Connected Car News: Profilence, TomTom, Mitsubishi, ECARX, BlackBerry, Samsung, Neonode, AUTOCRYPT, Hitachi, Gracenote, KYOCERA, Car IQ, Fluid, BMW & AVL

In connected car news are Profilence, TomTom, Mitsubishi, ECARX, BlackBerry, Samsung, Neonode, AUTOCRYPT, Hitachi, Gracenote, KYOCERA, Car IQ, Fluid, BMW and AVL.

Profilence for TomTom Digital Cockpit

Profilence, a leader in software quality analytics solutions in automotive, medical, and smart device segments, has announced its latest collaboration with TomTom. Renowned for its award-winning QA Suite, Profilence is extending its capabilities to support TomTom Digital Cockpit, with the goal of streamlining the integration process for OEMs seeking to incorporate TomTom’s Digital Cockpit while leveraging Profilence’s extensive expertise in long-term stability and performance defect analysis.

In contrast to traditional quality assurance methods that involve prolonged fleet trials generating incomplete data, Profilence has pioneered advanced technologies and methodologies for simulating end-user behavior within controlled laboratory conditions. This innovative approach, utilizing test rigs and Profilence’s QA Suite, empowers OEMs and Tier1 suppliers to rapidly acquire reliable information on system resiliency and root causes of issues during the research and development phase, all within days.

TomTom accelerates its digital cockpit development and customer delivery processes by adopting the company’s solutions and integrating them into its daily engineering practices. TomTom Digital Cockpit licensees now have an option to immediately start analyzing the quality of their integrated infotainment systems, as the needed adaptations have been built into the Profilence QA Suite proactively.

Tero Aaltonen, Chief Business Development Officer at Profilence, expressed his enthusiasm for this significant partnership, saying, “Partnering with major technology providers is at the core of Profilence’s automotive strategy. Supporting TomTom Digital Cockpit is a notable milestone in our mission to ensure infotainment systems’ long-term stability and performance. We remain committed to innovation and expanding our QA offerings for the automotive sector, and we look forward to delivering added value to TomTom and their esteemed licensees.”

“Utilizing the quality assurance solution provided by Profilence empowers our engineers to concentrate on what truly matters: delivering state-of-the-art IVI software with robust stability and performance,” says Daan Duurkoop, VP Product Management TomTom Digital Cockpit. “This indispensable solution is a daily asset in our commitment to uphold the superior quality of our software.”

Experience the solution firsthand at the Profilence booth during the Car HMI USA 2023 event in Dearborn, MI, from December 6th to 8th.

Mitsubishi Fund Invests in Hayden AI Tech

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) announced  that its ME Innovation Fund has invested in Hayden AI Technologies, Inc., a U.S. based startup company that provides the traffic violation enforcement services using image analysis technology. This is the sixth investment the fund has made to date.

The United States has very strict traffic regulations related to school buses to ensure the safety of children. For example, when a school bus is stopped and either displaying a stop sign or flashing its lights, the vehicles behind it must come to a complete stop. The same requirement applies when a school bus stops in the oncoming lane, unless the road has a median strip. Notwithstanding some minor variations between states, the penalties for violations of these rules are severe.

Hayden AI Technologies uses cameras mounted on school buses and other vehicles to detect traffic violations via image analysis. Violations are reported immediately to the relevant authorities, together with the relevant image data. This service contributes to improved urban traffic safety by enabling violations such as parking infringements to be enforced more efficiently. The company also offers a traffic volume forecasting solution that utilizes accumulated image data, which it plans to develop into a business urban traffic optimization platform to pitch to major cities around the U.S.

Mitsubishi Electric and Hayden AI Technologies are taking on the challenge to create a digital twin. The aim is to solve urban transport problems by collecting image data in real time to perform highly reproducible simulations, and then predict traffic accidents and changes in traffic conditions that are likely to occur in the real world.

ECARX Powered by BlackBerry with Black Sesame

ECARX Holdings Inc announced that it has partnered with Black Sesame Technologies and BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) to jointly deploy its Skyland ADAS platform in Lynk & Co’s flagship SUV, the Lynk & Co 08. ECARX Skyland Pro is powered by the BlackBerry QNX® Neutrino® Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) and Black Sesame Technologies’ Huashan II A1000 ADAS computing chip. This robust tech stack supports the ECARX Skyland Pro with exceptional computing power, stability, reliability, and safety.

