In-vehicle Infotainment Research Articles

Study on the Display Positions for the Haptic Rotary Device-Based Integrated In-Vehicle Infotainment Interface

Integrated multimodal systems is one promising direction to improve human-vehicle interaction. In order to create intelligent human-vehicle interfaces and reduce visual load during secondary tasks, combining a haptic rotary device and a graphic display will provide one practical solution. However, in literature, the proper display position for the haptic rotary device is not fully investigated. In this paper, one experimental infotainment system is studied (including a haptic rotary control device and a graphic display) to evaluate the proper display position. Measurements used include task completion time, reaction to road events, lane/velocity keeping during secondary tasks, and user preference. Three display positions are considered: high mounted position, cluster position, and center stack position. The results show that, with increased on-road and off-road visual loads, the cluster display position can reduce lane position deviation significantly compared to high mounted and center stack positions. In addition, the high mounted and cluster display positions are better toward two different road events, including strong wind gust and extreme deceleration of the lead car.

Advanced security and privacy in connected vehicles

Designing secure vehicles is becoming increasingly important as a result of recent advances in potential cyber-attacks against vehicles. This security needs to be considered over the course of the product lifecycle and includes a consideration of requirements definitions, design, development, testing, and maintenance. Even though many technologies and guidelines have been proposed to address end-to-end security design problems for the IT (information technology) industry, there are often significant differences between securing IT equipment (such as servers and PCs) and securing vehicles. Thus, purely IT-based approaches often have limited applicability in the domain of vehicle security because human safety is a primary design consideration in the development of vehicles, while relatively less attention has been paid to IT security. In addition, the lifecycle of a vehicle is often much longer than the lifecycle of many PCs and related IT equipment. Security design tends to be performed in silos and is not well coordinated among all of the stakeholders who are involved in the development of a vehicle. We have devised a specialized approach for designing secure in-vehicle infotainment systems, including the electronic control system and software. Our approach is based on secure engineering, an established methodology used in the IT industry to cover the entire software lifecycle.

Using an infotainment system while driving – A continuous analysis of behavior adaptations

Despite the fact that drivers are performing a lot of distracting tasks while driving (e.g. usage of infotainment systems) they are usually able to manage difficult situations. Drivers often seem to be able to adapt and effectively regulate their behavior according to the demands of the driving situation. Not much is known about the functional behavior that allows drivers to successfully regulate their intentional demands. The current study aims to investigate these adaptations and provides a methodological approach to do so. 38 participants performed a simulated driving task while using an In-Vehicle Infotainment System. Driving data and activity data for the secondary task were recorded and analyzed continuously over time. Participants permanently adapted their driving behavior and particularly reduced their secondary task activity when approaching critical driving situations. Following that, drivers should be regarded as active managers of their workload capacities, who actively frame a driving situation and adjust their operating behavior to the environment. To measure these adjustments, a continuous analysis of both driving as well as secondary task behavior is essential.

다채널 다중 화면 디스플레이를 지원하는 차량용 멀티미디어 인터페이스 구현

최근 차량 내 인포테인먼트 시스템에 대한 다양한 요구가 급격하게 증가함에 따라 보다 편리하고 인간 친화적이고 첨단 기능들을 갖춘 차량용 인포테인먼트 시스템들이 속속 등장하고 있다. 본 논문에서는 차량 내 다양한 멀티미디어 응용에 적용할 수 있는 임베디드 기반 차량용 멀티미디어 인포테인먼트 시스템을 구현하였다. 구현된 시스템은 하나의 프로세서에서 두 개 채널 이상의 멀티미디어 소스들을 각각 독립적으로 디스플레이 할 수 있도록 하여 비용을 절감할 수 있다. 또한 저장장치에 저장된 비디오, 오디오, 영상 등의 콘텐츠뿐만아니라 CAM, T-DMB, DVB-T 등 실시간으로 제공되는 콘텐츠들도 멀티로 디스플레이 될 수 있다. Wi-Fi를 이용한 스마트폰과의 연결성을 지원하여 스마트폰에 저장되어 있는 멀티미디어 콘텐츠 또한 멀티로 디스플레이 할 수 있다. 본 논문에서 구현된 시스템은 AVN(Audio Video Navigation), RSE(Rear Seat Entertainment) 등의 차량용 인포테인먼트 시스템에 저비용으로 다양하게 응용될 수 있을 것으로 기대된다. Recently, the diverse needs of the drivers for in-vehicle infotainment systems are increasing rapidly. As a result, the infotainment systems are equipped with more convenient and human-friendly high-tech features. In this paper, we designed and implemented in-vehicle multimedia infotainment system based on embedded system that was applied various multimedia to in-vehicles. The proposed system can support independent display on each screen for the multi-channel multimedia source based on one processor(1 CPU). Therefore, our system can be reduced costs compared to other systems. This system not only displays the video and audio data in storage devices but also displays CAM, T-DMB, and DVB-T multimedia contents which are supplied in real-time services. Also, our system could multi-screen displays multimedia data in smart phone using Wi-Fi. We expect that in-vehicle infotainment systems like AVN(Audio video navigation) and RSE(Rear Seat Entertainment) could be used in various applications and reduced costs.

