汽车互联功能正在不断改变着当今的汽车行业，促使更多产品研发团队开始迈向“云计算”的时代。由于汽车厂商希望可以利用云平台为旗下产品提供更多的特色、功能和服务，云服务提供商在汽车行业中扮演的角色也越来越重要。

车辆内置的调制解调器和移动网络连接，都可以为驾驶员和乘客提供更多访问网络的途径，这也促使了车辆人机接口（HMI）、安全系统和信息娱乐系统的不断进步。由于汽车系统还会传送数据，云技术已然成为现今汽车研发中的一个关键因素。虽然云的概念有点含糊不清，但其带来的影响却是实实在在的，云平台的确可以保证驾驶员及时获得所需的信息。

“为车辆配备一套完整的互联解决方案和服务非常重要，为了实现这一点，云的作用非常关键。”哈曼(Harman)技术战略副总裁Alon Atsmon表示，“云技术可以提供响应式实时解决方案，保证支持车辆传感器工作的软件可以实时更新、永不过时。”

不会牺牲安全性

如今，很多产品已经具备了基于“云”的各种功能，将来，这一范围还将继续扩大，这些远程服务将成为让产品脱颖而出的重要因素。

“云已经对驾驶员产生了很大的影响，比如可以提供实时交通信息和基于服务器的导航信息，协助驾驶员寻找最快到达目的地的路线，或是可以提供基于服务器的诊断工具，在车辆出现问题时向驾驶员发送邮件通知。”大陆汽车(Continental Automotive)软件与互联解决方案部产品管理经理Robert Gee表示，“未来，互联性不但有助于提升车辆的燃料经济性，还能优化汽车的内置安全系统。”

正是有了云，汽车厂商才能为用户提供更多信息娱乐、实时更新、交通、道路，以及其他状况的信息。但与此同时，对云的访问也会给驾驶员带来一些干扰。目前，各家公司正在进行研发，试图在不牺牲安全的情况下为用户提供访问云的途径。

“如果用户已经创建了播放列表或阅读列表，那云平台就可以允许用户在驾驶模式下访问这些数据，并通过一种适合驾驶员当时所处环境的方式为用户提供这些信息。”施乐(Xerox)技术战略部高级总监JoeAverkamp表示，“比如可以通过‘文字转语音’的方式读取邮件、从收藏列表中播放音乐或视频（不可为驾驶员提供视频），或支持一些与社交媒体的互动。”

无论何种新功能的应用，如何消除对驾驶员的干扰都是一个关键问题。减少认知过载和驾驶员干扰的关键在于不断适应驾驶员所处的驾驶环境。如今的HMI正在飞速发展，可协助驾驶员处理相当于他们浏览网页时所接收的信息量。

HMI开发者正在竭尽所能，为保证不牺牲驾驶安全性，尽可能地简化驾驶员处理大量信息的难度。  

“汽车系统需要为车内乘客提供正常的网络访问途径，但要优化针对驾驶员的信息输送机制。”Averkamp表示，“这意味着必须要对车内的用户界面进行定制化处理，比如减少图标数量、放大图标显示尺寸、精简命令种类等。在车里使用网络服务与在家或在办公室里有本质区别，大家都已经认识到这一点。”

借助远程信息数据

为了减少对驾驶员的干扰，汽车研发人员还需拓展合作伙伴关系，展开与网络供应商的合作。某些时候，当情况过于复杂时，直接限制电子信息带来的驾驶员精力分散，是一种明智的作法，这可以让驾驶员将注意力集中在驾驶上。

Atsmon表示，“汽车公司和网络供应商可以密切合作，采取一些措施限制或禁止驾驶员接听来电或读取信息，从而降低驾驶员被干扰的风险。”

云服务还能自动处理一些任务，从而分担一些驾驶员的负担。举例而言，当驾驶员出发参加已经记录在日程上的会议时，云服务就可以帮驾驶员处理一切相关事务，无论是自动规划路线，还是在必要时自动发送迟到通知。

