Autonomous & Connected Car News: new software & platforms

There have been multiple announcements from software suppliers of connected car platforms, recently. Here is round-up of all the latest announcements in alphabetical order from Airbiquity, AGL, Continental, HARMAN, HERE, INRIX, Microsoft, Nuance, On Semi Conductor, Panasonic, Qualcomm, Quanergy, QNX (BlackBerry), Renesas and ZF. The announcements include software for OTA updates, IVI, mapping, analytics for service, smart cities, connected enterprise, autonomous driving, ADAS and other automotive software systems.

Airbiquity and Vector AUTOSTAR OTA Updates

Airbiquity, and Vector, a leading manufacturer of automotive electronic systems, components, networking, and software tools announced a collaboration to enable AUTOSAR (Automotive Open Systems Architecture) compliant over-the-air (OTA) software updates for multiple vehicle electronic control units (ECUs).
By combining Airbiquity’s Software & Data Management offering and Choreo service delivery platform with Vector’s Flash Bootloader and communication ECUs, automakers now have an AUTOSAR standard compliant solution allowing them to increase the efficiency of program development while decreasing time to market.

Airbiquity’s Software & Data Management offering—powered by the Choreo service delivery platform—efficiently and securely orchestrates and automates highly targeted and scalable software updates and data collection for connected vehicles. Choreo integrates the diverse spectrum of vehicle systems, connectivity devices, communication networks, back office IT systems, and content and service providers for traditional and emerging connected vehicle services.

Vector’s Flash Bootloader is a compact solution for reprogramming ECUs quickly, efficiently, and securely. Vector Controllers are ECUs for communication purposes in vehicles supporting various bus systems, networks and architectures. Vector ECU technology permits fast program development with qualified hardware and scalable software based on AUTOSAR standards.

Automotive Grade Linux

Automotive Grade Linux (AGL), Linux-based, open platform for the connected car, announced that Daimler is joining The Linux Foundation and Automotive Grade Linux.

Daimler is the tenth automaker to join AGL and will actively contribute to developing the Unified Code Base (UCB), AGL’s connected car platform. The third version of the UCB was recently released.

Continental Updates with OTA Updates

Continental is expanding its portfolio to enable updates of electronic control units across the entire vehicle from powertrain to infotainment systems. Together with the mobile satellite communications company Inmarsat.

Together with Inmarsat, the industry leader in global, mobile satellite communications, Continental will be able to deliver over-the-air updates across the globe through a single network. The growing number of connected vehicles worldwide is driving an increased frequency of updates that demand a scalable, global solution. Inmarsat operates multiple geostationary satellite constellations that provide a two-way data connection combined with global broadcast capability to enable rapid, responsive and efficient over-the-air updates to vehicles everywhere. This will allow Continental’s customers to deploy worldwide update campaigns at the push of a button, bypassing the complexity of dealing with multiple mobile network operators. The cooperation between the companies will also enable vehicles to leverage intelligent routing over satellite and terrestrial wireless (mobile, WiFi) networks to achieve the best quality of service, least cost and highest availability.

Continental vAnalytcis

vAnalytics, offers cloud-based services using the data collected from inside and outside the vehicle. This versatile platform can be adapted for any type of use case where the vehicle remains the same but the driver changes. Rental cars, personal car sharing and dealership test drives are just a few examples. The options are virtually endless. vAnalytics allows the operation of mobility-related services for both B2B and B2C product ranges – in other words, for services aimed directly at the end customer.

The worldwide operation of vAnalytics is currently available. Existing services also include Floor+, a GPS-based tracking system that can be used by rental firms or fleet managers to monitor and track the location of their vehicles. The system supports geofencing, allowing it to limit the operating range of rental or fleet vehicles to certain permitted areas. The software works is a OBD dongle.

Elektrobit Software for EB Robinos Predictor

Elektrobit  announced the first software module for its EB robinos product line — EB robinos Predictor, a solution that provides accurate street map and topographical data for development of predictive driving systems. The new solution features a self-learning algorithm to enable the implementation of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), like predictive headlights, curve speed warning and traffic-sign assistance, which require accurate and up-to-date positioning information.

