Increasing electronics content, growing computing power, and proliferation of opportunities for information connectivity (through improved sensors, GPS, road and traffic information systems, wireless internet access, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, etc.) are technology trends which can significantly transform and impact future automotive vehicle's control and diagnostic strategies. One aspect of the increasing vehicle connectivity is access to ambient and road condition information, such as ambient temperature, ambient pressure, humidity, % cloudiness, visibility, cloud ceiling, precipitation, rain droplet size, wind speed, and wind direction based on wireless internet access.
The paper discusses the potential opportunities made available through wireless communication between the vehicle and the internet. It describes the structure of a vehicle based architecture which enables communication of data from an internet information provider down to the powertrain control module in an experimental implementation in a test vehicle.