Continental at CES 2015: Product Highlights

• Dynamic electronic Horizon – a cloud based sensor
• LTE telematics from Continental powers Subaru’s Starlink
• Smartwatch – Intelligent Key: New Access Technologies
• Curved and brilliant: OLED Touch display
• Augmented Reality: More efficient diagnosis and repair
• Environment sensors: Intelligence for safe and comfortable driving 

Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A., January 6, 2015. At the Consumer Electronics Show 2015 in Las Vegas (January 6th to 9th), Continental is highlighting how automotive electronics benefit from connecting the vehicle to the cloud under the company’s exhibition theme, “the power of intelligent mobility.” The international automotive supplier is demonstrating this to its customers using four innovation paths: Control, Entertainment, Information and Safety.

"At the 2015 CES, we are demonstrating how the online world is rapidly evolving to make our vehicles more attractive, safer and more efficient. This is why we are showcasing ready-to-market solutions for the intelligent vehicle to our customers," said Helmut Matschi, member of the Continental Executive Board and head of the Interior division.

At the core of Continental’s innovations for CES this year is the dynamic electronic Horizon (eHorizon). Together, with its collaboration partner IBM and the location cloud company HERE and, Continental turns the digital map into a high-precision and constantly up-to-date sensor that can be used for much more than just navigation.

“With the dynamic eHorizon we have the ability to incorporate dynamic events like weather, traffic or construction sites on the route into the digital map and make this information available for vehicle electronics,” said Matschi. The information is gathered from a multitude of sources based on the principle of crowd-sourcing. “In fact the dynamic eHorizon turns cars into moving sensors, which constantly exchange data on the road with the cloud”, he continued.

With the dynamic eHorizon being the focal point of Continental’s CES exhibit, the automotive supplier is also showcasing how other systems benefit from the cloud. This starts with connected energy management for Continental’s mild hybrid system 48 Volt Eco Drive, which allows for the most efficient operating strategies during the drive. At the heart of this, the connected central powertrain controller from Continental uses the information from the cloud to improve functions like sailing, coasting or energy regeneration. The use cases for Continental’s eHorizon extend even further and include highly automated driving, where eHorizon technology is needed to allow the vehicle to ‘look around the corner’.

At the beginning of any connected service, stands a reliable connection to the mobile data network. With nearly two decades of experience, Continental has proven its expertise in connecting the car to the online world. Beginning this summer, Continental’s latest LTE capable Telematics Module will enable a wide variety of connectivity services for Subaru’s in-vehicle technology, STARLINK, for US market vehicles. The range of services available to Subaru owners will include Stolen Vehicle Locator assistance, Automatic Collision Notification, remote vehicle services like lock/unlock via smartphone device, and monthly diagnostics reports keeping customers in touch with key vehicle functions. For Continental, the dynamics in the connectivity market demonstrate how essential these features are becoming for drivers all around the world, and that Continental’s technology is well-suited to serve this need.

For Continental, getting connected starts outside the vehicle. “We enable drivers to use the consumer electronics devices they are familiar with to control integral functions of the vehicle. For example, at CES, Continental is demonstrating how it transforms a smart watch on the driver’s wrist into a remote car key,” said Matschi.

The smart watch as a car key is using Bluetooth to connect to Continental’s latest bidirectional remote key – also known as the gateway key. The gateway key works as an interface between the vehicle and the smart watch to transfer data (vehicle and diagnostics data, and user profile) to the vehicle. The smart watch is used as an operating device. Through an App, the driver can open or close the vehicle or exchange other information simply by using the display of the smart watch.

Just as touch screens have become increasingly important in mobile phones with the switch from cell phones to smartphones, vehicles need the flexibility of touch screens with more functionalities and connected services entering the vehicle. With its curved OLED Touch Display, Continental is now offering a strong contrast, capable of displaying bold colors with no background lighting and a magnitude of interaction possibilities with touch functionality.

The most striking detail is that Continental’s new display is curved, which allows car manufacturers the design freedom to seamlessly integrate the display, in the center console, for example. Using special electronics and chemically hardened glass, Continental has also ensured that the display meets automotive requirements and lasts for many years.

Connected Services extend into the aftermarket and can help to facilitate diagnosis and the repair of vehicles. For that reason, Continental has its ‘Connected Technician’ solution that places the technician at the center of the process using Augmented Reality technology. The tablet application connects to the car via a wireless communication interface and guides the technician step-by-step through the entire diagnosis and repair process. It puts all of the information necessary for each step, i.e. work instructions, faulty parts or the exact tool needed for a certain job, in front of the technician allowing them to focus on the vehicle. Integration with dealer management systems ensures that the technician is working on the right job and a full feature diagnostics runtime automatically recognizes the vehicle type, detects faults and provides the complete technical information available for the car. Overall, the intuitive operation leads to a much simpler, faster and more accurate diagnosis and repair and also optimizes service planning. At CES, Continental also shows how Augmented Reality applications with voice input and feedback enable the technician to remain hands-free, therefore working even more efficiently.

Environment sensors, like cameras, radar and lidar provide the vehicle with the intelligence that allows the driver stress-free driving. They make a great contribution, by sensing the environment around the vehicle and increasing driving safety, to reach Continental’s goal of accident-free driving. When it comes to safety, monitoring not only the area in front of, or behind a vehicle, but also all around it, will be the next step towards accident-free driving.

With Surround View, Continental provides a complete 360-degree view around the entire vehicle. The combination of a rear-view camera with an active Advanced Driver Assistance Systems braking solution will help to minimize the numerous fatalities and injuries caused by back over crashes. In 2014, NHTSA issued a mandate that will require all light vehicles to have rear-view visibility technology (backup cameras) by 2018. Additionally, these sensors enable and provide a fallback option for automated driving. These sensors, and the fusion of sensor data, will evolve to realize the next steps of partially, highly and ultimately fully automated driving.