For the past ten years, just-auto has reported on the novel innovations emanating from Johnson Controls, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of cockpit systems, including instrument panels and clusters, information displays and body controllers, among other technologies. Matthew Beecham talked with Thomas Beer, senior product business manager, global product centre cockpit systems, Johnson Controls and Gert-Dieter Tuzar, principal designer HMI (Human Machine Interface), Johnson Controls, about meeting consumer expectations for the cockpit, the increasing use of infotainment and information assistant systems that relieve the cognitive burden on drivers and the importance of good HMI concepts.
just-auto: What has your research told you about what people want from their car’s dash?
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Johnson Controls: When people sit in their car, the instrument panel is the interior module they are aware of most, because it is directly in their visual field. The cockpit design plays a key role in making passengers feel comfortable in the car interior. It is a very important product zone for the driver, because this is where he pilots the car. Drivers expect information to be intuitively understood and devices to be ergonomically operated and reached. It is important that features and innovations match the car segment, which means that the integrated devices and functions must be in line with the car segment.
just-auto: I’ve heard that the future trends in instrument panels will continue to focus on safety, leading to the introduction of innovations such as inflatable knee restraints and energy-absorbing substructure.
Johnson Controls: Safety is a must and also a prerequisite. Therefore, the focus on safety is still very strong. Higher levels of safety will be achieved by further developing inflatable knee restraints and energy-absorbing substructures. But it is really important to see the safety solutions in the overall context of a complete car interior. The integration of safety features in the instrument panel and seats needs to be carefully balanced. For example, a knee airbag needs adjusting with the anti-submarining ramp to achieve the best possible interplay between safety components for passengers.
just-auto: Is it fair to say that the cockpit module remains an assembly of various components? Instead of a drive towards integration, is there is a drive toward standardisation in order to cut costs?
Johnson Controls: The cockpit is the most complex module in the car interior and there are, in fact, a lot of components integrated into it. OEMs set great store by creating very individual surfaces and designs to fulfil the brand image. Those components which are integrated beneath the surface and are invisible to passengers can benefit from a common part strategy to save engineering time and costs.
just-auto: In terms of the material used to cover the instrument panel, what trends are you seeing there?
Johnson Controls: Predominantly, there is a trend toward two-colour and shallow or deep soft surfaces with PVC-Slush or foam foils. Furthermore, the focus on sustainability is growing which will result in an increasing interest in natural authentic looks. We presented this visible natural fibre material in our door panels and instrument panel in our new concept car at the 2009 Frankfurt motorshow.
just-auto: For some time, we’ve seen cockpit designers working on ways in which to display more information yet make the dash appea
r less complex. As we see it, the general approach is to ensure that only the most essential information is displayed while remaining features are available in the background or brought up at will. But the increasing fitment of sophisticated mobile multimedia systems, as well as safety and security items suggest that this part of the interior is still in its infancy in terms of development. How do you see that development evolving?
Johnson Controls: The life cycle of electronic products in the auto interior is much shorter than electronic devices. On average, it takes 2.5 years to develop a product for a car interior, then produced over a period of 5 years and additional liability for service part for another 10 to 15 years. In this time, nomadic devices have developed several times over. But innovative technologies and interfaces are able to bring the new mobile multimedia systems into the car. The Mobile Device Gateway is an electronic module that integrates mobile devices into the vehicle’s intelligent system. The electronic system uses a Bluetooth interface to integrate information from the mobile device into the vehicle environment. This means that you can use the screen to operate the mobile navigation system or dial the numbers stored in your cell phone, for example. The portable devices can be securely stored in the “e-Bin” compartment, where they can be connected or charged using the appropriate USB connections. The Mobile Device Gateway provides a further concept for the US market with the inclusion of a mobile “e-Commerce” function, which offers drivers the convenience of paying for fuel or parking, for instance, without having to leave the vehicle.
just-auto: While consumers appear content with smaller, more fuel efficient cars they do not wish to relinquish spacious interiors. I guess interior designers then have to find ways to make the interior appear more spacious? In what was is that being achieved? i.e. is it through the use of larger windshields, thinner seats, higher ceilings and/or lighter colours?
Johnson Controls: Our new concept car re3 demonstrates how a more spacious interior can be achieved even if the car exterior and volume remains the same. It is achieved through a unique interplay between an innovative cockpit structure, new information integration solutions which enable unique, spacious interiors and slim seats. EcoSpace is a hybrid cockpit structure using plastic and steel that eliminates half of the traditional cross-car beam. The steel is used on the driver’s side in the form of a tripod, while the plastic is used across the full cockpit width. Air channels and the connection to the airbag are incorporated directly into the plastic structure, enabling automakers to benefit from a weight reduction of up to 26% compared to conventional cross-car beams. For the vehicle designers, the use of the EcoSpace concept constitutes a major plus in terms of freedom of design. For instance, they now have total flexibility in designing the space in front of the passenger. As a result, and considering that there are many other conceivable layout options, we were able to create more legroom for the front seat passenger while also creating very spacious storage compartments, and thus make the glove compartment 150% larger.
