The first hologram was obtained by the Hungarian physicist Denesh Gabor in 1947 during experiments to increase the resolution of electron microscopes. He coined the word "hologram" itself, wanting to emphasize a complete record of the optical properties of an object. Denesh was a little ahead of his time: his holograms were of poor quality due to the use of gas discharge lamps. After the invention of ruby-red and helium-neon lasers in 1960, holography began to develop rapidly. In 1968, the Soviet scientist Yuri Nikolaevich Denisyuk developed a scheme for recording holograms on transparent photographic plates and obtained high-quality holograms. And 11 years later, Lloyd Cross created a multiplex hologram consisting of several dozen angles, each of which can only be seen from one angle. How does a modern holographic display work - about this in today's issue!
The main photographic material for recording holograms are special photographic plates based on traditional silver bromide, which make it possible to achieve a resolution of more than 5,000 lines per millimeter. Also used are photographic plates based on bichromated gelatin, which have a higher resolution. When used, up to 90% of the incident light is converted into an image, which makes it possible to record very bright holograms. Media based on holographic photopolymer materials are also being actively developed. This multicomponent mixture of organic substances is applied as a thin film on a glass or film substrate.
As far as holographic displays are concerned, there are several promising developments worthy of attention. RED Digital Cinema is working on a holographic display, which is a liquid crystal panel with a special light-conducting plate located under it. It uses diffraction to project different images from different viewing angles, resulting in the illusion of a "three-dimensional image". The Hydrogen smartphone with a holographic display should be released in the first half of 2018.
HoloVisio brand displays from the Hungarian company Holografika already exist on the market. The essence of their technology lies in the projection of the picture by two dozen narrowly focused projectors, due to which the image is laid out in space deep into the display. The complexity of this technology affects the price: the cost of a 72-inch screen with a resolution of 1280 by 768 pixels is about 500 thousand dollars.
And the association of Japanese scientists is already for a long time is working on the creation of Aerial 3D laser projection technology. They abandoned the traditional flat screen by drawing objects in three-dimensional space using laser beams. Aerial 3D uses the effect of excitation of oxygen and nitrogen atoms by focused laser beams. The system is currently capable of projecting objects consisting of 50,000 dots at up to 15 frames per second.
Noteworthy is the development of Microsoft called Vermeer, which is a holographic screenless display and a video camera that gives the system touch functions. The display uses projection technology between two parabolic mirrors. The laser beam draws an image at a frequency of 2880 times per second, successively passing through 192 points. As a result, the viewer sees a picture in space, updated 15 times per second and available for contact.
It is possible that in the near future holographic screens become more accessible and widely used.
PCS- automated vehicle control systems consist of technical means providing work information systems(personal computers, printers and local networks) and operating systems (a set of software that starts working immediately after the button is turned on electrical supply computer).
Cars are changing, and the rate at which new technologies are introduced will only increase every year. Many believe that such a close integration of the Internet and the car will only exacerbate the already difficult situation with safety (the factor that distracts the driver from the road will increase). Just as the speed of data transfer in cellular networks is growing, in the same proportion, the speed of the Internet will increase in the car. True, this has its advantages. You can expect services such as a car service reminder with a variety of informational support, the possibility of automatic recording and direction to the next service centers, connecting the car to various databases so that you can book a hotel room, and so on. Passengers in the future can get more entertainment options on the road, etc.
In addition to the ability to access the network, cars have the ability to be more closely integrated (more fully synchronized) with computers and mobile devices. This is the presence of USB ports in the car, the ability to remotely update software various systems car, without resorting to the services of specially trained people. Or, for example, if any malfunction occurs in the car, the dealer can remotely find the cause and indicate possible ways out of the current situation or fix the breakdown if the failure was in computer system. These developments exist and are implemented in systems such as OnStar of the company General Motors or in the Tele Aid emergency call system from Mercedes-Benz.
Figure 2.1 - Synchronization with car devices
With the help of the OnStar system, it is possible to remotely slow down vehicles, preventing the hijackers from escaping from the police during the chase. This system can recover stolen cars in hours, if not minutes. The new technology is called Remote Ignition Block. The OnStar operator has the ability to send a signal to the computer in the stolen car that will cause the ignition system to lock out and prevent it from restarting. This feature will not only help the authorities recover stolen cars, but also prevent "dangerous" car chases.
