Technologies that enable vehicles to do more than ever before — notify drivers of mechanical or electronic problems, reroute themselves around stopped traffic or congested highways, send email messages to notify owners of an equipment malfunction or collision, and entertain drivers and passengers with music, movies and video games — are coming into the marketplace at an accelerating pace. Delphi’s Data Connectivity Systems enable OEMs to bring these technologies inside truck cabs and sleeper compartments.
Truck cabs and sleeper boxes equipped with consumer interfaces that allow drivers to download MP3 music files from iPods and pen drives and listen to them through the vehicle’s audio system as well as view images stored on photo cards, play video games, charge cell phones, connect laptops and more, greatly enhance the “livability” of these vehicles and may help transportation companies attract and retain drivers, observes Tim Smigiel, growth manager, Delphi Electrical/Electronic Architecture Commercial Truck Group. In a market where there is a shortage of long-distance drivers, this can be a significant advantage, he says.
Delphi’s Data Connectivity Systems can accommodate multiple consumer interfaces and link various systems within the vehicle, transforming cabs and sleeper units into multi-functional on-the-road communications/entertainment centers.
Interfaces between the electrical system and external consumer equipment can be located throughout the vehicle and may accommodate audio/video, telematics and global positioning exchange including standard USB ports for iPods and MP3 players, RCA jacks for video games, analog ports for headphones and SD slots for photo cards. Delphi’s Data Connectivity Systems can also be used to connect systems that track fleet vehicles and trailers, identify the location of stolen vehicles, provide remote diagnostics and satellite navigation, send and receive real-time computer data, and notify the driver that the temperature inside the trailer he’s towing is rising and that the refrigeration unit is running low on fuel.
Delphi Electrical/Electronic Architecture engineers ensure the reliability and viability of the consumer interfaces with innovative solutions for sending high-speed data throughout the vehicle while minimizing EMI (Electro-Magnetic Interference).
The number, locations and variety of consumer interfaces are virtually unlimited and are USCAR-30 compliant.
Delphi’s connectivity design approach is focused on offering low-cost solutions for the commercial vehicle environment and is engineered for easy assembly plant installation that requires no special tools. Delphi Data Connectivity Systems are reliable and quickly adaptable to customer-specific requirements such as styling or placement within the vehicle.
Delphi Electrical/Electronic Architecture delivers power and signal distribution networks for today’s increasingly complex vehicles. Delphi engineers act as master architects by using proprietary design tools and software to create a virtual model of a vehicle’s E/E architecture — down to the last connector, electrical center, electronic module and wiring harness. In doing so, they evaluate the impact of various trade-offs to deliver a fully optimized E/E architecture system backed by Delphi technical centers and manufacturing facilities in 31 countries around the globe.
