Automotive Electronics that Make Your Car Smarter and Safer
In the age of connectivity and information, one probably should not be surprised when things around us are made “smarter” by the addition of an electronic / digital component to its workings.
Sometimes, the added bells and whistles seem unnecessary, for example, on items like nose hair trimmers. On the other hand, making everyday tools “smarter” not only makes daily tasks easier, it also makes things a lot safer.
Perhaps out of all the things made “smarter” by electronics, automobiles stand to give the most benefit to its users. With automotive electronics, things such as anti-lock braking systems (ABS) and traction control are possible.
Recent work by industry experts note that the amount of electronic devices manufacturers have installed in their cars for the past 25 years has increased. Just to give you an idea of just how far cars have come electronically, the Apollo 11 space craft used to travel to the moon and back used a mere 150 kilobytes of onboard memory. If you don’t know how small that is, consider that nowadays, we use at least 500 kilobytes just so that our CD players won’t skip.
But being able to play music without interruption is a mere speck of what electronics do to improve a car’s performance to the benefit of its owners.
Telematics, the term used to refer to technology that involves communication systems within cars, has been gaining more and more attention from car manufacturers over the past years. During the mid-1990s, industry insiders predicted that telematics would be the go-to technology that would not only increase sales, but also, more importantly, transform the auto industry into major player in mobile technology.
These forecasts, however, panned out less than what was predicted. From a projection of over $40 billion dollars, the figure has been whittled down to half as more conservative measures were considered.
Nevertheless, that is not to say that the development of this technology will be abandoned. Far from it, in fact. Spending for electronic systems for every single car made went up from $110 back in the early 1970s to lmost $2000 today – the average for most cars.
hat amount is spent on electronic devices that handle everything from engine performance to entertainment systems; from security features to safety devices. All of these work together to bring you a better performing car that offers not just safety but comfort as well. What follows are descriptions of some electronic systems that reside in your car and how they work.
Controller Area Network (CAN)
Believe it when you’re told that you car is not run by just one computer but by a network of them. You’re probably familiar with LAN or Local Area Network, where one computer is linked to others. For your car, there is the CAN that basically links the many systems in your car and allows them communicate with each other. Such interconnected systems would involve everything from critical systems like engine management, anti-lock brakes and cruise control to less-demanding applications like seat and window controls.
Car Safety Devices
Devices designed to protect a car’s passengers are generally divided into two categories: active and passive safety devices.
Active safety devices refer to systems that constantly work to ensure a car’s passengers’ safety. Examples of these are traction control (TCS), dynamic steering response (DSR), and acceleration slip regulation (ASR). These systems may not be noticed by the average driver, but they work by sensing road and driving conditions and then adjust the car’s performance accordingly to make the ride safer.
Passive safety devices are the more visible features for car safety, but even these are controlled by electronics. For instance, airbag deployment has seen a tremendous amount of improvements over the years. Before, deployment was too late or too early. Either way, it was hazardous to the driver and its passengers. Now, with more advanced systems, devices in your car are programmed to recognize conditions that lead to a high collision impact. Systems like the airbag and seating adjustments are deployed to minimize impact and injury to the people inside the vehicle.
Fuel efficiency
With today’s sky-high fuel prices, car manufacturers realize now more than ever that the market is ripe for fuel-efficient vehicles. Electronics play a major role in executing tasks that ensure efficient burning of fuel such as with the electronic fuel injection system (EFI). Taking it a step further, electronic devices allow the switching between gas and electric engines in hybrid cars.
The car of today certainly is a far cry from its predecessors. It has become more than just a means to get from point A to B; it’s making the “getting there” as safe and as comfortable as possible.