BMW Group Product and Innovation Centre
Innovative Architecture - Processes & Technologies
November 25, 2004 8:14 PM
Filed Under: BMW
Press Release
Page 1 - Setting the Benchmark in Efficient Vehicle Development:The New Project Building at the BMW Group's Research and Innovation Centre.
Page 2 - Wiring the World:
Three New Studios for Virtual Reality at the Project Building.
Page 3 - Full Throttle into the Future:
BMW Hydrogen Car Sets up Nine International Records.
Page 4 - Voice, Gestures, Mimics:
BMW Group Studies New Types of Automotive Communication.
Page 5 - Safe, Individual, and with Self-Learning Capacity:
BMW Car IT Developing Central Intelligence in the Car.
The New Project Building at the BMW Group's Research and Innovation Centre.
It is a well-known fact that innovations come mainly from face-to-face communication. And indeed, it is precisely this principle that underlies the BMW Group's Research and Innovation Centre known for short, to use the German abbreviation, as the "FIZ", ever since being opened back in 1987.Today, 17 years later, the BMW Group is once again setting the standard in the future of automobile development, integrating the new Project Building into the FIZ area as a highlight in architecture bearing testimony to BMW's Product Creation Process. As the name indicates, this is the process underlying the creation of every BMW Group product from the initial idea all the way to the start of series production. So forming part of the FIZ concept, the Project Building has now become the physical rendition of this operating process.
In the words of Professor Dr. Burkhard Göschel, Board Member Development and Purchasing of BMW AG, "we have combined the substance of the building with a process-oriented frame of mind in an almost ideal manner".
Providing a hands-on experience of development: the building within a building.
Through its layout and dimensions alone, the Project Building opens up a new dimension in cooperation: Organised according to BMW's range of model series, specialists from all different areas have their workplaces around an atrium encompassing an oval, glass-clad building right in the middle. On each level of this studio and workshop building the current state of development of each vehicle project is clearly and convincingly presented in virtual worlds and with real models directly in the associates' line of vision from the surrounding project workplaces and within easy reach from short distances. So that parallel to the engineering processes, three-dimensional clay models in full scale or prototypes may be compared with and examined against the virtual models in a quasi-real time process.
The philosophy: communicating in real time.
Through its overall concept, the Project Building was designed from the start for one requirement in particular: real-time operation. Professor Gunter Henn, the architect responsible for the Building, expresses this challenge in clear words: "With development teams of up to 200 people, the mission was to make the right people meet at the right time, conducting development in a real-time process."Precisely this is what the Building guarantees through its house-in-house architectural concept creating new ways and means of communication: "First, the engineers and other specialists are able to move to-and-fro from the computer screen to the real model", says Henn. "And second, presentation of the real product in a new, consistently updated and enhanced level of development ensures a motivating factor getting the right people together at the right time." Indeed, this is a communication principle we find at every market in our everyday world: "As soon as a farmer with apples opens up his stall, the only people to come are those who really want apples." In other words: Only the chassis engineers and production specialists will meet at the model of a front axle subframe, coming together specifically when they have to exchange views with their colleagues in the interest of further progress. Given the complexity of a modern car, the development engineer is alone with his project only for a few hours in succession and is then required to come back to his colleagues and other specialists for an exchange of views.
The Building and its design: why the Atrium House is oval in shape.
The special shape of the Atrium House follows from its underlying concept and philosophy to provide a direct, hands-on experience of the components and vehicles being developed in their current state: the Atrium House stands out as a clear-cut oval within the round inner courtyard. The reason for this special design, quite simply, is that this was the best way to accommodate the measuring systems on platforms for car prototypes while at the same time providing ample space and freedom of movement in the Circular Building around the courtyard. The job was to provide space for four of these platforms on each level, each of them some six metres long and 2.5 metres wide. "If it had been designed as a circle, the Atrium House would have been too big. So we arranged the platforms longitudinally in an elliptic layout", states Professor Henn.This physical advantage is enhanced by an appropriate mental effect: Within the atrium, the inner oval and the surrounding circle generate a feeling of dynamic space arousing the right spirit and commitment for active, dynamic development processes.
It goes without saying that the Atrium House boasts the most advanced virtual development tools offering invaluable support particularly in the initial concept phase of a new vehicle: "Powerwalls" and "CAVEs" equipped with state-of-the- art projectors are able to provide particularly realistic simulations. This enables the development specialist to "walk through" complete vehicles in a virtual process almost from the start in a very early stage of development, using the vehicle's construction data for this purpose long before the first hardware is created. Clearly, the result is a high standard of planning quality ensured quickly and efficiently, any deviations from target measurements and data being immediately recognised and remedied.
Close cooperation in organisational units.
