Continental, the German automotive giant, recently unveiled its smartphone integration system for all Vehicle Classes. The multifunctional smartphone terminal (MFST) offers vehicle manufacturers the foundation for car drivers to use the smartphone functions easily, conveniently and safely in their vehicle. The new terminal is to go into production in 2015.
The main idea behind the product is not just to improve convenience, but also to improve safety for the driver. This is the first time the automotive supplier is providing a multifunctional terminal for easy and secure smartphone integration in passenger cars.
“The multifunctional smartphone terminal puts an end to tangled phone cables once and for all. All the driver has to do is place the smartphone in the box in the cockpit. He or she can then use the car’s controls to access all the relevant features during the journey. At the same time, the phone is charged wirelessly,” Andreas Wolf, head of the Body & Security business unit, Continental explained.
The multifunctional smartphone terminal combines wireless charging of the smartphone battery, wireless antenna coupling, and near field communications (NFC). One key innovation is that these three features do not require a cable connecting the phone to the vehicle. Moreover, the modular design allows vehicle manufacturers to decide which features they want to offer in their models.
The wireless charging system meets the “Qi” standard specified by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC). Continental believes this standard is ideal for use in vehicles. For example, it offers similar charging currents to standard USB charging connections and has similar charging times to those of cable charging systems.
Many smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S5, S4 and S3, the LG G2, and the Nokia Lumia 1020, 925, 820 and 720, can easily be equipped for wireless charging by simply replacing their back covers with a Qi-compatible one. Qi-compatible cases are also available for the Apple iPhone 5S, 5, 4S, and 4. Some models support the Qi standard right out of the box, without a special back cover. These include the Nokia Lumia 1520, 930 and 920, the Google Nexus 5 and 4, and the LG Optimus G Pro.