This deployment not only marks the Company’s inaugural mass-production of the ECARX Skyland Pro, but also represents the first large-scale production and application of the Black Sesame A1000 chip for use in ADAS solutions. The successful mass production and deployment of ECARX Skyland Pro represents a tangible validation and substantial industry acknowledgment of the companies’ collaborative efforts.

Lily Cai, Senior Vice President, China Sales & Marketing of ECARX, said, “ECARX is committed to leading the way for the industry with its ADAS solutions. We are very excited to have completed the deployment and mass production of our first ADAS platform, the ECARX Skyland Pro. This is a significant breakthrough for ECARX in this critical technology field and is a testament to the unwavering support we have received from our industry-leading partners, Black Sesame Technologies and BlackBerry.”

Samsung RaptorX Enables Higher Performance

Samsung Foundry certified Ansys’ (NASDAQ: ANSS) RaptorX™ on-chip electromagnetic (EM) solution for analyzing high-speed products manufactured with Samsung’s 8nm (nanometer) LN08LPP Low Power Plus silicon process. The silicon-validated accuracy of RaptorX™ enables joint customers to harness Samsung’s manufacturing process capabilities to achieve greater product reliability and higher performance for 5G, WiFi, automotive, and HPC.

The requirement for EM modeling extends beyond niche applications as chip frequencies continue to increase. The semiconductor industry relies on Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tool certification by foundries as a critical step to ensuring the accuracy and reliability of simulation models, which are essential for developing high-speed products. RaptorX’s™ accuracy was validated across a multitude of demanding layout geometries, including dense dummy-metal fill, and its models correlated very well with silicon measurements. The ability to reliably predict circuit behavior allows designers to optimize their products with confidence knowing that they will behave as expected and meet performance specifications.

“Our new LN08LPP low-power process responds to a growing demand for high-speed semiconductors,” said Sangyun Kim, vice president and head of foundry design technology team at Samsung Electronics. “Our collaboration with Ansys ensures that our customers can rely on leading electromagnetic and multiphysics solutions for today’s largest, most sophisticated high-performance designs.”

“Our customers are designing the next generation of technology products that rely on the higher frequencies made possible by Samsung’s advances in manufacturing technology,” said John Lee, vice president and general manager of the electronics, semiconductors, and optics business unit at Ansys. “The certification of RaptorX™ guarantees the required level of accuracy is achieved to ensure that data-intense products meet specifications at all levels.”

Neonode Supplies DMS for OEM

Neonode Inc. (NASDAQ: NEON) has been awarded by a leading commercial vehicle OEM to supply Driver Monitoring System (DMS) software to the OEM’s global range of commercial vehicles. Neonode will provide a bespoke solution based on its proprietary MultiSensing platform. Neonode will receive licensing revenues from 2025 when the first vehicles equipped with Neonode’s solution reach the market. The program will also generate non-recurring engineering revenues for Neonode during the coming years.

“We are honored and proud to have been selected as a partner to this commercial vehicle OEM and look forward to cooperating with them in developing and launching safety-enhancing and value-adding driver and in-cabin monitoring systems for many years to come. This is a breakthrough win for Neonode and our MultiSensing technology for commercial vehicle applications, where reliability and quality standards are of utmost importance. We will build on this to expand our driver and in-cabin monitoring business in both the commercial vehicle segment and in the light vehicle and passenger car segment in the coming years,” said Urban Forssell, CEO Neonode.

The global DMS market is already a multi-billion dollar market and is expected to grow significantly the next ten years driven by legislation and other initiatives to improve traffic safety. The DMS software market alone is expected to become a multi-hundred million dollar per year market and Neonode’s aim is to win a significant portion of this and establish itself as a leader in this segment.

Neonode’s MultiSensing platform supports controlled and efficient development of value-adding driver and in-cabin monitoring features that can be seamlessly deployed in new vehicles as well as in vehicles already in use. This advanced and scalable platform utilizes the power of machine learning and takes a holistic approach to the driver and in-cabin monitoring task and uses a large number of different sensor inputs and data when assessing the situation inside the vehicle, which makes Neonode’s solution uniquely flexible with superior performance and robustness.

AUTOCRYPT & Hitachi Partner for V2X & Security

AUTOCRYPT, an industry-leading automotive cybersecurity and mobility solutions company, announced its partnership with Hitachi Solutions, Ltd., a global IT service provider and system integrator. The two companies have agreed to provide joint offerings and consulting services covering V2X and in-vehicle systems security to Japanese automotive OEMs and tier suppliers.

