Continental closes its participation in the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas with a long list of awards, thanks to the innovations presented in the fields of safety, technology for autonomous driving and sustainability. Specifically, the German group won 4 Innovation Awards: the ShyTech Display and Switchable Privacy Display technologies won the prizes in the In-Vehicle Entertainment and Safety category, while the Transparent Vehicle and V2X Technology using Collective Perception technologies were awarded in the category Vehicle Intelligence & Transportation.
Reduce distractions while driving
Displays are taking up more and more space inside vehicles, but this can be a nuisance for drivers. For the first time at CES, Continental presented the Switchable Privacy Display capable of entertaining the passenger, without distracting the driver. With this technology, passengers can interact with multimedia content, such as video or the infotainment system, which remain out of the driver’s view. In private mode, a strongly oriented backlight makes the contents fully visible only from the passenger’s viewing angle. If necessary, and if the situation on the road permits, the display can be switched to public mode, allowing the driver and passenger to see the selected content together.
Driving in the wrong direction, how to reduce accidents
Accidents involving vehicles in the wrong direction are among the most catastrophic, with nearly 400 fatalities each year in the United States. Continental presented a demonstration of the Wrong Way Driver system, capable of ensuring greater safety and warning drivers of the risk of vehicles traveling in the wrong direction. Timely warnings about a car’s position, speed and direction of travel allow other drivers to act in time and take safety measures. The technology is based on a combination of sensors, an inter-vehicle connectivity system and a thermal mapping algorithm. It is a self-learning system that interacts with roadside equipment to define the lane and direction of travel of the vehicles.
Autonomous driving of level 3 and 4 with zero accident target
Together with partner AEye, Continental presented the new long-haul Lidar Hrl131. This precision sensing technology is a key component for the future of autonomous driving. The HRK131 is an adaptive Lidar based on a microelectromechanical system (Mems) for assisted and automated driving solutions of Level 3 and Level 4. The high-performance Lidar technology also enables key functions for the transport of goods and people by combining high spatial resolution dynamic with long range detection. Software-defined scan templates can be fully customized to fit any need. The sensor is set up to handle the most challenging and dynamic environments to support autonomous driving, from high-speed highway scenarios to densely packed city streets. Its production is scheduled to commence in 2024 and will be the world‘s first high-resolution long-range Lidar sensor to enter mass production in the automotive market. Continental’s Wwd and Lidar technologies support the Vision Zero goal, i.e. for a future with zero accidents, zero casualties and zero injuries on the road.
Conti GreenConcept
The new Conti GreenConcept, a sustainable tire concept, was presented at Ces. This study takes advantage of current and emerging technological approaches related to the design of sustainable tires for passenger cars, with the aim of minimizing the consumption of resources at each link in the supply chain. As a result, the studio addresses everything from sourcing and picking up raw materials at various stages of production to solutions to extend the tire’s useful life. Development engineers and experts were up to the task and found new solutions for each of these challenges. The result is a tire made from a particularly high percentage of traceable, renewable and recycled materials, with an innovative and lightweight design that conserves valuable resources and a longer life thanks to a reusable tread. By 2050 at the latest, Continental will produce tires using 100% sustainably produced materials, achieving full climate neutrality across its supply chains.