In organisational terms the entire process of product development within the BMW Group is subdivided into product lines comprising all of the Group's brands: BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce. To use the space available as effectively as possible but with a high degree of variability depending on requirements, the four project levels in the new Project Building are made up of four Quadrants each extending over two levels and covering an area of up to 1,500 square metres. With the two levels being connected in each case by a spiral staircase, there is enough room for a complete project with an average team of 200 associates within one space continuum. A lift in the core building serves to transport complete vehicles to each floor, bridges on each level connecting this house-in-house with the circular building outside.Space and light for optimum working conditions.
Conceiving the Project Building, it was essential to provide open and creative working areas reminiscent in their character and layout of a loft - that is wide open spaces and bright rooms. The special topography of the ceilings and the unique design of the upper-level galleries provides areas varying in height from well over three to almost eight metres. And despite the modular layout of the Building, the Quadrants with eight different floor configurations ensure individual style to meet individual requirements.The floor plan of the smaller gallery levels with their alcoves and wall openings enhances the impression of high ceilings. In particular, this creates areas ideal for high-quality work and with maximum daylight - areas in which you simply feel great.
In its dimensions the Atrium House also follows this objective: The entry of light into the building and the view to outside ensure generous, inspiring working conditions. In optical terms, the façade of the Atrium House conveys an impression of size and dimensions the building does not really have: The round and conical shape of the Atrium House and its structures eliminates the usual reference points the human eye generally needs to objectively assess the size of the building, an effect further enhanced by the many reflections in the window areas. For in reality, the Atrium House takes up only about 20 per cent of the entire area of the Project Building, making the entire structure very economical also when it comes to the use of space.
Interior design confirming the BMW Group's premium standard.
Transcending all of the Group's brands, the interior design of the buildings ensures a perfect rendition of the BMW Group's claim to perfection: The architectural concepts applied within the BMW world must be unique, sophisticated, clear, timeless, and consistent. Indeed, it is this tangible ambience that creates a working environment highly conducive to creativity and networking and reflecting the values of the various brands.The Project Building: the logical continuation of the FIZ concept.
The new Project Building is the logical continuation of a development concept dating back to the construction of the BMW Research and Innovation Centre - the concept of "built-in communication".When the Centre well-known the world over as the "FIZ" entered operation in 1987, the concept of "built-in communication" was an absolute revolution in the automotive industry. Instead of Development, Production and Purchasing coming in a row behind one another as in the past, all three of these Function Areas for the first time operated not only parallel to one another, but also very close together. And Logistics, Controlling and Human Resources were also integrated in the development process right from the start. Indeed, simultaneous engineering even allows the integration of suppliers from a very early point in time.
All this has significantly reduced the number of interfaces and thus keeps frictional losses to a minimum, enabling the BMW Group to develop products to production standard much more quickly and cost-efficiently through the new FIZ operations. Hence, the Research and Innovation Centre has become a role model now, through its principle alone, setting the standard for many other buildings and centres of this kind.
Guaranteeing successful car development: simultaneous engineering.
The FIZ Project Building further enhances the BMW Group's concept of simultaneous engineering: No less than 18 years ago, the Board of Management of BMW AG appointed the first Project Managers for new vehicles - and the concept of developing vehicles through highly efficient project management has evolved consistently ever since. The strong backbone for this development process is provided, as before, by individual departments in the Development Division, with teams assuming inter-divisional, overall responsibility for specific vehicle projects defined in advance.Pursuing this operating concept, the BMW Group has solved a problem typically encountered in product development: the need to choose between a division-oriented or a project-oriented organisation. Development periods cannot be kept short and well-organised without project groups, just as technological development and the enhancement of skills will slowly but surely come to a standstill without the support of such groups and their specialists.
To overcome this bottleneck, the BMW Group's organisation concept provides for the delegation of associates from their Technical Departments to Project Teams for the duration of the concept phase. Then, in the subsequent implementation phase extending up to production clearance of the vehicle, the associates return to their original Technical Departments, naturally maintaining their close links with the Project Team.
Projects remain in place for a limited period and start several years prior to series introduction of the first model, by which time the so-called Initial Team has already established the general framework for the new model series. And when the last model comes off the line at the end of production, the organisation is disbanded. At the same time a new team sets out as the next organisation developing the next generation of the vehicle set to enter the market. This allows a smooth and consistent concept development process for future vehicles not influenced by any outside effects.
Product creation: marching in unison next to each other, not just in a row behind one another.
Through its density alone, the product development and creation process applied by the BMW Group differs from the conventional method of car development as clearly as a 21st-century computer stands out from an old slide rule. Instead of working in an ongoing succession of different jobs, the developers handle as many assignments as possible at the same time, following a multi-faceted process of simultaneous engineering in creating the final product. And just like computer technology, the BMW Group's Product Creation Process is consistently fuelled by ongoing progress: The development we see in the virtual world from 16 to 32 or 64 bit technology and beyond, is also to be found in the Product Creation Process with parallel development of an increasing number of functions, components and systems for a new generation of vehicles all at the same time. And there is another common feature, results not only being achieved more quickly, but also with growing precision improving to an ever-increasing standard.Specifically, therefore, Development, Production and Purchasing no longer work in a row one after the other, but rather in a closely-knit network next to one another. And this special style of cooperation is characterised not by isolated, stand-alone responsibilities, but rather by a common, joint concept of project management.
