In connected car news are IHS Markit, TDK, TechFabric and Daimler.
IHS Markit Buys Novaton
IHS Markit a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions, today announced the acquisition of Novation Analytics, a specialist provider of software solutions, data analysis and advisory services to the automotive industry.
Novation Analytics focuses on the modelling of vehicle energy efficiency and CO2 emissions compliance. The team is based in Auburn Hills, Michigan and headed by Greg Pannone and Heidi Schroeder.
TDK Expands Mcronas’ Sensors
TDK Corporation (TSE 6762) expands its Micronas position sensor portfolio with a new member of the previously announced masterHAL® sensor family HAL® 39xy. The new HAL 3900 features real 3D magnetic-field measurement capability and 2D stray-field robust position detection. Measurement data is delivered via a high-speed SPI interface. The sensors meet today’s and tomorrow’s automotive and industrial market needs and offer four different measurement modes in a single device: Linear position detection, rotary 360° angle detection and rotary 180° angle detection with stray field compensation including gradient fields as well as the capability for real 3D magnetic field measurement (BX, BY, BZ). Samples are already available. Start of production is planned for second quarter 2020.
The heart of the HAL 3900 sensor is the patented 3D HAL® pixel cell technology. It not only helps to measure magnetic fields very accurately, but also enables the measurement of all three magnetic-field components at one single spot. By measuring the BX, BY, and BZ components, the sensor is able to detect the direction of the magnetic field. At the same time, the unique concept of an array of Hall plates offers a 2D stray-field compensation. The highly flexible sensor array of the HAL 3900 sensor helps design engineers to select the best operation mode for any given measurement task. The HAL 3900 is the only solution available on the market that integrates all four modes in a single device.
The combination of SPI interface and 3D capability makes the HAL3900 a perfect solution for applications like gear shifters or steering column switches. The unique stray-field concept makes the sensor fit for applications requiring a stray-field robust off-axis measurement. The angular error due to stray fields can be reduced to less than 0.3° in the presence of a stray field of 4000 kA/m. HAL 3900 also features a sleep mode helping customers to reduce the average current consumption that is increasingly important for electric cars. The device is developed as an ASIL B ready SEooC (Safety Element out of Context) according to ISO 26262.
Glossary
- 3D HAL® pixel cell: Enables the direct measurement of magnetic fields in three directions X, Y, Z
- Real 3D measurement: Measurement of magnetic fields in parallel for all three directions X, Y, Z
- Stray-field compensation: Modern Hall-effect sensors must be insensitive against disturbing fields generated by e-motors or power lines in hybrid or electrical vehicles (xEV)
Main applications
- Selectors and gear shifters
- Position detection in transmission systems
- Steering-angle detection
- All kinds of actuators with embedded microcontroller
Main features and benefits
- Real 3D magnetic-field measurement of BX, BY and BZ
- SPI interface
- Sleep mode to reduce average current consumption
- Transmission of temperature-compensated magnetic raw values (BX, BY, BZ), up to two calculated angles, magnetic-field amplitude and/or chip temperature
- Stray-field robust position detection (linear and rotary up to 360°) covering ISO 11452-8 requirements
- Compensation of stray fields with gradients for applications with 180° rotation
- SEooC according to ISO 26262 to support functional-safety applications
- Suitable for automotive applications, thanks to a wide ambient temperature range from –40 °C up to 160 °C
TechFabric Automotive Innovation Center
TechFabric, a Microsoft Gold Cloud Platform Partner specializing in business process architecture and software automation announced that it has established an Automotive Innovation Center within TechFabric to help sellers across the automotive and fintech industries accelerate their digital transformation initiatives.
Having worked extensively with clients in the Automotive and Fintech industries, TechFabric has built integrations with hundreds of third parties including LOS providers, refinance lead sources, credit bureaus, NADA, Speed Ship, Ring Central, Twilio etc. Drawing upon their experience in building applications in Automotive, TechFabric created a unique component-driven framework called Auto Fabric with various modules frequently used by companies in the Automotive and FinTech Industries. Leveraging the Auto Fabric framework to build Line of Business applications can significantly reduce the time it takes to bring an application to market while guaranteeing the safety, security and robustness of the overall solution.
Microservices (APIs) are emerging as the most strategic method of achieving speed and operational efficiency in application development and are fast becoming the backbone of today’s modern enterprise systems. APIs allow organizations to unlock their business value by giving partners access to data and capabilities at scale.