Holographic information displays. Similar systems can be seen in BMW or Audi. The bottom line is to display information directly on the windshield. For example, General Motors has already taken the first steps towards creating and implementing models that can display information about speed, direction of movement, and more.
Now General Motors, in collaboration with a number of universities, has begun to develop the so-called "smart glass". GM hopes to turn the glass into a transparent display that can display information such as road markings, road signs or various objects such as pedestrians, which can be very difficult to recognize on the road in fog or rain.
Part of this technology was shown at Light Car, where with LED technology, the car uses a transparent back door as a projection screen, for visible communication between cars, which is very useful for all motorists. For example, with what force the driver presses the brakes, you can show the car that is driving behind when the scale of the picture on the display is illuminated.
The system by which cars will be connected to each other and the road structure into a single whole, into a single network, already has its own name - "car-to-X communication". Today, several companies, including Audi, have begun to create it. The essence of the development is to make it possible to “communicate” the car not only with other cars, but also with infrastructure, such as webcams at intersections, traffic lights or road signs.
Knowing the status of traffic lights, traffic congestion and road conditions, the vehicle can save energy by preventing the driver from unnecessary acceleration/deceleration. The car will even be able to reserve a parking space on its own. If the car is in emergency, he will be able to inform the surrounding cars about this so that other drivers can slow down in time and avoid a collision. Audi showcases some of these innovations with the E-tron. Speaking of technologies that can improve the security situation, developers see one of the main tasks in keeping us in one lane or even on the road in especially difficult cases.
Improved engine start system. These systems are one of the elements of the very efficiency of resource use. This is a system for automatically starting or stopping the engine.
Such solutions can already be seen on almost all hybrid cars: when it stops, the engines turn off; to start off, you do not need to start the engine again, but just press the gas pedal. And if we talk about the future of this technology, then it may eventually be tightly integrated with the car-to-X system in order to further reduce fuel consumption. For example, given the information that a traffic light at an intersection has turned red, the car can turn off the main engine and continue driving on the electric motor only, thereby saving some energy.
Autopilot or precise cruise control. Brake assist systems via vehicle-mounted sonar/laser or radar systems are already standard on vehicles. expensive cars. But, like other developments that first appeared in cars of the upper price range, this one will also soon migrate to a cheaper segment. This kind of technology, which is able to prevent collisions with the vehicle in front, can help with traffic safety and is useful mainly for novice drivers. If manufacturers continue to improve this technology, and it will, we may soon see something similar to autopilot.
Motion monitoring or "Dead zones". Two more, undoubtedly necessary technologies, combined into one information technology that can help improve the security situation, are the monitoring of the so-called "dead zones" and the lane crossing warning system. The system will not only be able to warn the driver if he starts changing lanes without a turn signal, but will also prevent changing lanes if the lane is occupied by another vehicle.
The so-called "blind zone". Companies such as BMW, Ford, GM, Mazda and Volvo offer special systems, which use cameras or sensors built into the mirrors that control dead zones. Small hazard warning lamps, mounted next to the rear-view mirrors, warn the driver that the vehicle is in dead zone, and if there was no reaction from the driver and he began to change lanes, the system starts to warn more actively about the obstacle, making sounds, or, depending on the brand, the steering wheel vibrates. The downside is that such systems only work at low speeds.
Cross Traffic Alert System: This is a radar that works on the basis of a blind spot monitoring system. The system is able to detect the movement of vehicles in a cross direction while driving in reverse. Cross Traffic Alert is able to determine the approach of a car at a distance of 19.8 meters from both the left and right sides, where special radars are installed. This feature is currently available on Ford vehicles and Lincoln.
Crossing road markings. Several companies, including Audi, BMW, Ford, Infiniti, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Volvo, offer similar friend to another solution. The system uses small cameras that read road markings, and if the driver crosses it without turning on the turn signal, the system gives a warning sign. Depending on the system, this may be a sound or light signal, steering wheel vibration, or a slight belt tension. For example, Infiniti uses automatic braking on one side of the vehicle to prevent the vehicle from drifting out of its lane.