Furthermore, the electronic control functions and user interfaces that were previously located in the floor console or the door panels were removed and integrated into an alternative, ergonomically favourable position. The electronic controls, parts of the user interfaces for the infotainment system and all of the controls for the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) functions and other control and comfort functions have now been conveniently integrated into the driver’s right armrest. All of this was intended to achieve a new spatial and design concept.
A striking feature is the novel arrangement of the extended instrument cluster, which combines the instrument cluster, infotainment screen and automatic gear change. The two analogue gauges provide spatial depth with a combination of visible chrome elements and high-quality material and light arrangement, therefore satisfying high end-consumer expectations. The driver can configure the touch screen with preferred content.
The super-slim “Slim Seat” offers the front passenger a high level of seating comfort while leaving a generous amount of knee room for the passenger in the back. The developers also focused intensively on the question of how to break through the traditional communication barrier between front and rear-seat passengers so as to encourage conversation between the seat rows. The result was the “Conversational Seating” concept. Added value for all passengers is provided by the seating arrangement, which creates a conversational triangle by means of a front passenger seat that slides backward into the second row using an extended track, together with foldaway rear seats and a mechatronic release mechanism. The new seating position not only gives the front passenger a unique amount of legroom, but also proves highly practical for interaction with a rear-seat passenger, for instance to attend to a child more easily.
just-auto: As the information flood spills out of the home and office into the vehicle, is there a danger of overloading the driver? i.e. is this perhaps prompting automakers to question assumptions about how display content is used or whether it is used at all?
Johnson Controls: Platform devices such as car phones, radios, CD players and navigation systems could be controlled with a centre console. Colour displays entered our instrument panels and represented a keyhole, a virtual window to a functional universe.
Recently, one can see a strong trend toward assistant systems. These systems shall relieve the cognitive burden on drivers. Obviously, there is a need and desire by consumers to spend money on infotainment and assistance while driving.
OEMs are very familiar with the danger of information overload and have developed individual ergonomic and scalable HMI concepts that allow safe driving.
Automakers focus strongly on which information is presented in what context. And they are very critical about displaying content and providing interaction options while driving.
just-auto: How should the information be broken down between a cluster location, a centre stack, a head-up display and a rearview mirror?
Johnson Controls: Typically, clusters and head-up displays contain concise driving and assistance-related information.
The centre stack is where comfort, communication, entertainment and navigation is controlled.
This area is strongly related to secondary driving tasks and is also where information can be shared with other passengers. It also enables complex input options with touch screens or specific input devices.
Besides offering a rear view, the rearview mirror can be used to display some assistance systems, e.g. blind spot detection.
just-auto: I guess one solution to information overload is reconfigurable displays and clusters, allowing the driver to customize the information displayed. Is (or could) that (become) a trend?
Johnson Controls: The solution for information overload in this case is not to offer the consumer too much freedom. We still have to consider that a car in a highly dynamic traffic environment is not a personal computer.
Public traffic safety and compliance with legislation must be our top priority. It would be unthinkable to allow a driver to drive with artists albums in the cluster and move the tacho into a submenu of the floor console.
If an accident occurs, who would be held responsible? The driver for using the options or the OEM who provided the options? We do not think that reconfigurable displays will solve this problem. Good HMI concepts and cognitive workload managers will one day help the driver by automatically providing the information that is needed and can be understood in a driving context.
Personal configuration within ergonomic limits might become a trend, in order to give drivers the freedom to reasonably customise their vehicle. In some cars, the driver is able to select skins, or driving modes from comfortable to sporty. In this case, the appropriate instruments are selected.
just-auto: It would seem that consumers want seamless integration with the electronic devices they have at home. What challenges does that present in delivering that in the vehicle? i.e. is there a greater demand for better graphics, clarity and ease of use?
Johnson Controls: Today, the challenges are still technical, especially regarding the standardization of data exchange protocols between the car and the nomadic device. From an HMI point of view, the most frequently used functions of nomadic devices can be used in cars as they are built in.
just-auto: Is there a clear trend toward increasing the size of display screens? What are the consequences of that? i.e. is there a real estate problem on the centre console?
Johnson Controls: Yes, a clear trend toward high-resolution and bigger displays can be observed. On the positive side, we see true colour information representation, dynamics, and highly sophisticated graphics. Display size also matters with respect to a more appropriate size of the displayed information. On the negative side, we are challenged by display packaging, power consumption and heat development.
just-auto: Depending on where the screen is located, are there associated problems of reflecting an image of the screen on the windshield?
Johnson Controls: Yes, this problem can occur. Within the scope of design development, we carry out tests using virtual build display integration concepts that do not lead to unwanted reflections.
just-auto: In terms of the screens used to display the wealth of information to the driver, what methods are used to make those displays easier to use?
Johnson Controls: The method used to improve the usability of displays is a combination of two main methods: innovative display technology development and user-cantered application development.
The moment we are aware that drivers are experiencing interaction problems while driving, we can formulate solutions by improving applications and through innovative technology. As a result, we develop HMI terminals in cars that change the way we normally use devices. The products improve interaction efficiency and lead to less driver distraction.
See also: RESEARCH ANALYSIS: Review of instrumentation