Announced in 2016, EB robinos is a hardware-agnostic software solution that enables carmakers and Tier 1 automotive suppliers to develop and bring to market highly automated driving (HAD) systems. With EB robinos Predictor, EB has enhanced its popular electronic horizon software — currently on the road in more than three million vehicles — making it accessible to a more diverse range of models.

EB robinos Predictor consists of three optional components: provider, reconstructor, and a self-learning map module. The first component, provider, is also part of the Dynamic eHorizon solution of Continental AG. EB robinos Predictor supports all important map and industry standards like NDS, Volkswagen PSD, BMW ADAS and ADASIS v2.

EB robinos Predictor especially supports free OpenStreetMaps (OSM) which provides carmakers a cost-effective way to offer premium driver assistance features in even their entry-level vehicles. The software uses this mapping information to generate highly precise data, which is interpreted by EB’s electronic horizon reconstructor software module into information usable by the car’s electronic control unit (ECU). This enables cars to prepare for and respond to real-world situations.

Moreover, map data can be incrementally enriched over the air while the vehicle is driving, using EB’s self-learning algorithm, meaning every vehicle always has the most accurate information about the road ahead.

Elektrobit and Argus Cyber Security

Elektrobit and Argus Cyber Security are collaborating to advance the adoption of cyber security in highly connected, autonomous cars.

Together, the companies will be offering a solution to make it easier for automakers to enhance the safety and cyber security of automotive electronic control units (ECUs), which are the embedded systems that control a vehicle’s core functions. The solution integrates the AUTOSAR-compliant Argus Intrusion Detection and Prevention Solution (IDPS), which detects and prevents cyberattacks in vehicles, and EB software and tools for developing secure, state-of-the-art ECUs, based on the AUTOSAR standard.

HARMAN Ignite Platform

HARMAN launched the HARMAN Ignite Platform, delivering its customers seamless management of connectivity, analytics, applications and devices in one place. The new solution largely applies to connected services in the automotive industry, but also extends to the realm of IoT, including Smart Cities and Connected Enterprises.

The HARMAN Ignite Platform is an end-to-end platform that enables connectivity, device management, application enablement, analytics and managed services capabilities. It allows automakers, dealers and service providers to introduce and easily deploy new cloud applications and services. It is both scalable and modular enabling OEMs to initially purchase a base set of functionality — and through their partnership with HARMAN — build on that core base with additional services and capacity as needed. This new platform targets the existing and future demands for scalability, security and flexibility in the provisioning of connected car and IoT services and applications.

Examples of automotive use cases that leverage the HARMAN Ignite Platform are:

• Vehicle Connect: Allows a vehicle to communicate through the cloud to other platforms such as smart homes, smart infrastructures, and vehicle-to-vehicle – which helps simplify, streamline and enhance user experiences.
• Cloud-Based Driver Profiles: Leverages the cloud to set preferences for content in any vehicle the consumer accesses. This solution leverages predictive learning in the vehicle to adjust preferences, provides access to third-party services regardless of vehicle and accommodates cloud portability of preferences and identity.
• Car-as-a-Service: Delivers a cloud service enabling Car Sharing, Ride Sharing and Fleet Management models.
• Vehicle Health and Diagnostics: Offers insights into vehicle health to help build relationships with car owners and improves car performance while increasing dealer service revenue.
• Content Personalization: Delivers personal content intelligently for a driver’s commute.
• Vehicle Analytics: Provides insight into vehicle usage/quality issues for an individual or group of users.

Specific capabilities of the new platform include:

• Connectivity: Facilitating the delivery of data communication services on mobile and other communications networks.
• Analytics: Pre-built analytics models covering common industry-wide scenarios such as warranty analytics and fault detection leveraging real-time machine data.
• Device Management: Enabling remote management and over-the-air updating of devices.
• Application Management: Accelerating and simplifying the development of solutions, providing common horizontal solution components, prebuilt accelerators and scenarios to be re-used across industries & segments.
• Overall Managed Services: Providing services like delivery, analytics, over-the-air updates, device management and other professional services.

HARMAN LIVS

HARMAN revealed it industry leading intelligent cockpit, powered by HARMAN’s compute platform. The system supports an integrated digital assistant and car-to-home IoT functionality, as well as augmented reality navigation. The advanced, comprehensive end-to-end solution offers automakers the ultimate opportunity to customize specific feature content for production readiness within the next 2 to 3 years.

