Connecting cars to our digital lives

Automotive manufacturer Continental is working on in-car apps that will connect drivers with their homes as well as with other personal devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and wearables.

Continental’s in-vehicle developer app framework, showcased for the first time at the 2015 Frankfurt IAA, will make the connected car a powerful extension of the driver’s smart home and connected lifestyle. The platform allows for the delivery of rich media content, clever home to connected car services, and social media services that deliver the in-vehicle app framework through Continental cloud-based services.

Continental, in cooperation with Dallas, Texas-based Vinli, has developed a dedicated in-car dash interface, Car Port, that enables drivers to interact using real-time vehicle data with IoE (Internet of Everything) devices and other drivers creating a seamless connection to digital life outside the car.

“What we are doing is creating the standard for an in-vehicle application platform, and any interested parties such as car manufacturers, application developers and smart home suppliers are very welcome to join us on our route to bringing all aspects of drivers’ lives to their cars,” said Seval Oz, ‎CEO at Continental Intelligent Transportation Systems.

More predictive CleverHome applications by ITS are coming along to transform the vehicle into a smart personal device or another room in the house. These applications include controlling smart home features such as room temperature based on the car’s navigation information and driver’s daily driving habits. When the car ‘knows’ that it is heading home, it could instruct the heating or cooling system as well as other smart home sensors to trigger the desired room temperature or settings automatically.

Work is also underway at Continental on several autonomous — and thus driverless — driving features, particularly with a view to implementing convenient parking systems. 

Challenges of automated driving

Continental is developing the necessary components and systems for automated driving worldwide — in the USA as well as in Japan, China and Germany. The company’s engineers are tackling six key challenges: sensor technology, cluster connectivity, human-machine dialogue, system architecture, reliability and the acceptance of automated driving, said Dr Elmar Degenhart, chairman of the Continental Executive Board, describing the company’s automated driving work packages.

Sensor technology: Zero accidents are no longer a utopia. Advanced driver assistance systems with sensors can record the area around the vehicle just as well as humans, if not better. Rear-view mirrors can be replaced by camera systems, which not only increase safety, but also reduce CO₂ emissions from cars and commercial vehicles. For the sensor fusion, and ultimately for evaluating the sensor data, Continental is researching the use of artificial intelligence. On the theme of ‘safety through learning’, Continental has launched a research project with the Technical University of Darmstadt called PRORETA 4, which explores self-learning systems and artificial intelligence.

“In the future, we will be installing sensors in the tyres, which will enable the car to detect the condition of the road’s surface.

“Tyres will therefore become a key part of our sensor network in the car,” added Degenhart.

“Continental is also working on a unique anticipatory driving system that will be able to learn.”

Cluster connectivity: The internet will become the car’s sixth sense. Continental is working on a powerful backend that will provide highly accurate traffic information. The basis for this will be the sensor data shared by road users coupled with the traffic backend computer. Sharing data increases the sensors’ range enables the vehicle to ‘see around corners’.

Dialog between human and machine: What is the strategy if the vehicle arrives at an exit to a freeway in fully automated mode and the driver is supposed to take control again? In its interactive 3D cinema, Continental will be unveiling a cockpit for the interaction between vehicle and driver — an important answer to the question of control.

System architecture: Future system architectures for automated driving will have to securely manage the huge amount of data that is to be processed in the car. One gigabyte of sensor data per minute has to be processed in real time. Increasing sensor output and the resultant increase in the volume of data require a powerful and reliable electronics architecture.

Reliability: At present, advanced driver assistance systems function as a fallback for the driver. With automated driving, in the event of a malfunction, the vehicle must be able to continue safely on its way or to come to a controlled, safe stop. Specially configured brake systems are already being tested in fleets. Protection against attempts at manipulation must also be considered. Processes that will recognise such attempts and protect the vehicle systems are currently in development.

Acceptance: As Continental sees it, automated driving will be accepted if people trust the technology. Trust evolves from the intelligent dialogue between the driver and the vehicle. The developers of today’s advanced driver assistance and driver information systems are taking this into account and laying the groundwork for the acceptance of tomorrow’s solutions.

Connected driving

Connected cars can use their sensors to collect a large amount of information on changing events — such as traffic jams, accidents, traffic lights, warning signs and road conditions — and share this with other road users via the internet. If you use a ‘cluster’ of interconnected vehicles and collate and analyse the data they have collected in the traffic backend computer, you will have an up-to-date extremely accurate image of the traffic network and traffic flow. This information can then be used by other vehicles and their advanced driver assistance systems or other features.

“The more a vehicle knows about the route ahead, the better it can adapt and configure its features accordingly. Being connected means it can learn to look ahead,” said Degenhart.

Image courtesy of Continental