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The Most Complex Car .
. . . packed full of
electronics in a
way never
before
seen
DaimlerChrysler has
recently released its
“Maybach” luxury sedans –
amongst the most expensive
cars ever built and certainly
the most complex.
T
he cars are simply jammed with electronics – there
is barely a function or component that isn’t either
electronic or controlled electronically. In fact, there
are no less than 76 electronic control units in the car! Let’s
have a quick look at some of the highlights.
To suggest that the rear compartment is luxurious is
something of an understatement. Seated behind a glass
partition that can vary in transparency via a sandwiched
liquid crystal membrane (a glass sunroof
uses the same technology), passengers can
electrically adjust the fore-aft movement
and backrest angle, with the latter able to
be reclined to 47°. A memory facility allows
these settings to be recalled.
In addition, the seats contain a pneumatic lumbar massage function, whereby
an internal bag is alternately filled and
relieved of air.
If the buyer requests, the rear seats can
also be equipped with active ventilation:
eight fans can be adjusted in three stages
to waft air through the seat perforations.
Not including the optional fans, each
rear seat contains seven electric motors,
complete with their own electronic
control unit.
Part of the programming of the system
involved ensuring that the occupant’s
body was always fully supported while
movement was taking place.
4 Silicon Chip
Between the rear seats is the entertainment console. This
includes a DVD player, radio (includes VHF reception), TV
tuner, 6-disc CD changer, two telephone systems, a refrigerator compartment with its own electric compressor – oh
yes, and a system that holds in place a champagne bottle
and fine sterling silver goblets (they’re not electronic but
we just thought you’d like to know about them!).
The centre rear console also contains controls for the
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. . in theWorld
central locking, the TELEAID system through which help
can be gained in an emergency (more on this below), intercom system and sockets for connecting a camcorder, MP3
player or video games.
Home theatre in the car
In the rear of each front seat is mounted a 9.5-inch TFT
flat screen. Displayed on the screens can be the TV program (PAL, SECAM and NTSC can all be received), the
output of the DVD player or various car system controls.
As passengers are watching the movie, they can enjoy the
Dolby digital surround sound effects through the Bose
sound system.
The system has a total audio
output of 600 watts and uses
no less than 21 speakers. A
sound processor is equipped
with an interior microphone
to detect any changes within
the cabin (eg, a variation in the
number of occupants) and it
adjusts the output to suit.
The driver and front passenger are provided with a centrally-mounted 6.5-inch colour TFT
screen. SMS, WAP and email can
all be accessed with this display.
However, DVD and TV reception is not available on the front
screen once the vehicle’s speed
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by Julian Edgar
exceeds 8km/h. The front screen also displays the navigation system output.
The DVD-based system includes the entire European
road network, in addition to information on the locations
of petrol stations, railway stations, airports, hotels and
restaurants. A dynamic route guidance facility takes into
account information received via the Traffic Message Channel of the Radio Data System. This traffic message system
is available in Germany and the Netherlands.
Climate control air-conditioning
The climate control system of the
car uses two complete systems. In
addition to temperature, it also automatically takes into account the
intensity of the sunshine, pollutant
levels in the outside atmosphere and
the humidity.
The systems use two infinitely
adjustable refrigerant compressors
and in conditions where there is an
external temperature of 48°C and a
solar insolation of 1kW per square
metre, they are said to be able to drop
the interior temperature from 70°C
to 25°C “within minutes”.
Each of the four occupants is able
to adjust their own air temperature
and air flow. These personal settings are stored in the memory of
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the appropriate electronic ignition key – presumably for
when the car is being used with many different chauffeur/
occupant combinations.
The rear passengers have no less than ten air outlets.
With the exception of the footwells, the airflow through
each outlet can be individually controlled via means of
a control wheel operating electric motor-actuated flaps
inside the vents.
Some of the systems being controlled
include:
The Parktronic system, where
ultrasonic sensors on the front and
rear bumpers are used to measure
the distances to the nearest objects.
The driver is informed of this via a
display and acoustic signals.
Distronic – proximity-based
cruise control system that uses a radar sensor located behind the front
bumper and maintains a constant
gap to the car in front. The system
can apply the brakes in addition
to modulating the throttle.
