The roster of connected car news this week includes Waymo, Garmin, Analog Devices, Mentor Graphics, HARMAN, Ford, Rohde & Schwarz, Swift Navigation, NIVIDIA, Vector, ZF, NIRA, Infineon, Nauto and Auto-ISAC.
Google/Waymo Sues Otto/Uber
Google/Waymo refuses to share its data with states or the DMV and now has taken to the courts to prevent one of it former employees from sharing autonomous driving tech. Waymo filed a law suit against former manager, Anthony Levandowski, who left the company to start his own self-driving business, Otto. Google claims that he took with him thousands of files containing proprietary information. Lavandowski came to Google, when Google bought his company 510 Systems. Uber bought Otto for $680 million. What makes the story even more interesting because of the way Google vested the employees they made so much money they may never have to work again in their life times. According to the filing “Otto announced the acquisition shortly after Mr. Levandowski received his final multi-million dollar compensation payment from Google.”
Garmin Supplies BMW
Garmin announced that BMW AG has appointed Garmin as a tier-one supplier of infotainment computing modules for future BMW models. Garmin will be expanding its state-of-the-art automotive OEM manufacturing capability and capacity in order to serve BMW production requirements.
Analog Drive360 CMOS RADAR
Analog Devices announced the Drive360 28nm CMOS RADAR technology platform that builds on its established ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), MEMS, and RADAR technology portfolio widely used throughout the automotive industry for the past 20 years. Analog Devices is the first to offer automotive RADAR technology based on an advanced 28nm CMOS process and the new Drive360 RADAR platform brings unparalleled RF performance to advanced safety and autonomous driving applications. This performance, which exceeds current best-in-class SiGe implementations, is required to see smaller objects further away, thereby giving additional time for the vehicle to take evasive actions. The 28nm technology platform is the foundation upon which multiple products will be developed, an approach that will directly reduce Tier 1 and OEM time to market, design risk and development costs. The new platform supports a host of applications including high-end, long-range use cases required for autonomous driving and ADAS, short to midrange automatic emergency braking, blind spot detection, cross traffic alerts and ultra-short range autonomous parking.
DI’s Drive360 28nm CMOS RADAR platform enables many high-level signal processing integration options and even allows for custom IP integration enabling designers to differentiate their systems. A highly integrated power management companion chip accompanies the platform. This system brings Tier 1 and OEMs the high performance required to build robust solutions for emerging autonomous driving applications.
Mentor Graphics Adds Mentor Safe for ReqTracer
Mentor Graphics Corp. has further expanded its Mentor Safe functional safety assurance program with the addition of ReqTracer, an industry-standard line of software tools for requirements management and tracking. Achieving the highest possible tool confidence level as a standalone tool, ReqTracer is now qualified for use in safety-critical ISO 26262 designs and verification flows at all criticality levels up to and including ASIL D.
Mentor Safe is one of the industry’s broadest and most comprehensive ISO 26262 qualification and certification programs, established to help automotive and industrial customers rapidly navigate the increasingly complex process of functional safety certification with confidence. In addition to ReqTracer, the Mentor Safe program includes Tessent® silicon test and yield analysis tools, the Nucleus® SafetyCert™ real time operating system, the Volcano® VSTAR AUTOSAR operating system and BSW stack, and a growing array of ISO 26262 certified documentation and qualification reports for Mentor tools supporting the design, verification and test of system-on-chip (SoC) applications and vehicle electronics system design.
HARMAN Offers Wireless CarPlay
HARMAN announced the successful commercial implementation of Apple CarPlay integration through a wireless connection, a first for the connected car industry. Through HARMAN’s end-to-end infotainment system, a vehicle’s Bluetooth and WiFi will enable the connectivity required to support CarPlay, creating a greatly enhanced wireless experience for the user. The solution is currently being deployed in the market on HARMAN infotainment systems for a luxury German automaker.
Utlrahaptics for HARMAN
Mid-air touch-free haptics company, Ultrahaptics, has announced a collaboration with HARMAN incorporating mid-air gesture haptic feedback technology into a range of infotainment and audio systems.
Ultrahaptics has developed a technology that uses ultrasound to project physical sensations onto the user’s bare hands. Without the need to wear gloves or hold special equipment, users can receive haptic feedback for gestures they perform in mid-air. This type of user-friendly gesture control can be used to operate infotainment systems, such as in-car audio and connected car applications, enabling drivers to keep their eyes on the road.