Parking. Many companies are already installing automated parking assistance systems today. Such systems operate as follows: the car uses radar to determine whether there is enough space to park. Further, it helps the driver to choose the correct steering angle and practically puts the car into the parking space himself. Of course, so far it cannot do without human help, but soon there will be such systems in which human participation will not be necessary at all. You can get out of the car and watch the whole process from the side.
Driver monitoring: A tired driver can be just as dangerous as a drunk driver (and it's legal to drink it). Vehicle-integrated tracking systems that recognize signs of fatigue in the driver's movements and reactions and warn of the need for a break are available from several automakers. These are Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Saab and Volvo. For example, in Mercedes, such a system is called Attention Assist: it first learns the driving style, in particular the rotation of the steering wheel rim, the inclusion of direction indicators and pedal pressure, and also monitors some of the driver’s control actions and external factors such as side wind and road irregularities. canvases. If Attention Assist recognizes that the driver is tired, it informs them to stop for a short rest. Does Attention Assist do this with sound signal and a warning message in the instrument cluster display.
IN Volvo cars There is also a similar system, but it works a little differently. The system does not control the behavior of the driver, but evaluates the movement of the car on the road. If something goes wrong, the system alerts the driver before the situation becomes critical.
Night vision cameras. Thanks to night vision systems, it is possible to reduce the number of accidents at night. Currently offered by companies such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi in the A8 model. Such systems can help the driver to see pedestrians, animals or better see road signs at night. BMW uses an infrared camera for this, which transmits the image to the monitor in black and white. The camera distinguishes objects at a distance of up to 300 meters. infrared Mercedes-Benz system has a shorter range, but is able to produce a clearer image, but its disadvantage is bad job at low temperatures.
And the engineers Toyota Recently, they have been working on improving night vision systems that can help drivers navigate more confidently at night. They presented a prototype camera based on algorithms and imaging principles discovered by studying the functioning of the eyes of nocturnal beetles, bees and moths, which can see in a wider range of colors, and is also adapted to better capture light, which is not so many in the darkness of the night. The new digital image processing algorithm can capture high-quality full-color images in low light conditions from a vehicle moving at high speeds. Plus, the camera is able to automatically adapt to changes in light levels.
Thermal imagers are also relevant - night vision cameras for a car.
Ford introduced the world's first seat belts with inflatable pillows. According to the developers, this system will significantly increase the protection of rear seat passengers, and especially young children, who are more likely than adults to be injured in an accident. The seat belt-integrated airbag inflates in 40 milliseconds.
In recent years, virtually all automakers, both large and small, have been trying to achieve greater efficiency, or useful action, from power units, while relying on new types of fuels and engines, trying to reduce consumption and increase the average mileage per charge / filling. Already today we can observe a large number of mass-produced electric cars, and almost every automaker has a hybrid car in its portfolio.
Wireless battery charging. In connection with the spread of cars on batteries, the question of their trouble-free, and most importantly, quick recharge is acute. Of course, you can unwind the extension cord with the plug from the car and connect it to ordinary socket. But this is not available to everyone. Another option, which seems not so fantastic, is induction charging device. In addition, the technology is already being tested on smaller devices such as iPods and mobile phones. These kinds of chargers could be built into parking spaces in large stores, for example.
Active aerodynamics. Despite the fact that all automakers have long been using wind tunnels, and in this aspect there is room for improvement. For example, BMW, in its concept car BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics has already successfully used air intake control systems. Depending on the driving conditions and the outside air temperature, the dampers in front of the radiator are opened or closed by a signal from the system. If they are closed, this improves aerodynamics and reduces engine warm-up time, thereby reducing fuel consumption. Naturally, BMW is not the only company using this technology.
KERS - regenerative braking. This is a type of electrical braking in which the electrical energy generated traction motors operating in generator mode is returned to the electrical network. Only in the 2009 season in Formula 1, some cars used the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS). It was expected that this would spur development in the field of hybrid cars and further improvements to this system.