Modern web technologies are of course indispensable tools: To keep everybody involved - from the project engineer to the purchasing manager, from the supplier to the designer - up-to-date at all times, all important data in the development project is always available online whenever required. Such simultaneous availability of product, process and project data in the development network obviously serves to capitalise on time and quality potentials.
The Project Building: a catalyst for creativity.
Given all its qualities and features, the Project Building is the Product Creation Process translated into reality through appropriate architecture: Applying the findings of Professors Tom Allen from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the man who already provided the fundamental philosophy for the FIZ Research and Innovation Centre, 80 per cent of all the ideas implemented here are based on direct face-to-face contact. This gives the BMW Group's new Project Building the architectural requirements for a highly efficient process of product creation, offering a working environment ideally suited to an excellent dialogue among associates.Basic facts and figures of the Project Building:
Wiring the World: Three New Studios for Virtual Reality at the Project Building.
The BMW Group’s new Project Building is a whole generation ahead not only in the real, but also in the virtual world: Three of the world’s most advanced simulation systems in vehicle development serve to “build� components, cars and complete production lines in virtual reality or VR for short. This high- tech equipment gives the designers, development engineers and production specialists huge advantages, enabling them to find the best solution for each task quickly and efficiently. Long before the first prototype of a new model generation is built, the looks, design, build qualities and many more features may already be assessed and studied in cyberspace, without one single piece of material being processed or machined up to that point in time.Powerwall offering unique image quality never seen before.
The Powerwall, a reverse projection screen measuring some 7 metres in width and 2.40 metres in height, is an absolute highlight in the VR Studio, its most special feature being hidden behind the glass screen, which itself weighs several tonnes: Four special projectors in so-called D-ILA technology used here for the first time ever in virtual reality create a highly realistic image of supreme quality. “The unbelievable level of resolution (QXGA) as well as the improved contrast and brightness are crucial in the virtual development of a car�, states Human Ramezani, the man responsible, together with others, for the concept of the VR Studio in the BMW Group’s new Project Building.Offering tremendous performance of this kind, the new Powerwall is simply perfect for the designers and their work. And with its large dimensions, it is able to present even the long-wheelbase version of the BMW 7 Series or a Rolls-Royce in full 1:1 scale. With the projectors providing resolution of 2,048 x 1,536 pixels, the images presented offer detailed accuracy down to about 2 millimetres per pixel, bringing even the seams on a leather seat out clearly and distinctly.
Computer-calculated stereo images providing a 3D effect.
The projectors are driven by PC clusters incorporating high-end graphic cards. And they, too, ensure optimum precision, allowing variation of all kinds of details from the side panel contours all the way to the seat upholstery in virtual space, shifting perspectives as required. So that although the image presented on the huge projection screen is two-dimensional, this special processing of images and the use of special glasses when looking at the screen ensures a unique, three-dimensional impression.Looking through these polarisation glasses, your right eye sees only the right stereo image, your left eye the left image. And these images change immediately as soon as you move your position or angle of vision. Sensors follow all of your movements and transform them immediately – ie in real time – into the right perspective.
The Powerwall is particularly well-suited for choosing and approving exterior surfaces, the presentation and assessment of alternative design options in this product development phase hardly requiring any expensive and time-consuming real-life models.
The Powerbench: a complete car in virtual space.
No matter how impressive the spatial effect of such a stereo image may be, the fact remains that all the observer can do is stand in front of the screen: He can look at the car, but he cannot get in. So to provide this additional feature, there are two other VR studios in the BMW Group’s new Project Building, the Powerbench and the five-sided CAVE studio.The Powerbench is made up of a Powerwall supplemented by an additional projection lying flat on the ground. Also measuring approximately 7 metres in width and 2.40 metres in height, this projection likewise allows the presentation of a complete car in original size – with the big difference, however, that you can walk around or even “through� this virtual car. Clearly, this allows the designer to deal efficiently with questions relating to, say, the “package� of the car, questions which are becoming increasingly significant, given the growing number of functions to be “packed� within the limited space available: The developers are able to “move� through the car until they encounter a three-dimensional presentation of the area and section involved.
Instead of spending a lot of time on design drawings and calculations, therefore, the specialists, benefitting from this visualisation, are able to recognise possible improvements at a glance.
No other car maker uses VR technology to this extent and as thoroughly as the BMW Group within the production creation process.
CAVE – the “electronic dungeon�.