Linguatronic (no, I didn’t
make the name up!) is a voice
control system that can be used to
operate the audio, communication and navigation systems.
In fact, only the sound volume cannot be changed by voice
command – one assumes because if it gets too loud it may
not be able to hear shouted commands to quieten down!
An electronic Keyless-Go system automatically
unlocks the doors and bootlid as the driver approaches
the car. The electronic ignition key receives signals from
induction aerials located in the doors, in the centre console, beneath the parcel shelf and in the rear bumper.
The key then sends out an identification code; if this
code corresponds to the value stored in the memory,
the driver can enter the vehicle immediately or open
the boot lid. Pressing a button on the shift lever of the
automatic transmission then starts the engine.
Passenger protection
Should the vehicle be involved in a crash, the
TELEAID system automatically calls for help through
the car’s fixed-installation phone. In addition to
informing emergency services of the accident, the
system also guides the services to the scene. The
system can be triggered by either the airbag sensor
or the roll-over sensor.
In addition, vehicle occupants are able to send an
SOS at any time by pressing either of the two cabin-mounted red SOS buttons. TELEAID is currently
operational in Germany, the USA and Japan.
The airbags are of a two-stage design. These take
However, these motors are actually under the control of
the climate control electronics, making it possible to vary
the distribution of air without affecting the volume of air
flowing into the cabin – which can be as great as 715 cubic
metres/hour. In total, the climate control system uses 14
electric motors.
Also available (as an option) is a roof-mounted 63-watt
solar panel which circulates air through the interior of the
car when the ignition is switched off.
Driving the monster
The 76 electronic control units in the car communicate
via four CAN databus networks and an optical databus.
6 Silicon Chip
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Powerful headlights,
LED tail lights
into account the mass of the individual seat occupants and
the severity of the crash impact to inflate the bags either
partially or completely.
In addition to driver and passenger airbags, there are
four side airbags (each integrated into a seat backrest)
and four window bags which deploy curtain-like across
the side windows. As well as inflating in a side impact,
the window bags are triggered during a rollover.
Of course, a car like this would never break down
but should the unthinkable happen, help can be gained
through the Telediagnosis service.
By pressing a button on the car phone, communication
is established with a central Customer Assistance Centre.
A customer adviser is then able to speak to the driver
while at the same time viewing data transmitted from
the car – vehicle and engine model, year of manufacture,
engine temperature, battery voltage, mileage and any fault
or warning messages stored in the memory. The vehicle
location is also transmitted. Telediagnosis is currently
available in Germany and the USA.
Shortly before the next service is due, the car automatically contacts – via its phone – the Customer Assistance
Centre, and transmits details of the vehicle’s condition
and any necessary maintenance work that is required.
Personnel at the centre then arrange for this work to be
completed at the service.
Gas discharge headlights are fitted to
the Maybach. Unusually, the gas-discharge
lights are used on both high and low beams,
with a shutter sliding between the lamp and
the lens to obscure the upper part of the
beam when low-beam is being used. On high
beam the shutter is retracted and additional
halogen spotlights in the inner headlights
are switched on.
With the exception of the reversing lights,
the tail-lights are fully LED – a total of 528
LEDs is used. The high-mount centre brake
light and the side indicator repeaters in the
exterior mirror housings also use LEDs.
The complete lighting system is managed
by an electronic control unit that has various
emergency lighting functions stored in its memory.
Should a data link or electronic control unit fail, the
automatic emergency program comes into operation, preventing failure of the complete lighting system.
And if a bulb fails, other lights are automatically switched
on to compensate.
Power to burn
The non-electronic technologies of the Maybach are
just as advanced – from the automatic height-controlled
air suspension, glass that contains an intermediate layer
of four plastic membranes to reduce noise transmittance,
to the 405kW twin turbocharged 5.5-litre V12 engine,
which can accelerate the 2.7-tonne Maybach to 100km/h
in an astonishing 5.2 seconds.
Whether you see the Maybach as an obscene example of an excess of wealth being used to squander
the earth’s resources or alternatively, as one of the
most admirable cars ever built, rather depends on
your viewpoint. But you can be certain that many of
the electronic technologies seen in the Maybach will
trickle down to cars that you and I are likely to be
driving in the future.
SC
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