Startup with Russian roots WayRay brought to the exhibition in Las Vegas a holographic navigator with augmented reality, which you can simply buy in your car. It is installed behind the wheel, directly on the dashboard, and the driver sees all the infographics through a small visor. Special signs and tips are tied to real objects and look like drawings on the pavement, so the driver is practically not distracted from the road. And you can control the navigator by voice or gestures.
"Another challenge we faced is huge variety dashboard design, windshield geometry, tilt angle, dashboard geometry, etc. In order for this thing to work in all cars, we had to scan over 400 cars, models that are currently on sale, and mathematically find the optimal dimensions."
The meaning of the technology is to apply a special film to the transparent surface, which replaces the lens system. Thus, it was possible to make a holographic image without a bulky structure. The hologram, in turn, is good because it is perceived by the eye not as a pattern on glass, but as a three-dimensional image taken far ahead. That is, you do not need to refocus on it if you are looking at the road.
I must say that the first time we talked with Ponomarev exactly a year ago, in the same place, at CES. And WayRay then made a lot of noise. The company exhibited in the Harman pavilion, demonstrated the idea on a car from Rinspeed. And even then the leaders largest automaker there was surprisingly much around that car. The fact is that this time presented a separate device with a very small visor. But if WayRay technology is laid at the design stage of a car, then the entire windshield can be turned into a holographic display. And such projects, they say, have been done over the past year quite a lot.
Vitaly Ponomarev, founder and head of WayRay:
"Each project is some kind of car model that will be released in the 19th or most likely in the 20th. Because they need to fix the design of the Dashboard, this one dashboard, the whole car, and then they already start making moldings for plastic casting, so that later it all turns into the final car. That is, we are now working on cars that will be released from the 19th to the 29th. All new technologies begin with luxury and slowly descend into the mass market. But oddly enough in our case, we see the largest volumes in the middle segment. These are SUVs - SUVs, the popularity of which is now growing and growing."
In the meantime, cars with holographic windshields are just getting ready for production, WayRay is already looking away unmanned vehicles and robotaxis. There, they say, you will no longer need a navigator, but a system for delivering entertainment and advertising content to car windows. The company has already announced the True AR SDK, a set of tools for third-party developers who can create apps and games for the WayRay ecosystem. After all, if the steering wheel is taken from a person in a car, he will need to occupy his hands and eyes with something.
At any modern car a whole bunch of various devices glow in front of the driver. At a minimum, this is a speedometer and a fuel gauge. But in most cases, the set is much more complete: a clock, an information display, a tachometer, a temperature sensor and other indicators. And you can find cars with a whole “iconostasis” of a dozen analog devices. But it was not always so...
The most important device
Cars of the beginning of the 20th century were very far from the current ones in design, many did not have the lighting systems, sensors, interior, and even windshield that we are used to. And elements such as transmission and cooling, ignition and brake systems looked strange and unusual. Hit modern driver behind the wheel of such a car, he would hardly even be able to move: the driver's skill was very complex and required a good knowledge of a specific design until the 60s of the last century. And to help him in this should have been an accurate ear and a true eye.
Until the early 1920s, there were no instruments in cars - even the speedometer familiar to us was absent as an option: there were no speeds that could be measured, and everyone was used to horses without this “option”. The fuel level indicator was, as a rule, an ordinary measuring glass - a banal tube operating according to the law of communicating vessels. The level of the coolant was not particularly checked: even if the cooling was water, water was still poured right before the trip from a measuring vessel. Only locomotives had a mandatory water level sensor, and electric vehicles had voltmeters and ammeters.
One of the first devices that began to appear in cars was the ammeter. After the mass appearance of battery ignition, electric starters and electric lighting the question of battery charge control arose sharply, and the ammeter took its place on the dashboard for a long time. The fuel level was still measured with a stick right in the tank, but the speed was no longer estimated by eye - speedometers began to appear in cars, and speeds had grown a lot by the 30s.
Released in 1923 Ford Model T was content with only an ammeter and a fuel gauge tube. On the other hand, very expensive cars offered much more serious tools. The compressor Mercedes 6/25/40 hp of 1921 already had four instruments, including a speedometer, oil pressure and boost gauge, and the racing 240-horsepower supercharged Bentley Blower of 1930 had all nine, including engine and oil temperature control, as well as two indicators of quality and availability of gasoline.
