VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Targeting the fast changing world of consumer electronics, Visteon says its next generation in-car entertainment systems offer vehicle manufacturers a fast and flexible route to introduce the latest consumer technology in their vehicles.
Designed to offer a gateway for consumer electronics into the automotive environment, Visteon’s family entertainment systems (FES) provide vehicle manufacturers with an opportunity to offer new and differentiating features that deliver value, the company said.
Visteon employs two core strategies to offer manufacturers a fully scalable and upgradable platform — an open software framework that allows secure yet simple upgrades of the latest consumer interfaces, and a scalable hardware solution containing a powerful micro processor core with an open interface to allow additional enhancements.
Visteon’s entertainment system implements open software interfaces, introducing a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) into its platform. The JVM enables software developers to write one application for mobile phones or the Internet that can easily be ported to work in Visteon’s various entertainment systems. As a result, little incremental engineering is required and development time is significantly reduced, according to Visteon.
The system’s browser utilizes data compression technology that reduces both the time and amount of data to be downloaded to the vehicle. Visteon is also designing a range of additional software features including a Java-based chat client, enabling users to access their existing MSN Messenger, Skype or Google Chat accounts from the vehicle.
The scalable architecture is designed to allow for flexibility in the choice of applications and connectivity means. The design achieves this by maintaining a powerful and stable central processing core, but leveraging powerful USB ports to offer a wide range of options in the final application.
As part of the concept, the vehicle manufacturer can select two devices for initial implementation with additional choices for the future. The overall design therefore remains relevant for the latest consumer trends and updates, requiring only software updates to the central processing core and new automotive grade devices designed by Visteon to be connected via USB.
"Visteon’s decision to enable Java in the entertainment system and focus the hardware design around a scalable solution positions the design perfectly for integrating new features and functions as they become available," said Christian Feltgen, global director, audio and infotainment systems. "More importantly, it allows the vehicle manufacturer to stay competitive with frequent and inexpensive updates as the market evolves."
