Connected Car News: UL, Panasonic, Ariel IXL, SVOLT, GEO, Cubic Corp & MakerBot

In connected car news are UL, Panasonic, Ariel IXL, SVOLT, GEO, Digital Twin Consortium, Cubic Corp, MakerBot, Diodes, REE, KYB and Western Digital.

 

UL Wireless EV Certified UL 2750

UL, a leading global safety science company, has announced that a wireless electric vehicle (EV) power transfer system has been certified to UL 2750, the Outline Of Investigation For Wireless Power Transfer Equipment For Electric Vehicles.

Lumen Group, an integrator of automotive systems, became the first organization to  certify to UL 2750 for their Lumen Freedom wireless power transfer (WPT) system.  Lumen Group worked with UL’s engineers and laboratory technicians globally on the safety and performance of the wireless charging equipment including the power source, the ground pad assembly and the attached vehicle assembly, ultimately achieving UL 2750 for its WPT system.

Panasonic Picks Synopsys

Synopsys, Inc. announced that Panasonic Corporation has selected the Synopsys Custom Design Platform for its total design flow to develop next generation analog and mixed-signal products after the completion of a rigorous technical evaluation and successful migration of legacy design flows and data. Panasonic has already begun design work with the Synopsys Custom Design Platform; it will be used by all Panasonic analog, mixed-signal and RF design groups world-wide.

Synopsys’ Custom Design Platform is based on the Custom Compiler design and layout environment and includes HSPICE®, FineSim® SPICE, and CustomSim™ FastSPICE circuit simulation, Custom WaveView™ waveform display, StarRC™ parasitic extraction, and IC Validator physical verification.

Key features of the Custom Design Platform include reliability-aware verification, Extraction Fusion technology, and visually assisted layout. Reliability-aware verification ensures robust analog/mixed-signal (AMS) design with signoff-accurate transistor-level EM/IR analysis, large-scale Monte Carlo simulation, aging analysis, and other verification checks. Extraction Fusion technology with StarRC parasitic extraction reduces design closure time by enabling accurate parasitic simulation before layout is complete. Visually-assisted automation is a pioneering approach to reducing layout effort that is proven to deliver higher productivity.

Ariel IXL Night Vision

Ariel lXL introduces new Night Vision Goggle (NVG) vehicle identification for public safety and military applications.

he most recent launch of AirelXL’s LED vehicle identification has been adopted at airports across the country, including the most recent addition of snow removal identification at Denver International Airport.

AirelXL is a division of IllumiNations Tech, a premier developer of illuminated keyboard solutions with licenses with Apple, Hewlett Packard and Dell.

Currently, new energy vehicles (NEVs) are developing towards battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Regarding the new generation of automotive batteries, automobiles generally focus on breakthroughs in energy density and safety of batteries through the innovation of battery materials and electrochemical systems as well as on a reduction in the dependence on scarce resources such as cobalt.

SVOLT’s Colbat Free Battery

At 19:30 on May 18 (Beijing Time), a Chinese automotive battery company called SVOLT officially announced two cobalt-free batteries via Livestream.

According to Yang Hongxin, President of SVOLT, the newly launched cobalt-free batteries have several core advantages including longer cycle life, better safety and higher energy density. As he said, SVOLT’s L6 cobalt-free long cell is being adapted to a high-end model of Great Wall Motors. With its matrix PACK design, this vehicle could reach a driving range of 880km. This is comparable with that of ICE vehicles.

If this driving range can truly be realized, SVOLT’s cobalt-free batteries would undoubtedly have created a new product category for automotive batteries. It will improve the competitive advantage of BEVs greatly relative to ICE vehicles, eliminate range anxiety of end users about existing BEVs, increase consumers’ confidence in choosing BEVs, and speed up the process of replacement of ICE vehicles with BEVs.

GEO Wins Customers

GEO Semiconductor Inc. (“GEO”), the market leader in camera video processors (CVP) for automotive cameras, announced that Q4 2019 was a record quarter for GEO with 20 vehicle models from major automotive OEMs successfully launched into production.

GEO, a fabless chip company headquartered in San Jose and focused on the fast growing automotive camera market, develops application specific camera video processors with both the GW4 and GW5 product lines. These products feature world class high dynamic range image processing, eWARP™ technology, overlay graphics, and in the case of the GW54x0, a DSP processor to enable computer vision processing in the camera head.

GEO won the first automotive camera program in 2015 and has been consistently growing market share each year for the past five years. The typical timeline from a design win to start of production in the automotive market is between 18 and 30 months.]]]

Digital Twin Consortium

Ricardo has become a “Groundbreaker,” one of a handful of international companies collaborating in the newly formed Digital Twin Consortium, which seeks to drive consistency in vocabulary, architecture, security and interoperability. Led by a steering committee consisting of Ansys, Dell, Lendlease and Microsoft, the open membership Consortium represents an international ecosystem of industry leaders that are influencing digital twin development, usage and standards requirements.

Physics-based digital twins – virtual models of a process, product or service that allow for data analysis and system monitoring via simulations across a product’s lifecycle – enable continuous engineering and improved product design, reduce cost and time for testing, validation and deployment of new features, and have the power to generate predictive and actionable insights.

“Digital Twins offer transport and mobility companies the potential of rapidly developing better, cost-effective products,” says Marques McCammon, president of Ricardo, Inc., the Ricardo subsidiary leading the company’s involvement in the new Consortium. “Understanding and applying data from products as they are being used provides the ability to precisely meet customers’ expectations, as opposed to abstracting insights from obscure cross-sections of the market.

