Such in-car routers are considered a niche product for the moment, but Autonet Mobile's unit has seen adoption in a wide variety of vehicles and applications. The technology was offered in the 2011 Subaru Outback and the 2009 Cadillac CTS, as well as Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge products. Before that, Novatel Wireless, Delphi, and Avis Rent-A-Car announced agreements with Autonet. The company's technology has also been employed in school buses.
Making such technologies work as reliably as a desktop computer has been tricky. Using a setup called TRU Technology, Autonet Mobile's router is reported to deliver useful connectivity, no matter how fast a vehicle is traveling between cell towers. It works by combining cellular network technology with the traditional IP suite (commonly called TCP/IP). The key is the company's patented "session proxy" technique, which enables the router to remember its TCP session, even during temporary service dropoffs.
Autonet Mobile's in-car router works by combining cellular network technology with TCP/IP.
To accomplish that, the iPod-sized router incorporates a substantial bill of hardware materials, including Power PC-based processors from Freescale Semiconductor and four radios -- a 1xRTT (single-carrier radio transmission technology), EVDO rev 0 (evolution data optimized), EVDO rev A, and Bluetooth -- along with 2GB of flash memory, two Ethernet ports, two USB ports, and a CompactFlash slot. Onboard software, which runs atop an embedded Linux operating system, handles movement between the radios. The software searches for available networks, enabling users to get the best one as they speed down the highway.
Autonet Mobile executives say that such technologies can also move beyond the obvious Internet searches to encompass such applications as phone-based remote starting and door unlocking, as well as vehicle tracking and employee monitoring from remote desktop machines.
"The demand is definitely moving toward fleet applications," says Pratz. "You have these small to medium-sized businesses that have between three and 50 vehicles in their fleets, and their owners are asking, 'How do I manage these fleets?'"
Next stop: CAN bus?
Ultimately, experts foresee such Internet technologies drilling deeper into the vehicle electrical architecture, even to the point of getting access to the CAN (controller area network) databus, which carries vital powertrain information. Automotive engineers say that's a trickier enterprise, but most acknowledge that it's going to happen soon.
The CCC, for example, plans to write CAN access into an upcoming version of its standard. Version 1.1, due out at the end of this year, will allow for use of car data. Engineers say such access will give phones access to such items as vehicle diagnostics.
"If the phone knows that the traction control system has turned on, it might be able to alert the driver," says Tom of GM Ventures. "But we have to do it in a manner that doesn't compromise the data that's on the CAN bus. You want to be able to access the data without harming it."
Pratz of Autonet Mobile says accessing the CAN bus is the next big step for telematics.
Beth, the issues you cite are why autonomous vehicles won't catch on for a long time. Most of us don't want to give up control, and for good reason. How often do our computers break down? How often do our cars break down? When they do, we want to be in control.
I agree with much of what you say, Tool_Maker, but unfortunately, not all the cars are built for you and me. As appalling as it may seem to us, automakers want to appeal to a large swath of consumers (mostly younger) who want this stuff in their cars.
Oh Heck Yes, please bring us vehicles that are more damage tolerant. They do a bang-up job protecting us (maybe a different phrase would be better). It's time for cars to protect themselves as well.
I read the article and all of the accomopanying posts (to this point) and have yet to see how this really makes the vehicle better. Will all of these toys make the vehicle last longer? Get better mileage? Handle better in snow, rain or other hazardous driving conditions?
Autonomous driving? How is that going to work unless all vehicles are so equipped? What computer programming is going to account for a 16 year-old driver doing something stupid to impress a carload of kids? Until all vehicles are driving autonomously, I do not think any can safely anywhere other than a test track.
Rather than spend millions of dollars on electronic toys to amuse the driver, how about spending aome time designing an engine where I can get at the spark plugs. Or a body than can survive a 10mph rear ending without costing thousands to repair.
You may find this hard to believe, but I have been driving for almost 50 years and have never had the need to check e-mails or download a game. video or some fancy app while tooling down the road.
I would step foot in the car as a novelty and perhaps on a trip that's straight and narrow--a highway jaunt where you sometimes rely on Cruise Control. That said, I'd still act like I was in the driver's seat.
That's the thing with Cruise Control--you're still acting like you're at the wheel and giving the drive your attention. With autonomous driving, it seems like you're encouraged to do other things--eat, text, email. That just doesn't seem right. If you don't want to drive (as Rob says), take the bus, hop a train, call a cab.
Regarding the generational aspect: I couldn't agree more, Rob. I remember my father saying he would never trust a car without a clutch. Before him, I'm sure there were family members who said they would never set foot in an airplane. That said, I wouldn't set foot in an autonomous vehicle.
You're right, Chuck, it may take time for us to accept autonomous driving, but the technology is already there. The Google car you mentioned actually drove from Google's headquarters in the Valley down to the Google office in L.A., so the car knows how to handle roads that remain a challenge for me.
The acceptance will come generationally, like most technology acceptance. I may feel uncomfortable about autonomous driving, but my 15-year-old daughter would embrace it quickly. She doesn't want to drive, she wants to text.
RadioGuy, I think number 2 -- using the cell phone -- is the logical way to go. And yes, cell phone companies will want to charge for the extended bandwidth use. But anyone who has a teenager is already paying the additional fees.
Cell phones are moving at a quick speed to add functionality and speed. Seems that's the logical tool, since it leads the mobile world and there is sufficient competition in cell phones to ensure ongoing development.
There are several evolutionary paths that may each be viable, but are competing with each other.
(1) Let the car host a WLAN to which laptops, smartphones in WiFi mode and the car's own systems can connect. This is what the in-car router is about. The Internet side of that router is a 3G, Wi-Max or 4G radio. Currently the service subscription for that costs about $40-$50 per month. You could view that at an evolutionary increment to the low-speed cell-phone subscription that many cars already have for On-Star and other "SOS Service" as well as for traffic updates to the Nav Systems. For most users, this is a bit expensive. Heck, I'm not even sure I will keep the "SOS" subscription for my Prius after the expiration of the "free" service for the first year that was bundled with the car.
(2) Let the car use the data service on the user's cellphone. That's an obvious evolutionary increment to how the car provides hands-free speakerphone support for my cellphone via a bluetooth hookup. This could use my cellphone as the internet connection for an in-car Wi-Fi network. The cellphone companies do not like us to do this (often called tethering) because it allows us to use more bandwidth from our cellphone. Frankly, I'd be happy to pay an additional $10 per month (but not a lot more than that) for my cellphone data plan to allow the phone to become a Wi-Fi access point for the benefit of my car and my laptop while travelling. But until this become "the standard way of doing it", we will not see cars become compatible with it.
---
Another issue that will become huge in the next 5 years is this: We have all experienced how a car radio wears out between 5 and 10 years of age (actually, it is usually the CD player that develops mechanical problems and forces replacement). Now that we no longer have a "car radio" but an integrated entertainment/navigation/vehicle management system, what is the field replaceable unit? Will this kill the ability to get an inexpensive aftermarket replacement system that is better than the original? Will we be stuck with having to buy a "new" (obsolete) $2,000 info/nav/computer from the car dealership's parts department when that CD drive goes bad?
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
25 
