It’s not just a matter of view
Siemens VDO presents Centrobase modular instrumentation for agricultural vehicles
Hanover, November 06, 2005
At Agritechnica 2005 in Hanover (Germany), Siemens VDO is exhibiting its modular Centrobase instrumentation designed to keep development and production costs of future agricultural vehicle instrumentation reasonable, despite continuously expanding variety in the market segment. Based on industry standards, the instrumentation allows manufacturers to maximize design freedom and optimize development and production costs.
In developing the Centrobase modular instrument cluster Siemens VDO has built on its long years of experience in instrumentation not only for agricultural and construction equipment but also for heavy commercial vehicles. Centrobase offers vehicle manufacturers free reign in choosing features, and the design can be adapted to the respective target market and area of application. The manufacturer can choose to emphasize classic round displays or multifunctional digital displays. At Agritechnica 2005 Siemens VDO is exhibiting the Centrobase 300, a round instrument with digital and analogue displays, and Centrobase 500, an instrument cluster with three round instruments and an additional digital display.
Various hardware platforms are available for different classes of vehicles, and the basic equipment packages differ only in the control and communications features offered. The basic electronics platform interfaces are designed to meet customer requirements. Nearly any type of round instrument or digital display can be controlled in the high-end package.
Display control programs are created with a graphically-based development system. This allows the engineers to automatically create the program code at a faster rate and react quickly to functional changes. Displays are defined in the model-based development environment, which allows for functionality simulation and testing in the early design stages. The electronics platform’s central element is a 32-bit processor that communicates with other vehicle systems via high-speed CAN interfaces.
The instruments are designed to meet the requirements of the manufacturer, and factor in the drivers’ ergonomic needs. Siemens VDO’s years of experience in this field ensure easily readable instruments in every driving situation. Thanks to its variable architecture, the new system is ready to accommodate future developments in the vehicle and telematics market. Siemens VDO offers manufacturers and vehicle owners the assurance of having chosen the right electronics technology.
Siemens VDO Automotive is one of the world's leading suppliers of electronics and mechatronics to the automotive industry. In the 2004 business year (30.9.), Siemens VDO Automotive generated sales of EUR 9.0 billion with about 48,000 employees. The service and trading activities, the special original equipment manufacturing as well as all content software business for navigation systems are bundled within the Service & Special Solutions business unit. With the VDO, VDO Dayton and Siemens VDO product brands, the company’s portfolio ranges from car navigation, car multimedia and sophisticated car audio systems to telematics solutions for private and public vehicle fleets. Industrial and marine products for original equipment manufacturers with low volumes or special requirements, genuine brand replacement parts and spare part service for end of production vehicles complete the product portfolio. Service & Special Solutions is one of the leading service and trading companies in the automotive market. With 2.600 employees the business unit runs separate production and development locations and is present in 80 countries and all relevant distribution channels.
Reference Number: SV 200511.003 en
