Engineering:Personal Car Communicator
A Personal Car Communicator (PCC) is a remote-control key fob system developed by Volvo Cars to provide information about a vehicle's lock and alarm status.[1] The system was introduced as a security feature on the second-generation Volvo S80, and Volvo stated that it was also available as an option on the V70 and XC70.[1]
Background
Volvo had previously presented a related system, the Volvo Personal Communicator (VPC), as part of its safety technology development.[2] The VPC concept used two-way communication between the car and a remote control unit and included functions such as passive unlocking, personal settings and a heartbeat sensor intended to warn if someone was inside the vehicle.[2]
The production Personal Car Communicator was promoted with the all-new Volvo S80.[3] Volvo described the PCC as an optional pocket-sized remote control that could provide information about whether the car was locked, whether the alarm had been triggered, and whether somebody might be inside the vehicle.[3]
Operation
The PCC uses two-way communication between the car and the remote key.[1] When the owner presses the information button, the remote key can display the vehicle's lock and alarm status through indicator lights.[1] Volvo stated that the PCC could provide status information at a range of up to about 100 m, and could retain the most recent information when the owner was outside the communication range.[1]
The system uses different indicator lights to show vehicle status. A green light indicates that the car is locked and that nothing abnormal has occurred, a yellow light indicates that the car is unlocked, and a red light indicates that the alarm has been activated.[1] Two flashing red lights indicate that a person may be present in the car.[1] Contemporary coverage by Wired described the PCC as providing lock, alarm and intruder-status information at a range of about 60 to 100 m, using a heartbeat sensor to help detect whether someone was inside the vehicle.[4]
Availability and recognition
Volvo stated in 2007 that the PCC was available as an option on the all-new Volvo S80, V70 and XC70.[1] The system received the Innovation Award at the 2007 British Insurance Car Security Awards, announced at Thatcham, the Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre.[1] A syndicated version of Volvo's 2007 announcement was also carried by Cision, giving an additional archived source for the award announcement.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 "Volvo Cars' unique Personal Car Communicator (PCC) has won the Innovation award at the 2007 British Insurance Car Security Awards". 21 June 2007. https://www.volvocars.com/intl/media/press-releases/45DF7961D9F54745/.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Volvo Personal Communicator (VPC)". 11 November 2001. https://www.volvocars.com/intl/media/press-releases/F60980FF422E3763/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Volvo S80 helps to ease security worries". 3 July 2006. https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/press/releases/2006/personal-car-communicator.shtml.
- ↑ Ansaldo, Mike (6 June 2007). "Safety is Key with Volvo's Personal Car Communicator". Wired. https://www.wired.com/2007/06/safety-is-key-w/. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
- ↑ "Volvo Cars' unique Personal Car Communicator (PCC) has won the Innovation award at the 2007". 21 June 2007. https://news.cision.com/volvo-cars-global/r/volvo-cars--unique-personal-car-communicator--pcc--has-won-the-innovation-award-at-the-2007,c4203175.
 |  |