The two companies already have a history of collaboration; AUTOCRYPT has been offering its V2X security solution with the option of integrating its security library with Hitachi Solution’s V2X Middleware Platform. The formalization of the partnership signifies the continued success of past projects, and seeks to further expand the scope of collaboration beyond V2X to embedded vehicular systems.

As vehicles become increasingly software-defined, cybersecurity for in-vehicle systems has become an integral part of automotive production and regulatory compliance. AUTOCRYPT’s in-vehicle systems security solution helps OEMs exceed cybersecurity requirements with open-source license management, fuzzing, penetration testing, and threat mitigation, while Hitachi Solutions, Ltd. offers a range of compliance consulting that covers all facets of vehicle production. The partnership will provide an optimized range of solutions for both companies’ clients to meet production requirements.

“The Japanese automotive industry is one of the largest in the world and is currently undergoing a major transition to a more electrified and software-defined future,” said AUTOCRYPT’s CEO, Daniel ES Kim. “Through this partnership with Hitachi Solutions, we are excited to offer a more comprehensive V2X and in-vehicle systems security solution with an enhanced support network for our existing and potential clients in Japan.”

As a global leader in automotive cybersecurity, AUTOCRYPT’s goal is not confined to helping clients stay secure and compliant, but to also maximize efficiency by streamlining cybersecurity engineering into the production process. Its newly developed AutoCrypt Security Fuzzer for HIL enables fuzz testing in hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulations, greatly reducing vehicle development costs.////

Gracenote New Automotive Data for Media Experiences

Gracenote, the leading global entertainment metadata provider, is announcing its new automotive data platform developed to grant automakers easy access to the company’s industry-leading entertainment datasets to power differentiated in-car media experiences. Gracenote Nexus AutoSM works with Android Automotive OS (AAOS) and other popular auto operating systems enabling car brands to simplify integration with their infotainment offerings, reduce development time and deliver the content-first interfaces consumers want. Gracenote will preview new connected car user experiences built on Nexus Auto at CES 2024.

Nexus Auto delivers Gracenote’s high-quality metadata for radio stations, streaming music, podcasts, sports, TV shows and movies to new infotainment systems by way of connected APIs. This empowers automakers to create branded in-car entertainment experiences with customizable features and advanced functionalities that work in a broad range of models, ultimately helping them to connect directly with their users.

As connected cars increasingly serve as “third living spaces” for people beyond their homes and places of work, more consumption of a broader range of content is happening inside them. Consequently, in-car entertainment has become a critical focus of automakers seeking to deliver modern user experiences and meet the evolving behaviors and demands of consumers.

“Automakers today see a massive opportunity to drive brand loyalty and build consumer relationships by up-leveling the in-car entertainment experiences they deliver,” said Trent Wheeler, Chief Product Officer at Gracenote. “Providing the industry’s broadest datasets covering the world’s most popular audio, sports and video content, Gracenote is uniquely positioned to help its auto customers delight drivers and passengers who want easy access to entertainment everywhere. We’re excited to launch Nexus Auto which empowers automakers to own relationships with users and realize the full potential of their infotainment offerings.”

A significant challenge automakers face today is presenting a unified infotainment offering that makes content easily accessible no matter where it lives. With Nexus Auto from Gracenote, automakers can deliver content-first experiences that break down barriers between platforms, apps and media types. This enables consumers to engage with their favorite radio stations, music services and video streaming platforms as well as seamlessly link to related content via their car’s native interface. It also allows for personalized recommendations based on content preferences, user activity and other contextual signals, all in an intuitive, driver-friendly UI.

For example, Champions League soccer followers can receive timely match updates when their favorite clubs are playing along with prompts to stream games if parked. “Suits” watchers can binge episodes during an E/V charging session or while waiting for their children’s soccer practice to end and get personalized recommendations for new shows or movies to add to their watchlists. Fans of BTS can blast their favorite tracks on leading music streaming services based on what’s playing on the radio. With the implementation of Nexus Auto, a wide range of new interconnected entertainment experiences open up in the car for consumers.

