Automotive Electronics
Information Control System (Car Navigation)
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Car Navigation System
While the car navigation system in its earliest stage could only tell drivers where they were at the time on an electronic map, it has made a remarkable development over the decade in pace with the progress of semiconductor technology. Today it even serves as an in-vehicle information and multimedia console. In addition to the vocal direction, voice-operated command, and 3D map display capabilities, recent systems incorporate traffic avoidance, multimedia console, and some other novel features. The storage media have also developed from the earliest CD-ROM to DVD-ROM, and now to hard drive (HDD). The latest system has capabilities and performance equivalent to those of PCs of a few generations earlier. It has now evolved from a simple electronic route map display to a multimedia console.
The car navigation system will not slow down the pace of its progress in the years ahead. It will provide even more varied driver support information in conjunction with in-car sensors and display systems. The expected future developments will fall into the following three categories:
- Basic Performance (GPS, Display, System Control)
The basic performance of the car navigation system is said to have matured already, with its locating accuracy, voice recognition accuracy, and display resolution improved enough for practical uses. However, there will be more room for improvements in terms of user convenience and information presentation.
OEM models with large, high-resolution screens are now serving as part of the vehicle's central monitoring system. With this trend, there is a growing interest in interconnection with the in-vehicle LAN.
- Multimedia Features
In addition to audio-CD and video-DVD support, recent high-end models with an internal hard drive allow the users to have songs ripped from their CDs, or files transferred from their PCs, into their car navigation system.
The capability of 3D graphical representation of the road ahead, instead of traditional 2D map, is also becoming a common feature with high-end models. The industry is expecting more sophisticated models with high-speed rotation and zoom-in/out (or polygon processing) capabilities like those of PCs and gaming consoles.
- Communications Features
Road-traffic information and guidance systems involving radio communications with in-car wireless devices are expanding their service areas from metropolitan areas to major expressways. Included in those are the ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) and VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication) systems. The car navigation system is going to serve as the terminal console for such systems. A close integration between the wireless transmitter/receiver, on-board LAN, and car navigation system is foreseen in this respect.
NEC Electronics offer these high-performance microcontrollers, middleware, LCD drivers, and related peripheral devices that will give a major thrust to those new road-traffic information services.
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Millimeter Wave Radar
The millimeter wave radar is used to determine following distances and relative vehicle speeds using the global standard frequency band (30 GHz to 300 GHz; 60 GHz/76 GHz in Japan). The conventional infrared radar had one drawback in that it was susceptible to rain or dirt. The millimeter wave radar overcomes this drawback.
The latest millimeter wave radar can identify the kind of object it is detecting, as well as following distances and relative speeds. It is going to be a vital tool not only for supporting the driver in low visibility conditions, but for activating emergency brakes and pre-crash seatbelts.
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Rear-View Monitor
Nobody likes parallel parking. The rear view monitor analyzes the rear view image captured by a video camera attached to the rear gate and presents guide markers on the console monitor, making parallel parking much easier.
The system can warn the risk of collisions in conjunction with the radar, or predict the heading direction from steering angles. It thus gives drivers a total assist in parallel parking.
Front & Side Monitors
The front and side monitors assist drivers when turning, by presenting the images of blind spots on the far front corner or far side of their car.
The front monitor alerts drivers of unseen obstacles on the far front corner. The side monitor warns of tight clearance on the far side, unseen pedestrians, or passing motor bikes.
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Night Vision
Night-time driving tends to have an increased risk of accidents usually because a driver does not see a person walking along the road. A tiny infrared camera captures the image of a pedestrian invisible in headlights and alerts it to the driver. The image captured by the infrared camera, which is installed on the front grille of the car, is processed by a computer and projected onto the windscreen.
Some of the latest models feature more sophisticated image processing, such as marking persons on the screen for easier recognition and warning the risk of accident by detecting relative speed. Refined image recognition is one of the indispensable factors here.
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Car Audio Control
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