|
Following
along the lines of the larger Lancia Dialogos, the Lancia Nea
is Fiat's name for a new compact concept car that "makes full use of the
communication potential between car and driver and also between the car and the
rest of the world," according
to the company press release.
More than
just a machine on wheels, they've defined the 4 m (13 ft) long Nea  as a "tripmate,"
or traveling companion, with the latest in telematics and intelligent vehicle
features, as well as sleek styling and a futuristic human-machine interface (HMI).
The
features on the Nea are considered by Fiat to be beyond R&D and therefore ready for large-scale production -- these features "are destined to
appear on standard production cars sooner or later." The car is said to be a working prototype -- all of the features
on the vehicle can be demonstrated in action.
"The
Lancia Nea is the product of a new design discipline that believes cars should
interact with their drivers without trying to take their place, i.e. they should
serve them as an on-board assistant without ever getting above themselves,"
according to the company. Sensors
and communication with the outside world are considered essential elements.
Intelligent
Driver-Focus Support
Packed
with navigation, telematics, an advanced entertainment system, and more, a
sophisticated HMI is crucial to delivering the 'safe driving' features of this vehicle.
All buttons and other elements that could distract the driver or make the
driving task more complicated are kept to a minimum on the Nea, which makes extensive use of
natural-language voice recognition.
The
cognitive load management system is also designed to ensure maximum safety.
The Lancia Nea measures driver involvement and takes action accordingly.
For example, it lowers the cut-in threshold of collision-preventing
devices when the driver is phoning and using the navigation system at the same
time.
The Lancia Nea
This
ability of the interface to adapt the human-car interaction to the situation at
any given time also extends to decisions about information delivery. In a potentially dangerous
situation -- for example, when the car in front brakes suddenly -- the system relays this information before any other.
At a
glance, the driver can take in information not only on car status but on
surrounding traffic as well: the screen
within the Lancia Nea shows six arrows surrounding a displayed Nea outline, offering
the driver a "three dimensional picture that allows us to see our car in perspective
and keep an eye on the car in front, the safety distance, and any dangerous
situations indicated (with information on direction and severity of risk)."
Nea's
"Virtual Seat Belt"
Starting
the Nea's engine activates a host of perimeter sensors, which designers call a
"virtual seat belt." Here's
how they describe the safety suite:
"These
sensors are the Lancia Nea's eyes and ears.
Always ready to let you know when a risky situation is about to arise by
means of acoustic and visual alarms and different colored arrows:
green when everything is going well; yellow for preliminary alarm signs,
and red for emergencies.
"The
car uses these devices to avoid accidents in extreme situations.
The Lancia Nea brakes automatically if the driver is no longer able to
intervene in time or, if insufficient space remains, steers to right or left to
avoid the obstacle.
"The
front radar supports an adaptive cruise control, i.e. an automatic pilot that
shares the task of driving. The
device relieves the driver of the task of having to adjust car speed continually
though he or she is able to take back control of the car at any time.
The driver sets a speed and the car maintains it automatically, while
also ensuring a safe distance is left before the car in front.
Lancia Nea
Sensor Suite:
"Also,
the driver is notified of anything that appears in front of the car while
driving. The system is selective,
because it can exclude overhead items such as viaducts or objects at the
roadside like message boards. A
forward-looking TV camera detects the direction of the traffic lane and the
car's position within it, with the aid of sensors. It can tell whether an obstacle identified by the radar
really lies in the car's path (and is thus dangerous) or otherwise.
Another two TV cameras located high up at the sides of the windscreen are
able to detect the size of the obstacle and the area within which the car can
maneuver in safety to avoid it (they work stereoscopically like the human eye.)
"The
Lancia Nea's adaptive cruise control can also be used in town traffic.
It will even work when driving in the sort of queue (involving continuous
stop and go driving) typical of such situations.
"Lancia
designers have also provided a lane maintenance device to ensure a safer drive.
The system continuously applies a steering torque to ensure the car stays
in the correct lane. The driver can
overcome this force easily when he decides to make a voluntary lane-change.
The
driver engages the lane maintenance device voluntarily from the touch screen
menu. Four wheel drive, on the
other hand, is engaged automatically whenever the Nea detects situations of poor
road surface grip. Thus, the driver
is relieved of the worry of having to decide when to use it.
"Six
short-range side radars (three on each side) detect the presence of obstacles
located in the lanes on either side of the car. Also, two TV cameras trained towards the rear of the car
check blind spots and notify the driver of overtaking cars.
"Once
you have arrived at your destination, you have the chore of parking your car --
except that this one comes with four steered wheels, side radar, a parking
camera, and three rear-view TV cameras at the rear to make the job much
simpler."
 Coming
Soon to a Test
Track Near You
The Nea's
safety systems enable it to detect and avoid an obstacle through steering and
braking -- but so far, this is only possible under controlled conditions on a
test track, according to Fiat. For
this function to work, the driver must take hands off the steering wheel -- not
too practical for an end product, but highly useful for advanced feasibility
testing. The total product is
expected to
have to wait, essentially, until drive-by-wire is a standard production item.
[Top]
For
More Information ...
...
contact Gianfranco Burzio, On Board Information Systems /
Advanced
Product Technologies, FIAT Research Centre, g.burzio@crf.it.
[Top]
|