Gracenote has fueled automotive entertainment innovation since 2001 when the company’s embedded music recognition technology and data first enabled breakthrough in-car listening experiences. Since then, more than 250 million cars powered by Gracenote have shipped globally. With its unmatched entertainment metadata coverage, media identification technologies and advanced delivery capabilities, the company is uniquely positioned to help automakers drive the future of connected car infotainment.

Gracenote is the content data business unit of Nielsen providing entertainment metadata, connected IDs and related offerings to the world’s leading creators, distributors and platforms. Gracenote enables advanced content navigation and discovery capabilities helping individuals easily connect to the TV shows, movies, music, podcasts and sports they love while delivering powerful content analytics making complex business decisions simpler.

KYOCERA AVX Intros MLVs

KYOCERA AVX, a leading global manufacturer of advanced electronic components engineered to accelerate technological innovation and build a better future, is proud to announce that several VCAS Series multilayer varistors (MLVs) are now qualified to both the VW80808 and AEC-Q200 standards.

VCAS Series MLVs, introduced in October of 2022, were the industry’s first MLVs equipped with automotive-grade flexible terminations, and several parts in the series are now the first flexible-termination varistors to be qualified to both AEC-Q200 and VW80808 standards as well. The VW80808 standard focuses on protecting automotive electrical systems from shorts involving the battery, and the qualification is based on:

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  • 5mm board bend testing
  • Power line testing (60,000 pulses at -55°C, +25°C, and +125°C)
  • Temperature cycling testing

VCAS Series MLVs with FLEXITERM terminations are engineered to reliably withstand severe flection, vibration, and temperature cycling and are tested and proven to tolerate up to 5mm of mechanical board flexure and up to 3,000 temperature cycles extending up to 150°C, which well exceeds the AEC-Q200 testing requirement of 1,000 cycles at up to 125°. Test results consistently showed that even when subjected to 200% more temperature cycles at 20% higher temperatures than those mandated for AEC-Q200 qualification, VCAS Series MLVs exhibited zero board flex failures, including internal cracks and depanelization, and no significant changes to their electrical characteristics.

The additional testing required to achieve VW80808 qualification ensures that VCAS Series MLVs deliver optimal performance in an extended range of demanding high-reliability applications in the automotive industry. They can also be used in industrial, aerospace, downhole drilling, IoT, and consumer electronics applications. Suitable applications for the series now include automotive underhood and battery line applications, signal and power lines, circuits with direct power and battery connections, circuits subject to vibration, variable temperatures, and flexure stress, smart watches and other wearables, and cleaning robots. VCAS Series MLVs are also well suited for use in applications subject to hazards including significant temperature variations, vibration, wave soldering, forced cooling, improper handling, the insertion and removal of PCBs from connectors, and high-density board configurations — all of which can result in board expansion, contraction, flexure, and cracking, and the depanelization of components mounted near the edges of the PCB, near flex zones, and near large, heavy components.

VCAS Series MLVs feature KYOCERA AVX’s patented FLEXITERM soft termination technology, which has been widely employed on automotive-qualified multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) for more than 15 years and proven to provide increased reliability and outstanding mechanical and thermomechanical performance compared to competing technologies. Additional features include high current and energy handling capabilities, super-fast response times, multiple ESD strike capabilities, and high-reliability bidirectional overvoltage protection. VCAS Series MLVs provide EMI/RFI attenuation in their off state, which can reduce or even eliminate the need for additional EMC capacitors and enable lower insertion losses, lower leakage current, and unrivaled reliability compared to competing diode solutions.

The series is available in four surface mount case sizes (0603, 0805, 1206, and 1210) and rated for working voltages ranging from 3.3–85V, clamping voltages extending from 14–165V, transient energies spanning 0.1 up to 4.5J, and operating temperatures up to 150°C. It is also RoHS-compliant.

“Our VCAS Series multilayer varistors with FLEXITERM technology were developed to satisfy automotive industry demands for more robust component solutions. The new VW80808 qualification extends their proven performance beyond that guaranteed by their AEC-Q200 qualification,” said Zack Kozawa, Product Marketing Manager, KYOCERA AVX. “Parts qualified to the AEC-Q200 standard can often be insufficient for preventing flex failures caused by the mechanical and thermal stresses incurred during assembly and operation, so this additional qualification further validates their suitability for a wide range of demanding high-reliability applications in the automotive industry and beyond. The series also complements KYOCERA AVX’s extensive portfolio of automotive-qualified components, which extends across multiple product categories and provides customers with a comprehensive range of solutions engineered to address their challenging application requirements.”