By the way, the dashboard of these cars already had lighting for comfortable movement at night, and the readings of almost all instruments were important. The backlight was organized in the form of "mushrooms" with lamps inside, which illuminated the area where the instruments were located in the cabin. The more expensive and complex the car was, the more information the dashboard gave, and the design idea did not stand still. On the chic Cord 812SC of 1936, we see eight instruments that are undoubtedly one of the interior design elements. You can immediately notice the advanced version of the backlight - it is individual, using an annular light guide around the device. Such illumination will become mass only in the 50s and will stay in the car for a long time.
Natural materials and natural scales
The rapid progress of the 30s, the massive emergence of water cooling systems with forced circulation, closed bodies and moving the gas tank away from the engine, as well as the introduction of fuel pumps, influenced the design of dashboards. So, the speedometer has become an indispensable attribute of the dashboard along with the ammeter. The temperature sensor and the fuel level sensor appear in cars more and more often, but for the most part they are still not dial gauges.
On the Ford V8, the fuel gauge is just a tube that shows the pressure in the tank: by analogy with a conventional pressure gauge, a heavier liquid than gasoline is used here to reduce the amplitude. On a number of options, a temperature sensor is installed based on the same principle, it only measures the density (and temperature) of the coolant.
The backlighting of the scales of hydraulic indicators is a completely natural solution. The arrow indicators were also highlighted - pay attention to the interesting implementation of the scale: it is recessed inward relative to its upper part. At night, a lamp worked inside the device and the scale glowed.
Sensors Ford A deluxe- Ford V8
Relatively small volumes of production and low level factory automation allowed adjustments to dashboards as more advanced instruments became available and fashions changed. In addition, there could be several suppliers of dashboards and the devices themselves for the conveyor, different options were used in different configurations.
By 1938-1939, the dashboards on cars had almost lost their hydraulic temperature and fuel gauges, but instruments such as pressure gauges remained. IN cars an oil pressure gauge is often used, and for trucks with pneumatic brakes- also a pressure gauge in the line.
post-war trends. Lamps of control and chemistry in life
The dashboards of post-war cars differ primarily in design. Here and tape speedometers, and attempts at emulation digital indicators. Playing "design" has become fashionable, remember at least our "Volga" GAZ-21 and its speedometer with "natural" illumination. For powerful cars, the tachometer becomes the de facto standard, and the clock turned out to be just a convenient accessory that they tried to place in the car. Before the advent of digital indicators, this was one of the important elements interior design.
One of the signs of the times is the introduction of indicator lamps and the formation of a “standard” set of instruments and control lamps in a single block. Now, among other things, the dashboard tries to inform the driver about the included lights, deviations in the parameters of the engine and transmission from the norm. Increasing the reliability of power units, simplifying the lubrication system, power supply and cooling systems are reflected in the trend towards minimalism.
They try to limit the number of arrow indicators. By the end of the 50s, cars the dashboard becomes compact and moves closer to the driver. On pre-war machines this was a rare and not very popular solution, but with a decrease in the number of devices and the transition to a purely electrical connection, it finds more and more fans. Now the “dashboard” is precisely a separate installation part, and not part of the front panel, which, in turn, tries to be not only stylish, but also safety.
Achievements of the chemical industry in the form of translucent materials affect the appearance of the dashboard. The form is dictated by design considerations, and there are more options for the execution of the form and lighting. The indicators themselves are still exclusively analog - a coil and an arrow, an induction speedometer or just a pressure gauge.
Space on earth and the triumph of conciseness
At the end of the 70s, designers got a chance to realize their wildest fantasies regarding the implementation of a new car user interface. The first was the second edition of the luxury Aston Martin Lagonda 1976, in the dashboard of which real digital indicators appeared, and in the third series of 1986-1987 even a real cathode ray tube was used, like the TVs of those years.