The most intense experience of this three-dimensional virtual world is within the five-sided CAVE, the third VR Studio in the new Project Building. This is a cube-shaped room with edges measuring 2.5 metres in length, where virtual images are projected on to the ceiling, the floor and the three walls.Working in this “electronic dungeon�, the BMW Group’s specialists for ergonomics and interior design enjoy ideal conditions: They are able to sit down, steer the car and shift gears, see, touch and take decisions – although they are only surrounded by images. VR thus acts as a highly efficient, inter-disciplinary means of communication connecting, say, engineers and designers with one another.
Taking the BMW 5 Series as an example: virtual reality is an everyday development process within the BMW Group.
VR is an essential tool not only in the new studios, but rather at almost every workplace in the new Project Building. The current BMW 5 Series, for example, was developed consistently with the help of VR technology, applying the motto that “no new cars are developed without virtual predecessors�. The basic philosophy followed from the start is that all components must be presented in virtual reality at the earliest possible point and be made available in this form to everybody involved in order to make all the modifications and harmonise all the features of those components even more quickly.While initially this process involved some 1,500 virtual components, the total number, reflecting the increasing number of details, soon increased to an average of some 3,900 elements in one single virtual car. And with the data on such a virtual car being generally available at all the project specialists’ workplaces, it was easier to understand even the most complex situations and requirements. The result is even faster and, at the same time, better development with a supreme level of quality.
Nineteen VR Studios within the BMW Group.
The three new studios in the Project Building are the latest simulation worlds created by the BMW Group, increasing the overall number of VR Studios within the Group to a total of 19 at the FIZ Centre and at a number of other research facilities and plants.These studios serve a whole range of different functions and are tailored to specific requirements: Apart from assessing the geometry of components, the package and design of the car, these imaginary worlds also serve to simulate motions and processes. Focusing on the interplay of simulated components, for example, the engine developer is able to examine potential improvements on an engine at a very early point when the engine as such is still nothing but a set of data. Experts in acoustics, in turn, make such a “data car� vibrate in order to learn about its noise effects right from the start and aerodynamicists test the car in a virtual wind tunnel and optimise its shape and dimensions in the interest of perfect streamlining.
Production planning in the virtual factory.
Not only vehicles can be studied and optimised in cyberspace. No – BMW Group production specialists now also conceive complex production processes such as fully automatic press lines, robot systems in the bodyshop, as well as paintwork lines in virtual space.As an example, they are able to present and assess body panels and the tools required in their production in original size. Engineers in Planning, Development, and Production use VR to determine how a sheet of crude metal is pulled over the imaginary tool and moulded into shape. Simulated drawing and extending exercises of this kind are ideal for analytical purposes, ensuring efficient use of material without having to build a large number of elaborate models and conduct complex test series.
Augmented Reality: help from cyberspace.
The BMW Group is also working on a technology which soon will serve to enhance the real world by adding a virtual dimension: Augmented reality superimposes virtual objects and presentations on a real-life environment seen through special data glasses.This gives the user wearing such glasses additional three-dimensional information geared to his current perspective and line of vision. Repairing an engine, for example, a mechanic wearing such data glasses sees not only the engine itself, but also virtually animated tools, components, marks or instructions. Such virtual information superimposed on to reality thus supports the mechanic whenever required, allowing him to carry out the necessary repairs quickly and reliably.
Full Throttle into the Future: BMW Hydrogen Car Sets up Nine International Records.
BMW’s innovations are progress without compromises: Setting up no less than 9 world records, the BMW H2R Hydrogen Record Car has impressively proved how dynamic and powerful the hydrogen car of the future may be. And indeed, hydrogen is acknowledged worldwide as the fuel of the future, since it can be recovered in infinite amounts and used free of emissions in the car.BMW is the world leader in the development of hydrogen cars with combustion engines where in the output range above 100 kW or 136 bhp there is still no other practical alternative: A version of the current BMW 7 Series running on both hydrogen and gasoline will be introduced into the market during the production lifecycle of the current model.
The results of this series production process also provided the input for BMW’s World Record Car: The hydrogen combustion engine of the BMW H2R is based on the gasoline power unit of the BMW 760i and thus comes with the most advanced technologies such as BMW’s fully-variable VALVETRONIC valve control. The main modifications involve the fuel injection adapted by BMW to the special features and properties of hydrogen. Displacing six litres, the 12-cylinder power unit develops maximum output of more than 210 kW/285 bhp, accelerating the open-air prototype to 100 km/h in approximately 6 seconds and giving the car a top speed of 302.4 km/h or 187.5 mph.