Morphing Smartphones into Automotive Application Platforms

The Terminal Mode technology integrates smartphones into in-vehicle infotainment systems and transforms them into automotive application platforms on the fly, allowing drivers to safely access and interact with mobile applications.

Infotainment and road safety service support in vehicular networking: From a communication perspective

Vehicular ad hoc networking is an emerging technology for future on-the-road communications. Due to the virtue of vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) are expected to enable a plethora of communication-based automotive applications including diverse in-vehicle infotainment applications and road safety services. Even though vehicles are organized mostly in an ad hoc manner in the network topology, directly applying the existing communication approaches designed for traditional mobile ad hoc networks to large-scale VANETs with fast-moving vehicles can be ineffective and inefficient. To achieve success in a vehicular environment, VANET-specific communication solutions are imperative. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive overview of various radio channel access protocols and resource management approaches, and discuss their suitability for infotainment and safety service support in VANETs. Further, we present recent research activities and related projects on vehicular communications. Potential challenges and open research issues are also discussed.

Ford SYNC and Microsoft Windows Embedded Automotive Make Digital Lifestyle a Reality on the Road

With Ford SYNC, Microsoft Corporation and Ford Motor Company have democratized in-vehicle infotainment systems delighting consumers and bringing a new kind of agility to the automobile industry. Built on Microsoft Auto (now Windows Embedded Automotive), Ford SYNC is a factory-installed, voicecontrolled communications and entertainment system that allows drivers to converge their digital lifestyle with their life on the road. Windows Embedded Automotive is an industry leading technology platform that provides integrated infotainment features and a rich user interface. Car manufacturers and suppliers worldwide can use this software to create differentiated, infotainment in-vehicle systems that are immediately attractive to consumers. This white paper will examine: • Past approaches to in-car infotainment system development; • The evolution of the Windows Embedded Automotive platform as Microsoft addressed market readiness and other business/technical issues through collaboration with the automotive industry; • How Ford and Microsoft had a common vision, validated it with research, and worked in partnership to bring the vision to market, giving consumers the ability to combine their digital lifestyle with their life on the road; • How the auto manufacturer democratized in-car systems by delivering it first on the most affordable car in Ford's line-up, the Focus sedan and coupe, to the increasing surprise and delight of its customers; • The collaborative marketing campaign that leveraged Ford and Microsoft brand name recognition around the globe; • Positive business results generated by Ford SYNC, including broad consumer satisfaction with the technology; and, • The future of Ford SYNC and Windows Embedded Automotive technology.

The impact of distractions on young adult drivers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Young adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at higher risk for being involved in automobile crashes. Although driving simulators have been used to identify and understand underlying behaviors, prior research has focused largely on single-task, non-distracted driving. However, in-vehicle infotainment and communications systems often vie for a driver's attention, potentially increasing the risk of collision. This paper explores the impact of secondary tasks on individuals with and without ADHD, a medical condition known to affect the regulation of attention. Data are drawn from a validated driving simulation representing periods before, during, and after participation in a secondary cognitive task. A hands-free phone task was employed in a high stimulus, urban setting and a working memory task during low stimulus, highway driving. Drivers with ADHD had more difficulty on the telephone task, yet did not show an increased decrement in driving performance greater than control participants. In contrast, participants with ADHD showed a larger decline in driving performance than controls during a secondary task in a low demand setting. The results suggest that the interaction of the nature of the driving context and the secondary task has a significant influence on how drivers with ADHD allocate attention and, in-turn, on the relative impact on driving performance. Drivers with ADHD appear particularly susceptible to distraction during periods of low stimulus driving.