Connected Car News: Keysight Tech, Wejo, Hella, Panasonic, Claterah, Innoviz & Drive&Stake

In connected car news are Keysight Tech, Wejo, Hella, Panasonic, Claterah, Innoviz and Drive&Stake.

Keysight Tech (MIPI) A-PHY and Automotive SerDes Alliance (ASA) standards

Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS), a leading technology company that delivers advanced design and validation solutions to help accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world, announced new automotive serializer/deserializer (SerDes) transmit and channel test applications, as well as an automotive adapter portfolio to verify mobile industry processor interface (MIPI) A-PHY and Automotive SerDes Alliance (ASA) standards. These solutions were developed in collaboration with Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation and Rosenberger.

High-speed automotive SerDes interfaces enable transport data streams to make in-vehicle video, audio and communication possible. High bandwidth, reliability and performance of SerDes serial links are key requirements in automotive applications, which enable advanced infotainment and driver-assistance systems (ADAS) in modern vehicles.

As automotive in-vehicle technologies increase in speed and bandwidth, test equipment vendors must adapt to changing standards. Tests performed by Keysight’s AE2010T automotive SerDes transmitter test application enable customers to automatically configure each result utilizing a Keysight Infiniium UXR-series oscilloscope. Tests performed by Keysight’s AE2010L automotive SerDes channel test application enable customers to automate network analyzer tests. Together, these applications provide critical information to maintain data integrity and low loss networks, while meeting current automotive SerDes specifications.

Keysight and Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation are collaborating to bring the industry’s vision of standardized automotive SerDes to market, benefiting chipset vendors and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with unified test results and requirements.

“Automotive SerDes standards are important to our strategy of embedding a serializer on our image sensors. We are pleased to work with Keysight to validate our design against emerging SerDes specifications,” said Kenji Onishi, General Manager, Automotive Business Department, Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation. “Keysight’s automotive SerDes compliance test solution will allow us to confidently deliver new capabilities to our customers.”

Keysight has also partnered with Rosenberger to offer customers industry accepted adapters for automotive SerDes and high-speed data links. “Our customers will benefit from testing solutions for all automotive connector interfaces, which are either standardized or accepted to become global standards for automotive high-speed data transmission soon. This includes the most innovative and cutting-edge connector solutions for coaxial and differential transmission channels, such as FAKRA, HFM®, HSD or H-MTD®,” said Hauke Schütt, executive vice president of Test & Measurement at Rosenberger. “Rosenberger is pleased to deliver automotive test adaptors to Keysight, which assist device makers in the support of new automotive in-vehicle networks.”

Keysight’s SerDes transmitter and channel test applications offer the following key customer benefits:

• Automatic configuration and calibration cues of all required test equipment to reduce overall test time.
• Extensive range of tests for standards conformance of MIPI A-PHY and ASA, to reduce cost and save multiple installations and license purchases.
• Test framework to report multi-trial results, with a full array of statistics for each measurement.
• Quick, accurate, and repeatable test results for validation and debugging.
• Channel test software runs on a E5080B ENA Vector Network Analyzer, PXI Vector Network Analyzers, or Streamline Series USB Vector Network Analyzers and provides the framework for connectors, cables, and harnesses to quickly test automotive SerDes links.

“In-vehicle networking is an important technology for our customers, and we have observed a great deal of market dynamics as data rate requirements keep increasing. At Keysight, we aim to support a wide range of in-vehicle network interfaces ranging from Automotive Ethernet through MIPI A-PHY to ASA,” said Thomas Goetzl, vice president and general manager for Keysight’s Automotive & Energy Solutions business unit. “We are excited to partner with industry leaders to enable accurate design verification of current and future high-speed automotive SerDes interfaces.”

Wejo & Hella

-Wejo, a global leader in connected vehicle data, and Hella Gutmann Solutions (“Hella Gutmann”), a leading diagnostics and automotive data provider, which is a subsidiary of HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA (“Hella”), one of the world’s leading automotive suppliers, detailed notable recent achievements of their partnership, which include multiple business applications for connected vehicle data across the vehicle lifecycle. Hella is a minority investor in Wejo, which expects to become a publicly listed company later this year through its planned merger with Virtuoso Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: VOSO).

Hella Gutmann boasts an extensive diagnostic and data portfolio designed to enhance the diagnosis and repair process of vehicles in the automotive aftermarket. This portfolio, Hella Gutmann’s exceptional auto expertise, and Wejo’s connected vehicle data platform, which has ingested more than 12 trillion data points and 59 billion journeys from connected vehicles worldwide, will combine to revolutionize the ways in which OEMs, passengers, businesses, dealerships, and independent workshops maintain vehicle health and residual value. As the video details, the actionable intelligence uncovered through the collaboration has created real business applications across the broader automotive industry that can address and solve some of the most significant mobility challenges.

Richard Barlow, Founder and CEO at Wejo, said, “The Hella-Wejo partnership is enabling amazing outcomes for drivers like you and me – where a malfunction in your car can be communicated and you can take preventive action instead of being stranded – or when a problem has occurred, the mechanic already has all of the information they need to identify, diagnose, and repair the issue swiftly and accurately to minimize the time your car is off the road or prevent additional expenditures. This is just the beginning. From e-mobility to the broader digitalization of the vehicle and ever more intelligent sensors, Hella and Wejo together will deliver insights to passengers, manufacturers, mechanics, OEMs business fleets that demonstrate the power and potential of how connected vehicle data can be used.”

Rolf Kunold, CEO at Hella Gutmann, added: “Wejo’s connected vehicle data expertise is an outstanding complement to Hella Gutmann’s product portfolio and has enabled us to develop new digital data driven products and services for the connected vehicle data supply chain to benefit OEMs. We are glad to continue to build on the early success of this innovative partnership as we seek to push the boundaries of the connected vehicle sector.”

