More Comfort with Bluetooth
The short-range radio system Bluetooth will be bringing more comfort to automobiles in the future. It links a variety of devices such as the car radio, mobile phone, PDA (personal digital assistant) and headset, and has the potential to become a universal communication interface between the vehicle and the outside world.
Once you’ve tried out this wireless network, you won’t be able to do without it. The data speeds from your mobile phone to your headset without any disturbances, and there are no wires to get tangled up. Currently, Bluetooth is most frequently used in the hands-free telephone units now required for cars. These units used to be linked with a mobile phone via data cable. The 2.4 GHz technology of Bluetooth can do much more. However, researchers at Bosch believe that Bluetooth’s most important function will be to link together the various multimedia devices in an automobile. For example, nearly every modern terminal in the area of consumer electronics now provides an address book function, whether it’s a mobile phone, PDA, notebook or car telephone. But there’s actually no good reason why a driver should have to waste time transferring the telephone numbers stored in his or her mobile phone to the car telephone, or typing the addresses stored in the PDA into the car’s navigation system. In the future, the mobile phone and the PDA will be able to automatically synchronize their telephone numbers and addresses with a communication platform located inside the car.
Bluetooth can thus perform two important functions: exchanging data between portable terminals and the car, and enabling the wireless transfer of audio and video signals for entertainment and information. A transfer rate of up to 723 kbit/s is currently available for such purposes. To take just one example, the driver’s children in the back seat will be able to control the car radio from a PDA via Bluetooth while listening to the music on their headsets. The researchers at Bosch envision a communication platform that would transfer a user interface onto the PDA’s touchscreen for remote control of the radio.
It’s clear that Bluetooth will be used primarily for multimedia data transfer. Communication pathways requiring a high degree of security – i.e. between sensors and control devices – will remain linked by wires. One exception would be if information on the vehicle needs to be read by external users for the purpose of automotive diagnosis or maintenance. In such a case, the repair center or the roadside assistance service could then easily diagnose problems and determine the condition of the vehicle.
Bluetooth can thus perform two important functions: exchanging data between portable terminals and the car, and enabling the wireless transfer of audio and video signals for entertainment and information. A transfer rate of up to 723 kbit/s is currently available for such purposes. To take just one example, the driver’s children in the back seat will be able to control the car radio from a PDA via Bluetooth while listening to the music on their headsets. The researchers at Bosch envision a communication platform that would transfer a user interface onto the PDA’s touchscreen for remote control of the radio.
It’s clear that Bluetooth will be used primarily for multimedia data transfer. Communication pathways requiring a high degree of security – i.e. between sensors and control devices – will remain linked by wires. One exception would be if information on the vehicle needs to be read by external users for the purpose of automotive diagnosis or maintenance. In such a case, the repair center or the roadside assistance service could then easily diagnose problems and determine the condition of the vehicle.
Multimedia magic with Bluetooth: Remote control of the car radio and CD player via PDA. Music can also be transmitted with total clarity directly into the headset.
