GIMS 2019 - GENEVA - March 5, 2019 – HARMAN International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., focused on connected technologies for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets, is showcasing at GIMS 2019 the vehicle’s role in amplifying the connected life. By bringing together the company’s expertise in connected car, audio and connected services technologies, HARMAN is democratizing vehicle experiences through innovative technology solutions that enable smarter interactions, improve safety and security, and help automakers seamlessly scale offerings for all vehicle segments.

“It wasn’t too long ago that a vehicle’s value was measured by its mechanical performance and driving dynamics. With the emerging popularity of shared mobility and in-vehicle technology however, value is now being measured by experience-per-mile,” said Dinesh Paliwal, HARMAN President and CEO. “With the technologies presented at the 2019 GIMS, HARMAN is helping automakers to bring more ADAS-equipped vehicles to market and to provide more connected experiences in a variety of segments that can be used today instead of years down the road.”

Each newly enhanced offering is designed to work together, often managed by a single HARMAN control unit, to help automakers pick and choose technologies to provide greater connectivity within vehicles, and across devices, providing OEMs with the ability to streamline their supply chain while improving product flexibility. In addition, the new approach allows OEMS to also look to the future, assisting in the implementation of more advanced systems that drivers will experience in the coming years.

Scalable Connected Car

Some of the most important in-vehicle technologies today are the instrument cluster and infotainment display, but far too often these are designed to function in a silo. For the consumer, this can make the driving experience seem disjointed and lead to a feeling of information overload or confusion. All of which, fosters a sense of discomfort and mistrust around connected car technology.

To foster consumer trust, and help drivers embrace the highly connected and autonomous vehicle experience, HARMAN has reimagined its Digital Cockpit offerings while ensuring they are scalable for a range of entry-level and premium luxury vehicles. In an economical application, HARMAN’s Digital Cockpit simplifies vehicle display layouts to present both critical and ancillary information in an intuitive and cohesive layout. Capable of showing ADAS feature information, turn-by-turn navigation, multi-media player information, feature menus and more, the entry-level Digital Cockpit can also seamlessly integrate with a user’s smartphone to bridge multiple personal assistants (such as Google, Alexa and Samsung’s Bixby) while adding HARMAN-specific driver related skills into all the clouds in an agnostic way.

Enhanced ADAS Sensing Technologies

For drivers seeking the ultimate in-vehicle experience right from the factory, HARMAN’s Premium Digital Cockpit and Compute Platform with integrated modular hardware is an end-to-end package that seamlessly integrates a vehicle’s cluster, infotainment and safety features. Blending clear, vibrant QLED and OLED display technologies for optimal color gamut regardless of the time of day, the solution also features facial recognition for driver monitoring using HARMAN’s Cabin Monitoring System. The system uses monitoring sensors to capture the most important first-order biometric features of a driver, such as eye gaze, head position, and pupil diameter among others. The system can also analyze the auditory content and heart or breathing rates of occupants using proprietary and patented algorithms to provide second-order biometric signals such as emotional activity and cognitive load. The ability to analyze the state of the driver is an important milestone for preventive automotive safety features. By detecting distracted driving or recognizing that the cognitive load of a situation is overwhelming the driver, cars can now take actions to guarantee safety. By adding this extra layer of prevention, they are decreasing accident risks while at the same time fostering trust among drivers. While capable of working in lower levels of autonomy, HARMAN’s solution is able to ensure a seamless hand-over between car and human in Level 3 autonomous cars and will therefore be critical to the success of semi-autonomous vehicles in the future.

