Drive-In Theaters Or Driving Theaters? Today’s On-Board Vehicle (state automotive inspectors) Entertainment
No commentsBy Mike Trudel
There was a time when a static-filled sound box and a bag of greasy drive-in popcorn had to suffice for vehicle theater entertainment. Today’s vehicle manufacturers have taken the theater experience of yesteryear and brought it into the 21st century with a virtual in-car entertainment system. Portable device interfaces, media players and satellite television are just a few emerging technologies for an automotive engineer to consider integrating as an attractive magnet for potential car buyers.
Portable Entertainment
Functionality and integration of portable entertainment has become more than just a feature for luxury vehicles. Portable device interfaces allow drivers to access their home music library or a video game via their automotive system using a USB port. MP3 players connect directly to a vehicle radio and allow control of music selection while song title, artist, album and elapsed time are conveniently displayed on the radio. SD Card Playback, a navigation database interface, can also be used to bring music into the vehicle.
That’s Infotainment
With the advent of media players, today’s driver can integrate a variety of entertainment and information content to his or her preference. Music from multiple sources can be searched and played using a single interface. And those interfaces are controlled via voice, soft keys, a central control knob or steering wheel controls. Want to hear only reggae or pop while driving home from work? A “Similar Songs” button looks into the database and selects similar songs for play. Other media player features include Bluetooth (R) audio streaming, DVD-V/ROM, MP3 and full-featured navigation capabilities.
Best Seat Isn’t Even in the House
“Are we almost there?” is likely to turn into “We’re here already?” for those who discover the best seat in the house is at the rear of a vehicle. Rear-seat entertainment allows passengers to enjoy movies, music and video games via an LCD color monitor, which offers a crisp and clear picture, even at extreme viewing angles. Factory-installed systems include a DVD player, which forms the core of the system and can also read music, data files and photos. Illuminated keys let the viewer keep control of the DVD player, even in the dark.
After short journey breaks or after the engine has been switched off, a special module enables the system to know exactly which content was played last - so users do not have to go searching through the last film or music program.
Soon, consumers may also begin to see video/wireless systems that deliver separate options for the driver, front-seat passengers and the rear-seat positions. Drivers might listen to satellite radio, while passengers separately employ headphones to listen to MP3 players or watch DVDs.
TV on the Open Road
Satellite television allows passengers to leave DVDs at home and instead enjoy digital-quality entertainment channels on the open road. Various systems can provide access to more than 100 programming channels and more than 50 channels of satellite music. In addition, families can catch the big game, traffic reports or local news stories from the comfort of their vehicle via local networks. Satellite TV also integrates with various in-vehicle backseat video systems.
Popcorn Optional
Today’s on board car entertainment system provides seamless experiences in music, movies, television and more. Greater freedom from home to the open road means access to entertainment, navigation and safety features from behind the wheel. With all of these options, drivers may discover the best seat in the house is actually parked out in the garage.
Mike Trudel, Freelance Writer.
Delphi Corp. is poised to apply its expertise and know-how to provide vehicle manufacturers and consumers with in-vehicle entertainment and connectivity. To learn more about Delphi Corp., please visit www.Delphi.com/4Innovation or www.Delphi.com/4Connected.
Automotive Engineers Help Save Lives And Cash
By Mike Trudel
It turns out all those fancy automotive safety devices cannot only help save lives, they can also save cash. According to The Economic Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes, roughly $230.6 billion was exhausted on motor vehicle crashes in 2000 in the U.S. Nearly 42 thousand people perished that year, and 28 million vehicles were damaged.
The same government report also revealed that 5.3 million individuals suffered non-fatal injuries, 39% of all traffic-related deaths were attributed to alcohol and such substance-induced accidents cost about $51 billion. Public tax revenues, amounting to $21 billion, paid the costs incurred by 9% of crashes. That’s $200 for each household in America.
But wait. There’s more. Lost market productivity was estimated at $61 billion, property damage at $59 billion, medical expenses at $32.6 billion and the cost of travel delays at $25.6 billion. Each fatality produced a discounted lifetime cost of approximately $977,000.
Active and passive safety systems developed by automotive engineers and their colleagues may be a bigger part of the answer than we might suspect. Systems currently being developed are addressing both the monetary and safety concerns of our roadways through devices that have automatic responses to dangerous conditions or events. For instance, adaptive cruise control adjusts the speed of the vehicle to maintain a preset time gap from the vehicle ahead. Active night vision uses infrared illuminators to help drivers to see better when driving at night and electronic stability control improves the safety of a vehicle’s handling, helping the driver maintain control of the vehicle.