Porsche Prize for Diamler
The Professor Ferdinand Porsche Prize has again been awarded to Daimler AG. The Vienna University of Technology awarded Professor Uwe Baake, Head of Development at Mercedes-Benz Trucks, with the prize for the development of the MirrorCam. In the new Mercedes-Benz Actros, this system replaces the main and wide-angle mirrors, thus ensuring greater safety and fuel efficiency. “The MirrorCam assists the driver especially in critical driving situations – not just on the motorway, but also in cities where the aim is to better protect the weakest road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists,” explained Professor Uwe Baake. Thanks to improved aerodynamics, the system can also help reduce fuel consumption. Since 1977, the Professor Ferdinand Porsche Prize has been one of the most important prizes. It is also the one with the biggest prize money (50,000 euros). The accolade is awarded every two years to engineers who have made especially impressive contributions in the field of vehicle development.
MIPI Alliance for ADAS
The MIPI Alliance, an international organization that develops interface specifications for mobile and mobile-influenced industries, announced key advancements and activities designed to enhance advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), autonomous driving systems (ADS) and other automotive applications.
Trends such as the proliferation of camera, display, radar, lidar and other sensors are creating growing demand for high-performance wired interfaces in vehicles. While drawing on its existing specifications for mobile devices, MIPI is developing and enhancing automotive specifications to meet the stringent requirements of automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, SoC designers and other industry providers in areas such as reliability, functional safety and low electromagnetic interference (EMI).
In a white paper published today, “MIPI Alliance: Driving the Wires of Automotive,” MIPI lays out how it is leveraging its current specifications for automotive applications and developing enhancements and new specifications for this sector. Download it here.
NextInput HMI for Mass Market
NextInput, Inc., the leader in MEMS-based sensing solutions, announced today an Automotive OEM has entered mass production with NextInput’s Automotive-Grade ForceTouch HMI solution.
Taking a solution to mass production in Automotive is one of the most difficult tasks any company, large or small, undertakes due to the stringent Automotive quality requirements. NextInput’s solution is AEC-Q100 Grade 2 and PPAP Level 3 qualified. The solid-state technology is an order of magnitude more reliable than mechanical buttons, brings intent to steering wheel controls not feasible with capacitive touch, and Automotive quality not achievable with printed-ink strain gauges.
Synopsys ISO 26262 Cert
Synopsys, Inc. announced the industry’s first and most comprehensive unified functional safety verification solution to accelerate time to ISO 26262 certification for automotive IP and semiconductor companies targeting the highest Automotive Safety Integrity Levels (ASIL D). As part of the solution, Synopsys introduced VC Functional Safety Manager, a FMEA/FMEDA and fault classification automation technology enabling architects, IP designers, and verification engineers to accelerate their functional safety verification with productivity gains up to 50 percent compared to traditional manual and error-prone functional safety verification point tools.
“Arm strongly believes safety will be critical to the successful deployment of advanced ADAS and autonomous solutions,” said Neil Stroud, senior director of technology strategy, Automotive and IoT Line of Business, Arm. “With ISO 26262 compliance and functional safety verification requirements increasing for semiconductor companies targeting automotive applications, automation, and fast verification engines, such as the Synopsys Z01X digital fault simulation technology, are essential to accelerate time-to-compliance.”
Automotive semiconductor designs are growing in complexity to meet the increasing functionality demand for applications such as powertrain, advanced driver assistance, and autonomous driving. At the same time, semiconductor companies are required to deliver ISO 26262 certification for their products to customers. This combination is expected to increase verification efforts by 2-3X. Synopsys’ unified functional safety solution provides unique technologies to bridge the current productivity gaps by delivering a comprehensive FMEA/FMEDA and fault classification automation solution leveraging a unified fault definition and database with the fastest verification engines. In addition, Synopsys delivers the required tool certification and expert services enabling customers to accelerate planning, development, and work product generation for assessors and customers. Synopsys’ unified functional safety verification solution and VC Functional Safety Manager are deployed today at leading customers.
Cerence Partners with Mila
Cerence Inc., (formerly Nuance) AI for a world in motion, announced it is now a resident partner of Mila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, an academic institution dedicated to supporting researchers specialising in the field of deep learning. The partnership enables Cerence and Mila to further research and advance cutting-edge work in machine learning and enhance automotive AI applications.
As part of the relationship, Cerence researchers will work with Mila interns on projects and contribute to research, publications, and presentations in an AI lab at Mila’s Montreal headquarters, just a short distance from Cerence’s Montreal office, one of its key global R&D sites with nearly 450 employees.
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