You may never need, or want, to leave your car once it is equipped with an in-vehicle navigation and communications system. Hitting the market this year are a handful of sophisticated systems that use global positioning system technology for vehicle route guidance and emergency assistance, and feature two-way voice and data capabilities and a host of other safety and convenience services.
OnStar, a joint effort of several General Motors Corp. companies, and PathMaster, designed by Rockwell Automotive, are among the new market’s leaders. Rockwell expects its primary customers will be mobile professionals and affluent buyers who like technology and new products.
Scheduled to debut this autumn in 1997 Cadillacs, OnStar is built around a communications platform engineered by Hughes Network Systems, a division of Hughes Electronics Corp. At the system’s hub is a cellular phone with advanced capabilities. By pressing a button on the steering wheel, the driver activates voice recognition and can drive “eyes-free” of the phone, said Sam Baumel, HNS’ national sales director, digital subscriber products group. The phones are outfitted with a software modem and memo recorder, the latter which allows drivers to replay conversations, such as route guidance instructions given by an operator at the OnStar assistance center.
When a driver signals the center for help, an OnStar operator can track the car’s position by way of GPS technology, which measures satellite signals to determine locations, explained Baumel. “They know who you are and where you are,” he added. The GPS element of the system and vehicle integration is executed by Delco Electronics Corp. Hughes’ phone interfaces to Delco’s product, which interfaces with the car.
OnStar’s power down feature is a sleep mode for the phones, to extend battery life. The phone periodically awakens to check for incoming calls.
If an OnStar user locks his or her keys in the car, an OnStar operator can remotely unlock the vehicle, said Baumel. The OnStar system can notify a driver before the airbag is released and detect theft. When the car’s alarm is triggered, OnStar calls the car’s owner for further instructions. For false alarms, drivers can key in a cancellation code.
Troy, Mich.-based Rockwell Automotive, a division of Rockwell International Corp., earlier this year rolled out PathMaster as NeverLost, through the Hertz Corp. rental car company in Hertz’s top 10 largest markets, said Tom Theisen, product line manager for Rockwell Automotive.
PathMaster’s vehicle navigation system is driven by GPS, dead reckoning and map matching technologies. Dead reckoning allows an in-vehicle computer to process feedback from vehicle sensors, such as speed pulses and tail lights, and directional sensors that recognize when the vehicle turns, calculating changes in the vehicle’s position. This allows drivers to figure their most efficient route.