Professor Göschel: “Turning the vision of sustained mobility into reality.�
“Nine records marking the starting point into the hydrogen age. BMW technology has already come a long way, now we must join forces with politicians and the energy supply industry in turning our vision of sustained mobility into reality�, states Professor Dr. Burkhard Göschel, BMW AG Board Member for Development and Purchasing.Listed in terms of starts, distance, time and average speed, the BMW H2R prototype set up the following world records on BMW’s high-speed track in Miramas, France:
– 1 kilometre with flying start in 11.993 sec (300.190 km/h)
– 1 mile with flying start in 19.912 sec (290.962 km/h)
– 1/8 mile with standing start in 9.921 sec (72.997 km/h)
– 1/4 mile with standing start in 14.933 sec (96.994 km/h)
– 1/2 kilometre with standing start in 17.269 sec (104.233 km/h)
– 1 kilometre with standing start in 26.557 sec (135.557 km/h)
– 1 mile with standing start in 36.725 sec (157.757 km/h)
– 10 kilometres with standing start in 146.406 sec (245.892 km/h)
– 10 miles with standing start in 221.052 sec (262.094 km/h).
These records are still subject to homologation by the FIA Council.
The engine: series production 12-cylinder modified for hydrogen fuel.
The “heart� of the BMW H2R World Record Car is based on BMW’s top- of-the-range power unit, a six-litre 12-cylinder. Thanks to adaptation of the engine management system as well as the fuel/air mixture components, the engine is able to run on hydrogen smoothly and without any problems.The most important modifications are the hydrogen injection valves and the choice of materials in the combustion chamber. Contrary to the series production engine with fuel injected straight into the combustion chambers, the injection valves on the hydrogen engine are directly in the intake manifolds. For the record trials, the hydrogen combustion engine was configured for single-mode operation running exclusively on hydrogen.
This allowed the engineers to set up the engine specifically for hydrogen drive, for example by using valve rings made of a special material compensating for the lower level of lubrication of hydrogen as opposed to that of a conventional fuel/air mixture. It is incidentally important and interesting to note in this context that the introduction of unleaded fuel several years ago also involved a reduction of the lubrication level, production engines ever since being made of a more resistant material.
Hydrogen providing enhanced efficiency.
A fundamental factor is that the combustion properties of hydrogen are quite different from those of gasoline or diesel: Hydrogen burns faster under normal air pressure, but at a somewhat lower temperature than gasoline.Within the engine the higher combustion rate of the hydrogen/air mixture develops a higher temperature than in an engine running on gasoline. Accordingly, the engine management of the BMW H2R Hydrogen Record Car has been set to not ignite the fuel/air mixture until the piston reaches its top dead centre, in this way achieving maximum output.
The higher combustion pressure of a hydrogen/air mixture offers significant advantages, more power from the same amount of energy supplied to the engine ensuring a higher degree of efficiency. And this comes with enhanced environmental compatibility, intelligent engine management masterminding the combustion process at all times to ensure that the BMW H2R emits virtually nothing but vapour.
Special injection valves for hydrogen combustion.
With hydrogen being injected into the intake manifolds as late as possible, the injection valves have to meet significant requirements. Indeed, they are a fundamental new development for BMW, being larger than conventional injection valves, since gaseous hydrogen takes up more volume per unit of energy than liquid gasoline. A further point is that the injection valves cover a far larger range, having to operate under different levels of system pressure and at both very short and longer injection periods. One of the main targets in developing the injection valves was to ensure injection of the right amount of hydrogen into the intake manifolds within a very short injection period at very high speeds and under full load.Safety technology.
The fuel supply system featured in the BMW H2R World Record Car is also based on a proven concept carried over from series development: Fuel is filled into the BMW H2R at a mobile hydrogen filling station by way of a manual tank coupling. The vacuum-insulated, double-wall tank has a capacity of more than 11 kilos of liquid hydrogen and is fitted next to the driver’s seat, no less than three valves ensuring maximum safety: The operating valve on the tank itself opens up at a pressure of 4.5 bar, two additional safety valves ensuring that even leaks in the cryogenic shell do not have any dangerous consequences, since they open up as soon as the pressure level within the tank exceeds 5 bar.The sophisticated safety system featured by the BMW H2R is supervised permanently by telemetric control carried over in principle from Formula 1: Four hydrogen sensors at neuralgic points – for example in the tank area and around the tank coupling – detect and report leaks immediately.
BMW research engine: capable of 50 per cent efficiency.
Despite its outstanding efficiency, the power unit featured in the BMW H2R is only one of the first steps in the development of the hydrogen engine, leaving a broad margin for further development. Applying the principle of external mixture formation, output of the hydrogen engine can be boosted even further by turbocharging. A further strategy for increasing both efficiency and output in one is to combine the direct injection of hydrogen with a turbocharger, in the process increasing the specific output of a hydrogen engine above the level of a gasoline engine.Specialists in the BMW Group’s Research Division are working on a hydrogen engine with the long-term objective to achieve an efficiency level of 50 per cent at the engine’s optimum operating point. This demanding objective is to be reached by optimising the combustion process and at the same time using the excellent combustion properties of hydrogen (low level of activation energy, high flame speed). Further measures taken to this effect are the reduction of the engine’s friction forces, the optimisation of all ancillaries, and further improvement of overall energy management.