However, Citroen was not far behind: the CX model from 1974 to 1985 could be equipped with a Spaceship dashboard as an option. True, here the digital indicators were no longer quite real, but the approach to ergonomics was extremely interesting: all kinds of switches were placed on the dashboard visor. The beginning of the 80s made it possible to introduce "Lagonda" technologies to much more mass machines, for example, the digital dashboard relied on the top versions of the inexpensive Renault 11, Opel Kadett E, or Opel Vectra 2000, Chevrolet Cavalier Z24, Pontiac TransAm, or Subaru XT Turbo, that's not to mention more expensive models Cadillac or concept cars.
However, despite the fact that the reliability of such dashboards no longer caused serious concerns, as was the case with Aston Martin, they did not receive special distribution. On the contrary, the most concise dashboards with a minimum of pointers have become the most popular. Speedometer, temperature gauges, fuel gauges, often a tachometer - and that's it. The ammeter disappeared from dashboards back in the 70s, with the advent of simple charge control lamps, and econometers, oil pressure or oil temperature sensors were already used very limitedly.
Analog clocks were often used as a replacement for the tachometer in inexpensive trim levels. On the other hand, serious efforts were made to improve the readability of instruments at night and daytime. The approach to the ergonomics of the driver's workplace has changed. In principle, these are also "space" technologies. Now not only the location of the vehicle controls was taken into account in the design, but also the location and shape of the indicators.
Improved readability of gauges background lighting scales and arrows, backlight brightness control in automatic and manual modes, and finally, optitronic dashboards were introduced, in which the image contrast was no longer set by external lighting, but only by the backlight.
Another qualitative leap is the transition to digital control of analog indicators. Already in the mid-90s, speedometers became digital, and all arrows were driven by stepper motors. Of course, the operation of such a dashboard is controlled by a built-in computer. The connection of the panel with all other elements of the machine is only electrical. And the arrows stopped “dancing” on bumps, fuel level readings became more accurate, and an additional information display was an indispensable attribute of the dashboard.
The dashboards of this generation are well known to all modern motorists: most of the cars are still equipped with such solutions.
The future that has already been
The fashion for "space" has not gone away at all, succumbing to verified ergonomics. Attempts to introduce another set of digital indicators did not stop. A number of cars from 1982 to the early 2000s were equipped with digital panels based on VFD or LED displays. Additional MID screens and on-board multimedia systems became larger, better and integrated into the vehicle's on-board systems. Evolution did what the revolution could not: the gradual increase in the quality and size of dashboard information displays gradually replaced analog indicators.
Even on the cheapest cars, the number of pointer instruments is gradually decreasing, making an inexpensive monochrome display much easier than a high-quality analog indicator. Since the early 2000s, the size and quality of the instrument cluster's secondary displays have grown steadily, and more functions have been assigned to them. From simple monochrome characters, they became monochrome graphics, and then color. Their resolution improved, and they began to integrate into the multimedia environment of the car.
The rejection of analog instruments turned out to be only a matter of time: first, Jaguar, and then other brands, switched to fully digital dashboards, the arrows on which are entirely drawn, and the panel itself can work as an on-board multimedia system monitor. Now a fully digital dashboard is no longer a sign of a premium car with advanced technologies - top-end configurations of conventional mass hatchbacks and crossovers allow ordinary people to join the novelty.
Right before my eyes
The debate about where to place the instruments ergonomically is still going on, and there are always daredevils who are trying to change the traditional view of the driver on the instruments. The traditional one is through the steering wheel rim, right in front of you.
The location of the instruments in the center of the car, higher and further away from the driver is one of the few alternative options, but at Peugeot they are sure that it is better to look at the instruments over the steering wheel when the dashboard is located just very high. No one doubts that it is best to project important readings directly onto the windshield in front of the driver. This will allow you not to be distracted from the road, but at the same time to avoid changes in eye accommodation when reading instrument readings.
HUD - Head Up Display technology - came from aviation, where it has been used for a good half a century, the technology of translucent screens and mirrors appeared back in the 30s, and in the 40s radar data was already projected directly onto the windshield of the aircraft. The HUD appeared in cars much later, in 1988 it was offered as an option for the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and Pontiac Grand Prix, and on the 1989 Nissan 240SX it was standard on the top version. Now the technology is available on many cars as an option, and the HUD gadget can be installed in any car with an OBD2 port.
