BMW car

Thursday, May 8th 2008 - 00:45 CEST - Comments: 0

W ith their wide range of integrated infotainment functions, the premium cars produced by the BMW Group have long since entered the realm of “networked vehicles”. One of the major challenges here lies in how to link up the multimedia devices - which come onto the market in quick succession - to the car in a user-friendly way. Having integrated a mobile device into the car, there needs to be a control system in place inside the passenger compartment which ensures that it can be operated intuitively, without causing distraction and in an ergonomically sound manner. The application itself and customer-specific data remain within the mobile device, while its operation and output are handled by the vehicle’s HMI (Human Machine Interface).

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Transfer data right in your BMW car
In addition to the convenience offered by the straightforward and direct usability of these devices inside the car, the benefits to the customer include enhanced security and assistance in using the integrated technology in accordance with driving laws. In BMW Group vehicles these benefits are already possible for music playback - using an Apple iPod (or many other music players) through the USB audio interface - and for wireless hands-free mobile phone calls via Bluetooth, for example. The BMW Group is monitoring and looking into a variety of different data transfer technologies to enable the widest possible future utilisation of mobile devices offering attractive and useful applications without the need for potentially awkward wiring in the car.

 

BMW cars with wireless USB connection
Wireless USB is the cable-free variant of the widely familiar USB (Universal Serial Bus) standardised interface. The new technology not only renders a data transfer cable superfluous, it also allows the use of applications requiring high bandwidth, such as video transfer. Wireless USB is based on ultra-wideband (UWB) short-range radio technology. UWB is a technology which could enable future IT and entertainment electronics products (e.g. laptops, mobile phones, digital cameras and televisions) to transfer large quantities of data over short distances wirelessly. Technology currently allows for transfer speeds of up to 480 Mbit/s. That equates to the bandwidth of the wired USB2.0 standard. As well as the convenience of wireless connectivity, wireless USB also ensures data security through 128-bit AES encryption.

 

In-car Bluetooth audio streaming
The BMW Group is currently working on an in-car Bluetooth-based playback solution for music files. In the future we can look forward to stereo-quality music streaming from a compatible device via Bluetooth to the vehicle's infotainment system, without the music files having to be transferred to the car before listening. This capability will use the Bluetooth A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) and AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control Profile) standards. A2DP takes care of the actual audio streaming, while AVRCP allows the audio output to be controlled through the car's infotainment system. Devices are currently available based on AVRCP 1.0 and 1.3, which allow audio streaming but only with simple remote control functions such as start, stop, pause and skip. Bluetooth audio streaming will only be able to offer the convenience you expect in a BMW Group car - i.e. functions such as track selection - when AVRCP 1.4 arrives. The development of this standard is ongoing.

 

High tech technology implemented in BMW cars
A key factor in the decision to implement this kind of technology in BMW cars is the benefits it offers to customers. The nature of in-car products and their functionality are therefore dependent on the range of mobile devices produced by manufacturers and the implementation of the requisite interfaces. BMW Group experts closely monitor market developments to ensure that the company offers solutions in its cars that will allow the use of attractive new applications in mobile devices. Added to which, the CE4A (Consumer Electronics for Automotive) working group of German car manufacturers has been set up to represent the automotive perspective in the drive for standardisation.

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