Hanover/Frankfurt am Main, August 16, 2013: International automotive supplier and tyre manufacturer Continental is all set to make a lasting impact at the forthcoming 65th International Motor Show (IAA) to be held from September 12 to 22. Under the slogan ‘A Day in a Driver's Life’, it depicts a ‘future mobile day’. The company plans to display innovations from the fields of safety, the environment, and information technology based on the daily routine of different drivers worldwide.
Some of the innovations include full coverage of the vehicle environment by means of Surround View, new solutions like ‘48 Volt Eco Drive’ for graduated and affordable hybridization of the powertrain, latest-generation head-up displays and surface materials with enhanced scratch-resistance (TEPEO 2 Protect). As a special highlight, the supplier is presenting its systems expertise in the domain of automated driving.
"Zero accidents, significantly lower fuel consumption, stress-free driving – these are no longer flights of fancy, but aims within reach. From a technical perspective, the lion's share of the building blocks required is already in place today. Others are on the horizon. Now it is a matter of better networking the numerous individual solutions with one another and getting ever more of them into volume production. Then more and more millions of people around the world with large and small budgets will be able to sustainably realize their various needs and demands for individual mobility in the future," said Continental CEO Dr. Elmar Degenhart, adding: "In the automotive industry, the future is increasingly upon us virtually overnight. Whereas it once took 12 years after a technology was invented for it to be used industrially, today the lead time is a mere three years or less. As part of our showing at this year's IAA, we can therefore very accurately predict what a day in the life of a driver will look through to 2025. And I am convinced of one thing: It's a future we can all look forward to."
Surround View system
A further step in the direction of accident-free driving is a 360-degree surround detection. It covers not only the area in front of or behind the vehicle but the whole vehicle environment. The surround view system consists basically of four cameras and will be able to do more than just recognize objects and pedestrians. It will also be capable of warning the driver or braking the vehicle in a critical situation. An ECU stitches the individual images from the cameras together to a type of panoramic image, so that the driver – for example on a display in the cockpit – can overlook the entire vehicle environment like from a bird’s perspective. It can likewise detect cross traffic in front of and behind the vehicle, include a lane keeping assist, detect objects in the blind spot and park on its own. The development of intelligent surround view systems for cars is, at the same time, of key importance in automated driving.
48 Volt Eco Drive offers Mild Hybrid Functions
At the IAA, Continental aims to provide a foretaste of a wide range of ‘Clean Power’ solutions designed to make vehicles of the future more efficient and environmentally friendly while also offering strong performance.
A major role in these solutions will be played by electrification – subject to the twin requirements of attractive pricing and close tailoring to end user requirements. The new ‘48 Volt Eco Drive’ system – which supplements the traditional 12V electrical network with a 48V electrical system and components – is seen as an important way forward. This electrification solution bridges the gap between low-end hybridization, based on present-day 12V start/stop systems, and the more sophisticated high-voltage hybrid solutions.
The 48 Volt Eco Drive system is easy to install, while also offering many of the functions and fuel economy benefits that were previously confined to mild hybrids, with their higher voltage level. To illustrate these benefits, Continental has installed the Eco Drive system in a demonstrator vehicle. The system offers NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) fuel savings of around 13 percent. Continental says the 48V solution is drawing much great attention from industry and initial orders from customers point to a production launch in 2016.
Evolution of the Head-Up Display (HUD)
A next-generation head-up display sees Continental integrate Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) technology. Compared to the TFT technology used today, this technology allows for higher magnification and thus a larger image size. Navigation arrows or an intersection’s geometry can thus be displayed in full colour and in sufficient size. At the same time, with DMD technology, the HUD lays the foundation for future instruments with augmented reality (AR), where virtual screen content from navigation and driver assistance systems merge with the driver’s actual field of vision. In the future, information considered important will be highlighted directly in the area in which it occurs.
Scratch-resistant foils, narrower timing belts
In the domain of technical elastomer products and plastics technology, Continental is presenting two highlights. One of these is the new TEPEO Protect and TEPEO 2 Protect surface materials. These boast high resistance to scratches and can be used anywhere that scratches could typically ruin the visual effect – on the instrument panel, the center console, the storage compartment, or door and interior trim. The other highlight the supplier has on view is a novel timing belt in oil. It can be made narrower than the model which runs in the dry and is even quieter because the oil not only reduces friction but also damps the belt. This is important for the simple reason that the increasingly popular downsized engines by their very nature generally run less smoothly.