At that time, some insiders even broke the news that in order to form a team, Apple even spared no expense to dig talents from companies such as Tesla.
20 16? In 2008, Tesla CEO Musk broke the news that Apple had launched a car-making project called Titan. At the same time, he also said that a large number of talents related to electric vehicles have been poached by Apple, and it is impossible to only produce mobile phones.
From where? 20 17? Since 2006, Apple's focus has shifted from "building cars" to "autonomous driving". Also in this year, Cook publicly acknowledged the fact that Apple is developing autonomous driving technology. At the same time, Apple announced that the patented technology related to automobiles is also increasing year by year.
Recently, the "Titan" project of Apple Inc. of the United States recently submitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (U.S.? Patents? And then what? Trademark? Office) submitted a patent application to provide a safety solution for self-driving vehicles when changing lanes.
For a time, the news that Apple built a car spread throughout the industry. So, what kind of car will Apple's iCar be?
Judging from the patented technology announced by Apple, it mainly involves vehicle shape design, in-vehicle cockpit and autonomous driving technology. ?
First of all, in the vehicle design, it reflects the humanization of Apple. In addition to the traditional door opening mode, the door can be opened in a sliding way in a narrow parking space or in the external environment where the vehicle is close, based on the adaptive positioning of the body sensor data.
(environmental adaptation door)
Also changed is the bumper outside the car. Different from the traditional fixed type, if there is a vehicle collision accident, the bumper of the Apple car can be replaced according to the collision situation to absorb the impact force and avoid damaging the vehicle. ?
Due to the inflatable structure, the inflated bumper can be extended when the vehicle collides. 20- 160mm absorbs the impact force to avoid damaging the vehicle. At the same time, according to the different objects being hit, the front end of the bumper reacts differently to reduce the impact of the collision on the passengers in the car.
Elastic bumper with deformation effect?
In the cabin, Apple's safety improvements abound.
Different from ordinary vehicles, the internal seat layout of self-driving cars is not the same. Apple redesigned the airbag, not only with an inflatable barrier in the side window, but also with an airbag installed at the top of the cockpit or in the seat belt.
Secondly, in the automatic driving link, Apple has applied for two patents of neural network control for self-driving cars. This technology can be used for multi-task output, including lane change, pedestrian observation, motion control and so on. You know, Apple has already applied artificial intelligence to its mobile phones, tablets and other devices. ?
In a self-driving car, passengers only need to combine gestures and voice to park their cars in the corresponding position. If the position accuracy is not good, you can also use the virtual joystick of iPhone for fine adjustment.
(Imaginary picture of Apple car cockpit)
In addition, passengers can control the vehicle by touching or using gestures to control the inductive settings on the safety belt, including window height, seat position, multimedia player and so on. The seat belt is also equipped with a microphone and a speaker to facilitate passengers to talk, and the microphone can also monitor passengers' stress/emotional health based on voice.
Of course, for safety reasons, the sensor on the seat belt can measure the vital signs of passengers, including heart rate, body temperature, blood alcohol content and so on. Seat belts are powered by solar energy. It is a good time to "charge" the seat belt when the vehicle is parked outdoors during the day. ?
It is worth noting that a patent exposed on 20 18 shows that Apple can provide information for drivers or passengers behind transparent surfaces by "laying" a layer of computer images on transparent surfaces such as glass. ?
Simply put, Apple projects the calculated image (that is, augmented reality) onto the windshield, which is convenient for drivers to view real-time road conditions and other information. In the example given by Apple, augmented reality can be used for real-time navigation of road conditions, which is more widely used than current HUD devices.
(apple cAR ar? Concept map of windshield)
At the same time, the co-pilot can watch streaming video on the windshield, and the driver can use it? Facetime？ Video call. The former is completed by installing screens on most vehicles, while the latter does not require drivers to use mobile phones in the car, which is the best proof that Apple wants to use mobile phones instead of screens. ?
It is worth mentioning that Titan's new patented components will ensure the driver's comfort to the greatest extent while taking into account aerodynamics, and also meet the needs of a wider range of self-driving vehicles for safe driving and normal lane change. By then, Tesla will have a strong competitor. ?
Finally:
It is not a year or two for Apple to build a car. As one of the companies with the highest market value in the world, the automotive sector may be a larger and more potential consumer market than mobile phones. At the same time, driverless car technology is also the general direction of future car development, and Apple certainly does not want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Maybe in the near future, we can see the true face of iCar.
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.