Delphi's Sophisticated Approach to Systems Design Offers Simplicity in Operation for 'Driver Focus'

    Delphi emphasizes good product design and systems approach at SAE 2001

    DETROIT, March 5 Delphi Automotive Systems is
developing products and human-machine interface systems that help drivers keep
"their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road."
    (Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001019/DELPHIAS )
    Here today at the Society of Automotive Engineers 2001 World Congress,
Delphi officials also discussed how the company is using product design and
systems expertise to help improve driver focus and address market demand.
    "People have expressed a desire to be more productive while commuting, and
the vehicle is awash in a sea of portable electronic devices," said J.T.
Battenberg III, Delphi chairman, chief executive officer and president.  "At
Delphi, we are developing mobile multimedia technologies that will help
drivers stay more focused and productive."
    These Delphi technologies will include the Communiport(R) Mobile
Productivity Center and integrated telematics systems that allows drivers to
make hands-free cell phone calls through voice commands; and "smart" receivers
that provide turn-by-turn navigation assistance, integrated phone, e-mail and
Internet access, all through voice-to-text and text-to-speech software.
    Delphi highlighted its human-machine-interface-based, driver-focus
solutions for the vehicle through the company's display at the SAE Strategic
Alliance (SSA) Driver Focus Technology Pavilion (booth #2558) in Cobo Hall.
    Delphi's emphasis on good product design and systems will help the company
address the two central elements of driver focus -- biomechanical interface
and cognitive focus.
    The biomechanical element considers how the driver physically interacts
with the vehicle.  The cognitive element relates to reducing the driver's
workload management to help keep focus.

    GOOD PRODUCT DESIGN - ADDRESSING BIOMECHANICAL INTERFACE
    At the SSA exhibit, Delphi demonstrated how the product design of the
Communiport(R) Mobile Productivity Center, the "MPCpro," allows for
convenient, hands-free operation.
    The MPCpro docks a cell phone with a Palm V or Vx personal hand-held
computer.  The Palm unit and the telephone sit side-by-side in a specially
designed cradle that allows users hands-free access to their Palm content and
the ability to make hands-free phone calls.
    "We have designed the MPCpro to be easy and intuitive to learn, all while
allowing the user to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road," said
Bob Schumacher, Delphi business line director for Wireless Products and
general director of Mobile MultiMedia.
    Important elements of this design work for the MPCpro include the
following:

    *  "One-touch, one-step" approach.  The MPCpro has only one button, which
is used to initiate voice recognition.
    *  Speaker independent, continuous voice recognition.  The MPCpro
represents the first retail product that will allow the user to speak to a
machine continuously, rather than in monosyllabic commands.
    *  Text-to-speech interface to "read" data.  The MPCpro features text-to-
speech software that enables the unit to read the Palm data to the user.  Both
the text-to-speech and voice-recognition software make the MPCpro easier for
users, with a simple menu of intuitive commands.
    *  Hands-free phone use.  Users can make hands-free phone calls either by
accessing a name in the Palm phone book or by calling out the person's name or
by speaking individual numbers.
    *  Disabling of the Palm screen while in use.  As a safety precaution, the
MPCpro is designed to disable the Palm display while it is docked in the
MPCpro cradle, so that the Palm information is accessible only through the
text-to-speech interface (i.e., the unit must read the content to the user).

    "Through these design elements, we've virtually eliminated the need for
the driver to be physically interacting with the unit," Schumacher said.  "The
MPCpro will provide much easier use of multiple handheld devices currently
used in the vehicle."

    WORKLOAD MANAGEMENT - ADDRESSING COGNITIVE DISTRACTION
    Delphi is further addressing the cognitive element of driver focus with
its workload management systems.
    "We want to help reduce the workload management of the driver," said Dick
Lind, director, Delphi Delco Electronics Systems advanced engineering.
"Through workload management, we can provide a safer driving environment
through the integration of mobile multimedia, safety and driver awareness
systems."
    Delphi's workload management system employs software that evaluates and
prioritizes all information coming into the car and to the driver.  The system
limits the transmission of information when situations such as high speed, low
temperatures, or objects on the road ahead require focused driver attention.
    Examples of how Delphi is integrating systems that will help the driver
with workload management include:

    *  EyeCue(TM) Head-Up Display (available today), which projects vital
information (such as speed, fuel level, and more) onto the windshield in the
driver's line of vision
    *  Forewarn(R) Adaptive Cruise Control (available today), which is a
radar-based system that helps ensure that a safe distance is maintained
between vehicles during cruise control operation, even in the most congested
traffic
    *  Turn-by-turn voice-based navigation systems (available today), which
reads the directions to the driver
    *  Forewarn(R) Collision Warning Systems, which provide functional alerts
to assist drivers in detecting road threats.  The Forewarn portfolio includes,
in addition to Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Warning (available
in the future), Back-Up Aid (available soon), and Pre-Crash Sensing Systems
(available in the future) that use radar and vision technologies
    *  Advanced Driver Monitoring (under development), which may use a
combination of biological sensors, eye-tracking devices and vehicle-steering
information to provide information on driver alertness

    "Through these workload management systems, the driver may be alerted to
an oncoming threat or the vehicle itself may take corrective action to help
avoid a collision," Lind said.
    Further, Delphi has designed safeguards so that some technologies are
temporarily disabled in certain conditions, Schumacher said.  "For example,
with our Communiport Infotainment PC, the navigation screen can be programmed
only when the vehicle is in 'park,'" Schumacher said.  "Also, the driver will
not be able to send e-mails while in 'drive,' he or she will only be able to
receive them."
    For more information about Delphi Automotive Systems, visit Delphi's
Virtual Press Room at http://www.delphiauto.com/vpr .