BMW – a consistent trendsetter in support of hydrogen technology.
BMW has worked hard for more than 20 years of research and development for international leadership in hydrogen technology. Indeed, BMW offers unique know-how not only in engine technology, but also in the recovery of hydrogen, its storage in the tank, and the actual process of filling hydrogen into the tank of the car. Precisely this is why the BMW Group is consistently promoting the introduction of hydrogen as a source of energy, establishing partnerships with other companies for the development of components and technologies and sensitising both political decision-makers and the energy industry to the need to start implementing hydrogen supply technology today.CleanEnergy Partnership: comprehensive hydrogen trial operation in Berlin.
One of the leading partnerships for testing hydrogen technology in Germany under practical conditions is the CleanEnergy Partnership (CEP) jointly established in June 2002 by the BMW Group, Aral, BVG, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, GHW, Linde, Opel, and MAN. Conducting a project scheduled until 2007 and with total funds of 33 million Euro, the CEP forms part of Germany’s national sustainability strategy and is supported and funded by the German Federal Government. The CleanEnergy Partnership demonstrates trendsetting technologies and outlines both technical and economic requirements for the use of alternative fuels in road traffic.An elementary necessity in this respect is to substantiate positive effects on the environment. Precisely this is why hydrogen is to be recovered as far as possible by way of renewable energy, that is mainly with electricity from solar energy, water or wind power. This means that there are virtually no undesired emissions all the way from generation to the actual use of hydrogen. BMW is participating in this project by providing the hydrogen cars required.
Filling station for liquid and gaseous hydrogen entering service.
The “heart� of the CEP is the construction and regular operation of a hydrogen filling station. The first hydrogen filling station in everyday use integrated in a conventional filling station was officially opened on 12.11.2004 in the presence of outstanding guests from politics, the world of business and science. Apart from gasoline and diesel, this highly innovative filling station is able to fill two types of hydrogen into the car: CGH2 compressed gaseous hydrogen and LH2 liquid hydrogen. With the latter offering the highest energy density, it is regarded by the BMW Group as the best option for reasons of handling and the range a hydrogen car running on such fuel is able to cover.Voice, Gestures, Mimics: BMW Group Studies New Types of Automotive Communication.
Looking at the history of the motor car going back well over 100 years, we see that the initial focus for a long time was on the combustion engine and the mechanical components of the car. Then electrical and electronic features were developed in the course of technical progress, followed by increasingly sophisticated control technologies and the use of software.Today it is the interface between the driver and the vehicle which receives increasing attention in automotive research: Once the car begins to “understand� the driver and enters into a genuine dialogue, many other, highly promising comfort and safety potentials can become reality to the benefit of the customer.
Some of the man/machine communication options now being examined by BMW Group specialists are voice, gestures, and mimics. This also includes the measurement of eye movements conducted by engineers in driving simulators and on test drives. Such consistent analysis of these movements serves to place instruments and controls at the right point, ensuring that the driver is hardly required to take his eyes off the traffic around him. Hence, knowledge of this kind is going into the development of future MMI concepts, with greater emphasis on voice control, a high position of the display screen near to the traffic around the car and the use of the Head-Up Display. Recognition of gestures such as emotions and further refinement of voice entry systems, finally, opens up entirely new levels of dialogue and communication.
Building up a larger vocabulary.
“Voice entry is one of the key technologies for even more efficient use of the car�, says Dr. Frank Althoff, the BMW Group’s Research and Technology specialist for man/machine interaction. And indeed, the potential in this area is huge: As convenient as it already is today to control the navigation system or telephone by voice messages, the driver still has to make do with the limited vocabulary memorised within the on-board system – which means that he can only provide voice instructions using a certain number of words. “Once the driver, in the navigation process, is able to loudly speak out the names of cities and streets, we will have completed the next step in the evaluation progress�, adds Dr. Althoff. But simply enlarging the system’s vocabulary is not enough, since a larger number of words recognised by the system means a larger statistical risk of misunderstanding: Distinguishing between similar-sounding names such as New York and Newark, for example, requires very precise processing of signals and their meanings. So in any case of doubt, the user will still be able to choose his destination from a list of pre-selected options on the screen.Learning colloquial language.
The second great challenge the experts at the BMW Group’s Research and Innovation Centre are already working on is the complexity of human statements. “We want to move beyond simple instructions and commands�, says Dr. Althoff. This starts with the use of complete sentences on-board systems are not yet able to understand: “I want to drive to London� is a normal statement in our everyday language – but the machine is not yet able to understand a statement of that kind. And things become even more complicated when the driver interrupts a sentence, uses additional words not actually required or corrects himself, as is often the case in driving operations.The long-term vision of a perfect voice detection system lies in the correct recognition of indirect statements made by the driver such as: “My feet are cold.� The system should “understand� the wish expressed by the driver in this way and re-set the air conditioning accordingly.