“Data is not new in transportation, but with next-generation vehicles generating petabytes of daily data, having a proper framework for applying the data is critical to activating digital technologies. With our design and development, testing and validation, and operation and maintenance experience, Ricardo can help architect the application of digital twins, aligning with Consortium partners to make this technology real for the market.”

In addition to Ricardo, the open membership Digital Twin Consortium, which unites industry, government and academia to drive consistency in vocabulary, security and interoperability, includes Air Force Research Lab (US), Bentley Systems, Executive Development, Gafcon, Geminus.AI, Idun Real Estate Solutions AB, imec, IOTA Foundation, IoTIFY, Luno UAB, New South Wales Government, Willow Technology and WSC Technology.

“Most definitions of digital twin are complicated, but it’s not a complicated idea. What makes a digital twin difficult is a lack of understanding and standardization,” said Dr. Richard Soley, Digital Twin Consortium executive director. “Digital Twin Consortium members, including Groundbreaker member Ricardo, will develop and apply best practices to advance the use of digital twin technology across industries. We are excited to have Ricardo join the consortium to share their industry expertise with other members.”

Areas where Ricardo’s design and engineering strengths may be utilized by the Consortium include:

Cubic Corp CTS ATMS 2.10

Cubic Corporation (NYSE:CUB) today announced that Trafficware, which operates within its Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) business division, has released ATMS 2.10, the newest version of its industry-leading Advanced Transportation Management Platform, a central transportation management system that brings traffic network data into a single repository for a real-time, integrated view of traffic operations. A major update to ATMS 2.10 provides connected vehicle technology as a standard feature to customers. TidalWave is a traffic and traffic management information service powered by edge computing and machine learning.

MakerBot Carbon Fiber Printing

MakerBot, a global leader in 3D printing and subsidiary of Stratasys moves into the next level of 3D printing with the launch of the METHOD Carbon Fiber Editions. The new METHOD Carbon Fiber Editions are designed to enable engineers to print stronger and more accurate parts for manufacturing tools, jigs and fixtures, and end-use production, and can be used to print metal replacement parts in some applications.

The latest additions to the METHOD platform, the METHOD Carbon Fiber Editions print carbon fiber reinforced nylon that is optimized for high strength and heat resistance. The new METHOD and METHOD X Carbon Fiber Editions come pre-configured with a new composite extruder that is optimized to handle abrasive materials. The new extruder, which is also available as an upgrade for the METHOD and METHOD X 3D printers, has hardened metal drive gears, a metal filament switch, and an interchangeable hardened steel nozzle. It can print MakerBot Nylon Carbon Fiber material and all other model materials supported on the METHOD platform.

The new MakerBot Nylon Carbon Fiber material is an ideal lightweight alternative to metal for structural applications such as vehicular brackets and inspection gauges, manufacturing tools such as robotic end effectors, and under-hood applications. Due to its strong thermal and mechanical properties, carbon fiber is frequently used in manufacturing, automotive, and aerospace industries. Used as an alternative to metal parts, carbon fiber can help reduce costs and increase overall efficiencies for companies.

Diodes USB-C Port

Diodes Incorporated  announced the industry’s first automotive AEC-Q100 grade 3 qualified 10Gbps USB-C® DisplayPort™ Alternate (DP-Alt) mode linear ReDriver™ IC. The DP-Alt mode allows the transfer of DisplayPort signals through a USB Type-C® connector. Supporting 8.1Gbps DP1.4 and the 10Gbps USB 3.2 specifications, the PI3DPX1207Q provides a transparent, protocol-agnostic ReDriver capability for a range of automotive applications including infotainment systems and cluster display panels.

Qualcomm ADP

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, specifies the PI3DPX1207Q within its Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ Automotive Development Platform (ADP) for infotainment applications. The Snapdragon ADP is based on the company’s third generation Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ Automotive Cockpit Platform.

The DP-Alt ReDriver offers ultra-low latency and excellent signal integrity characteristics for up to 8k display resolutions and is entirely transparent to channel link training. Each of the 4-to-4 linear differential channels is controllable via I2C commands, including equalization, gain, and output swing. Controls also include adjusting signal integrity settings for compensation and removing intersymbol interference jitter. An integrated AUX switch and AUX listener can monitor for DisplayPort power down commands or a power-down instruction via the I2C interface.

The PI3DPX1207Q, supplied in the 42-TQFN package, supports PPAP documentation and is manufactured in IATF16949 certified facilities.

REE and KYB Partner for EV Platform

REE Automotive (REE) and KYB Corporation (KYB) announced a strategic partnership to develop suspension capabilities for future electric vehicle (EV) platforms. Automotive Tier 1 supplier KYB’s unparalleled semi-active and active suspension systems will boost REE’s next-generation EV platform, which delivers complete design freedom and cost-effective, scalable solutions in e-mobility. The combined expertise of REE, a pioneering technology company and leader in electric vehicle platforms, and KYB, a leading global hydraulics manufacturer, will reshape the movement of goods, people and services by revolutionizing electric vehicle design

REE’s partnership with KYB further expands REE’s global manufacturing capabilities. It also ignites a new level of suspension technology within the REEcorner™ architecture solution, which integrates all drivetrain vehicle components (steering, braking, suspension, e-motor) into the wheel. The REEcorner™ combines with the REEboard™ – a completely flat platform – allowing complete freedom of design, improved performance and safety, and modular applications for any vehicle type – from last mile delivery to heavy duty shipping..

Western Digital Joins AECC

The Automotive Edge Computing Consortium (AECC) announced that leading data infrastructure provider, Western Digital, has joined as a member of the cross-industry group working to drive best practices for the coming vehicle, computing and storage convergence. Western Digital will collaborate with other AECC members including mobile network operators, automotive manufacturers, communication leaders to ensure that new technologies and standards will meet the future needs of the connected vehicle ecosystem.

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