The car in front is a smart car Two new concepts in on-board electronics - time-triggered architecture and x-by-wire - mean that the car in front will soon be a smart car; in fact, it could well be smarter than you. Background Car-makers face a dilemma: consumers want cars that are safer and greener, but ... Two new concepts in on-board electronics - time-triggered architecture and x-by-wire - mean that the car in front will soon be a smart car; in fact, it could well be smarter than you. Background Car-makers face a dilemma: consumers want cars that are safer and greener, but they are unhappy about paying extra for such improvements. The problem is compounded by tougher legislation on safety, and the simple fact that technically only so much can be done within the constraints of present-day mechanical and hydraulic systems. A consortium of European car-makers led by DaimlerChrysler and backed by the European Commission has come up with a solution: build a smarter car by replacing these systems with electronic devices based on two new concepts: Time-triggered architecture or TTA and safety-related fault tolerant systems in vehicles, known as x-by-wire. Description, impact and results Within a few years, vehicles coming off the production line will have a completely new `nervous' system. The mechanical and hydraulic connections linking the driving components - the pedals and steering wheel - to the engine and the running components will be replaced by electrical cables carrying data generated by an electronic control system. In effect, this is an on-board computer network with its own architecture and protocols that will enable the car to steer and brake by wire. This `network' will relay input and control output with a precision and at a speed that could never be achieved by current technology. Drivers will get assistance in all situations in a matter of milliseconds - before they know they need it, in fact. The result will be that they will be able to concentrate on critical `strategic' elements of their driving, and be freed of the many routine tasks they currently face. Working partnerships However, despite the potential benefits of this technology, until TTA and x-by-wire materialised, no one vehicle manufacturer had been able to develop or introduce such concepts, as costs and the initial investment were prohibitive. Yet it was clearly vital for Europe's car industry to take the lead in developing by-wire systems. TTA and x-by-wire could give the EU's car industry just the edge it needs in a sector where competition is keen, almost cut-throat. The European Commission's Esprit programme (which provided the framework for TTA) and the Brite-EuRam programme (x-by-wire) brought together two consortia comprising major car-makers DaimlerChrysler, Ford Europe, Fiat and Volvo, as well as aviation giant British Aerospace, component and electronics companies such as Robert Bosch, Mecel, and Magneti Marelli, and universities throughout the EU. This project could mean that Europe's car-makers will soon be building the smartest and safest cars on the road. Could the next move be smart drivers? //CPA