By using Ultrahaptics’ technology, HARMAN has developed an intuitive system that can control multiple in-vehicle systems, including audio infotainment functions. The system tracks the driver’s hand movements and gives mid-air haptic feedback for various gesture commands. Ultrahaptics and HARMAN worked together closely to design the unique solution that combines haptic sensations, gestural interfaces and HARMAN’s custom visual interactive graphical user interface (GUI). The system enables drivers to simply move their hands in the air and feel the controls to adjust their embedded infotainment system.
Ford Joins Cloud Foundry Foundation
Cloud Foundry Foundation, home of the industry-standard platform for cloud applications, today announced Ford Motor Company has joined as a Gold Member. Ford joins Dell EMC, IBM, Pivotal, SAP, VMware and more than 60 other technology leaders as a member. The automaker brings a unique voice and vision to the open source software community and the Foundation as a Gold Member.
Rohde & Schwarz Cybersecurity Portfolio
Automotive telematics security solutions by Rohde & Schwarz Cybersecurity now enables mobile network operators to establish a second line of defense, addressing the security needs of carriers in a cost-effective way. The solution portfolio includes:
- The deep packet inspection (DPI) engine R&S PACE 2, which can be implemented as a state-of-the-art security function into IoT telematics platforms. R&S PACE 2 provides protocol and application classification in order to extract a variety of metadata from IP based traffic.
- The next-generation firewall R&S Specialized Line that is powered by R&S PACE 2 and enables telematics platform operators to define policies based on communication primitives such as the types of OTA functions (e.g. deactivation of GPS tracking to support car theft). The firewall can be smoothly integrated into mobile networks via its routing functionalities and the easy and fast integration of special or proprietary protocols.
The Rohde & Schwarz Cybersecurity deep packet inspection technology makes it possible to implement semantic awareness into core network components such as firewalls, gateways and IoT platforms. This enables operators to provide a secure and reliable platform in order to leverage the full potential of automotive telematics.
Swift Navigation’s Piksi Multi Precision GNSS Receiver
Swift Navigation, the San Francisco-based startup building centimeter-accurate GPS technology to power a world of autonomous technology, announced it is now shipping its newest product, Piksi Multi, a multi-band, multi-constellation high-precision GNSS receiver. Piksi Multi represents a revolution in advanced precision GNSS capabilities for the mass market and was built from the ground up to meet the needs of demanding applications like autonomous driving. To order Piksi Multi go to store.swiftnav.com.
Swift Navigation is offering Piksi Multi at a much lower cost than comparable systems. Top-level benefits for customers include:
- Centimeter-Level Accuracy
- Fast Convergence Times, using Multiple Bands
- Robust Positioning, using onboard MEMS Hardware
- Open Platform, with onboard Linux
- Rapid Prototyping, with a top-of-the-line Evaluation Kit
- Future-Proof Hardware with In-Field Software Upgrades
- Breakthrough price of $595, allowing more people access to precision-GNSS than ever before
Piksi Multi supports GPS L1/L2 and is hardware-ready for GLONASS G1/G2, BeiDou B1/B2, Galileo E1/E5b, QZSS L1/L2 and SBAS. Multiple signal bands enable convergence times measured in seconds, not minutes. Multiple satellite constellations enhance availability and reliability.
Qt Works with NIVIDIA DRIVE
The Qt Company announced that it will integrate NVIDIA DRIVE™ Design Studio, a state-of-the-art 3D HMI authoring system, into the Qt ecosystem.
With the use of 3D technologies increasing significantly across all industries — especially in the automotive, healthcare and industrial automation sectors — innovative 3D design tools have become highly sought after by organizations and independent developers alike. By combining Qt’s current cross-platform framework of software and device development tools with NVIDIA DRIVE Design Studio, Qt is able to provide a world-class 3D design solution for the creation of embedded devices and in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems and digital cockpits.
The NVIDIA DRIVE Design Studio’s tooling capabilities have been demonstrated in a wide range of industries, especially the automotive sector. The Qt Company and NVIDIA plan to work closely to further develop the tool, helping automakers and Tier 1 automotive suppliers to rapidly develop proof of concepts for evaluation, market research, usability testing, and, ultimately, final production.
Vector Informatik Buys Vector Software
Effective January 18, Vector Informatik GmbH, the German-based specialist for the development and test of automotive electronics, has acquired 100% of the US company Vector Software, Inc. Vector Software specializes in automated embedded software testing in multiple industries.
Vector Informatik has a long experience in providing system and functional testing solutions for automotive ECUs and distributed embedded systems. This acquisition extends that testing portfolio by adding the embedded software testing platform “VectorCAST,” a solution for code-centric software testing. VectorCAST is used extensively in the verification of software with high quality and safety requirements. In addition, the merger will extend Vector Informatik’s engagement to industries beyond the automotive market. Customers can rely on Vector as one global provider of a complete and integrated verification and validation solution for embedded systems in Automotive, Avionics, IoT and other industries with safety and validation requirements.