“我们还可以在云中存储邮件、日程和其他个人信息。”Abalta Technologies公司CEO Michael O'Shea表示，“有了这些数据，服务商可以向驾驶员提供更有意义、贴合现实情况的信息，比如引导驾驶员前往日程中安排的下一个地点。基于云的系统可以针对不断变化的驾驶环境做出反应，并在驾驶员存在迟到风险时通知指定的人。”

此外，云还有助于提升车辆的安全性。这是由于其他车辆如果也连接到了云平台，就可以提供一些发生在远方的事件信息的具体细节，这肯定超出了车辆自身车载传感器的监测范围。云中的远程数据可以提供前方车辆熄火或道路临时关闭等信息，告知驾驶员他们应当减速，或在有必要时更换路线。

“汽车传感器可以监测车辆周边数百米之内的交通或障碍物，但空中实时传输的数据则能预先提示车辆，提供行驶路线上的所有交通阻塞或道路障碍信息。”大陆公司的Gee表示，“这样一来，汽车导航系统可以自动重新规划路线以避免障碍物，从而提升驾驶员的驾驶体验，并尽量缩短到达目的地的所需时间。”

未来，云服务的对象将包括驾驶员、乘客和汽车管理机构。设计团队在设计规模可控的未来互联架构时，这些因素都必须考虑在内。

“对于驾驶员而言，我们必须提供驾驶所需的信息，也就是地图、交通、停车支付系统、收费系统、与行程有关的信息，以及信息娱乐功能等。”施乐公司的Averkamp表示，“对于乘客，我们则应为他们提供与在家里或在办公室内类似的体验。”

Averkamp认为，发动机和汽车系统的功能性也将进一步被开发。随着越来越多的基础设施接入网络，如今的汽车系统可以完成自动支付，或访问交通信号灯状态等道路系统的信息。Averkamp断言，“一级供应商或原始设备制造商如果能够理解该如何在这三个领域内创造价值，就一定可以在竞争中脱颖而出。”

限制汽车网络攻击的蔓延

随着厂商推出越来越多以汽车互联为基础的特色和功能，汽车安全的重要性也日益凸显。无论车辆是通过移动网络或内置调制解调器联网，设计师在设计中均必须保证车辆可以抵御网络非法入侵。

一旦车辆的弱点有所暴露，此时的关键在于如何减小攻击造成的影响。这种概念的中心思想是将攻击造成的影响限制在一辆汽车，防止其随意蔓延至其他也有同类弱点的车型。

“手机可以被破解，任何具备一定经验的黑客都能访问手机数据，并伪造与云或汽车的连接。”来自Albalta Technologies公司的O’Shea表示，“不过，通过正确地使用安全证书，网络攻击可以被有效控制在特定的汽车之内（即黑客攻击的那辆车），并不会扩展至整个车队。”

作者：Terry Costlow

来源：SAE《汽车工程杂志》

翻译：SAE上海办公室

Vehicle development heads into The Cloud

Connectivity continues to transform the automotive industry, forcing product development teams to join the movement to cloud computing. The many cloud service providers are playing an increasingly growing role in the drive to provide more features, functions and services.

Factory installed modems and cell phone links are giving drivers and passengers increasingly more access to the Web, driving changes in human machine interfaces (HMI), safety and infotainment. Vehicle systems are also transmitting data, making the cloud a key factor in ongoing vehicle development. The impact of the nebulous cloud is already occurring, ensuring that drivers have current information.

“It’s important to equip vehicles with a complete host of connected solutions and services, and the cloud is a major contributor to this holistic approach,” said Alon Atsmon, Vice President of Technology Strategy at Harman. “The cloud provides responsive real-time solutions, so software supporting these sensors are up-to-date and future-proofed.”

No compromising safety

Many features already leverage "the cloud." In the future, that will expand, making these remotely-provided services an important product differentiator.

“The cloud has already been having a large effect for drivers, whether through real-time traffic, server-based navigation to identify the currently fastest route, and server-supported diagnostics with e-mail notifications to drivers when there is an issue,” said Robert Gee, Head of Product Management, Software & Connected Solutions at Continental Automotive. “In the future, connectivity will be used to help improve fuel efficiency and as an enhancement for embedded vehicle safety systems.”

