autonomous connected cars have their good, bad and funny features

The autonomous car became ubiquitous after all the buzz at CES, so much so, it was part of a routine on The Tonight Show staring Jimmy Fallon with some very funny pros and cons of self-driving cars.

The routine brings up all the stereotypes of what people do and how they behave in cars and what they will do in self driving cars.

Pro: Ford will make on for customers with small budgets. Con: Lamborghini will make one for customers with small male genitals.

Pro: Not having to steer can free up your hands for other important tasks. Con: You can give people two middle fingers at once!!.

Pro: Asking your car to drive to the place where you and your wife had your first date. Con: Hearing the car respond, “It’s time to move on Gary. She did.” (This one is very similar to the virtual assistant car by KPMG.)

Pro: Watching your car to car turn left after you say, “Take me to Walmart.” Con: Watching your car turn off a bridge after the radio play “Take Me to the River.”

Pro: Hooking up in back seat. Con: Getting a speeding ticket after the car thinks it’s being told to go “Faster! Faster!”

Pro: It’s lead to sweeping changes int he automotive world. Con: “Car and Driver” magazine is now just called “Car.”

Pro: The latest most advanced model is the Audi A7. Con: The earliest models were the “Dodge Deathbox” and “The Toyota Turn Please Turn!” and “Honda Holy Hell Get Me Out of This Thing!”

Because this is a holiday we ask our readers to contribute their own pros and cons of self-driving cars in the comments below. You can also comment on what your favorite feature of self-driving cars will be…

 

Audi Q7 – packed with connected car tech: ADAS, CarPlay, Android Auto, tablet, LTE & phone box

Audi Back Seat Tablet
Audi Q7 Back Seat Tablet

Audi announced the 2016 Audi Q7 at the International Auto Show in Detroit which has many state of the art connected car features, such as a new interface, head up display, phone connector box, ADAS, almost autonomous driving packages, new voice controls and 10 inch tablets for back seat passengers.

audivirtualcockpitThe user interface has been streamline with haptic feedback. The driver can enter characters on the large touchpad or perform multi-finger gestures to zoom in on the map or scroll through lists. Functions can be accessed using a rotary push button and two rocker switches.

There are new multifunction steering wheels buttons. Depending on the equipment installed, telephone and navigation functions can also be controlled via the steering wheel.

New voice functions understand hundreds of voice command variations are possible for calling and radio and Media

Driver-relevant information is displayed in the new Q7 in a  instrument cluster. The 7-inch color display places everything from the current radio station to the navigation map to the display from the optional night vision assistant directly in the field of view.

The optional MMI navigation plus is also available with the Audi virtual cockpit, a 12.3-inch TFT display that presents tack-sharp, painstakingly rendered graphics.

The new Q7 is equipped with the second generation of the modular infotainment platform (MIB)  which includes a quad-core T30 processor from Audi’s partner NVIDIA for 3D graphics.

Audi offers various levels of the infotainment modules for the new Q7. The MMI radio plus is standard in Germany. This offers interfaces for external devices such as mobile phones or memory cards.

Displays are shown on a central, 7-inch MMI monitor that rises up from the instrument panel when the system is started.

The high-end infotainment control center is the MMI navigation plus, which has an 8.3-inch monitor.

Another upgrade is Bose sound system with 3D sound and the Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System with 3D sound fascinate even discerning hi-fi users.

The Audi phone box, connects the cell phone to the car’s cellular phone antenna. Inductive charging and wireless smartphone connection will be available as additional functions shortly after the launch of the new Audi Q7.

Audiq7carPlayThe Audi smartphone interface brings “Apple Car Play” and “Google Android Auto” on board. If an iOS or Android cellular phone is connected to the USB port (iOS from Version 7.1; Android from Version 5.0 Lollipop).

Buyers have the optional choice of one or two Audi Android tablets with 10.1 inch screen, 32GB of storage, HD cameras, Bluetooth and NFCserve as rear seat monitors. The tablets are temperature-resistant and rugged for crash safety. The Audi tablets are connected to the MMI navigation plus via WiF with access to the radio, media, navigation and car functions of the Audi Q7. For those who are wondering why Germans love tablets in the back seat, it is because many Audi’s have chauffeurs or drivers. The rugged tablet may be strong enough for teenager or kids, too.

MMI navigation plus also includes the module Audi connect, which connects the new Audi Q7 to the Internet via 4G LTE.

Standard ADAS features are the rear parking aid, cruise control, adjustable speed limiter, rest recommendation and Audi pre sense city. At city speeds it warns the driver of impending collisions with other vehicles or pedestrians and will initiate heavy braking in an emergency

Optional ADAS add-ons are bundled in the packages “Parking”, “City” and “Tour”.

  • “Parking Package”– includes the surround view camera and park assist system, which  steers the car backwards into parallel and perpendicular parking spots while the driver applies gas and brakes.
  • “City Package” – with cross-traffic assist warns the driver of other vehicles when driving slowly in reverse.Trailer assistant for steering of trailers.  Audi side assist measurements behind the car to ensure safe lane changes. Audi pre sense rear tensions the seat belts in the event of an impending collision from behind.
  • “Tour Package” – is the precursor to autonomous driving with  adaptive cruise control that keeps the Q7 at the desired distance from the vehicle ahead. It displays the distance when it is deactivated. ACC stop & go including traffic jam assistant, takes over the steering on developed highways if traffic congested and not moving faster than 65 km/h (40.4 mph). Audi active lane assist uses a camera and small steering interventions to help the driver to stay in a lane.  Audi pre sense front warns of an impending rear-end collision with the vehicle ahead, tightens the belts and brakes the car autonomously.

Also available as an option is the night vision assistant.

The 2016 Audi Q7 should be available late 2016, pricing has not been announced, yet, Pricing expected to at least $50k or more depending upon the add-on packages which could range from $2,000 -$3,000 each.