The compute platform runs on HARMAN’s LIVS (Life-Enhancing Intelligent Vehicle Solution) suite, the industry’s most advanced connected car and cloud platform designed to improve driver efficiency while minimizing driver distraction and vehicle complexity. The platform, is the industry’s most complete end-to-end system to provide vehicle cockpit harmonization and intelligent connectivity for more adaptable and personalized user experiences in the car. The system features an object detection suite, coordinated displays, a telematics control unit as well as multi-display system processing.

The HARMAN technology  is designed to seamlessly connect the vehicle to relevant systems to save drivers time and improve their connected lifestyle user experience – in and out of the car. Today’s consumer is focused on technology innovations and according to Autotrader, 65 percent of consumers are willing to switch car brands to get the technology features they want.

HARMAN features:

• Augmented Reality Navigation: Technology blends live-motion video with graphics to provide drivers with a clearer understanding of the road ahead and visual cues for complex intersections. The solution enables a safer, more efficient user experience and provides real time driving data such as traffic flow, accident reporting, construction updates, and real-time road hazards.
• Object Detection Suite: Technology designed to alert drivers to all things on the road. The suite includes: front, rear and surround view cameras, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, blind spot detection and headway monitoring warning.
• Intelligent Digital Personal Assistant: Allows drivers to schedule appointments and makes proactive suggestions such as the best time to get gas based on the day’s schedule.
• Car-to-Home Automation: Keeps your car and home connected for convenience and simplicity, allowing the driver to control their home’s lighting and thermostat from the car.
• Cockpit Harmonization: Designed to put the driver’s user experience at forefront with seamless integration of the center console and instrument cluster allowing for personalization.
• Telematics Control Unit: Drivers can use the unit to perform OTA software updates for any electronic control unit located in the car.
• Multi-Camera System Processing: Integration of 360 degree camera views to provide drivers with awareness of their full surroundings and ability to run multiple displays. The system also monitors, records and assesses the surroundings of the vehicle to generate content via the cluster display.

HERE is There with NIVIDIA

HERE and NVIDIA ( extended their collaboration to develop HERE HD Live Map  for real-time, high-definition mapping solution for autonomous vehicles.The broad collaboration for the solution, which would span the vehicle and the cloud, includes three planned initiatives:

• HERE is accelerating HERE HD Live Map using NVIDIA MapWorks AI technology.
• NVIDIA is developing localization technology based on HERE HD Live Map as part of NVIDIA DriveWorks software — enabling automakers using NVIDIA DRIVE™ PX 2 in the car to integrate localization capability.
• HERE and NVIDIA intend to collaborate on a HERE HD Live Map-based in-vehicle solution to perceive changes in the environment and update the map in the cloud accordingly.

NIVIDA Drive is nominated for a Tech CARS Award, please vote for your favorite.

INRIX Open Car & Amazon Alexa

INRIX announced the integration of Amazon Alexa, the intelligent cloud based voice service, into the OpenCar platform for connected vehicles. In the second half of 2017, drivers with OpenCar enabled vehicles will be able to access a host of services from within their vehicle via Alexa, including Amazon Music, Audible audiobooks and INRIX Driver Services such as traffic, parking, incidents and road weather conditions.

An open, white-label in-vehicle application platform, INRIX OpenCar enables powerful cross-brand development for third-party content providers, a consistent and rich user experience for drivers, and brand-, model- and region-specific interfaces for automakers.

In addition to Amazon Alexa automotive integration, INRIX is developing an Alexa skill that will enable users to communicate with their connected vehicles from within their homes. Using Alexa via products like Amazon Echo or Echo Dot, users will soon be able to ask the skill for real-time traffic, travel times to a destination, find and reserve parking, and more. Information, like route directions and traffic conditions, can be sent directly to OpenCar-equipped vehicles from inside the home, creating a seamless experience between the home and the car.

Microsoft Conneted Vehicle Platform

Microssot introduced Microsoft Connected Vehicle Platform, a set of services built on the Microsoft Azure cloud and designed to empower auto manufacturers to create custom connected driving experiences. Tt’s a living, agile platform that starts with the cloud as the foundation and aims to address five core scenarios predictive maintenance, improved in-car productivity, advanced navigation, customer insights and help building autonomous driving capabilities.

