By Staff Reporter
WINDHOEK – Continental has highlighted how automotive electronics benefit from connecting the vehicle to online data to provide vehicle control, safety entertainment, and information.
“We are demonstrating how the on-line world is rapidly evolving to make our vehicles safer, more appealing, and more efficient. That’s why we are showcasing ready-to-market solutions for the intelligent vehicle,” said Helmut Matschi, member of the Continental Executive Board and head of the Interior Division, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2015 in Las Vegas last week.
Continental’s latest LTE-capable Telematics Module will enable a wide variety of connectivity services for Subaru’s STARLINK in-vehicle technology for US market vehicles. The range of services available to Subaru owners will include stolen vehicle locator assistance, automatic collision notification, remote vehicle services like lock/unlock via smartphone device, and monthly diagnostics reports to keep customers in touch with key vehicle functions.
Getting connected starts outside the vehicle, Continental believes. “We enable drivers to use the consumer electronics devices they are familiar with to control integral functions of the vehicle. At CES, Continental is demonstrating how it transforms a smart watch on the driver’s wrist into a remote car key,” said Matschi.
The smart watch, as a car key, uses bluetooth to connect to Continental’s latest bi-directional remote key – also known as the gateway key. The gateway key works as an interface between the vehicle and the smart watch to transfer data (including vehicle and diagnostics data, and the user’s profile) to the vehicle. The smart watch is used as an operating device. Using a dedicated app, the driver can open or close the vehicle, or exchange other information via the display of the smart watch.
Just as touch screens have become increasingly important with the switch from cellphones to smartphones, vehicles need the flexibility of touch screens with enhanced functionality and connected services. Continental’s curved OLED Touch Display delivers strong contrast levels capable of displaying bold colours without background lighting, and extended interaction scope via its touch functionality.
Connected services extend into the aftermarket and can help to facilitate the diagnosis and repair of vehicles. Continental’s ‘Connected Technician’ solution places the technician at the centre of the process using augmented reality technology.
The tablet application connects to the vehicle via a wireless communication interface and provides step-by-step guidance through the entire diagnosis and repair process. It delivers all the information necessary for each step, that is, work instructions, faulty parts or the exact tool needed for a certain job, allowing the technician to focus on the vehicle.
Integration with dealer management systems ensures that the technician is working on the right job, while a full-featured diagnostics runtime automatically recognises the vehicle type, detects faults and provides the complete technical information available for the car.