BMW Group scientists are working on the development of such skills, seeking to integrate them in the car step-by-step. The voice entry functions of BMW Group cars will therefore be developed consistently in this direction.
Recognising gestures: shaking your head means “No�.
Like human communication, even the best voice entry system will reach its limits under unfavourable conditions, for example when disturbed by loud noise in the vicinity. Accordingly, BMW Group scientists are examining whether other, additional types of human communication might be used to interact with the car. One option is to focus on gestures: a simple camera may serve to monitor movements of the driver’s head and hands, checking out whether the car should respond accordingly. If, for example, the driver answers a question asked by the voice system with a “no�, but speaks too quietly or if the background noise is too loud, the system today will repeat the question a second time. But if the system perceives not just the language signal, but also the driver shaking his head, it may correctly understand this sign to be a “No�. So following the same patterns as in human communication, the evaluation of different sources of information makes man/machine interaction more robust and viable.Movements of the driver’s hands may also be used in this way, if necessary even providing independent control options: Waving his hand from left to right, for example, the driver might “tell� the system to “tune to the next station on the radio�. Moving his hand down, in turn, he might symbolise the telephone being placed back on the hook, meaning that he wants to end a call.
Need for further research: recognition and acceptance.
A particularly important requirement is to determine whether a certain gesture is indeed an intentional movement by the user serving to control the system. Initial experience with test persons shows furthermore that various gesture scenarios have to be carefully considered: Where some would like to respond by moving their head, others would prefer to press a button or speak out a loud answer. Hence, the system will only be accepted as useful by the customer if the vehicle allows a wide range of different options, since this really ensures a significant improvement of user comfort.Recognising emotions helpful in customising the car.
Multi-modal evaluation of information serving to optimise voice control is also the essential feature in the third research concept being pursued by the BMW Group’s research and technology specialists: the recognition of emotions. The two types of expressing emotions important in this context are mimics and the driver’s tone of voice, audio evaluation of the latter having made the greatest progress so far: Focusing on different signal characteristics such as the basic frequency, the intensity and duration of loud commands, a voice monitoring system can already distinguish today whether the individual concerned is, say, angry and aroused. “To begin with, we only want to distinguish between positive, neutral, and negative expressions�, states Dr. Frank Althoff, thus restricting the scope of this application for the time being.An example is the on-board computer asking several questions in response when the driver’s voice entry is unclear, since drivers respond differently under such circumstances from case to case: Some regard even the second question asked by the system as annoying, others find the waiting times between repeated questions too short. “Once we are able to recognise emotions, we will also be able to adjust the dialogue better to the driver, without requiring him to intervene himself�, states Dr. Althoff. Multi-modal information is incidentally very important in adjusting vehicle functions to the user, with the system relating emotions detected to other factors such as the driver’s control history and current ambient conditions.
Safe, Individual, and with Self-Learning Capacity: BMW Car IT Developing Central Intelligence in the Car.
The evolution of automotive electronics is now set for its next step: First, we had individual systems such as ABS operating absolutely independently of one another. Then they learnt to communicate, allowing the introduction of functions such as DSC Dynamic Stability Control or Active Steering. Now BMW’s development engineers are working on centralised intelligence systems monitoring and masterminding all electronic units while at the same time learning from the driver and supporting him in his actions. Indeed, such a General Assistant will even be in a position to take up new functions added by appropriate software.“The underlying idea is simple�, says Dr. Ulrich Weinmann, the Managing Director of BMW Car IT: “The car will become much safer and more reliable in monitoring its overall condition, learning new information and excluding any malfunctions.� This principle comes from classic business data processing, where it has been applied most reliably and with very good results for a long time: A small server integrated in the various special applications supplies all the information required and is able to determine – and, where appropriately, eliminate – all deviations quickly and efficiently.
An intelligent system.
An example is the driver parking his car, switching off the engine and leaving on the audio system for a short while. Before the entertainment function starts to create problems in such a case by drawing too much power from the battery, the central intelligence unit will switch off the radio. “It recognises a critical condition, first gives the user a warning and then, if necessary, takes the steps required�, says Weinmann.This strategy also helps in other cases and with other kinds of interference: Centralised intelligence can recognise the occurrence of a “non-defined condition� and take appropriate action without delay. In other words, any deficiency of this kind is rectified quickly and efficiently, thus avoiding any effect on the driver, who will not even notice what has happened. �This gives us a robust system tolerant to deviations�, says Dr. Weinmann.
Software added as an option.
