Pictures of the Future      Spring 2005

Home on Wheels

We spend a lot of time in our cars and homes, which is why they tend to reflect our personalities and tastes. Soon, we will be able to communicate with both of them.

Such a link requires that individual appliances and sensors in the home be given the capability to transfer data to any type of terminal, whether it’s the owner’s cell phone or the car’s infotainment system. All data would then pass through a gateway. If, for example, an alarm in the home’s network were set off, the control unit would react by closing all windows, shades, doors etc., or sending a message to the police. Such a system might also call its owner to request instructions, sending a text message that, for instance, someone was in the garden. The system would then ask the owner if he or she would like to see an image from the security system.

"The development of interactive services for smart homes is focusing more on utility than ever before, rather than on what is simply technically feasible," says Erich Kamperschroer, head of the Siemens’ company-wide Smart Home project. "That’s because people sometimes feel that too much automation in the personal realm puts limits on their own freedom of action," says Dr. Hans-Gerd Krekels, head of Product Management for Infotainment Solutions at Siemens VDO Automotive. "The services we’re developing give users the choice of how much automation they want." Cell phones may thus soon evolve into remote control units for sending commands selected by the user. Building a bridge between the home and the car is relatively easy these days, and Siemens is already testing simple services such as mobile devices that switch household appliances on and off.

How will hands-free cell phones be combined with automotive radio and navigation systems? One answer is provided by the Bluetooth Kit from Siemens VDO, which wirelessly integrates cell phones and organizers. For instance, the system would enable the driver to receive a message about the status of his oven via the cell phone’s hands-free system. Addresses could also be transferred from an organizer directly into the car’s navigation system via Bluetooth wireless technology.

"You have to make sure that drivers don’t become distracted when operating the system," says Dr. Nhu Nguyen Thien, head of the team developing the EasyCo multi-modal operating concept. Among other things, EasyCo makes it possible for an infotainment platform to receive commands based on hand movements using a sensitive medium such as a touchpad in combination with a high-performance recognition system. "In such a scenario, names and telephone numbers could be written directly with a finger on the touchpad," Nguyen Thien explains. "You could also draw symbols. For example, if you draw a heart, the system would automatically dial the number of your wife or husband as the case may be. If you draw a musical note, the radio would play classical music. In each case, you would decide for yourself what the various symbols should stand for." Tests conducted with the system confirm that users find it easy to operate while driving, and that they feel less distracted by it than they do by conventional systems.

Personalization can also play a role in hardware. The latest generation of Passive Start and Entry Systems (PASE) from Siemens VDO has replaced car keys with a chip card equipped with a transponder. An authentication processes is initiated when the cardholder comes within five or six meters of the vehicle. Before the owner touches the door handle, the vehicle has already recognized the card’s code. Within a few milliseconds, the vehicle unlocks itself and adjusts the seat and mirrors for the cardholder in accordance with settings stored in the system. The same individualization can be carried out for the heat and air conditioning systems, the sunroof, and the radio—and in the future it may even be possible to personalize vehicle transmission and suspension dynamics. The adaptive systems of tomorrow will also be able to recognize and adapt themselves to the typical reaction times and driving behavior of different drivers. The benefit here is that such systems make it possible to maximize personalization while maintaining a high level of safety.

One of the major problems facing all automakers involves the discrepancy between the lifecycles of vehicles and those of electronic systems. Whereas a passenger car model is generally replaced by a successor every six years or so, the product cycle in the communications and consumer electronics sector is only six to 12 months. With this in mind, Siemens VDO has developed Top Level Architecture (TLA). This system, which is nearly ready to enter mass production, links hardware and software, making it possible to implement updates and add new features at any time. TLA will also enable new services to be installed even after production of a vehicle model has been launched, thus helping to substantially reduce development costs.

It all adds up to some interesting new possibilities. So don’t be surprised if one day you receive an e-mail, an SMS or even a voice mail from your car providing maintenance information, traffic reports, or a suggested departure time for your next appointment.
                                                                                                                Anja Stemmer