Leveraging the cloud makes it possible to deliver more infotainment and up-to-the-minute updates and traffic, roadway and other conditions. But access also provides many more distractions. Companies are working on strategies that provide access without compromising safety.

“If a user has created a playlist or reading list, the cloud allows the user to access this data when they are in driver mode, and the information is delivered in a way that is suitable for the environment the driver is in,” said Joe Averkamp, Senior Director of Technical Strategy at Xerox. “Emails can be read using text-to-speech; music or video can be pulled from favorites list (no video for the driver), interaction with social media can be enabled.”

Driver distraction is a central factor for any new feature. Adapting to the driving environment is key to reducing cognitive overload and driver distraction. HMIs are evolving rapidly to help drivers deal with the volume of inputs that come when they can access the World Wide Web.

HMI developers are doing everything they can to make it easy for drivers to manage myriad inputs without compromising their safety.

“While in the vehicle, the vehicle systems will need to provide normal access to passengers, but optimize the delivery mechanism for the driver,” Averkamp said. “This will mean customizing the user interface for in-vehicle use—fewer icons, bigger displays, fewer commands available. This is recognition that using web services in the car is a fundamentally different experience than using the web at home or in the office.”

Leveraging telematic data 

Automotive developers may also broaden their partnerships, teaming up with cellular providers to reduce driver distraction. In some instances, it may be wise to limit electronic distractions so drivers can focus driving when conditions get complicated.

“Working closely together, automotive companies and cellular providers can help minimize the risk of distraction by implementing solutions that limit or prohibit the driver from checking incoming calls or messages,” Atsmon said.

Cloud services can also free drivers by automatically handling tasks. For example, when a driver is going to a meeting listed on a calendar, cloud servers can handle everything from setting a route to automatically sending notifications if there are delays.

“The cloud is also where we store our emails, calendars and other personal information,” said Michael O'Shea, CEO of Abalta Technologies. “Services can take advantage of this information to provide meaningful, context-aware information to the driver, such as directions to their next appointment. Cloud-based systems can react to changing driving conditions and alert designated people if the driver is expected to be late.”

Safety can be improved as data from other vehicles provides details about activities far beyond the distances monitored by on-vehicle sensors. Telematic data can provide information on stalled vehicles or temporary lane closures, letting drivers know that they will need to slow down and may want to switch lanes to minimize the impact of slowing traffic.

“Vehicle sensors can detect traffic or obstacles that are several hundred meters away from the vehicle, while over-the-air data can forewarn of traffic congestion or road hazards on the vehicle's path,” Continental's Gee said. “By doing this, the vehicle navigation system can automatically reroute the driving path to avoid the obstacles, thus improving driving comfort and potentially time to destination.”

Going forward, cloud services will provide services for drivers, passengers and vehicle controls. Design teams must consider all these parameters when they’re creating connectivity architectures that can scale for the future.

“For the driver, we need to deliver the information essential to the task of driving: maps, traffic, payment systems for parking, tolls, information related to the trip, as well as information and entertainment,” Averkamp at Xerox said. “Passengers will have an experience similar to their home or office experience."

He said the engine and vehicle system can be interrogated for functionality. As more of the infrastructure becomes web-enabled, vehicle systems can make automatic payments, or access information from roadway system, like traffic signal status. "The Tier 1 or OEM that figures out how to deliver value to these three areas will have a leg up on the competition,” Averkamp asserted

Limiting single-vehicle attacks

As OEMs leverage connectivity to add these features and functions, security will become increasingly important. Regardless of whether connections are made by phones or by internal modems, designers will attempt to block as many intrusions as possible.

When vulnerabilities are exploited successfully, the focus will shift to minimizing the impact of the breach. A central aspect of this is to limit attacks on a single vehicle from proliferating to others that share the same vulnerability.

“Phones can be jailbroken and any moderately sophisticated hacker can access its data or spoof the connection to the cloud or vehicle,” O’Shea from Albalta Technologies said. “With the correct use of security certificates, however, any such hack can be limited to a specific vehicle (that the hacker hacked) and not to the fleet in general.”

Author: Terry Costlow
Source: SAE Automotive Engineering Magazine