Centralised intelligence is of course intended to give the driver significant benefits. While the software serving the vast majority of electronic systems in the car was firmly programmed until recently, not allowing any changes or modifications, central intelligence will now allow updates as well as the entry of new functions. A good example in this context is the personalised trip recorder automatically keeping a record of every route at the request of, say, the business traveller. “Now the customer can buy the software and use it according to his specific requirements�, explains Dr. Weinmann.With the system allowing open access, the user can add a further application at any time or erase applications he no longer requires. In other words, the customer is able to order his BMW with the functions he would like to use initially, without forfeiting the option to make subsequent changes. And at the same time this variability enhances the value of the car during its lifecycle, allowing the second or third owner to adapt the car at any time to their personal requirements.
This is far more than just a vision of the future: Even today, the BMW customer is able to buy certain software features subsequently and integrate them in his car. Examples are new navigation software for the display screen or software components for internet-based BMW Online services in the BMW 5, 6 and 7 Series.
Safety always comes first.
To ensure that the flexibility software downloading offers the customer does not have any negative consequences, BMW Car IT gives top priority to the question of safety. Apart from firewalls, further security features have been developed to prevent manipulation from outside, and the software downloads do not in any way affect the integrity of the system, safety-critical applications being strictly separated from additional download functions.The objective of BMW Car IT: intelligent use of software potentials.
Introducing the concept of central intelligence, BMW Car IT is presenting just one result of its work. The Company established in December 2001 has indeed set itself the objective to intelligently use the potential of software in the car, thus implementing new solutions for innovative vehicle functions. In the process the focus is on the definition and implementation of new software systems and applications, BMW Car IT also seeking to win over competent suppliers and partners for close cooperation in establishing a global, high-impact network of know-how. Software allows higher integration of density and a wide range of new vehicle functions. The advantages for the customer are greater comfort and extra safety accompanied by a reduction in the complexity of control: “A company developing cars needs competence in software. Indeed, software is the key to stand out from the competition. So no car maker can be successful if the development of software is not one of their core competences�, states Professor Dr. Burkhard Göschel, BMW AG Board Member for Development and Purchasing.Apart from leadership in technology and USPs versus the competition, the BMW Group’s Car IT think tank offers the ideal foundation for exhausting the full potential of software applications in the car: Even today, up to about 40 per cent of the total value created in automobile production is attributable to electronic components and software, with the trend towards software increasing all the time. Accumulating and establishing know-how in the world of software is therefore a strategic investment for the BMW Group.
Automotive industry becoming the most significant user of software.
Software in the automobile is opening up new opportunities not only to the BMW Group as a car maker, but also to the suppliers’ industry and the automotive components trade in general. For the software revolution is eliminating the classic divide between automotive development and automotive service and maintenance, with new applications being implemented not only at the beginning, but also during the lifecycle of a car. This eliminates the discrepancy between the relatively long-term development cycles in the car industry and the short lifecycles of software.As a result, the automobile is becoming one of the most significant user industries for software, setting the very foundation for software development. And this gives both car makers, “classic� suppliers, as well as software companies which so far have had nothing to do with the automotive segment new and highly interesting opportunities.
A further advantage is that unlike mechanical or electronic systems involving hardware components, software does not require any storage facilities or warehouses within the global dealer network. Hence, new software can be distributed extremely quickly and at low cost, without any major logistic effort.
In the development of software, the specialists at BMW Car IT make sure in particular to avoid the creation of barriers and obstructions: “Software with open system architecture is essential for using the full scope and bandwidth of software development to the benefit of the BMW Group. It is therefore our objective to establish open architecture of this kind within a worldwide network in order to offer our customers new services and applications as quickly as possible�, states Dr. Ulrich Weinmann, Managing Director of BMW Car IT.
The particular focus of BMW Car IT.
BMW Car IT is establishing the technological foundation for the use of software-based functions in the car. To this end, the Company implements findings and concepts of information science within automotive applications, taking the particular conditions and requirements of the automobile into account.Apart from developing concepts for flexible man/machine interfaces (MMI), BMW Car IT establishes the infrastructure for networking information (integrated data management) and downloading new services and applications (software downloading) into the car.
Building on these overriding strategies, the specialists are able to implement improved and innovative vehicle functions in areas such as information and communication, chassis control and drivetrain management.
In particular, these include applications such as navigation, telematics, online services, or options to personalise and customise the car. In future, for example, the latest information on traffic diversions or construction site bottlenecks might be downloaded into the navigation system through open software architecture, even crossing national borders in the process.
Last but certainly not least, integrated data management overcomes the limits to individual settings and control options within the car. Centralised data management of service-relevant information, for example, offers the great benefit of enabling the car to monitor itself, consistently covering all critical data at all times. This serves to detect potentially risky conditions at an early point, remedying such conditions by remote diagnosis wherever necessary. And at the same time software is becoming increasingly significant in driver-oriented systems, some outstanding examples being x-by-wire technologies, air conditioning, driving dynamics, brake and safety functions, as well as driver assistance systems.
The objective is to offer the customer even more stability and comfort, together with the option to use the various functions according to specific, individual requirements.