Infineon backs intelligent emergency call systems
Infineon Technologies has become the first semiconductor maker to pledge its full support for a European Commission automotive safety initiative.
The move adds momentum to eCall, a pan-European proposal launched by the Commission with the goal of encouraging EU member states as well as automakers, mobile operators, service businesses and automotive supply businesses to collaborate on the development of an integrated, automatic accident alert system for automobiles.
The European Commission hopes that eCall will radically lower the number of accident victims in Europe – 41,000 in 2007 – and help to bring down accident-related costs from the €180 billion reported last year.
An eCall system records data from key safety components in a car (the airbags, rollover sensors, etc.) via a CAN interface and, in the event of an accident, transmits this data to an emergency call center along with location information supplied by a GPS navigation module. This enables an appropriate emergency response to the accident situation to be mounted without delay. The eCall system automatically converts the information into plain text for display on screens in the emergency call center, eliminating possible comprehension issues as well as problems stemming from inaccurate location information.
Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart, President and CEO of Infineon Technologies, commented as follows on the signing of the MOU: “With our competency in semiconductor solutions for automobiles as well as communications, I believe that Infineon is in an outstanding position to be ready to begin volume production for Europe’s eCall emergency call system according to plan, within the two-year timeframe. We’re already shipping initial samples to partners in the automotive industry for large-scale field testing.”
Read more on: Automotive, Electronics
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