In connected car news are Mistubishi Electric, Lenovo, Stellantis, Allison Transmission, AECC & Antolin.
New J3-Series Semiconductors from Mitsubishi Electric
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) announced the coming release of six new J3-Series power semiconductor modules for various electric vehicles (xEVs), featuring either a silicon carbide metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (SiC-MOSFET) or a RC-IGBT (Si), with compact designs and scalability for use in the inverters of electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). All six J3-Series products will be available for sample shipments from March 25.
The new power modules will be exhibited at the 38th Electronics R&D, Manufacturing and Packaging Technology Expo (NEPCON JAPAN 2024) from January 24 to 26 at Tokyo Big Sight, Japan, as well as other exhibitions in North America, Europe, China and additional locations.
As power semiconductors capable of efficiently converting electricity expand and diversify in response to decarbonization initiatives, the demand is increasing for SiC power semiconductors offering significantly reduced power loss. In the xEV sector, power semiconductor modules are used widely in power conversion devices such as inverters for xEV drive motors. In addition to extending the cruising range of xEVs, compact, high-power, high-efficiency modules are needed to further downsize batteries and inverters. But due to the high safety standards set for xEVs, power semiconductors used in drive motors must be more reliable than those used in general industrial applications.
Development of these SiC products was partially supported by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).
Lenovo Vehicle Computing ISO Certification
Lenovo Vehicle Computing announced that it has received the certification of ISO26262 Functional Safety management system ASIL-D from TÜV Rheinland, a milestone for its development.
The ISO26262 is a core international standard aimed at minimizing risks in electrical and electronic system failures in automobiles as cars are increasingly becoming autonomous, connected, and electrified. ASIL-D is the highest level of the ISO 26262 functional safety standard and has the most stringent development process requirements.
Lenovo Vehicle Computing is dedicated to bringing superior intelligent domain controller products and solutions to automobile manufacturers and tier1 suppliers. As technological complexity increases, the inclusion of multi-featured infotainment systems, driver assistance technologies, and electronically controlled safety features have fueled the growth of software in the automotive industry.
Lenovo Vehicle Computing has demonstrated through TUV’s rigorous certification process that it has successfully put in place a Functional Safety Management System. Since its inception last year, Lenovo’s Vehicle Computing business has gained traction among a broad range of partners, potential customers, and the automotive industry at large. By coupling Lenovo’s core strengths in computing technology and AI expertise, the company is poised to deliver cutting-edge intelligent mobility solutions of the future.
Donny Tang, Lenovo Vice President, head of Lenovo Vehicle Computing and Lenovo Research’s Vehicle Computing Lab noted: “Lenovo Vehicle Computing prioritizes safety and reliability in providing intelligent computing platforms and solutions for the automotive industry. Receiving the ISO 26262 functional safety management system certification is a significant milestone for us, demonstrating that we’ve established a comprehensive development process system that meets the highest automotive functional safety requirements and industry standards.”
“Lenovo Vehicle Computing is committed to implementing functional safety as a fundamental requirement for product development and creating intelligent automotive products with cutting-edge technologies and high safety standards for customers,” he said.
Lutz Frankholz, Executive Director of TÜV Rheinland Shanghai said:” As one of the world’s leading technology service providers, TÜV Rheinland provides one-stop solutions for OEMs and suppliers in the field of automotive functional safety. “TÜV Rheinland and Lenovo have been working closely in various fields for many years, and the ISO 26262 functional safety management certification issued to Lenovo Vehicle Computing is a boost to the development of Lenovo Vehicle Computing in the automotive area. In the future, TÜV Rheinland will cooperate with Lenovo in more areas.”
CloudMade AI Bought by Stellantis
Stellantis N.V. announced the acquisition of the artificial intelligence framework, machine learning models and intellectual property rights and patents of CloudMade, a developer of smart and innovative big data-driven automotive solutions.
The acquisition – as an asset deal – will support the mid-term development of STLA SmartCockpit and reinforces Stellantis’ software strategy outlined in Dare Forward 2030.
The AI-powered framework created by CloudMade, with integrated graphical interfaces, is the industry-leading cloud and software development kit for collecting and analyzing automotive data sets and has been the reference point to transform the in-car and mobility user experience throughout the past decade.
“The acquisition of CloudMade’s pioneering AI capabilities will accelerate our development journey on STLA SmartCockpit and help us deliver our Dare Forward 2030 goals,” said Yves Bonnefont, Stellantis Chief Software Officer. “Thanks to this adaptable technology and leveraging our growing connected car parc, we will create intelligent mobility solutions faster and with more flexibility, to delight our customers with in-vehicle and mobile experience personalization.”
As part of the acquisition, 44 engineers and software developers from CloudMade, dedicated to the development of AI technology, will be joining Stellantis.
“CloudMade is extremely pleased with this transaction,” said Jim Brown, founder and CTO of CloudMade. “The team is excited to deepen their working relationship with Stellantis to bring new features to the vehicle’s cockpit.”
