Mexican Media Brands
Ford Chimes In
Many electronic features in today's vehicles come with their own audio alerts.
#electronics
Share
Many electronic features in today's vehicles come with their own audio alerts. But as new functions are added, their chimes, bells and pings make it increasingly difficult for drivers to distinguish among devices or notice important safety warnings.
The challenge is growing as the usual bongs to warn drivers about open doors, unfastened seatbelts and lights left on are joined by audio alerts for timers, incoming text messages, blind spot detection and more.
Enter Ford Motor Co.'s newly named vehicle harmony team. A part of the Vehicle Engineering Div., its mission is to break through the clutter and make audio alerts intuitive and instantly identifiable.
The solution, Ford says, is to consider the vehicle in its entirety instead of simply adding a new sound, warning light or haptic feedback for each new device. The Dearborn, Mich.-based harmony team also works with its counterparts at Ford's facilities in Asia, Europe and South America to better coordinate such functions on a global basis.
RELATED CONTENT
-
On the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro: The Sixth Generation
The fifth-generation Camaro brought the nameplate back from what could have been oblivion. The sixth is taking it in the right direction.
-
GM Develops a New Electrical Platform
GM engineers create a better electrical architecture that can handle the ever-increasing needs of vehicle systems
-
2018 Ford EcoSport: Small Is the New Big
Eric Loeffler, chief program engineer for the 2018 Ford EcoSport, recalls driving home from work one day from the product development center in Brazil where work was underway on developing the vehicle that will be coming to the U.S. in 2018, having been launched in 2003 in South America and is now become available in 140 countries around the world.