In connected car news are Elektrobit, MEMTECH, ViscIC, KYOCERA, Nauto, Onsemi and Goodix.
In this Article
Elektrobit Partners with Ubuntu
Elektrobit announced a partnership to bring the benefits of Canonical’s Ubuntu operating system to automotive software.
As the industry transitions towards software-defined vehicles, the new partnership will make it easier than ever before for car makers, suppliers, and developers to create the next generation of vehicle applications, while meeting stringent automotive standards.
Combining Canonical’s leading open-source Linux operating system with Elektrobit’s expertise in automotive-grade embedded software will enable long-term maintenance, over-the-air updates and functional vehicle safety innovation, all underpinned by Ubuntu’s unparalleled developer community.
“Canonical is proud to collaborate with Elektrobit in building the next generation of automotive software,” said Régis Paquette, VP global alliances and channels, Canonical. “Combining Elektrobit’s world-class automotive offering with Ubuntu’s popularity and reliability will pave the way to a new era of software-defined vehicles. Ubuntu’s availability across ECUs, developers’ desktops and the cloud reduces OS fragmentation and maintenance efforts while facilitating digital twin deployments. Together with the open-source community, Elektrobit and Canonical will provide the automotive industry with greater stability, enabling greater efficiency and focus on their key differentiators.”
“Elektrobit’s partnership with Canonical will enable us to offer an OS solution with a unique value proposition to the automotive industry,” said Michael Robertson, Vice President, Head of Products and Strategy, Elektrobit. “This open-source solution will complement the product portfolio of Elektrobit, and offer the key elements of an automotive OS solution from a single source.”
MEMTECH ASIL
MEMTECH’s LPDDR5X Memory Controller is hardware-evaluated to meet the Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL). The solution is part of MEMTECH’s new portfolio of memory interface solution targeted for automotive functional safety based on International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 26262 standard. In addition to these, LPDDR5X Memory Controller comes with an optional functional safety package including FMEA (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis).
MEMTECH’s functional safety-evaluated LPDDR5X memory controller is fully compatible with advanced-driver assistance system (ADAS) technologies, including adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking systems, lane departure warning and blind spot detection systems. MEMTECH’s LPDDR5X memory controller’s high-performance, superior power efficiency and low latency provide the needed performance to keep pace with increasing demand of high-bandwidth of next generation automotive systems.
As the adoption of ADAS and other autonomous technologies become mainstream, data capture, storage, and higher bandwidth become key for innovation. MEMTECH’s LPDDR5X Controller addresses these challenges with increased in data access speeds and significant improvement in power efficiency, enabling fast decision making from a plethora of data sources including sensors, radar, lidar, hi-resolution imaging, 5G networking and image recognition. Support for LPDDR5X memories minimizes power consumption for both electric as well as conventional vehicles for a greener transportation.
Accompanied by extensive functional safety assurance, MEMTECH’s LPDDR5X memory controller supports customers in conducting safety analysis during various system configurations. The hardware evaluation report verifies extensive safety analysis in strictest compliance with ISO 26262. LPDDR5X memory controller incorporates safety mechanisms to detect and control memory errors during operations, as well as provisions that can be implemented by system integrators to reduce risks.
ViscIC Partners More with KYOCERA
VisIC Technologies, a global leader in Gallium Nitride (GaN) solutions for high-voltage automotive applications, and KYOCERA AVX Salzburg, Kyocera-AVX Salzburg, a leading international manufacturer and supplier of advanced electronic components for the automotive industry with production sites in North America, China and Europe, announce the expansion of their collaboration. The partners are combining their strengths in packaging, assembly, and GaN wafer technologies with the aim of providing high current components for high-voltage applications such as charging and e-drivetrain.
The collaboration expansion aims to fulfill the automotive industry demands for reliable and highly efficient power solutions that will save on EV costs. With the best thermal resistance, discrete GaN devices and half-bridge modules will be essential for future On-Board-Chargers (OBC) and traction inverters, thus optimizing weight, size, costs, and driving range.
Based on VisIC’s 2nd generation, lowest RDS (on) D3GaN (Direct Drive D-Mode) switches, the power module, which will provide groundbreaking power density and performance, has already been adopted for the next generation inverter sample of a major 1st tier automotive manufacturer.
In addition to these collaboration developments, the companies have also achieved an approach to high-voltage battery disconnection, based on GaN power switches, through effective cooperation in a very short timeframe. With the fastest switching time, the current and, therefore, thermal stress of the battery and board net, can be limited. This design will be available for lead projects this year.
“The electrification of the automotive industry has generated significant demand for power components, which we foresee continuing its strong growth for the next decade,” said Ran Klier, SVP of Sales & Marketing at VisIC Technologies. “Together with KYOCERA AVX Salzburg, we will provide packaged discrete GaN devices and die-based power modules for major EV OEM and Tier 1 designs.”
