DETROIT mdash; Japanese auto supplier Denso is developing an "instantaneous radiant heater" mdash; a quick-heating device that "bridges those nasty moments" until your vehicle's engine warms up. Denso said an infrared light generates heat with this device, instantly taking the chill out of the cabin and warming the driver's feet. Such a device may hit the market in the next couple of years.
The supplier has also created an "oxygen concentration conditioner," which supplies oxygen-enriched air to the cabin. This accessory helps to maintain a more normal oxygen level inside the vehicle, via an oxygen enrichment film, so the air that passes through the film has an increased amount of oxygen. More oxygen keeps the driver alert.
Denso said it has also installed its new matrix infrared ray sensor or matrix IR sensor in the . The sensor gives a high-accuracy body-temperature reading of rear passengers in the car and is said to be the first of its kind to be used in a vehicle cabin. The sensor information alerts the air-conditioning system and corrects temperature differences in the cabin.
The supplier said it is also developing a flat-panel A/C controller that draws "styling cues from the latest in convenience trends." The rotary knobs for temperature settings are flush to the panel surface when not in use and activated when a hand is sensed just prior to touching. Denso is also working on "non-line-of-sight" vehicle communications systems that would take such technology as vision cameras and on-vehicle radar systems a step further.
The new technology would extend the sensor range around a corner or in a blind spot. Denso says it's "the next step in radio communications.
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