In connected car news are Calterah, Cipia & HARMAN.
mmWave radar SoC from Calterah Semi
Calterah Semiconductor launched two new mmWave radar SoC families, Alps-Pro and Andes, on its Calterah Day 2022 themed with “Next Wave”.
Alps-Pro is developed based on the mmWave radar SoC platform of Alps, only featuring being more Powerful, Robust, and Optimal (PRO). The Alps-Pro device is a low-power 4T4R SoC with the smallest die size among its likes on the market. Forward-looking radar based on Alp-Pro can have a maximum detection range of 240 m, with ±0.1° angular accuracy and 3° resolution. Unquestionably, Alps-Pro can better meet the requirements of radar systems for L2+ intelligent driving.
Compared to Alps products, the Alps-Pro product has the following significant advantages:
- FMCW transceiver system
- More accurate phase shifter; higher channel-to-channel isolation; greater RF link budget
- Reduced spur attenuation; CISPR 25 Class 5 for EMC; 100% faster functional safety mechanism detection
- Baseband Accelerator (BBA) for complete radar signal processing
- More efficient DDM flow; coherent CFAR; SVA supported
- Greater performance in interference detection and mitigation; bit-true simulator for each BBA engine
- Digital circuitry
- Memory size increased by 100%
- Single-core CPU upgraded to dual-core
- Interface throughput improved by 19 times with 100 Mbps Ethernet
Moreover, the various debugging features, simpler CPU resource management, and ASPICE compliance of Alps-Pro offer greater ease of use and shorten the time to market.
The next-generation mmWave radar SoC product family of Andes that brings the frontier technology to the market, was also unveiled. Consisting of two 4T4R radar SoCs using 22 nm process, the Andes family, unrivalled in every aspect, can realize 4D premium and imaging radar functions.
As a next-generation platform, Andes is most advanced in computation power, RF design, cascading functionality, debugging, and cybersecurity.
- Computation power: 4-core CPU offering over 2000 DMIPS; DSP operating at least 2X faster than products on the market; Calterah proprietary RSP for rapid radar signal processing.
- RF module: 7-bit transmission line based phase rotator; flexible waveform generation supported; accurate digital compensation.
- Cascading functionality: C2C (Chip-to-Chip) interfaces; flexible cascading; AXI-based protocol facilitating software operation; distributed signal processing.
- Debugging: JTAG and Aurora interfaces; multiple data channels; analytic modules.
- Cybersecurity: Adaptation of “safety island” design; hardware accelerators supporting all encryption algorithms.
With the extraordinary computation power, Andes supports high-throughput data processing and advanced algorithms. Its flexible architecture can meet the requirements of different use scenarios and waveforms. The convenient debugging functions significantly facilitate development and the superior Hardware Security Module can well address the ever-growing need for cybersecurity.
At the product launch, Dr Chen Jiashu, CEO of Calterah, pointed out three directions towards which the automotive mmWave radar evolves: compact and low-power, economical, and 4D imaging. Calterah is proud to have the most comprehensive mmWave radar chip product portfolio and can offer, in sync with the three directions, the cutting-edge mmWave technologies to global users.
Calterah’s AiP products from the Alps family are preferred choices for small and low-power radar modules and perfect for emerging automotive in-cabin applications. For Alps-Pro, it targets L2+ intelligent driving radar with the cost-efficient advantage. Andes, however, is designed for 4D premium and imaging radar, contributing to L3+ auto driving.
As of today, Calterah has served more than 400 customers, built a partnership with over 20 car OEMs, and enabled 70+ car models, with an accumulative shipment of over 3 million auto-grade chips. This year also witnesses the establishment of our first overseas site in Munich and hence we are able to better serve global customers and to get one step closer to the mission to “Make Millimeter-Wave Serve Everyone”.
Cipia Wins
-Cipia (TASE: CPIA), an AI computer vision in-cabin automotive solutions provider, announced that the company had secured a design win with an additional Chinese OEM together with Tier 1 HiRain. Cipia’s Driver Sense Driver Monitoring System (DMS) will be incorporated into a pickup truck model that will be sold in South America, Australia and New Zealand. Cipia’s DMS will run on an OmniVision SoC. The model is expected to start production in 2023.
The deal breaks new ground for Cipia, representing the company’s first design win with both HiRain and the OEM. With this announcement, Cipia has now been awarded 29 design wins across 6 car manufacturers.
HARMAN Partners with Ferrari
HARMAN, an automotive electronics technology company and subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. focused on designing consumer experiences at automotive grade, announced a multi-year, multi-faceted partnership with Ferrari focused on bringing the next generation of in-cabin experiences to market, today. Ferrari will leverage HARMAN Ready Upgrade hardware and software to deliver fully upgradeable consumer electronics-level experiences into the cabin across their vehicle lineup, quickly and cost effectively. The partnership extends to the racetrack, as HARMAN Automotive becomes the exclusive In-Cabin Experience Team partner of Scuderia Ferrari beginning with the 2023 Formula 1 season.
Appotronics, a leading company in global laser display technology showcased its immersive multi-window laser-powered display solution in one global car maker’s vision car.
The vision car is the world’s first car with immersive display capabilities on all four side windows, offering flexibility to display laser-generated content as four transparent screens, making the vehicle more interactive for drivers and passengers. Users have the option to display content on both sides of the windows with ALPD® display devices hidden inside the cabin.
Dr. Yi Li, Founder and Chairman of Appotronics, remarked, “Bringing this advanced laser technology to CES is a ground-breaking moment for the automotive industry. In the past, laser displays on car windows were only imagined in films and on TV. Appotronics’ ALPD® display technology is now turning this concept into reality, offering drivers and passengers an exceptional mobility experience.”
“As electric vehicles gain market share, our laser display solutions are being adopted more widely, taking different forms such as ultra-large screen projection, roof projection, side-window projection, smart surface projection and more. Outfitting electric vehicles with laser display technology makes perfect sense,” Li added.
Appotronics is a leading laser display manufacturer with research & development, patented core technology and critical component manufacturing capabilities. The company’s laser display solutions have been applied to a wide range of situations and sectors including automotive, movie theaters, home entertainment, exhibition halls, education and aviation. With 1,600 patents globally, Appotronics is now showcasing another example of its technology’s unique applications in the auto sector at CES in 2023.
The company currently offers three main product lines for smart cars, including onboard display, head-up display (HUD) and laser headlights. Appotronics’ laser technology works to combine the lighting and visual display on the interior and exterior of the vehicle, setting the stage for a variety of groundbreaking mobility solutions in the near future. Leveraging its proprietary laser display technology, Appotronics collaborates with experts across industries to create increasingly sophisticated automotive display solutions that will define the future of mobility.