Microsoft’s cloud will do the heavy lifting by ingesting huge volumes of sensor and usage data from connected vehicles, and then helping automakers apply that data in powerful ways.

Available as a public preview later this year, it brings Microsoft’s intelligent services from across the company right into the car, including virtual assistants, business applications, office services and productivity tools like Cortana, Dynamics, Office 365, Power BI and Skype for Business.

BMW announced  it would partner with Microsoft on Azure services for its BMW Connected cars for Cortana features.

Renault Nissan reported that it would use Microsoft cloud services for navigation, predictive maintenance and remote car monitoring.

Nuance AI for Dragon Drive witn Contextual Texting

Nuance is offerting d new Artificial Intelligence and Automotive Assistant capabilities for its Dragon Drive connected car framework to deliver advanced contextualized and personalized in-car experiences. Dragon Drive now features always-listening multi-passenger communication and AI-enabled text messaging, as well as additional feature for driver personalization.

Dragon Drive already offers cognitive reasoning as part of its Automotive Assistant service, giving automakers the ability to deeply integrate an intelligent virtual personal assistant in the HMI cockpit that can listen, understand, reason and respond. Dragon Drive leverages contextual and situational data from the car and the driver to deliver an assistant that can proactively suggest navigation routes, points of interest, music and more.

Nuance has expanded the capabilities of its Automotive Assistant, providing automakers with the ability to extend assistant capabilities to all passengers in the car – not simply the driver. With its Multi-passenger interaction solution, the in-car assistant can communicate with multiple people in the car leveraging Nuance’s wake-up word technology and identifying the passenger with voice biometrics. For example, the driver may engage the assistant to place a phone call while a passenger in the backseat can engage the system to play their “Las Vegas road trip” playlist.

Nuance’s multi-passenger interaction solution is currently shipping in 2016 and 2017 BMW Group vehicles, allowing drivers and front-seat passengers to interact with the BMW connected in-car infotainment system powered by Dragon Drive.

Nuance also announced advanced AI-enabled text messaging, where the automotive assistant can understand the context of an incoming message and proactively suggest a response or take an action based on its contents. For example, if a driver receives the message at 1:30 p.m., “Let’s meet at Michigan Central Station at 2:15,” the Automotive Assistant will interpret the details and ask the driver if she would like to navigate to Michigan Central station given the time, as well as ask whether she would like to send back a message. The assistant will also provide options such as adding a meeting to a calendar.

Nuance’s AI-enabled text messaging also inserts additional context and information into an outgoing message dictated through the system. For instance, the driver may say “Tell Rebecca when I will arrive,” and the assistant will send a message to Rebecca with a message stating “I will arrive at 2:20 p.m.” The assistant knows based on the distance and navigation the expected arrival time, and understands which Rebecca to contact based on previous messaging exchanges or frequency of contact. Frequent contacts and their preferred contact details (mobile versus office or home) are learned by the Automotive Assistant over time. However, corrections are quick and easy with Dragon Drive’s voice barge-in technology that allows drivers to interrupt the assistant at any time.

ON Licenses CEVA

ON Semiconductor has licensed CEVA’s imaging and vision platform for its automotive advanced driver assistance (ADAS) product lines. ON Semiconductor will leverage CEVA’s industry-leading vision processing IP to enhance their future products with new image processing capabilities and to incorporate embedded intelligence and machine learning into its ADAS roadmap.

CEVA’s imaging and vision platforms efficiently addresses the intensive processing requirements of the most sophisticated computer vision and deep learning applications such as video analytics, augmented reality and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

Panasonic Auto Cognitive infotainment Platform with Watson

Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America introduced the Panasonic Cognitive Infotainment platform designed to provide OEMs and fleet providers a set of cognitive vehicle solutions combining Panasonic’s market leading infotainment expertise with IBM’s Watson and cloud technologies.

The platform leverages Watson cognitive capabilities, including deep natural language processing and understanding, to answer questions and provide recommendations as well as directions while en route. The platform also introduces e-commerce capabilities for convenient in-vehicle purchases to make the most of a driver’s time, as well as possible future cognitive driving solutions that monitor the vehicle condition for safer driving.

