Connected Car News: CARID,Volkswagen, Quectel, Toshiba & Google

In  connected car news are CARID,Volkswagen, Quectel, Toshiba and Google.

CARID App Store for VW Brands

At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona: The software company CARIAD launched a new uniform application store in cars of the Volkswagen Group brands. Audi is the first brand to integrate the store in selected models as of July 2023. In addition to exclusive apps from Audi, Porsche, Volkswagen and other brands, the store will give customers in-car access to content provided by third parties. CARIAD is working with HARMAN, a Samsung company, to create an open ecosystem for apps that drivers can use in their cars’ infotainment systems.

CARIAD and HARMAN have already secured numerous partners for the application store. Whether music & video, gaming, navigation, parking & charging, weather apps or remote work – the store offers essential and popular functions that turn the car into a smart companion for drivers. In addition, the Volkswagen Group brands will integrate their own apps, such as online traffic light information or navigation services. In future, they can also offer their customers additional services via the store.  As a result, customers will experience a car that will always be improving through frequent updates, be it through third-party apps, or compelling and innovative CARIAD offerings.

The store launch marks an important deliverable for CARIAD: “Our new store for digital apps is the first major milestone in CARIAD’s year of delivery. It is the result of a great collaboration between Audi, CARIAD and HARMAN,” says CARIAD CEO Dirk Hilgenberg. “We will take the in-car experience to the next level – by integrating the digital world of the Volkswagen Group’s customers seamlessly into the car. Our Group application store already allows a first glimpse on a completely new infotainment stack: The store will be part of the ‘One.Infotainment’ system in the premium software for the next generation of Porsche and Audi models.”

Starting in summer 2023 Audi will integrate the application store in selected models. “Audi is the first brand in the Volkswagen Group to introduce the Group Application Store in its vehicles. We will offer our customers a new level of digital in-car experience, seamlessly connecting their Audi to their digital life. As our Group-wide software supplier, CARIAD has provided a scalable solution with the Group Application Store, which we at Audi have adapted specifically for our products. This ability as a team to scale software solutions across different market segments represents an important milestone on our roadmap,” said Oliver Hoffmann, CTO of Audi. First, Audi will equip the Audi A4, A5, Q5, A6, A7, A8, Q8 e-tron and e-tron GT in Europe, USA, Canada, Mexico and Overseas markets with the new store. Later it will be rolled out to further models and regions as well as to other Volkswagen Group brands.

For the application store, CARIAD has teamed up with HARMAN, an automotive electronics technology company focused on designing consumer experiences at automotive grade. The application store integrates with the HARMAN Ignite Store, a solution for automotive infotainment systems, which allows the Volkswagen Group brands to maintain control of 3rd party content, the user experience and the primary relationship with the end user. “We are delighted to collaborate with CARIAD to provide a solution that will usher in a new era of third-party innovation for automotive,” says Huibert Verhoeven, Senior Vice President, Digital Cockpit, HARMAN. “HARMAN Ignite Store removes the heavy lifting required for third-party developers to adapt their content and services for automotive. At the same time, we enable OEMs like Volkswagen Group in this first-to-market implementation, to maintain control of this important emerging market while providing a stand-out in-vehicle experience for their customers.”

The application store provides a rich set of third-party automotive apps written specifically for automotive and adapted to existing mobile applications to meet automotive requirements. Thanks to a scalable platform approach, developers will be empowered to reach several OEMs and a vast number of Volkswagen Group vehicles via the application store without additional adjustments. The store consistently ensures that the applications in the vehicle meet the high safety requirements of the automotive industry. Third-party developers will also be able to seamlessly update and upgrade their applications over the air at any time.

The list of apps for the CARIAD store will be continuously extended. The first partners of the store include for example: the streaming services Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Tidal, Tubi, the weather provider The Weather Channel Gaming Hub FRVR, POI service Yelp, Stingray Karaoke, social media service TikTok, Parkwhiz, charging app Plugshare, the smart home platform Home Assistant, open web browser Vivaldi, and the collaboration app Webex by Cisco.

Quectel UWB Automotive Grade Module

Quectel Wireless Solutions, a global IoT and automotive solutions provider, today announces the launch of the ultra-wideband (UWB) automotive grade AU30Q module. Based on Qorvo’s DW3300Q UWB chipset, the module enables precise real-time outdoor and indoor localization and reliable wireless communication.

Featuring an embedded antenna, the AU30Q provides improved location capabilities, enhanced security and reliable data transmission, making it particularly suited to smart car access applications such as keyless entry, in-car passenger detection, personnel approaching detection, easy trunk access, wireless charging and battery swapping for electric vehicles.

“With the increasing availability of UWB technology in smart phones, many car OEMs are considering adopting UWB as a solution in their next generation of vehicles to offer drivers secure car access,” said Manfred Lindacher, Vice President of Global Sales, Automotive International, Quectel Wireless Solutions. “We are very excited that the AU30Q UWB module based on Qorvo’s platform will help car OEMs and Tier 1 partners develop safer and easier-to-use car access solutions. It further expands our comprehensive portfolio covering wireless and GNSS technologies, antenna and related services, and also solidifies Quectel’s leading capabilities in the automotive field.”