VisIC’s D3GaN technology was developed for the hig
Nauto Partners with BrightDrop
Nauto®, a leading provider of AI-based vehicle safety technology for commercial fleets and the automotive sector, announced a collaboration with BrightDrop, a technology company focusing on decarbonizing last-mile deliveries, to provide commercial fleet customers access to Nauto’s award-winning predictive AI safety services. Through this collaboration, BrightDrop’s commercial fleet customers now have the option to add Nauto’s predictive AI safety solutions to help improve driver safety performance, reduce collision loss, and save lives.
The collaboration demonstrates growing momentum for Nauto’s real-time AI that typically results in 60%-80% reduction in risky and distracted driving within a few weeks without manager intervention. Within the fleet industry, Nauto is driving high levels of ROI with a 50%- 80% reduction in collisions across many different vehicle sizes and types, geographies, and verticals. Safety is a serious concern within the last-mile delivery segment, which differs from other driving environments because drivers have to execute high-risk start, stop and reverse maneuvers frequently in variable situations such as narrow urban streets, residential neighborhoods and congested parking situations.
“We’re at a tipping point in the commercial vehicle industry where it’s not only good for the environment, but it’s economical to switch to an electric fleet,” said Steve Hornyak, chief revenue officer, BrightDrop. “BrightDrop’s electric delivery vans can already save fleet owners thousands of dollars in operating costs. Now, our customers have the option to take advantage of Nauto’s early warning alerts that can translate into critical extra seconds for drivers to react, helping to avoid collisions and reduce the costs that result from them.”
BrightDrop offers a holistic portfolio of first and last-mile solutions, including electric delivery vans, electric carts and software designed to make last-mile deliveries smarter, safer and more efficient. BrightDrop launched in 2021 and has already executed agreements with some of the world’s largest companies.
Onsemi Parntners with Ride Vision
–onsemi (Nasdaq: ON), a leader in intelligent power and sensing technologies, announced its collaboration with Israel-based Ride Vision on the development of advanced safety solutions for motorcyclists. Ride Vision’s industry-leading Collision Aversion Technology™ (CAT) for motorcycles uses machine-vision with artificial intelligence (AI) and works based on high-dynamic range data captured by AR0147AT automotive-grade image sensors from onsemi. CAT provides riders with timely warnings about impending dangers on the road, avoiding a high percentage of accidents and helping save lives.
Two cameras with AR0147AT image sensors are used in each system, mounted on the front and rear of the bike. The cameras capture high quality images and transmit them to a small onboard processing unit, which uses Ride Vision proprietary and unique algorithms for two- and three-wheeled vehicles to provide riders with 360-degree unobtrusive collision alerts in real time.
“We are excited about what this collaboration will do for the safety of all riders on the road,” said Uri Lavi, CEO and co-founder of Ride Vision. “By combining onsemi’s high-dynamic range sensor family with our own technology, we can offer motorcyclists the highest levels of safety.”
Modern advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) have been in vehicles for decades and various regulation bodies around the world have passed regulations enforcing the use of safety-orientated technologies aimed at reducing fatalities for car drivers. However, these rules are not enforced for motorcycles users, who suffer more fatalities each year than motorists.
“Motorcycles and riders share the same traffic and weather conditions with other motorists, but they have not yet been able to use the same level of safety mechanisms for protection,” said Chris Adams, vice president and general manager, Automotive Sensing Division at onsemi. “Our work with Ride Vision on this advanced safety solution changes that by providing motorcycles the same high-performance, high-dynamic range image sensors used in passenger cars. Keeping all road users safe is the most important thing to ultimately achieve Vision Zero.”
Ride Vision users can customize the level of alerts they want to receive in a personal app and benefit from accessing three-hour continuous-loop videos of all their rides, which can be used for both insurance and leisure purposes. Ride Vision is currently the only commercial Advanced Rider Assistance System (ARAS) designed for two- and three-wheeled vehicles and is already making waves in selected markets across the world including in Israel, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and soon, the U.S.
The AR0147AT is part of onsemi’s Hayabusa sensor family that features scalable resolution and high-dynamic range with LED flicker mitigation (LFM) and is in volume production. Contact onsemi’s sales representatives for more information.
Elektrobit OS for MCU
Elektrobit announced the first automotive-grade, embedded, real-time operating system (OS) and hypervisor for the new AURIX TC4x microcontroller (MCU) from Infineon Technologies AG. The EB tresos AutoCore OS and new EB tresos Embedded Hypervisor enable OEMs and Tier 1s to more easily develop and deploy automotive E/E architectures based on the AUTOSAR Classic standard, helping accelerate the development of next-generation vehicles.
