In connected car news are Renesas, Porsche, DSP Concepts, BorgWarner, Infineon, Toyota and TechPro.
New Renesas A/D
Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE:6723), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, and Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6510) today announced a technology collaboration to enable continuous-time digital calibration of a delta-sigma (ΔΣ) modulator and an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter circuit.
Designed to boost the performance of ΔΣ A/D converters for stable performance under the harsh conditions required for automotive semiconductor devices, the new technology comprises (1) enhanced precision by using a least mean square (LMS) algorithm to measure and calibrate the transfer function of a continuous-time ΔΣ modulator, and (2) the world’s first multi-rate LMS search algorithm, which lowers the order and operating frequency of the coefficient search circuit and FIR digital filter to reduce power consumption. The 28 nm process was used to implement a multi-stage ΔΣ A/D converter employing sequential integrators operating at high speed.
Previously, digital calibration circuits were required to operate at an oversampling frequency of A/D converters, but the new circuit reduces the operating frequency to one-fourth the previous frequency. As a result, high-speed, high-precision operation with a signal bandwidth of 15 MHz and dynamic range of 74.3 dB is achieved when operating at an oversampling frequency of 480MHz. By reducing the digital calibration circuit operating frequency to 120MHz, low-power operation is also achieved, with 37mW power consumption (analog:19mW, digital:18mW). In addition, the new technology has been confirmed to provide stable performance over a wide temperature range, proving that it is highly robust and capable of stable operation under punishing conditions (note 1).
The results of this joint effort with Hitachi were presented by Renesas on February 18 at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) 2020.
Porsche Puts Stakes in DSP
Porsche has purchased a stake in Silicon Valley-based DSP Concepts, Inc. A total of 14.5 million US dollars (€13.4 million) was invested in the company as part of a series B financing round. Consequently, the overall in-vestment volume in the company, established in 2003, has increased to over 25 mil-lion US dollars (€23 million). Taiwania Capital headed up the financing round. Other companies investing in addition to Porsche Ventures include BMW iVentures, Inno-vation Growth Ventures/Sony Innovation Fund, MediaTek Ventures and the ARM IoT fund.
DSP Concepts specializes in developing software for audio signal processing and audio algorithms. The company offers an audio development platform (Audio Weav-er) to streamline the audio development process. Audio Weaver is an innovative hardware-independent platform designed for in-house audio algorithm develop-ment. The software is currently used in more than 40 million devices within the au-tomotive and consumer goods industry, including at Porsche. DSP Concepts has also developed an intelligent software called TalkTo, which guarantees reliable voice control even at significant ambient noise levels.
The company has its headquarters in Santa Clara, California, and also runs subsidi-aries in Boston, Stuttgart and Shanghai.
BorgWarner Smart Starters
BorgWarner announces the first applications of its combined Smart IMS (integrated magnetic switch) plus integrated over crank protection (IOCP) on its Delco Remy® 38MT+™ and 39MT™ heavy duty gear reduction starters, used for both on- and off-highway commercial vehicles. This new and efficient combination for the original equipment commercial vehicle market reduces and prevents starter-related downtime for fleet owners and operators. The 38MT+ and 39MT Smart Starters with Smart IMS / IOCP will soon be available as an option from the factory on new truck orders from a major commercial vehicle manufacturer.
Infineon Tech Carbon-Neutral
Infineon Technologies AG will become carbon-neutral by 2030. The company presented its plans at its Annual General Meeting in Munich. Infineon is thus making an active contribution to reducing CO 2 worldwide and achieving the targets defined in the Paris Climate Agreement. The objective relates to its own greenhouse gas footprint and includes not only all direct emissions, but also indirect emissions from electricity and heat production. Emissions are to be cut by 70 percent over the 2019 levels by 2025.
Toyota New HEV Batteries
Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) and Toyota Industries Corporation (Toyota Industries) announce that they have jointly developed a new battery for hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). The battery has been developed in anticipation of the further development and market introduction of HEVs, forecasted to rapidly expand in the future. Moving forward, the companies will proceed to discuss matters such as target vehicle models as well as battery specifications and performance, prior to equipping Toyota HEVs with the new batteries.
Additionally, in order to meet the demand for increased production of Toyota HEVs, the production of the new batteries is planned to take place at Toyota Industries’ Kyowa Plant (Obu-shi, Aichi Prefecture) and at a site on company property located adjacent to their Higashiura Plant (Higashiura-cho, Chita-gun, Aichi Prefecture). In the future, Toyota Industries will work with Toyota to build and strengthen the supply structure.
TechPro for FCA OBD
FCA is the first vehicle manufacturer to protect its OBD interfaces with a security gateway. This does not present a problem for users of MAHLE’s diagnostic tools, such as TechPRO® (MAHLE) or Connex (BRAIN BEE). An agreement to this effect has been concluded between MAHLE and FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles), giving users trouble-free access to FCA’s servers and the ability to retrieve all necessary information for diagnostics and service.
The security gateway was introduced because there were indications that third parties could gain access to security-relevant functions of vehicles through diagnostic and connectivity protocols. FCA responded immediately by introducing extensive security measures. Since then, the OBD interface can be read, but users cannot write or delete entries. Changes to vehicle systems were previously only possible using original FCA testers.
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