Technology
Future Innovations
Ahead of the times
In this section, we provide a sneak peek of future technologies. Although currently not available, you can be sure that Volkswagen will continue to lead where others can only follow – not just today, but certainly into tomorrow. With so much automotive advancements having occurred in the last few decades, the challenge now lies in intelligently evaluating and bringing together the information generated both by existing systems and by the technologies yet to be discovered.
Anticipatory capabilities
Volkswagens of the future will not only be able to handle any circumstance, they will be equipped to anticipate them too. Through providing operating recommendations and active support to the driver by monitoring the ambient traffic situation, these new electronic assistants will recognise upcoming circumstances that require responsive action. In fact, tomorrow's vehicles will even be capable of communicating with one another, of scanning their environment and then drawing conclusions from the information they capture, and of warning drivers about imminent danger. By interlinking driver assistance and communications systems, we will make the transition from "seeing” vehicles to vehicles with foresight.
Next-generation assistance technology
Technology will soon be at our disposal that will offer driver support in the form of visual, acoustic and haptic (touch-sensitive) warnings. Not only will these engineering advances improve safety, they will also enhance driving comfort - a prime example being the assisted / automatic parking system developed by Volkswagen Group Research.
Assisted / automatic parking system
This system uses radar sensors to determine the dimensions of a potential parking space. It then automatically calculates the coordinates of the space, based on which it advises the driver on the ideal steering manoeuvre or even steers the vehicle into the space automatically if so desired by the driver. This system combines environment identification technology and driver information, first identifying suitably sized parking space and then enabling the vehicle to be effortlessly manoeuvred into that space.
Automatic emergency brake assistant (BA)
Another example of new assistance technology, activated as soon as the system identifies an obstacle and concludes that a collision is no longer avoidable. By immediately performing a hard stop, the speed of impact, and thus the risk of injury, can be substantially reduced. The radar sensor used in this assistance solution scans the area ahead of the vehicle and delivers the necessary information from which the system can deduce the further measures to be initiated. The system makes use of the brief moment between initiation of all-out braking and actual impact to cut down speed and motional energy as much as possible.
How does it work?
With a forward-range of 120 metres and a capturing angle of 16 degrees, the ADC long-range radar sensor permanently captures information about objects positioned ahead of the vehicle. When the emergency braking system deduces an impending collision to be unavoidable through any activity by the driver, it intervenes. Aside from the sensor, this system requires nothing more than the integration of applicable software, i.e. no additional hardware is needed, since the system utilises existing ABS and ESP components.
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
A brief moment of distraction - possibly through conversation with a passenger - is all that is needed for a vehicle to suddenly depart from the driver's intended course of travel. LDW uses a system of cameras to analyse boundary lines on the road, warning the driver if he should be about to deviate from his lane of travel (be it because of sleepiness or inattention to the road).
Attention control
This system performs a very similar task to LDW. Utilising the technique of analysing eyelid movement, it draws conclusions about the degree of attentiveness of the driver. If the driver is wide awake, the movements of his/her eyelids will be brief and infrequent. As drowsiness sets in, blinking becomes more frequent and of longer duration. A camera installed in the vehicle interior is geared to first identify the position of the eyes and then analyse eyelid movement. If the system perceives the driver to be at risk of sleepiness, it will advise him to take the break he urgently needs.
Intelligent networking
With many different systems working alongside one another, communication between these technologies will become an ever-increasing necessity. Up until recently, different applications have worked more or less independently of one another; our focus is now on intelligently merging individual technologies into a network system.
Driver-to-vehicle links
No less important will be the challenge to develop new interfaces between the driver and his vehicle (man-to-machine interface) over the coming years. As Matthias Rabe explains, "We must not allow the increasing number of operating functions and information to result in drivers being additionally distracted. On the contrary: We need to develop new and intuitive man-to-machine interfaces with interactive functionality, which will actually support drivers while at the same time satisfying expectations in terms of value appreciation."
Inner-vehicle networks
The different assistance solutions used in vehicles these days function side by side and independently of one another, with each system using sensor technology designed for its particular purposes. One of the challenges that awaits us next is to unite the numerous sensors into a single system architecture and to converge the signals generated by the various environmental sensors into an overall picture of the situation surrounding the vehicle.
Inter-vehicle networks
If we wish to make our vision of the "foresighted” automobile reality, it will ultimately be essential to network road users in much the same way as we have witnessed in civil aviation. Only once vehicles are actually capable of exchanging data (via radio data transmission technology such as wireless LAN, for instance), will this vision be viable. By sharing information with other road users on the essential parameters of a given traffic situation, vehicles would be able, for example, to foresee traffic congestions or potential hazards lurking at the far side of a hilltop. The systems with which such vehicles will be fitted will have knowledge about the current traffic situation even before the driver of the vehicle could anticipate them. Once such knowledge is captured, the system will provide the driver with the information he needs. Where necessary, the system will automatically initiate measures to prevent an accident from happening or to cushion the outcome of an unavoidable accident. This technology will also enable an inter-communications network to be established amongst different vehicles. And the widespread functionality of such a network will be possible even if only a limited number of vehicles are fitted with such technology.
Networking drivers/vehicles with the environment
A targeted supply of information could help to improve the flow of traffic in urban centres and to warn motorists about dangers on the roads. Good-quality traffic information will also help motorists to better plan longer journeys. This technology could be developed to eventually enable a driver to book a table at a restaurant, tickets for the cinema or even a slot at the car park of his destination!
Cross-industry challenges
Work is ongoing to create a communications standard that will serve as an elementary platform for these new technologies - for it is imperative that the information involved can be processed and shared across all manufacturer boundaries. "Only cross-manufacturer solutions will allow us to put a concentrated and, more importantly, effective data network into place,” emphasises Matthias Rabe. "The time needed to set up such an infrastructure must be simultaneously used to create the political and practical framework for this new and fascinating world of mobility.”
