It is reported that Hyundai and Kia Motors announced the successful development of the world's first "ICT (Information and Communication Technology) Connected Shift System" that can be used for road ahead prediction. This system can help vehicles automatically recognize the road and traffic conditions ahead, and change the best gear according to the road conditions in real time, which improves the user's driving experience while reducing fuel consumption. Hyundai and Kia Motors plan to apply the technology to subsequent new models.

At present, most of the models of Hyundai and Kia Motors are equipped with "smart driving mode", which can automatically change speed according to the driver's habits, but cannot change speed in real time according to road and traffic conditions. The first "ICT Connected Shift System" is further upgraded. With the support of many new eye-catching technologies, it can flexibly respond to various vehicle scenarios and complex road conditions. It is reported that about 40 core technologies of the system during the research and development process have been applied for patents worldwide.

▲ICT Connected Shift System▲

The technical principle of the ICT Connected Shift System is mainly to integrate the output information of each component, convert it into intelligent signals and transfer them to the TCU (Transmission Control Unit). Then TCU makes predictions through artificial intelligence calculations and adjusts gears and speeds in a timely manner.

The technology first gathers information from various instruments, including road height, camber, type, coordinates, and emergency conditions output by the 3D navigation system; vehicle distance and radar vehicle speed information output from the radar ahead; Lane and forward vision information, etc. After receiving the signal, the TCU predicts the optimal transmission scheme through intelligent calculation and changes the appropriate gear according to the scheme. When long-distance inertial driving conditions are predicted, the transmission will be temporarily adjusted to neutral to improve fuel efficiency.

▲ICT Connected Shift System Testing▲

Vehicles equipped with the ICT Connected Shift System can monitor the speed bumps ahead of the road, downhill roads, and road speed limit changes. As long as the driver releases the throttle, the engine brake is automatically activated. At the same time, the radar in front can also sense the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle in front, and reduce the risk of accidents by automatically adjusting the transmission.

According to reports, vehicles equipped with this technology can reduce the frequency of shifting by about 43% at corners, and the braking frequency is also reduced by about 11%, reducing driver fatigue. In addition, Hyundai and Kia Motors plans to further promote the intelligent development of the ICT Connected Shift System, based on LTE or 5G communications, to achieve interconnection with signal lights, understand driver habits and apply them to shift control.