There is a quiet revolution going on in Detroit these days, triggered by tiny electronic devices that will make future cars safer, more reliable and more economical.

The reason automotive designers are taking a creative look at electronics is that solid-state devices such as integrated circuits offer such advantages as long life, high reliability, low power consumption, low cost, compactness, lightweight and cool operation.

By the end of this decade, the automotive industry should be using $3 billion worth of electronic components and devices for automotive systems such as obstacle detectors, anti-skid braking systems, sobriety detectors, variable speed windshield wipers and ignition systems which reduce pollution, according to industry forecasts cited by Bernard V. Vonderschmitt, Vice President and General Manger, RCA Solid State Division.

Already the industry has started to feel the influence of solid-state equipment which is controlled by transistors or by complex integrated circuits no bigger than the head of a pin. And most people are beginning to realize the impact these electronics will have on the design of automobiles in the years immediately ahead.

Perhaps one of the most dramatic inroads of solid state electronics in the automotive field was the introduction of electronic ignition by the Chrysler Corporation as standard equipment on all 1973 model Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth cars. Electronic ignition improves combustion, thereby reducing pollution, a prime goal for Detroit in light of Federal regulations being imposed on the automotive industry.

While Detroit does expect to pass the cost of electronics on to the consumer, total operating costs of a car may actually be reduced. For example, Chrysler says that its electronic ignition system significantly reduces tune-up problems by eliminating the condenser and distributor points. An average car driver, using electronic ignition, can eliminate two tune-ups in the first year he owns a car. The costs of those tune-ups exceed the cost of electronic ignition. And since the car derives better mileage, he quickly recovers more than the initial cost, according to Chrysler.

Vonderschmitt estimates by 1980 auto manufacturers may be spending as much on solid-state electronic systems as on the engine in every car they make. The reason is that the new integrated circuits can be used to sense and process electronically the information needed to command such functions as steering, braking and collision avoidance.

A few luxury cars today employ adaptive braking systems, that is, braking systems that sense skids and automatically adjust the braking pressures on individual wheels to control the skids. In response to Federal legislation, 1974 model trucks will be equipped with new anti-skid braking systems. And the systems will be solid state. Similar braking systems will find their way into automobiles over the next few years.

RCA has successfully tested a radar speedometer for use with anti-skid braking systems. Unlike present speedometers, which record the wheel speed, the radar unit provides the true ground speed of the car and this information improves the performance of the anti-skid systems. In addition, RCA engineers expect that the radar speedometer will one day replace mechanical speedometers. The mechanical systems have to be designed, or adjusted, specifically for the vehicle they are installed on, depending upon the size of the wheels and rear-end gear ratios. One model of the radar speedometer could be used for all types of cars and trucks, regardless of their wheel sizes and gear ratios.

By 1980 Vonderschmitt predicts every car will be equipped with a central processing unit, or small computer. The computer will process many functions from speed and mileage to engine performance and obstacle detection. But the computer will do more than read out performance and display it for the driver. For example, information on engine temperature and RPM, fuel flow and temperature, mixture, etc. will be measured and compared. The computer will-then send control signals via power transistors to the engine and fuel system to improve engine efficiency and performance. All this without any action by the driver,