Both variants of HARMAN’s Digital Cockpit can work seamlessly with the company’s suite of sensor technology. The suite includes a Camera Monitoring System, Forward Facing Cameras as well as LiDAR and is designed to not only bring more ADAS-equipped vehicles to market, but help drivers feel more comfortable with future-mobility technology. HARMAN’s Camera Monitoring System features a fusion of three rear-facing cameras and corner radar. The cameras look behind the vehicle to facilitate safety technologies, including blind spot monitoring, lane change assist, and rear collision warning. Short-range corner radar sensors round out the complete 360-degree view package. HARMAN’s Forward Facing Camera – which would typically be placed near the top center of a vehicle’s windshield – is a key element for environment sensing and enabling advanced perception algorithms for features such as lane, object and sign detection. Sensor fusion managed within HARMAN’s own module allows for integration with long-range radar to also detect vehicles ahead and maintain a safe distance while in traffic. Also featured in HARMAN’s fully integrated IoT capable offering are augmented reality for E-Mirror surround view and contextual navigation, as well as cloud-stored profile settings for personalized experiences. For its LiDAR technology, HARMAN has partnered with Innoviz Technologies. LiDAR helps autonomous cars to “see” where they’re going as well as objects ahead much more accurately. HARMAN’s sensor fusion technology will allow LiDAR to work with Forward Facing Cameras to enable more vehicle safety use cases such as passing cars on a blind corner or recognizing emergency vehicles approaching from positions where they cannot be seen. This is yet another example of HARMAN’s long-standing commitment to an open and broad ecosystem of partners and innovators to realize bigger picture mobility goals.

Personalized, Smart Audio for an Elevated Communications Experience 

With voice commands emerging as the norm for managing in-car experiences, clear in-vehicle communication is more important than ever before. HARMAN’s new Premium Communication solutions leverage the latest advancements in smart audio and acoustic signal processing to personalize the sonic environment and provide clear, frustration-free communication for all vehicle occupants – whether it’s with a voice assistant, someone on the other end of a phone call, or with each other. Enhanced voice command capabilities also increase traffic safety by allowing drivers to keep their eyes on the road and their hands at the wheel when using their telephone or infotainment screens.

Built on AudioworX, HARMAN’s proprietary, open-network development platform, Premium Communications is modular and scalable across vehicle segments. Together, its technologies address the challenges of the evolving vehicle interior and help OEMs better capitalize on integrations with voice assistants, while fulfilling consumer demand for better in-vehicle communication.   

 Premium Communications comprises:  

·       In-Car Communication (ICC), providing clear, safe 2-way communication amongst vehicle occupants –seamlessly, for every drive.   

·       ClearChat with Far-End Noise Cancellation, bringing new levels of clarity for phone voice calls and voice commands.  

·       Personal Communication Zones, giving each occupant an enjoyable, personalized in-car experience free from sonic clutter.  

·       Multi Voice Personal Assistant Capability allowing occupants the freedom to use the voice assistant of their choice.   

Leveraging the world’s leading microphone, voice processing and noise cancelling technologies, Premium Communications is a new way to go to market, changing the standard for the in-vehicle experience across all market and vehicle segments.  

A Securely Connected Future

Ensuring all this connectivity functions securely is a primary consideration. HARMAN’s Ignite Automotive Cloud platform works with both entry-level and premium offerings to manage multiple in-vehicle solutions, from vehicle diagnostics to cloud-based driver profiles, all under one control unit that can be updated over-the-air by using HARMAN Remote Vehicle Updating Service (OTA). This also enables connected ADAS applications and features, as well as IoT functionality to provide capabilities such as route alerts and guidance via calendar integration and integration with home control systems such as SmartThings. HARMAN SHIELD - a comprehensive intrusion detection and prevention solution (IDPS) – functions as the car’s security system, capable of detecting, managing, mitigating and responding to cyber-attacks on connected and autonomous vehicles.

Keeping all of this technology updated and connected requires a robust data transfer network, which is why HARMAN is working to equip more vehicles with its 5G Telematics for vehicle to everything (V2X) communications. Powered by HARMAN’s powerful conformal antenna technology and capable of working in cars and motorcycles (via a Bluetooth helmet), V2X allows for faster message exchanges for increased roadway safety, and audible infrastructure and safety alerts.

HARMAN at GIMS 2019

We invite you to visit HARMAN during GIMS 2019 for demonstrations of the company’s full portfolio of connected car and lifestyle audio systems that elevate the connected life. You can find HARMAN at the Rinspeed booth No. 6240 in Hall 6.

Follow HARMAN online during GIMS 2019:

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ABOUT HARMAN

HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions; and services supporting the Internet of Things.  With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 50 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. Our software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 30,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In March 2017, HARMAN became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.