CloudMade’s framework architecture allows to maximize data value using three learning approaches: personalized learning, which predicts an individual’s behavior in a particular context; fleet learning, using sensor data across devices to detect and share real world features; cohort learning, combining real world data with data from clustered groups of people distinguished by attributes.
CloudMade’s software technology will support Stellantis’ strategy to develop intelligent mobility products and enhance the overall customer experience with personalized features that will make their drive safer, their life easier and their trip exciting.
Services and products will include:
- Predictive maintenance and diagnostics to proactively identify and schedule maintenance needs and provide alerts, thus enhancing vehicle availability.
- Personalized in-car experiences able to adapt to individual preferences such as climate control, driving style coaching and entertainment options.
- Stellantis-specific voice assistant enhanced with custom automotive skills to advise on car features, answer model-specific queries and optimize voice routing.
- Optimized mobile experience and remote commands such as pre-trip planning, battery preconditioning and other proposed activities, based on frequent driver’s behavior.
- Advanced navigation and mapping that will provide up-do-date maps, real-time traffic information and intelligent routing, thus improving the overall navigation experience and help customers reach their destination more efficiently.
- Targeted features for fleet management, which will allow business customers to optimize delivery schedules, reduce travel time and resource utilization, increase productivity and EV performance, and, ultimately, facilitate the monitoring and management of the overall fleet.
Through this acquisition, Stellantis will also be able to develop end-to-end and fully owned navigation features; enhance data privacy, since the data for training the models will be managed internally, reducing risks of possible exposure; and introduce development kits for making custom models for its software developers.
Oshkosh Corp Picks Allison Transmission
Allison Transmission, a leading designer and manufacturer of conventional, electric hybrid and fully electric vehicle propulsion solutions, is proud to be selected by Oshkosh Corporation as its electric axle supplier for North America’s first fully integrated, zero-emission electric refuse collection vehicle. The Allison eGen Power® 100S has been successfully integrated into the McNeilus® Volterra™ ZSL™ electric refuse vehicle, which is specifically designed for the waste management industry to minimize environmental impact and reduce noise in communities around the world.
“Following a deep technical and competitive evaluation process, Oshkosh chose the Allison eGen Power 100S because of the differentiated performance, packaging efficiency and Allison’s reputation for industry leading reliability and durability, as well as the established customer support network Allison offers our mutual customers,” said Michael Moore, vice president of corporate engineering at Oshkosh. “This collaboration continues to build on our long history of partnership and innovation with Allison.”
Oshkosh recognized that the eGen Power 100S architecture efficiency advantage in heavy stop-start refuse applications would extend the eRCV’s range. Each vehicle will be built using two eGen Power 100S e-Axles in tandem configuration, while delivering cleaner air and quieter operation in communities where deployed. A differential lock will be utilized for optimized traction.
“Allison’s latest collaboration with Oshkosh highlights our ability to leverage Allison’s deep technical and application knowledge to deliver innovative propulsion solutions for diesel, natural gas, hydrogen fuel cell and battery electric applications, and marks the first time the eGen Power electric axles will be implemented into a vehicle that serves refuse collection applications,” said Rohan Barua, Vice President of North America Sales, Global Channel and Aftermarket for Allison Transmission. “Allison is the established propulsion leader in the North America refuse market. This partnership with Oshkosh helps to ensure Allison will continue to meet customer demand now and well in the future as electric vehicle adoption increases.”
Charter Joins AECC
The Automotive Edge Computing Consortium (AECC) today announced that Charter Communications, Inc., a leading broadband connectivity company, has joined as a member. The AECC is a non-profit consortium of cross-industry players working to drive best practices for the coming vehicle and computing convergence.
As a member of the Consortium, Charter will collaborate with AECC members to evaluate the work being done by wireless network operators, automotive manufacturers, cloud providers and other related bodies and communities to ensure that new technologies and standards meet the future needs of the automotive industry. Specifically, Charter will help the AECC solve for the increasing high-bandwidth, high-speed connectivity demands of connected vehicles.
“Connected vehicle services, such as intelligent driving and high-definition mapping, will require the ecosystem to efficiently process and deliver increasingly high volumes of data. As an AECC member, Charter will work with the organization’s global member base to identify more efficient ways to support the high-volume data and intelligent services that will be required to realize the full potential of connected vehicles,” said Gary Koerper, Senior Vice President, Emerging Tech Innovation, Charter.
The AECC accelerates the development of connected vehicle best practices and new use cases by sharing relevant findings, requirements and technology solutions with industry standards organizations. The AECC’s vision is to create a new era where connected vehicles use high-volume data to help improve safety, sustainability, reliability and the driving experience.
“We’re very pleased to welcome Charter to the Automotive Edge Computing,” said the AECC Board of Directors in a joint statement. “Charter has the technology and experience to make an invaluable contribution to AECC’s work, as we collaborate on solutions for the next generation of the connected vehicle.”