This new platform is designed in collaboration with both Panasonic Systems Company of North America — responsible for more efficient strategic retail business systems — and IBM, leveraging the company’s cognitive technology via its Watson APIs. Panasonic Automotive is building on Bluemix, IBM’s cloud platform, which enables access to Watson APIs including Conversation, Natural Language Classifier, Text to Speech, Speech to Text and Personality Insights. Bluemix will also enable Panasonic to integrate weather and Twitter data into their solutions to showcase additional insights into the vehicle experience.

Panasonic & Qualcomm Android IVI System

Panasonic Automotive Systems, and Qualcomm are working together to develop a next-generation Android-based in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system.

Panasonic Automotive and Qualcomm Technologies have integrated state-of-the art Android 7.0 features to give drivers a unified experience across an automaker’s entire vehicle lineup, adjusting for different applications, screen sizes, and resolutions. This adaptive UI design concept is a cost-saving feature that will allow OEMs to optimize their system engineering investments and customize the infotainment system across vehicle lineups.

Using a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820Am processor, this concept system is based on the latest version of the Android operating system (7.0 Nougat), which is designed to provide automakers with a superior, high-performing platform to quickly develop cloud-connected infotainment systems, helping accelerate the rate of innovation in both the in-vehicle infotainment experience as well as the connected car. The concept system  demonstrates how new connected services and applications will deliver a safety-focused and intuitive driving experience to consumers.

This next generation IVI system concept features the Panasonic Automotive passenger application, which is designed to address the challenges that passengers have when entering navigation destinations or controlling music. Car manufacturers, automotive suppliers and developers can create Android-powered infotainment solutions initially with Qualcomm Technologies’ Automotive Development Platforms (ADP), which utilizes Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ automotive system-on-chips, followed by production systems developed and manufactured by Panasonic Automotive.

Quanergy & Civil Maps

Quanergy  the leading provider of LiDAR sensors and smart sensing solutions, announced a new integrated solution with Civil Maps, an autonomous vehicle software company providing cognition for cars. Quanergy’s innovative LiDAR technology will power Civil Maps’ next generation Atlas DevKit, advancing the ability of self-driving vehicles to perceive and interact with the world around them.

Civil Maps’ Atlas DevKit provides a low-cost, high-precision, geospatial data collection system that is essential for safe and effective self-driving vehicles. It integrates Quanergy’s M8 LiDAR sensor with cameras, an inertial measuring unit, and wired and wireless communication in one self-contained package. The unit is an inexpensive, commercial off-the shelf platform that is compelling for new market entrants and near-survey grade requirements.

QNX/BlackBerrry Software for Security & Performance in Cars

QNX announced its most advanced and secure embedded operating system (OS) for the automotive industry. QNX® Software Development Platform 7.0 (QNX® SDP 7.0) is a 64-bit OS that builds on the proven reliability of QNX technology and raises the bar for security and performance in cars. At CES 2017, the technological capabilities of QNX SDP 7.0 will be demonstrated in BlackBerry QNX’s 2016 Jaguar XJ and 2017 Lincoln MKZ concept cars.

QNX SDP 7.0 is suited not only for cars, but also for almost any safety- or mission-critical application that requires 64-bit performance and advanced security. This includes surgical robots, industrial controllers and high-speed trains.

QNX SDP 7.0 provides high performance and enhanced kernel-level security through an array of features, including microkernel architecture, file encryption, adaptive time partitioning, a high availability framework, anomaly detection, and multi-level policy-based access control. Featuring the next-generation QNX Neutrino® Realtime OS and QNX Momentics® Tool Suite, this reliable OS helps guard against system malfunctions, malware, and cyber attacks by implementing a multi-level, policy-driven security model that incorporates best-in-class security technology from BlackBerry. The OS also offers a safety pedigree proven by certification to ISO 26262 ASIL D (the highest level achievable) for automobiles and to IEC 61508 SIL 3 for industrial automation systems, and by compliance with IEC 62304 for life-critical Class III medical devices.

As automakers look to consolidate domain functions such as infotainment, telematics, and digital instrument clusters into a virtual cockpit controller, QNX SDP 7.0 provides a realtime OS that supports 64-bit for the ARMv8 and Intel x86-64 architectures, along with virtualization capabilities. QNX SDP 7.0 can help ensure that these automated systems perform all processes and actions reliably, within the pre-defined amount of time needed for successful and safe execution.