Focus on Electronics

---

More 1 2 3

Motorola's server-based navigation advances

Motorola announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January that it will deliver a server-based navigation application as part of its iRadio system. Said by the company to be a significant technical step in mobile navigation and driver information services, the application is planned for 2002. It will provide a wireless navigation service that can deliver turn-by-turn route guidance and real-time traffic and weather information.

Motorola is the first company to create such a solution, according to Joe Guglielmi, Executive Vice President and President, Motorola's Integrated Electronic Systems Sector. "At a time when consumer mobile electronics companies are still in the early stages of autonomous navigation systems, Motorola is delivering a wireless, server-based navigation solution that provides connectivity to real-time information," he said.

Motorola demonstrated the iRadio system, including the server-based navigation application, at CES in the Digital Car Pavilion. The iRadio telematics platform combines emergency calling and roadside assistance, navigation, entertainment, information, and location-based services into one system. Server-based navigation enables the complex routing calculations and large databases of information, including addresses, routing, and traffic preferences, to be stored in servers, with information downloaded on demand to the vehicle through a wireless connection.

In addition to being cost-effective for consumers, the server-based application is easy to maintain by downloading new information and applications with the push of a button. Customers can also have access to personalized real-time traffic and weather information, up-to-date map data, and point-of-interest listings - eliminating the need to purchase or update data on discs.

Features of the Java-based navigation application include web-based trip planning, which can be downloaded to the iRadio system prior to entering the car. A personal information management feature enables the iRadio to synchronize with content management and calendaring software as well as personal digital assistants. The unit will have hands-free capabilities featuring voice recognition, text-to-speech capabilities, voice maneuver prompting, and real-time traffic and weather information.

The server-based system was developed using location tools, navigation engines, and cartographic software from BCI Navigation. To provide content for the application, Motorola established a development agreement with Navigation Technologies, creators of the Navtech digital map database. Motorola also has established agreements with content providers infoUSA.com and WeatherBank, which provide point-of-interest and weather information services, respectively. Motorola is working with additional industry leaders to provide customers with real-time national traffic and predictive travel information.

The server-based navigation application can be licensed separately or as part of the Motorola iRadio system by automotive OEMs, audio manufacturers, telematics service providers, and wireless carriers.

- Kevin Jost

Dana sensors for Blackwood

Dana's ride height sensor is an element of the Lincoln Blackwood's air suspension.

Dana Corp., through its newly formed Motors and Electronic Systems Group, is supplying ride height sensor modules for the new Lincoln Blackwood pickup. The vehicle employs an independent short- and long-arm front suspension with coil springs and shock absorbers having variable-rate damping. The rear suspension uses a hybrid of leaf and air springs to reduce the abrupt spring-rate transitions common to conventional leaf-spring designs. Blackwood's relatively lightweight single parabolic leaf spring is designed to handle the weight of the unloaded vehicle. As passengers or cargo are added, the extra load is taken up by the air springs. Air pressure in the springs is adjusted automatically to maintain ride height.

The Dana ride height sensor recognizes changes in chassis height and sends a signal to a control module indicating that the chassis needs to be raised or lowered. The sensor, winner of the Ford Truck VC Significant Achievement Award for new product innovation, is said to offer a multitude of packaging and technology benefits.

"Dana is providing value by saving Ford a significant cost over its previous product," said Anil Bansal, Director of the Motors and Electronic Systems Group. "By attaching the sensor to the mounting bracket and shipping the assembly direct to Ford, Ford's labor costs are reduced."

Using robust, noncontacting Hall-effect technology, the sensor has a three-point calibration process that improves its trim-position accuracy. The sensor has flexible packaging, with different linkage lengths available. It was vehicle tested to 400,000 km (250,000 mi) and bench tested to 20 million cycles. Its integrated and magnetic circuits are assembled within a package that isolates the circuitry from all mechanical moving parts, thus allowing the electronics to be environmentally sealed.

Dana's technology avoids the types of problems faced by competing contacting, mechanical technologies - such as water intrusion, vibration, and contact wear, which cause failures and contact noise problems. The company has also eliminated the hollow cavity common to contacting technology, which can trap moisture around the electronics and cause potential failures. The sensors are being manufactured at Dana's AEC facility in Elkhart, MD.

- Kevin Jost

More 1 2 3