Renesas New Channel AHL Video Decoders
Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE:6723), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, today introduced the newest device in its Automotive HD Link (AHL) portfolio that enables automotive manufacturers to deliver high-definition video over low-cost cables and connectors. The new RAA279974 4-channel AHL video decoder processes four input sources simultaneously, making it an economical solution for surround-view and multi-camera applications.
Renesas’ AHL technology uses a modulated analog signal to transmit video. The frequency is therefore 10 times lower than digital transmission solutions available in the market today (~37MHz vs. >3GHz), making it robust against noise and enabling longer transmission distances (20-30m) with unshielded twisted pair cables and standard connectors. Existing standard-definition analog video cables and connectors can also be employed. Using unshielded twisted pair cables not only reduces cost, but it is also easier to route through the vehicle and offers lighter weight for improved energy efficiency and performance. Digital links such as SerDes require heavily shielded cables and high-end connectors that cost significantly more than those for AHL and may require replacement after five to seven years.
The RAA279974 completes the AHL family of products which consists of the RAA279971, a single channel AHL video encoder, and the RAA279972, a single channel AHL video decoder. The RAA279974 is an important addition to the AHL family as most OEMs want to support multiple cameras in vehicles for applications such as surround view parking assistance monitors. AHL can be paired with R-Car Automotive SoCs, RH850 MCUs, automotive PMICs, and analog components to cost-effectively implement numerous safety features in virtually any vehicle. Renesas provides multiple Winning Combinations that combine these components to enable manufacturers to quickly implement pre-tested video designs.
“Multi-camera safety systems are quickly becoming a must-have feature for many consumers,” said Davin Lee, Vice President of the Analog & Connectivity Product Group. “The AHL system enables our automotive customers to now deliver these features in all new vehicles, including economy models.”
AHL is robust against noise and offers excellent picture quality. There is no noticeable difference in picture quality when compared to a pure digital video image. Due to the fundamental nature of an analog signal, an AHL video transmission can withstand noise and interference. The picture may degrade slightly, but there will still be a live image to view. With a digital link, any noise/interference will result in a complete loss of picture.
Key Features of AHL
- Supports resolutions from VGA up to 720p/60 or 1080p/30 for flexibility to implement non-standard vertical resolutions (not just the TV video standard 16:9 resolutions)
- MIPI-CSI2, BT656, & DVP inputs and outputs provide flexible interface to support a variety of image sensors
- AHL does not require compression like an Ethernet system does, so it has no latency in the video
- Requires only 27MHz crystal clock, with internal PLLs able to generate the necessary clock frequencies for higher resolutions, reducing cost
- AHL has passed BCI & CISPR25 EMC/EMI testing using UTP cables
- MIPI-CSI2 output with Virtual Channel allows 4 channels of video to be sent over a single data bus interface to the SoC (saves input ports on the SoC)
Availability
The four-channel RAA279974 AHL decoder samples and evaluation boards are available today. Renesas also offers the RTKA279974ZK0000BU Camera Kit Bundle evaluation system which includes four AHL cameras integrated with the RAA279971 AHL encoder. More information is available at www.renesas.com/RAA279974.
Antolin Smarter Interiors
Antolin is focused on offering its customers innovative technology solutions with the goal of generating a smart vehicle interior that is more sustainable, safer, and comfortable for the traveler. Within this strategy, the company is investigating the potential of lighting as a versatile and intelligent system capable of interacting with various functions within the interior. Its latest pioneering development (NightSight Assist) is based on a lighting system that can optimize the driver’s pupil diameter by inhibiting adverse effects caused by low-light conditions and thus improving the user’s vision.
The NightSight Assist system allows users to reduce glare from headlights or other bright flashes; better appreciate shapes in low visibility situations, such as detecting an animal trying to cross the road; improve road signal interpretation; and decrease distorted vision.
This innovative system has been developed in collaboration with the Institute of Applied Ophthalmology (IOBA) and the University of Valladolid (UVa).
While traffic is significantly reduced at night, more than half of fatality accidents occur during that time. To conduct the appropriate studies to help solve this problem, Antolin, the IOBA and the UVa built a unique state-of-the-art simulator to clinically measure the impact of light on the user and how to mitigate visual impairment during night driving. The results obtained in the tests were very positive and allowed the majority of monitored users to exponentially improve their visual acuity and comfort in night driving situations.
The solution can be integrated in the best possible ergonomic location: the sunvisor, adding additional functionality to this product when folded, without restricting its adaptation to other interior products.
Additionally, the device settings are configurable, always seeking to offer the best experience adapted to personal conditions, such as age and ocular pathologies.
This unique collaboration between industry and the academic world demonstrates the commitment of Antolin and the entities involved in jointly addressing the challenges of mobility and visual health through advanced, research-based solutions.
This project contributes significantly to reducing the risk of traffic accidents and improving driver comfort in night-time settings, regardless of age, promoting more inclusive mobility that responds to the needs of a population with longer life expectancy. Improving road safety also promotes a safer environment for all citizens, contributing to the quality of life of the population and overall well-being. The project has been co-financed by the Instituto para la Competitividad Empresarial (ICE) for its innovation and response to the future challenges with social interest.
