Human Machine Interfaces for Advanced Multi Media Applications in Commercial Vehicles

Advances in technology have led to a growing integration of assistance and entertainment systems into cars, trucks and busses. Applications such as navigation, telephone, audio, and speed control are state of the art. In the realm of cars, office applications such as internet or e-mail will soon turn Driver-Information-Systems into advanced CarPCs. Trucks are equipped with telematic fleet-management appliances, busses with sophisticated entertainment systems. Additional systems provide information about tire pressure or the state of the engine. While these new developments provide valuable information, using them on the road draws the driver’s attention, thus posing safety risks. Today’s dashboards consist of many different user-interfaces for different applications. To improve usability and safety, integrated systems should provide a single human-machine-interface for all subsystems.