Usually the list of indications is limited to speed, alarm indicators and tips. navigation system. But attempts are being made to integrate HUD displays into augmented reality systems, because they are ideal for this. Together with technology for recognizing traffic signs, people and moving objects, this creates the prerequisites for further improving road safety and increasing driving comfort in difficult visibility conditions. And given the progress of digital technologies and potential opportunities, in soon we should expect the emergence of technology no longer on prototypes, but on serial machines. Moreover, the first experience of Pioneer Corporation in 2012 proved that AR technologies can already work, the only question is their usefulness and degree of integration with onboard systems car.
It's time to find out what kind of electronics to expect in cars in the near future. Let's try to imagine what other gadgets and technologies may become as familiar as car radios or DVRs.
Wireless networks in the car
Manufacturers of semiconductor solutions for communication are already releasing special versions chips for cars designed for car infotainment systems. Depending on the need, using a Wi-Fi + Bluetooth connection, the car’s media center can communicate with the wearable electronics of the owner (after all, we are talking about the future, where there may be even more options for wearable electronics than modern smart watches) and, depending on the information received, unlock the car or warn of danger.
An even more interesting application of various combinations of wireless networks will have to be systems like V2X - providing for the exchange of data between the car and the surrounding infrastructure. Vehicular communication systems - automotive systems communications involving the exchange of information between cars (data about accidents, traffic situation, traffic jams, etc.), providing the ability to more effectively manage the traffic situation as a whole, by providing information to all participants. There are already several implementations of such short range communications (DRSC) networks. Technically, they should work in the 5.9 GHz frequency range (5.85-5.925 GHz), with an approximate range of up to 1000 meters. This standard is called IEEE 802.11p (WAVE), and was approved in 2010.
In 1999, this frequency in the US was secured to create an intelligent transport system(ITS). The ITS of the future can be seen as a system that uses information and communication technologies in the field of road transport (including infrastructure, vehicles, system participants, as well as traffic regulation), and at the same time has the ability to interact with other modes of transport. Traditional WiMAX, GSM, 3G or 4G/5G technologies can also be used to operate such systems. Considering now existing options solutions for wireless networking in cars, it is safe to assume that communication or "connection" of the car to the global network, in one form or another, is virtually inevitable.
Mobile operating systems for cars
Modern motorists can no longer be surprised by a media center running Android OS. Most often, Android can be found on the head unit of a car (if you use a modern DVR, then Android can even be found ... in the CANSONIC SKY rear-view mirror).
However, in fact, the plans of companies extend much further, and Android Auto, introduced by Google in 2014, can be an example of such future solutions. Backed by twenty-eight car manufacturers and Nvidia, the car-optimized "mobile" operating system is vying for the right to revolutionize the "zoo" of diverse proprietary operating systems in media centers. We've already seen this somewhere, haven't we? Just as Android on smartphones has overtaken various manufacturers' own operating systems over time, you can bet on a repeat of this scenario in cars. IN current form the system already has good functionality - supports GPS navigation, music playback, SMS, telephony, web search, touch screens and the ability to control hardware switches and buttons, along with voice control. At the moment, Android Auto relies on the presence (and connection to the car) of the driver's main Android device, acting more like an interface for conveniently integrating familiar smartphone functions into the car. This approach has its advantages - given the speed of updating and the increasing power of modern mobile platforms, the lack of its own built-in (and therefore obviously outdated every year) electronics will make it possible to obtain new functions simply by connecting a new smartphone. The car acts as a "normal" docking station - it may sound strange now, but in the future such a scenario is not at all excluded.
Unmanned vehicles and electric vehicles
Of course, what is the future without self-driving cars! However, almost everyone who imagines self-driving cars as seriously different from classic cars manually operated, expects a bit of a disappointment. Google's self-driving cars are the only modern car concept "without a steering wheel or pedals". Most self-driving concepts (including those that have received the right to drive on the roads common use in some US states) allow you to return to manual control at any time. Thus, for the driver and passengers, the use of self-management does not bring external major changes to the interior of the car. Modern self-driving cars achieve significant success, for example, this year a self-driving car managed to overtake a racing driver, however, the advantage was very small - only 0.4 seconds.