VCAS Series MLVs with FLEXITERM technology are packaged on 7″ reels for compatibility with automated processing equipment, and lead-time for the series is currently 10 weeks.

Car IQ for Payments in Fluid Trucks

Car IQ Inc., a pioneer in vehicle payment solutions, and Fluid Truck, the company making commercial vehicles available at the tap of a button, have joined forces to transform the way fleet drivers pay for services on-the-go. The collaboration brings together Car IQ’s payment solution and Fluid Truck’s state-of-the-art truck sharing technology to make it easier for Fluid vehicle drivers to find gas stations and pay for fuel without the hassle of a fleet card program.

Car IQ uses real-time vehicle data to enable fleet drivers to unlock and pay for services including fuel, tolling, parking and more. Car IQ Pay integrates into the Fluid Truck driver app, so drivers can pay for fuel seamlessly within the app. Combined with Fluid Truck’s agile and user-friendly truck sharing technology, fleets will realize a substantial reduction in operational costs, including reducing reconciliation time and eliminating the costs associated with fleet card management; all while maximizing utilization of their vehicles.

“The world is increasingly moving towards digital payments, and this partnership will further Fluid and Car IQs’ shared goals of bringing even more flexibility and ease for drivers,” said James Eberhard, Fluid Truck CEO and Founder.

“Working with Fluid Truck is a big deal for us. For the first time, we are extending our payment innovation into the On-Demand Rental business,” said Sterling Pratz, CEO of Car IQ. “Our collaboration underscores a shared mission of removing the challenges of managing credit cards and making it easier for Fluid Trucks customers to pay for services.”

Car IQ Pay and Fluid Truck are committed to providing a unified payment solution, communicating and sharing data, and eliminating the complexities associated with fleet spending.

Big Mighty Weels for BMW Games in Cars

AirConsole and BMW Group’s Game Developer Competition, announced in March 2023 at GDC in San Francisco, drew dozens of game demo submissions from talented developers from around the world. After selecting four finalists, AirConsole and BMW Group are thrilled to award “Big Mighty Wheels”  from Paranoia Games with the top prize that includes funding for its game, and the opportunity to visit BMW Group’s HQ in Munich to play its game demo in a car equipped with the AirConsole platform.

“Big Mighty Wheels” will be a compelling addition to AirConsole’s fast-growing portfolio of games for cars. The game is, appropriately, an arcade driving game that showcases AirConsole’s unique local multiplayer functionalities by requiring strong cooperative play from the players.

Rodrigo Picazo, game developer at Paranoia Games, stated that “AirConsole’s controller solution enables a truly unique gaming experience in the car environment and sparked our creativity when developing Big Mighty Wheels. This opportunity enabled us to personalize the controller in various ways and optimize the input for the player.”

Antti Makkonen, Senior Executive Producer at AirConsole added “The team from Paranoia Games took full advantage of what AirConsole’s game controller solution offers when they designed their game. Our hope is that other developers will be inspired by their game and in turn work with us to bring new and innovative gaming experiences to cars.”

Thanks to the partnership between AirConsole and BMW Group, the game industry has a new venue for gaming. As the partnership deepens, the ability to deliver truly engaging gaming experiences is becoming a reality, making the car a place to experience games like nowhere else.

About AirConsole

AirConsole is the leading casual gaming platform for in-car entertainment. Its games are seamlessly played using smartphones as controllers while playing games on a big screen, eliminating the need for additional hardware.

AVL Software Cert

Data security is one of the decisive parameters in vehicle development. The mobility technology company AVL Software and Functions, based in Germany, has now proven once again that it fully fulfils the IT security standards of the automotive industry. With the new ENX Vehicle Cybersecurity (VCS) certification, AVL is one of the first companies to receive the label following a successful audit.

With the TISAX standard, the governance organisation ENX Association has established a uniform audit standard for information security in the automotive industry. With VCS, ENX is now introducing a standardised audit programme in the area of vehicle cyber security. AVL Software and Functions has successfully completed the new certification programme. The award of the label confirms that AVL fulfils the highest requirements for secure data exchange with clients and
development partners. This includes standards such as ISO/SAE 21434, ISO/PAS 5112 and UNECE Regulation 155. Obtaining the ENX VCS label in combination with TISAX® creates a solid basis for trustworthy co-operation between manufacturers and AVL.