“We are very pleased to expand our successful collaboration with Quectel to include UWB,” said Gorden Cook, general manager for Qorvo’s Automotive Connectivity group. “We believe their choice of our low-power, single chip UWB transceiver brings simplicity, flexibility and high performance to their new automotive solution. UWB is an increasingly important technology for automotive customers, and we look forward to supporting Quectel in the launch of their AU30Q product.”

Incorporating the AEC-Q100 qualified Qorvo DW3300Q chipset, the AU30Q supports UWB Channels 5 (6.5 GHz) and 9 (8 GHz) and offers data rates of 850 Kbps and 6.8 Mbps. It can be flexibly adapted with an external MCU that has CAN or Bluetooth connectivity to accommodate for any possible architecture need in the car. Compared to chip-down designs, the UWB module can help automotive customers deploy their solutions more efficiently, save development resources, remove for customers the hurdle of complex RF and antenna design aspects, and dramatically shorten the time-to-market.

AU30Q enables the newest generation of digital key and car access, where UWB defeats attacks by making the vehicle aware of the true localization of the owner, thru real-time super-accurate distance measurement between the vehicle and the owner’s key fob, smart phone, or smartwatch. For those applications, AU30Q fully conforms to the latest standards set by the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC), a global digital key standardization organization, making it compatible with different vehicle manufacturers and smart phone OEMs. It also fully conforms to the Intelligent Car Connectivity Industry Ecosystem alliance (ICCE), a leading organization for digital key standardization in China. Similarly, AU30Q alignment with FiRa™ PHY and MAC specifications enables interoperability with other FiRa™ compliant devices.

The AU30Q module can be used in Single-Sided Two-way Ranging (SS-TWR) and in Double-Sided Two-way Ranging (DS-TWR) systems to locate assets. AU30Q can quickly be used to implement Real-Time Localization Systems (RTLS), as well as automated navigation systems in GPS-denied areas, with an accuracy of 10cm.

With a compact and unified form factor of 12.0 mm × 25.0 mm × 2.4 mm, the AU30Q is an ideal UWB solution for size sensitive applications, and helps manufacturers reduce product size and optimize design cost. This surface mounted module is extremely robust and features two highly reliable SPI interfaces to host the processor as well as an internal antenna, which improves design flexibility and reduces development time and effort.

Toshiba Gate Driver IC for Brushless DC Motors

Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation (“Toshiba”) has launched “TB9083FTG,” a gate-driver IC^[1] for automotive brushless DC motors used in applications such as electric power steering (EPS), electric brakes and shift-by-wire. Volume shipments start today.

Automotive equipment must deliver a performance that meets the requirements of ISO 26262, the functional safety standards for road vehicles. Semiconductor chips and electronic components installed in automotive equipment are no exception to this.

The new product TB9083FTG controls and drives external N-channel power MOSFETs for driving a three-phase brushless DC motor. It is highly capable against the ISO 26262 2nd edition functional safety^[2] and supports ASIL-D^[3] for use in highly safety-critical automotive systems. This makes the new product ideal for automotive applications using brushless DC motors, such as EPS, electric brakes and shift-by-wire.

For systems requiring safety relays such as EPS, TB9083FTG has a built-in three-channel gate-driver for the safety relays that control and drive the relays for motors and power supply. This eliminates the need for external components and helps reduce the part count.

TB9083FTG is housed in a P-VQFN48-0707-0.50-005 package with a wettable flank^[4] structure. This allows visual inspection of solder joints using an automatic optical inspection (AOI) system, and contributes to improved solder joint reliability.
In addition, Toshiba has verified that it can go through 3000 cycles in the mounting temperature cycling test and has obtained data that will allow customers to use this QFN package with full confidence.

By using a small package ((7.0mm x 7.0mm (typ.)), the mounting area has been reduced by approximately 66% against the current product ^[5]. This helps to control the increase in the mounting area, as the number of electronic components on ECU boards tends to rise due to redundant designs that are effective in ensuring higher levels of safety.

Toshiba will continue to steadily introduce improved functions that match the requirements of ISO 26262 2nd edition into gate-driver IC for automotive three-phase brushless DC motors, and to contribute to the electrification and safety enhancement of automotive equipment.

Applications

Automotive equipment

• Electric power steering (EPS), electric braking, shift-by-wire, various types of pump, etc.

Features

• 3 channels of drivers for safety relays
• Adoption of a small package reduces the mounting area by approximately 66%^[5]
• Built-in self-diagnosis circuit for external MOSFETs

Main Specifications

Follow the link below for more on the new product.
TB9083FTG

Google LLC Promoter Member of MIPI Alliance

The MIPI Alliance, an international organization that develops interface specifications for mobile and mobile-influenced industries, today announced that Google LLC has been approved as its newest Promoter member. With this appointment, Google obtains a seat on the MIPI Board of Directors to help guide the strategic direction of MIPI interface specifications, which are widely implemented across application spaces such as mobile, IoT, augmented and virtual reality, medical devices, industrial systems, automobiles, and client devices such as tablets, notebooks and all-in-ones.