Traffic sign recognition
Prescribed speed limits can often change during the course of travel along a road, and road signs are not always easy to follow. The traffic signs recognition system developed by Volkswagen Group Research will eventually offer a new level of comfort and safety in this area. Volkswagen's system incorporates a digital display which informs the driver of the applicable road signs along the motorway at any given time. Two systems are currently being tested. The first uses information gleaned from the navigation system, which is constantly fed with all the latest data via digital radio broadcasts. The second system receives its input via radio transmission from transponders installed on the traffic signs.
Integral handling control
Additional active safety functions include active roll-and-pitch compensation, active steering intervention and all-wheel systems with individual wheel control. This myriad of complex active vehicle handling systems makes it increasingly necessary to incorporate a central control unit - a feature which Volkswagen Group Research is currently in the process of developing: the integral handling control system.
The job of this system is to integrally regulate all active components (from the drive to the brakes, steering and running gear) in any motoring situation. What makes this system so revolutionary in comparison to the active vehicle stability control systems used today, is that it consistently influences vehicle handling and allows handling to be individualised. The system uses software which enables a vehicle's characteristic handling properties to be variously set from sporty to comfort levels at the mere push of a button. Thus, the driving experience is adapted to the needs of the individual driver.
Environment perception
The project to develop a system that perceives the vehicle’s environment involves collecting all available sensory data on a vehicle's surroundings (360 degrees) and converging this data. This technology is also referred to as sensor fusion. The data generated provides a picture of the ambient setting and the given situation in such a way that will allow the driver assistance systems to identify any risks.
How does it work?
The value of this technology is aptly illustrated by the example of a vehicle entering a motorway. To get a comprehensive take on the traffic situation around him, the driver would normally have to focus on what's ahead of him, while also, however, turning around to ensure that he does not overlook any vehicle possibly out of view of his mirrors (in a blind spot). The new system will make it easier for the driver to appraise the situation surrounding his vehicle by providing the necessary information on a display.
This system uses a variety of technologies to capture the data it needs: cameras, advanced proximate- and remote-radar sensors (24 and 77 GHz) as well as laser sensors. The computing unit then uses sensor data fusion to create a synthetic reproduction of the vehicle environment, including road lanes, vehicles and other objects in the local traffic environment.
Enhanced night vision
The system designed to perceive vehicle environments incorporates a piece of technology which can also function independently. It is the enhanced night vision system. This feature uses an infrared unit to identify pedestrians or any possible sources of traffic hazard.
How does it work?
The solution, developed by Volkswagen Group Research, utilises video footage produced by a heat-image camera for remote infrared radiation with light-wave lengths of 7 to 14µm (remote infrared). The images this camera captures are then evaluated using high-tech image-processing algorithms - the aim being to identify pedestrians and their position or distance from the vehicle, so as to be able to inform the driver of the potential risk they pose. The system does not simply display video images (which is how a head-up display system works). It also analyses them using image-processing technology. The information thus derived is then used to create warning strategies that are converted to targeted advice to the driver to help him master the given driving situation.
In order not to distract the driver unnecessarily, the footage captured by the heat-image camera is not permanently fed to the driver's display, but only ever presented in situations that are potentially critical (event-based driver warnings).
Fuel cells
The hydrogen fuel cell could progress to usher in a new era of drive design. Together with the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Volkswagen developed the Bora HY.POWER driven by a hydrogen PSI fuel cell and an electric engine on the 2005 metre high Simplon Pass (Switzerland/Italy) in an extreme conditions test.
How does it work?
The fuel cell uses a new cost-effective bipolar plate design comprising of 125 individual cells. The manufacturing process which bypasses several basic steps is especially cost-effective. The core element of every cell is the membrane. Hydrogen and oxygen react with each other and form water above the thin membrane. This "cold” combustion gives off electrical energy. The "exhaust” is nothing other than clean steam. Volkswagen and the PSI have made a great step towards the aim of making fuel cells affordable for the private customer.
SunFuel®
During the Simplon Pass test drive, Volkswagen used a Bora TDI using SunFuel® for the first time. This synthetic sulphur and aromatic-free fuel has enormous potential for improving vehicle emissions. In future, SunFuel® will be manufactured from renewable raw materials and will therefore be CO2 neutral. As this process is still being developed, Volkswagen is currently using SunFuel® manufactured from otherwise burned-off natural gas.
As well as being used in piston engines, SunFuel® can be used independently of fossil fuel energy sources either on or off-board via a reformer to create hydrogen for fuel cell operation.
SunFuel® is part of Volkswagen's overall strategy for the next 20 years which foresees the gradual introduction of economically and environmentally viable fuel cell-powered vehicles.
Lightweight construction
Volkswagen is increasingly focusing on new materials and construction methods for automotive manufacturing. In particular, Volkswagen AG experts regard lightweight technology to be of vital importance for future vehicle concepts.
Using an intelligent combination of construction methods, choice materials and manufacturing methods, many of Volkswagen’s new cars boast precedent-setting lightweight construction.
Examples of this can be found in the new Golf. A gearbox housing made from magnesium is fitted, which weighs around 25 percent less than the already light aluminium model. Volkswagen is also working intensively on using magnesium alloys in the engine block. Steel, the classic material used for vehicle construction, can also be integrated into lightweight construction concepts. For instance, very-high-strength grade hot formed steels have been used for the B-pillars in the new Golf. Furthermore, joining techniques like laser welding are further developed as design concepts require.
Find out more about Volkswagen's Concept Cars.
