Every day, virtually everything around us becomes a little smarter and a little safer. In our age of information and technology, new digital and electronic components continually make our lives easier and safer at home, at work and on the road.
There are some gadgets and gizmos that we can easily do without, like nose hair trimmers. However, there are also many intelligent tools that consistently bring convenience and safety to our daily tasks.
Our enormous world of “smart” technology is ruled by new automotive electronics. Anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control and other indispensable features are excellent examples of smart and safe automotive electronics.
Recent developments by industry experts have created a huge increase in the number of electronic devices installed at automotive plants. Just to give you an idea of how quickly cars have evolved electronically, the Apollo 11 space craft traveled to the moon and back using a mere 150 kilobytes of onboard memory. It’s remarkable to think that the typical CD player uses a whopping 500 kilobytes just to keep our favorite songs from skipping. Listening to uninterrupted music is a mere iota of how electronics have impacted a car’s performance in order to benefit drivers.
Telematics is the term used for the technology that involves automobile communication systems. The term was originally used to describe the blending of telecommunications and informatics or information technology. This industry has been gaining more and more attention from car manufacturers over the past years. In the mid-1990s, industry insiders predicted that telematics would become “the” go-to technology; increasing overall sales and more importantly, transforming the automotive industry into a major player in mobile technology.
In reality, these forecasts panned out to be less than what was predicted. From an initial industry projection of over $40 billion dollars, the figure has been whittled down to half as more conservative measures were considered.
Nevertheless, that is by no means an indication that the development of this telematics technology has been or will be abandoned. In fact, on average automobile manufacturers spend $2000 on electronic systems for every vehicle that comes off the line — an incredible increase from the $110-per-car budget of the early 1970s. This huge increase in spending is reflected in everything from engine performance to entertainment systems, security features to safety devices. Every component of the vehicle works together to provide automobiles that perform better, are more comfortable, and ultimately safer to drive.
Here is an outline of some of the more common smart and safe automotive electronics systems:
Controller Area Network
Your car probably runs on more than one computer. There is actually a network of computers, called the Controller Area Network, which links all of the computers together. It’s similar to a Local Area Network (LAN) that’s commonly used in home and business computers. The CAN in your car not only links the many separate computer systems together, but it also allows them communicate with each other. These interconnected systems involve critical systems like engine management, cruise control and anti-lock brakes, and less demanding applications, like seat controls and automatic windows.
Fuel Efficiency
Fuel prices have skyrocketed and forced automotive manufacturers to appreciate the need for fuel-efficient vehicles and meet the growing demand. Wise manufacturers use automotive electronics to create more efficient burning of fuel. This is evident in common electronic fuel injection systems (EFIs). In hybrid vehicles, the technology goes one step further. Electronic devices allow the driver to automatically switch between gas and electric engines.
Trustworthy Safety Devices
Active and passive safety devices make up the two categories of devices designed to protect the safety of the driver and passengers.
* Active safety devices: These are systems that constantly work to ensure the safety of drivers and passengers. Examples of active safety devices are dynamic steering response (DSR), traction control (TCS), and acceleration slip regulation (ASR). While the average driver may not notice these systems at work, they are constantly sensing road and driving conditions and adjusting the car’s performance accordingly to create a safer ride. Electronic Stability Control has been shown by researchers to have a large safety benefit in reducing single vehicle skids.
* Passive: While more visible and seemingly simpler, passive devices are also controlled by smart and safe automotive electronics. Developments in electronics and technology have improved the deployment of airbags tremendously over the years. Airbags in early-model cars would deploy too soon or too late and provided little or no benefit to the driver and passengers. Now, cars have more advanced systems that can actually sense conditions that may lead to a high collision impact. Seating adjustment and airbag systems are automatically deployed to minimize the impact and decrease the degree of injury to driver and passengers.
Consider the safety advancements over just a decade, and you’ll agree that today’s cars are miles above their predecessors. Modern automobiles offer so much more than a ride from “here” to “there”. Smart automotive electronics make every trip as comfortable, secure and safe as possible.
