<< to the Driving Experience Overview

Adaptive cruise control taught cars to look straight ahead. New environmental sensors and telematics now enable them to look in all directions, see around corners and communicate with their environment.

Frankfurt, May 22, 2007. Innovative telematics applications from the Automotive Systems Division of international automotive supplier Continental will in the future sharpen cars' senses so that they can spot hazards in advance and warn other cars and authorities inside of a traffic control center. To do so, vehicles will communicate both with one another and with the roadside infrastructure. This car-to-car communication and car-to-infrastructure communication can alert drivers to potential hazards before those hazards are close enough to be seen. Cars will have the ability to virtually see around corners. These new applications are expected to enhance driving safety and will enable traffic to flow more freely. Telematics also provides greater safety in the form of automatic location determination and emergency calls (e-calls) after accidents. The invehicle electronics use wireless technology to establish a data pipeline that connects the car to the outside world. And bluetooth wireless technology, integrated into the latest generation of telematics systems, can wirelessly connect portable devices such as smartphones, navigation devices, and MP3 players into cars.

Here you can download the press release as a Word document (62 KB).

Here you can download the picture...

All telematics functionalities will be simulated in a test rack in the development department at Continental Automotive Systems.

E-flare: spotting hazards in advance and responding in time
Imagine this: long before a car reaches a blind curve in the road, an internal warning signal can sound and a warning symbol can appear on a cockpit display. These optical and acoustic warnings may also be accompanied by an intuitive signal from the force-feedback gas pedal: by pressing back on the driver’s foot, suggesting to the driver to reduce his speed. This "e-flare" function of the latest telematics application from Continental Automotive Systems may be triggered by a broken vehicle on the road. In parallel with the hazard warning system, the broken vehicle’s telematics module transmits a warning signal to the telematics units of other vehicles within a radius of 300 to 500 meters via Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) broadband communication technology, the automotive version of a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). This car-to-car communication can provide drivers of other cars with sufficient time to reduce their speed and approach the hazard cautiously.

Here you can download the picture...

The new Continental Automotive Systems telematics systems create an in-vehicle communications network that rapidly integrates portable devices and digital content into cars.

E-horn: safe traffic control
Additional safety can be provided by the e-horn function of the telematics unit. Imagine as a car approaches a busy intersection, an internal warning signal sounds and a blue light appears on the display, possibly accompanied by a text and/or audio message such as "Emergency vehicle approaching from the left". This enables the driver to brake in time before the emergency vehicle speeds through the intersection because the telematics unit in the emergency vehicle transmits the warning information to nearby vehicles. If the intersection traffic is controlled by a set of traffic lights that are also equipped with a wireless telematics module, the traffic lights also receive signals from the emergency vehicle (car-to-infrastructure communication). The traffic lights then can switch to green for the emergency vehicle and simultaneously transmit supplementary warning signals to the cars crossing the emergency vehicle's path.

Here you can download the picture...

Continental's Telematics systems help to increase active and passive safety performance of vehicles and provide vehicle occupants with conveniences.

Telematics: vital information on the condition of roads and traffic
Telematics turns the car itself into a sensor so that it can warn traffic behind it; for example, about icy roads. Warnings about this potential hazard are transmitted by the ESC to the telematics unit via the vehicle's data bus. If the ESC senses that a slippery or icy road presents a potential hazard, it can notify all vehicles in the vicinity. In addition to this car-to-car communication, the relevant information can be forwarded via fully integrated telematics stations to a traffic control center, which can then incorporate this information to roadside hazard-warning displays to warn vehicles and, if necessary, re-route traffic by recommending detours, thus preventing traffic jams.

Here you can download the picture...

APIA - Active Passive Integration Approach - Networking Systems

Automatic emergency calls (e-calls) by cellphone: telematics increasing safety
Not all accidents can be prevented. If people are injured and need assistance, every minute counts. Telematics applications from Continental Automotive Systems help ensure that the rescue services are on the scene as quickly as possible. To do so, the telematics unit automatically transmits an emergency message containing the relevant data (e.g. location, time and seriousness of the accident) to a rescue-services control center when an airbag is activated (e-call). At the same time, the car's driver is able to talk to the rescue-services control center.

Here you can download the picture...

With eCall the driver is able at the push of a button to talk to the rescue-services control center.

Telematics solutions extending the scope of the APIA project
"Functions such as these, which our organization has developed to an advanced stage, show quite clearly that telematics is making our streets safer and is saving lives. Car-to-car communication and car-to-infrastructure communication based on DSRC technology help drivers to avoid critical situations", claimed Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, chairman of the Continental Automotive Systems Board and member of the Continental AG Executive Board. "We are providing cars with extra senses, as it were, which enable them to see around corners and warn others of any hazards they spot. These senses are a key building block in our organization's APIA project."

Here you can download the picture...

Innovative telematics applications from the Automotive Systems Division of international automotive supplier Continental will in the future sharpen cars' senses. Vehicles will communicate both with one another and with the roadside infrastructure.

As part of its APIA (Active Passive Integration Approach) project, Continental Automotive Systems is integrating its active and passive safety systems with environmental sensors (radar, cameras) to form an extended, effective network that already provides comprehensive protection and assistance during the precrash phase. "As soon as a uniform wireless standard has been established we will integrate the DSRC technology into our APIA approach. This will take vehicle and traffic safety to a new level. The organizational structure of our company enables us to provide not just the functional expertise but also all the necessary components and subsystems from one source - from electronic brakes and environmental sensors to telematics units," stressed Dr. Neumann.

Here you can download the picture...

Layout of a Telematics Module

Conveniently integrating portable terminals into vehicles: forward-looking telematics
Apart from considerably enhanced safety, telematics also provides more comfort and convenience. Bluetooth wireless technology provides a wireless connection between a cell phone and a vehicle's controls. The mediator between the cellphone and the vehicle is a telematics unit from Continental Automotive Systems. It can be used, for example, to download address books from the cell phone into the car, read out incoming text messages using a text-speech function and support personalized ringtones. Phone calls begun outside the car can be continued inside without any interruption using the handsfree function.

Digital terminal devices such as MP3 players, navigation devices, and smartphones can also be integrated into cars via a wireless connection. The driver links the relevant device as he would a cell phone and can control functions by voice command or by using the controls in the steering wheel. The telematics unit's open architecture makes it particularly attractive for auto makers and car drivers. Software updates and new hardware components will allow consumer electronics equipment of the future to be just as conveniently integrated as today's devices.

The Continental Corporation is a leading automotive supplier of brake systems, chassis components, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers. In 2006 the corporation realized sales of EUR14.9 billion. It has a worldwide workforce of around 87,000.

As a worldwide leading technology partner to the automotive industry, the Automotive Systems Division of Continental AG integrates extensive know-how and uncompromising quality in the fields of driving safety, embedded telematics and hands-free communication systems, powertrain and comfort. In 2006 the Division achieved sales of approx. EUR6 billion with a workforce of more than 30,000. Continental Automotive Systems develops and produces electronic and hydraulic brake, stability and chassis control systems, electronic air suspension systems, sensors, engine management and transmission control systems, hybrid drives, cooling fan modules, body and security electronics and also is the industry leader of embedded telematics and communication systems in vehicles.