Thinking small - saving space in automobile instrument panels with module integration

Automotive Industries, July, 1998 by Norman Martin

Module integration and compact controls are critical for fitting driver info systems into tomorrow's IPs.

Good things come in small packages. And when it comes to integrating electronic modules into an instrument panel, better things come in smaller pack ages. Combining such systems as audio, car phone, on-board computer and HVAC controls saves precious space in the IP, while lowering cost and complexity.

There's no room in '99 Porsche's Boxster for plopping separate modules around the car. That's one reason the German automaker turned to Siemens Automotive three years ago to help develop what it calls the Porsche Communications Management system. The $3,540 (retail) system, not including trip computer and CD changer, incorporates individual components such as the car phone (Europe), on-board computer, navigation, audio and climate control into a single unit And, future systems are being designed to include television with telemetry.

Siemens officials claim that its Integrated Driver Information System (IDIS) represents the next step for stand-alone navigation systems that require additional IP space and special mounting configurations in vehicles where real estate is at a premium.

The Porsche model is configured in a 2-DIN single housing with a color display and single, turn-push knob operating controls. A five-inch diagonal, high-resolution LCD display screen serves as the centerpiece of the system. One of the bright spots in terms of making this type of system more accessible is continuing reductions in fiat panel LCD screen costs. A major portion of the cost of driver information units is the LCD alone. Today, virtually all LCDs are Japanese-made.

The heart Of the IDIS is navigation, located in a 1-DIN unit directly below the IDIS unit on the Boxster. Siemens licensed the software that runs the system from Zexel Corp. With that starting point, Siemens developed its own flexible, custom navigation system that can be adapted for use by specific automakers.

The IDIS navigation system shows turn-by-turn instructions of desired routes, along with detailed voice instructions. A map with zoom features is offered as well. Coast-to-coast coverage is available on seven-map CDs from Navigation Technologies. In addition to specific addresses, there are numerous points-of-interest included in the databases available.

Dynamic route guidance -- the ability to utilize real-time traffic information and detour around problem spots -- is emerging in Germany, France and Britain.

Europe has the better infrastructure and a unified digital-based telephone system. "Europe is on the verge of commercializing it," says Guido Reuter, manager of autonomous navigation systems at Siemens Automotive in Auburn Hills, Mich. "Here in the U.S., we are talking about another two years."

A variation of the Boxter's IDIS unit, sans telephone and television (Japan only), will appear in U.S. models in the '99 model year. There will be a clear difference between the European and North American versions, in that the Euro model will come equipped with a GSM (Global Standard for Mobile communications) integrated format telephone. GSM is a digital standard for sending wireless communications, a protocol that is lacking in the U.S.

"Obviously that's one of the necessary steps that we need to go after, but the U.S. market is fractured with different technologies," Reuter says. "It doesn't help us to go chasing after a telephone module that once we implement it will become obsolete."

While the U.S. waits for digital cellular technology to arrive, Siemens developed a wireless Traveler Information System (TIS) that uses analog cellular to access real-time information related to traffic conditions along a specific vehicle's route. In addition, wireless TIS provides turn-by-turn navigation and emergency roadside assistance, all via the cellular link. The company claims, TIS products like the Quick-Scout, as it's called, will be introduced in North America in 2001.

Linking the cell to a service provider also reduces costs because the on-board electronics and computing hardware are eliminated. TIS products are expected to be available through dealerships in North America in 2001.

Meanwhile, on the horizon is one of the most promising features of IDIS systems: a potential for on- and off-board diagnostics. But automakers have been slow to relinquish both vehicle communication data and physical control of systems to a separate computer.

For instance, the Boxster's climate controls are displayed on screen, but not controlled from the screen. It's a potential area of further savings and integration, but it is a very sensitive decision.

Then there's AutoPC, which is based on Microsoft CE's operating system (see AI, April `98, p. 95; Feb. `98, p. 183) The units now being shown (still in the aftermarket) feature voice recognition, simple navigation and detailed entertainment controls. But, Reuter believes that plug-and-play consumer electronics will not bridge smoothly into the much more harsh automotive environment.