Surprisingly, perhaps, these are just basic safety features - ranking amongst car navigation systems, keyless entry and hybrid cars as, yes, technological innovations, but old news to vehicle manufacturers. Lane departure and forward collision warning, pre-crash mitigation systems, side alert, pedestrian and road sign recognition systems are part of the new wave. These systems “read” the road using electronics, cameras and sensors. They alert drivers when they are drifting out of the intended lane, have another vehicle in their blind spots, are in danger of crashing or are distracted. These technological gems even respond to unavoidable crashes by enacting safety precautions, such as pretensioning motorized seat belts and applying brakes during the last 400 to 500 milliseconds before a crash, when there is little a driver can do to stop it.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 50% of all crashes involve “driver inattention.” It’s impossible to pinpoint how many crashes could have been avoided if there had only been some alert system warning drivers to pay more attention during critical moments. How many crashes could have been avoided by a single alert, some notification that another vehicle was in a driver’s blind spot? By shaving off four or five miles per hour before a crash by applying the brakes?
And while saving lives and preventing injuries is of the most concern, we cannot, in all reality, ignore the financial repercussions of roadway accidents. Billions upon billions of dollars are lost every year because of these crashes. Medical expenses, property damage and lost productivity are passed on to the average citizen in the form of higher taxes and insurance premiums. What if some percentage of this cost - even if slight - could be lessened by safety systems? One percent of hundreds of billions of dollars, after all, is nothing to scoff at.
Automotive engineers are critical contributors to advancing projects with aspirations of making roads safer. Without their expertise, none of the technology currently available would have been possible and neither would future innovations. What’s more, these talented individuals are integrating these devices so they are more affordable and, thus, more accessible to the masses.
In the near future, a modestly priced vehicle could have a myriad of safety features - forward collision and lane departure warning, road sign and pedestrian recognition, adaptive cruise control, pre-crash mitigation, electronic stability control, side alert. All of it. So kiss some automotive engineers today - hiding in their offices - and tell them you’re proud. They could just save your life … and at least a few bucks on your insurance policy.
Mike Trudel, Freelance Writer.
Delphi Corp. is a leading innovator of automobile safety equipment and technology. To learn about Delphi’s safety advancements, visit www.Delphi.com/4Innovation or www.Delphi.com/4safe
Your Source For Automobile Inspection Information
Handling Wear and Tear in Antique Car Engines
By Peter Salmonford
Loss of compression is also due to wear set up between the piston and cylinder. In engines that have done a considerable amount of running the cylinders may have worn slightly oval, and they should be carefully examined to see if this is the case, and if so, should be rebored. The trouble is usually, however, confined to the piston rings, and new rings are generally required on a water-cooled engine after 10,000 to 20,000 miles.
In good engines carefully looked after perhaps they will not be necessary until 30,000 miles have been run. To fit new rings is, though not a difficult matter, one that requires a certain amount of care. It is very easy to put a ring into the top slot, but to get it into one of the middle ones is not so easy. To do so the adjacent grooves should be temporarily filled up with some packing or, what is better, some strips of sheet metal or whalebone should be employed and the ring slid over these until the proper groove is reached. These strips will prevent the ring from fouling the adjacent groove.
Each ring after being in use must be bright the whole way round ; if this is not the case it shows that contact is not made throughout the whole length of the ring, and a new ring should be fitted. Piston rings should fit comparatively tightly in the grooves, and when compressed so as to lie nearly flush with the piston the slots should be closed.
The weak point in piston rings, as regards holding compression, is the slot, as a slight leakage is bound to take place along it. Consequently when two or more rings are fitted the slots should be arranged alternately on opposite sides of the piston, so that as long a path as possible is made for the escaping gas and leakage reduced. Thus when the cylinders are removed care should be taken to turn the piston rings into this position. In some cases the piston rings are pegged to prevent their taking up wrong positions.
After a water-cooled engine has run a considerable distance, say anything from 5,000 to 10,000 miles, it may be found that power is falling off, in spite of the compression being good, that when going up a hill with the throttle wide open the engine knocks and does not seem to run so well as when new, or that the engine preignites or continues to run when switched off. These are definite signs that the inside of the cylinders and the piston heads require cleaning.
Peter Salmonford is a keen fan of cars, and likes to write about antique and modern vehcles. Take a look at his other articles on hydrogen conversion, the benefits of an electric car kit and using browns gas in your own car.
Sunday, October 26th, 2008 at 11:56 pm and is filed under automotive. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