Hyperdrive Prius Challenger App
Hyperdrive, a connected car startup focused on helping people become better drivers through gamification, announced today the launch of iOS and Web apps for the upcoming Prius Challenge, presented by Toyota Research Institute (TRI), at Sonoma Raceway on March 3rd. The apps enable competitors to leverage connected car data and build strategies that they’ll run on the track during race day.
The Prius Challenge is a unique competition where teams drive identical vehicles hoping to achieve the highest average fuel economy over nine laps. Hyperdrive developed strategy and coaching apps, leveraging its platform, to enable participants to build and test strategies beforehand using data collected from Sonoma Raceway. Then, on race day, participants execute their strategies using their real-time performance data to maximize their fuel economy.
ZF Supports Plug and Play
ZF and the digital start-up accelerator Plug and Play have agreed on a strategic cooperation. As “Founding Anchor Partner “, ZF can further expand its network of partners to start-up companies which are active in relevant technology areas. Plug and Play, located in Silicon Valley, California/USA, is renowned worldwide for
NIRA Slippery Road Hazard Tech
NIRA Dynamics recently rolled out a brand new feature for cars, expected to significantly increase road safety. The feature continuously monitors the road friction in real-time. This information is sent from numerous cars to a central server, from which it is sent out to other cars approaching the area – providing them with relevant road information and timely slip hazard warnings.
During the winter of 2016/2017, NIRA provided the Swedish Transport Administration and Klimator AB with software for a large number of cars, to continuously monitor the road conditions. The gathered information is sent to NIRA’s servers, where it’s aggregated to provide real-time insights about the road conditions.
The new feature, called Road Surface Information, not only provides drivers with slip warnings. Self-driving cars also need to be aware of the traction and braking distance at any time – and so, with Road Surface Information, yet another important step is taken towards enabling the safe self-driving cars of the future.
Infineon
Infineon Technologies introduces the IR3883, an easy-to-use, fully integrated and highly efficient DC-DC regulator. It aims at high density Point of Load applications where high efficiency, high reliability and good thermal behavior are required. The device is perfectly suitable for NetCom, Telecom, Servers and Storage solutions.The voltage regulator employs an enhanced stability engine that makes it stable with ceramic capacitors without compensation for an easy design. Other solutions require extra components for stability and for ripple injection. Thus, the IR3883 can save up to five components and facilitates the layout for very small PCB size of less than 100 mm².
The IR3883 provides up to 3 A continuous current from 4.5 V to 14 V in a small 3 mm x 3 mm PQFN package. It can enter diode emulation mode during light-loads to save power. Moreover, it can enter a low quiescent current mode making it ideal for standby power supplies to fulfill energy savings regulations. DCM can be disabled for applications requiring very low ripple or to avoid interference/beat frequency. The precise output voltage allows accurate output voltage from 0.5 V to 5 V. A thermally compensated internal current limit with three selectable levels overcomes the need to oversize the inductor and saves a resistor.
Nauto Works with Sierra Wireless
Nauto, the transportation technology company that makes driving safer and smarter, has selected Sierra Wireless a leading provider of fully integrated device-to-cloud solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT), as the wireless connectivity solution for the North American launch of Nauto’s flagship artificial intelligence-powered auto network, slated to go live in Spring 2017.
Nauto is an integrated, comprehensive auto network, which includes a proprietary after-market dual-camera device, an artificial intelligence-powered smart cloud and data services that can equip any vehicle or fleet with sophisticated safety and networking features. After a successful pilot phase, Nauto is shipping its flagship offering this Spring, featuring a new hardware design, proprietary algorithms and updated smart cloud to its fleet and insurance industry customers. Sierra Wireless’ AirPrime® HL7688 Cat-1 modules will provide the 4G LTE connectivity to power Nauto’s new system.
Bosch, Cooper Standard, Honeywell, Hyundai Mobis, Lear Corporation, LG Electronics and NXP Semiconductors Join Auto-ISAC
The Automotive Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Auto-ISAC) welcomes Bosch, Cooper Standard, Honeywell, Hyundai Mobis, Lear Corporation, LG Electronics and NXP Semiconductors as original equipment supplier members. The inclusion of these companies exemplifies Auto-ISAC’s continued efforts to promote collaboration between Tier 1 suppliers and automobile manufacturers around vehicle cybersecurity.