The transformation to domain and zone-based E/E architectures is driving car makers to consolidate ECUs, keeping the total number low to save energy, while adding more functionality and applications. Applications can be combined using EB tresos Embedded Hypervisor across multiple virtual machines on a single MCU. Thus, accelerating innovation and satisfying the emerging consumer demands.
The EB tresos AutoCore OS is an embedded, multi-core, real-time operating system that implements the AUTOSAR standard and all its scalability classes.The EB tresos Embedded Hypervisor allows multiple OS and AUTOSAR stack instances to be executed in parallel on a single MCU using new virtualization features of the Infineon AURIX TC4x MCU, saving costs and reducing update efforts. It enables an application—such as on-board diagnostics (OBD)—to be run separately from other applications on the MCU to avoid repeated homologation costs and delays should updates be required for that application.
“Given the growing vehicle complexity, we’ve placed significant focus on collaborating with best-of-breed software partners,” said Thomas Schneid, Senior Director Software, Partner and Ecosystem Management, Infineon. “Elektrobit has been a long-time, respected collaborator of ours. Its expertise in AUTOSAR and in developing software for the AURIX TriCore architecture—including its new EB tresos Embedded Hypervisor—provides our customers with competitive advantage as they develop E/E architectures for their next-gen vehicles.”
Targeting a wide range of automotive applications including the strong demand for functional integration in domain and zone-based E/E architectures, the new AURIX TC4x supports both eMobility and the advancement of automated driving through safety systems. Infineon’s AURIX TC4x offers enhanced connectivity including advanced safety and security. The AURIX TC4x family of 28nm MCUs is sampling now with series production products expected to be available in Q2 2024.
“Elektrobit is proud to be the first to provide an OS and hypervisor that allow car makers and Tier 1s to benefit from the innovations in the new AURIX TC4x MCUs,” said Michael Robertson, Head of Products and Strategy, Elektrobit. “EB tresos and the new AURIX TC4x are a perfect match for OEMs and suppliers looking to develop ECU software applications based on the Classic AUTOSAR standard.”
For more information about hypervisor for real-time applications, visit EB tresos Embedded Hypervisor.//
Goodix Intros GA687X
Fueled by this tech-driven transformation, Goodix Technology extends its deep expertise in automotive touch controllers for small- and medium-sized screens, and further introduces a new single-chip solution GA687X that fully supports large displays ranging from 12.3 to 27 inches, designed to enable a more immersive in-vehicle experience for customers.
However, the growing size of infotainment touchscreens brings various challenges due to the signal attenuation and the rise of noise. To guarantee larger screens are responsive and sensitive to user touch, the GA687X chip design is based on a customized high-performance processing core with multiple innovative hardware-supported operators. It can reach a remarkable report rate of up to 250Hz that is far beyond industry’s average, achieving a minimum 10ms response time to allow users to control functions without any latency. The solution also features a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to dramatically boost the display noise-resistant capability.
The reliability of automotive touchscreen controllers is fundamental to driving safety, therefore GA687X equips Goodix’s proprietary anti-interference technology to achieve superior Electromagnetic Magnetic Compatibility (EMC) performance. It satisfies CISPR 25 Class 5 EMI standard that international auto manufacturers require to ensure the stable operation against various in-vehicle electromagnetic interferences.
Additionally, the solution boasts the world’s leading capacitive loading capability with an optimized chip design, and supports the evolving trend of curved or special-shaped displays in future cockpits by adapting to different screen stack-ups, including flexible AMOLED on-cell touchscreens.
Wide Adoption is Paving the Way for Ongoing Innovations
Touchscreens and touch keys are gradually replacing most of the physical buttons as the irresistible evolution of intelligent vehicles continues. According to data from Omdia, global shipments of automotive screens are expected to reach 238 million units in 2030 with an average annual growth rate of 6.5%, indicating a huge market potential for future growth of in-vehicle touch products. And it is why Goodix has ramped up its R&D investment to seize this booming opportunity.
With years of effort, Goodix is creating cutting-edge technologies for human-vehicles interaction. Its high-performance automotive touch solution series that supports the full range of screen sizes has met the requirements for stringent automotive standards AEC-Q100 and IATF 16949, and is recognized by global mainstream automotive customers in the Japanese, South Korean, US, European and Chinese markets. Goodix will also keep investing in new solution categories, such as MCU for touch keys, to accommodate the evolving design of automotive user interfaces.
Aiming to enable a safer, more intelligent driving experience for global customers, Goodix targets the automotive sector as one of the strategic markets and continues to leverage other areas of world-leading expertise such as innovative solutions for touch control, biometric authentication, wireless connectivity, as well as voice and audio for an increasing number of automotive applications.//