In addition to Hella Gutmann, Wejo has established partnerships with a number of leading companies across several industries that have invested in the company. These include Palantir Technologies (NYSE: PLTR) to power the leading connected vehicle data platform; Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) to deliver the scale, performance and security in the cloud with Microsoft Azure; Sompo Holdings (TYO: 8630) to bring the power of connected vehicle data to the APAC region; and General Motors (NYSE: GM). Additionally, Wejo also has business relationships with 17 automotive OEMs and Tier 1s.

Panasonic Automotive ISO 26262 ASL-D

– Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, a Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, is pleased to announce it has achieved ISO 26262 2018, Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL) D process certification from UL, the global safety science leader.  This is the first time UL has given this certification to a tier-one supplier.  Panasonic Automotive is making a conscious investment across the company to reinforce functional safety protocol, a top priority for automotive customers and, importantly, a priority for their end consumers.

The North American regional UL safety certification process examines compliance under the international automotive standard ISO 26262 and helps companies to implement a more integrative strategy to improve functional processes.  These opportunities include certifying functional safety engineers, to enhancing innovation or manufacturing processes, to enhancing product development protocols.  “With the rapid changes in the automotive industry fueled by the advances in new technology, UL continues to help partners and customers navigate the complex technical challenges of today’s functional safety landscape.  By leading with science and safety, UL helps companies apply new and innovative solutions,” said Milan Dotlich, vice president and general manager for UL’s Energy and Industrial Automation group.  “We congratulate Panasonic Automotive in helping to advance functional safety in the automotive industry and for being the first to achieve the ISO 26262 2018 ASIL D process certification from UL.”

Specifically, an ASIL D process certification requires:

• Certified Specialists:  Panasonic Automotive certifies its engineers to UL, TUV NORD, TUV SUD, SGS TUV requirements and to Panasonic functional safety skill qualifications
• ASIL Safe Procedures:  Pre-determined functional safety gates as part of enhanced product / technology development with special digital tools to meet ISO 26262 2018 standards
• Process Intentionality:  Safety related special characteristics (e.g. end-of-line calibration, etc.) are integrated into manufacturing to achieve the highest quality
• Safety Culture:  Company-wide commitment for lifecycle investments to establish a perpetual safety mindset

In-cabin user experience is evolving quickly and eCockpit design can be complex.  Panasonic Automotive is leveraging software solutions to solve critical functional safety design challenges in the eCockpit. Through tools like Ansys medini analyze, Panasonic Automotive’s North American development is able to streamline functional safety analysis across the entire development process with a systematic approach.  This approach is necessary because the eCockpit environment and controls are now integral to the safety lifecycle and must adhere to the applied industry standards.  “As vehicle systems continue to become more complex, model-based engineering and simulation is critical in automotive systems development,” said Walt Hearn, Ansys vice president, Americas. “We look forward to continued collaboration with Panasonic Automotive on these critical design efforts.”

Functional safety gate adherence is a journey that started more than a decade ago for Panasonic.  In fact, several products are already ASIL certified and ASIL rated (e.g. Cruise Control ECU, Digital Cluster, Head up Displays, Camera Monitoring Systems, Steering Wheel Switches).  In North America, quality management processes, like IATF 16949 and ASPICE, are also integral to the existing product development protocol.  Additionally, with the increased software critical and connected applications, compliance against the newer standards such as Cybersecurity ISO/SAE 21434 and SOTIF (ISO/PAS 21448) are required.

While these protocols inject thoughtful quality, Panasonic Automotive desired to go further and engage an independent ASIL audit on our overall process.  This enterprise-wide process certification from UL reflects the commitment to protect the emerging interests of mobility advancements for our customers.  “The future of mixed criticality realization in the eCockpit depends on functionally safe operations.  It’s the only way to give customers confidence that a quality experience will exist each and every time,” said Andrew Poliak, chief technology officer for Panasonic Automotive.

Leveraging Ansys model-based engineering and simulation solutions, Panasonic Automotive achieved ISO 26262 ASIL-D process certification. Panasonic Automotive and Ansys collaborated on a systematic, model-based approach across the safety lifecycle to optimize the practice of standards-based functional safety analysis throughout the development process.

Innovations in the automotive industry for the in-cabin user experience are increasing the complexity and functionality of embedded systems — many of which are safety-related and integral to the safety lifecycle — making it more difficult and time-consuming for engineering teams to identify all safety risks. As a result, manufacturers are placing a growing emphasis on safety standards and compliance to ensure product safety. While these evolving industry standards aid engineers in identifying and addressing risks, achieving certification through legacy processes is error-prone and time-consuming.

Panasonic Automotive streamlined functional safety analysis across the next-generation eCockpit development process by implementing Ansys® medini analyze to help ensure compliance with industry standard ISO 26262. Medini analyze provides a model-based approach to efficient, repeatable and consistent analysis tasks throughout the development process, meaning industry certification is accounted for at the earliest stages of design, reducing development time and costs.

Calterah New mmWave Radar Chips

On Oct. 20, Calterah unveiled two new mmWave radar chip product families, Alps-Mini and Rhine-Mini.

– Innoviz Technologies  a leading provider of high-performance, solid-state LiDAR sensors and perception software, today announced its collaboration with JueFX, an innovative AI-driven technology company focusing on developing LBS data engine and offering on-board applications for autonomous driving. JueFX intends to install InnovizOne LiDAR on traffic poles and bridges to monitor traffic activity in real time. JueFX’s V2X technology will then share the data with autonomous vehicles on roads for improved road safety and traffic efficiency.