A similar situation is repeated for electric vehicles and hybrids. With the exception of Tesla, which stands apart, automakers are striving in every possible way to unify the experience of using electric vehicles, hybrids and cars with internal combustion engines. So in many cases, to distinguish an electric car from ordinary car(except for the sound of the engine) is possible only by additional charge indicators on the dashboard and the presence of a charging socket instead of the gas tank neck.
Holographic HUD displays
Back in 2006, Light Blue Optics Ltd announced the acquisition of a license for the production of full-color holographic laser projectors. The technology itself was invented by Edward Buckley and Adrian Cable in 2003 at the University of Cambridge. Starting in 2009, this system began to be adapted for use in displays that do not require the driver's attention to be distracted from the road (head-up display, HUD). There were many options for projecting an image onto a car windshield - these are full-color laser holograms and much more simple solutions(reflection of a mirror image of a bright monochrome display off the glass). So far, automakers are in no hurry to equip all new models with HUD displays, but there are such examples - in 2014 Range received such a system. Rover Evoque, and Ford is betting on the MISHOR 3D system, with similar features. HUD displays have securely won the windshields of aircraft (primarily military ones), but in cars of the future (especially self-driving ones), such an information output system will look more than appropriate.
Augmented reality in cars
Why limit the area of possible projection to the windshield? Approximately such reasoning guided the authors of modern concepts of augmented reality systems. These are the “transparent hood” system in Land Rover cars (the system allows the driver to see the road surface, which is normally hidden, implemented using cameras and projectors inside the car) and the concept of a virtual screen with “tips” regarding the necessary trajectory (just like in the NFS Shift series of games).
A more extravagant solution is the concept completely transparent car Keio University of Japan. In him backseat the car becomes transparent so as not to obstruct the driver's view when reversing. At the rear of the car is a projector that projects the image onto a reflective screen located between and slightly behind the two front seats.
When the driver looks back over his shoulder, he sees an almost real view from behind the car, but only through augmented reality. The concept is certainly interesting, but clearly does not take into account the presence of passengers in the car. Most likely, such systems will still conquer the cars of the future, in one form or another projecting an image in the form of augmented reality.
Alternative Control Methods
In addition to voice control or entering the desired route through the touch screen (in a hypothetical self-driving car of the future), automakers are experimenting with more exotic ways of control - including gesture control. Back in 2012, Mercedes-Benz introduced an interior concept called DICE (Dynamic & Intuitive Control Experience).
Instead of a windshield, it was proposed to use a display, and using sensors to track the position of the driver’s hand or front passenger in space and follow its movements to regulate and adjust the functions of the car. Even with ultra-high resolution screens, it is unlikely that drivers will soon agree to use them instead of a windshield. Audi also demonstrated the gesture control system in the same year, but there it was used to change the modes of the HUD display. So besides the sensors that monitor the fastened seat belt or the presence of passengers in the cabin, in the cabin of the future we can expect to have a much larger variety of "tracking systems" like Leap Motion.
Social networks of the future and cars
Already today, social networks and services “for motorists” can significantly influence the traffic situation. There are many examples of this - even the police pay attention to applications such as Waze (a crowdsourcing project based on user data, with the help of which the project participants learn about the occurrence of problems on the roads), speaking both with criticism and with approval. The possibility of notifications of the whereabouts of patrols has caused law enforcement concerns for the safety of police officers. Examples of social interactions at the level of "car-car" or "car-infrastructure" can take on different forms - these are loyalty programs from gas stations, free electric refueling stations for electric vehicles, optimization of parking spaces in the city depending on occupancy, taxi call systems without a dispatcher, "gamification ” and “achievements” (for example, points for safe driving) when using the vehicle. Most of these features are not surprising in and of themselves, but they will no doubt be developed in future vehicles.
Afterword
Of course, it is almost impossible to guess what cars or their electronics will be like in a few decades with great certainty. It is obvious that auto electronics will see a qualitative leap, because every year concepts at auto shows begin to resemble real “cars from the future”, which we represented only in fantastic works. It remains only to wait a bit and we will see what other technologies of the future will seem to us as familiar as a car radio or a DVR.
