Hands on the Wheel, Eyes on the Road, Mind on the Drive
by Randy Frank, Contributing Editor Before integrated circuits permeated every system in the vehicle, the standard human-machine interfaces (HMIs) were not much more than key mechanical linkages, pedal mechanical linkages, a shift lever, knobs, buttons, dial pointers, and, of course, idiot lights. Today, the car recognizes the driver and the driver talks to the vehicle, uses hand motions, has a heads-up display for feedback, and is on the verge of having many control functions performed by wire. This report explores the new human-machine interfaces that are being developed and implemented to change how drivers interact with their vehicles....
Special Report
Sophisticated Designs Drive Demand for 32-BIT MCUs
by John H. Day Contributing Editor Increasingly complex applications are fueling demand for more processing capability and greater memory capacity - that's good news for makers of 32-bit MCUs....
Reducing Driver Workload with Human-Machine Interface
by Maha Kadirkamanathan, Bill Klingler, John Kosinski, and Joe Jira Visteon Corp. Voice recognition and wireless connectivity technologies such as Bluetooth, combined with proper human-system integration, can enable customer access to
their mobile and embedded devices while at the same time providing for workload
optimized in-vehicle HMI designs....
Departments
Editorials
Making Auto Navigation and Telematics More Affordable
by Ashok Bindra Editorial Director, RF Design Only a few years ago, a global positioning system (GPS) was a luxury for a few high-end cars. Communicating with a cluster of some two dozen satellites...
LEDs Move to the Automotive Forefront
by David Morrison Editor, Power Electronics Technology From their modest beginnings as dashboard indicator lamps, LEDs have marched through one automotive application after another, replacing incandescent...
IC Interconnect Achieves ISO Automotive Standards IC Interconnect, a wafer bumping service company, has announced its successful completion of the registration audit for the International Organization...
Under the Hood
Under the Hood of the 2006 Lexus RX400H
by Randy Frank Contributing Editor The display for engine vs. motor operation is not the only new HMI on the RX400h but it is perhaps the most unique. The full hybrid operates in electric-only,...
Executive Viewpoints
Configuring the Future of Driver Information Delivery
by John Sanderson Siemens VDO Automotive Driver information delivery is focused on improving the human-machine interface (HMI). The instrument cluster is the traditional delivery method and is...
Meeting the Challenge of Increasing Complexity in Electronics
by Bill Mattingly Chrysler Group The world of product development is becoming increasingly integrated. Our goal is to manage the increasing complexity in the design of Chrysler Group...
New Products
Low-Cost, 64-TAP, One-Time Programmable Digital Potentiometer MAXIM INTEGRATED PRODUCTS has introduced the MAX5527/MAX5528/MAX5529, low-cost, 64-tap, one-time-programmable digital potentiometers in eight-pin, 3mm × 3mm TDFN or microMAX(R) packages....
