news audi, bmw and daimler purchase here from nokia · report by vehicle elec-tronics editor steve...

The monthly magazine for automotive electronics engineers

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IN THISISSUE

Page 2: Audi, BMWand Daimler buyNokia’s Here

Page 3: Intelligentmobility hackathon

Pag 4: Kia pusheswireless charging

Page 8: Steeringwheel in Frankfurt

Page 9: Ventsprotect electronics

3: Trends indriver assistance

Page 21: Listeningchoices in vehicles

Page 24: Cockpitelectronics market

Page 26: Fuel stationof the future

Page 27: Productnews

Page 32: Contactdetails

Issue 21September 2015

NEWS

Vehicle Electronics September 2015, Page 2

Motorsport and engineering consul-tancy KW Special Projects (KWSP)has launched a reverse engineeringservice for the historic motorsportmarket. The service, which enablesthe complete digital scanning of anyhistoric race car, complements thecompany’s existing offerings to thecontemporary sports car and single-seater marketplaces.It covers scanning, reverse engi-

neering, remanufacturing, digitalarchiving, inspection and compositesexpertise.“We’ve been looking at the viabil-

ity of an historic motorsport pro-gramme for a while,” said KieronSalter (pictured), managing directorof KWSP. “Indeed, we’ve recentlytaken on a number of projects working with historic vehicles, particularlyin terms of reverse engineering and 3D printing capabilities and we felt itwas time to now augment that with our international motorsport expert-ise and knowledge.”

Reverse engineering for historic race cars

Audi, BMW and Daimlerhave agreed with Nokiathat they will acquire itsmapping and locationservices business, calledHere. The acquisition isintended to secure thelong-term availability ofHere’s products and serv-ices as an open, inde-pendent and valuecreating platform forcloud-based maps andother mobility servicesaccessible to all cus-tomers from the automo-tive industry and othersectors.The three partners will

each hold an equal stakein Here; none of themseeks to acquire a major-ity interest. Subject to theapproval of the relevantantitrust authorities, thetransaction is expected toclose in the first quarterof 2016.The car makers see this

as part of the path to-wards fully autonomousdriving. Extremely pre-cise digital maps will beused with real-time vehi-cle data to increase roadsafety and to facilitate in-novative products andservices. On the basis ofthe shared raw data, allautomobile manufactur-ers can offer their cus-tomers differentiated andbrand-specific services.

Audi, BMW and Daimlerpurchase Here from Nokia

“Our environment isconstantly changing,”said Rupert Stadler, chair-man of the Audi board.“That’s why the informa-tion in digital maps has tobe continually updated sothat maximum utility canbe offered.”He said the high-preci-

sion cameras and sensorsinstalled in modern carswere the digital eyes forupdating mobility dataand maps; in this way, in-formation such as speed

limits or critical drivingsituations are alreadyrecognised today.“Here will play a key

role in the digital revolu-tion of mobility, combin-ing high definition mapsand data from vehicles tomake travel safer and eas-ier for everyone,” saidHarald Krüger, BMWchairman. “This knowl-edge will be to the benefitof all car makers and theircustomers.”While Here already pro-

duces precise static maps,they can be verified moreexactly and continuallyupdated with a constantflow of data from vehi-cles’ surroundings.Here provides mapping

and location intelligencefor nearly 200 countriesin more than 50 lan-guages and is one of themain providers of map-ping and location serv-ices. The management ofHere will continue to beindependent.

Drivers across Europe areshowing an increasingappetite for the semi-autonomous technologiesthat are building blockstowards the cars of the fu-ture, according to a FordMotor study on buyingtrends in Europe.The study of new car

buying habits in 22 coun-tries across Europe showssignificant increases inthe number of cars withtechnologies that helpdrivers to park, avoid col-lisions and maintain setspeeds and distances fromvehicles ahead.

“We are seeing increas-ing demand for featuresthat relieve the stresses ofdriving, and make it moreenjoyable,” said Roelantde Waard, vice presidentof Ford of Europe. “Forexample, people havevery quickly become ac-customed to systems thathelp them to find a suit-able parking space and re-verse into it.”Active park assist was

fitted to 34 per cent ofFord cars in Europe, upfrom 28 per cent the pre-vious year. In Switzerlandthis was 72 per cent, fol-

Europe drivers warm tosemi-autonomous tech

Switzerland tops the park assist list

lowed by the Netherlands(62 per cent), and Spain(61 per cent).Active city stop auto-

matically applies brakingif a driver does not reactto slowing traffic. In thepast year 13 per cent ofcars produced wereequipped with the tech-nology, up from seven percent the previous year.The technology was mostpopular in Sweden (59per cent), then Norway(58 per cent) and Switzer-land (41 per cent).New Ford cars in Eu-

rope equipped with somekind of cruise controltechnology rose from 48to 52 per cent. Turkey ledwith 86 per cent, ahead ofFinland at 84 per cent.In the past year, 51 per

cent of cars sold in Swe-den had lane keeping as-sist, ahead of Norway (28per cent) and Switzerland(21 per cent). ThroughoutEurope, the number ofvehicles with lane keep-ing aids rose 20 per cent.

NEWS NEWS

Vehicle Electronics Vehicle ElectronicsPage 3, September 2015 September 2015, Page 4

Intel subsidiary WindRiver has been appraisedat level three of theCMMI Institute’s Capa-bility Maturity Model In-tegration (CMMI) for itsworldwide automotiveand professional services.The company com-

pleted a CMMI ScampiAappraisal and achieved alevel three in 18 processareas, resulting in aCMMI Maturity level

three. This appraisalbuilds on Wind River’spast level three achieve-ments, the first of whichwas attained in 2006.“Increasing software

complexity and shorterdevelopment timelinesare creating new compet-itive pressures for compa-nies,” said Amit Ronen,senior vice president ofprofessional services atWind River.

“Our CMMI level threeappraisal further rein-forcesWind River’s com-mitment to deliveringworld class services andsupport, and demon-strates that our teams areimplementing provenprocesses and industryexpertise to help cus-tomers meet evolvingmarket demands and mit-igate themselves againstdevelopment risks.”

Wind River hits CMMI level three

Wireless charging sys-tems, capable of transfer-ring high power withoutprecise alignment be-tween the charger and thevehicle, are under devel-opment for electric vehi-cles, with the Kia SoulEV being the tester carfor this research.Wireless charging tech-

nology has the potentialto enhance the conven-ience of EVs – and so in-crease the appeal andacceptance among con-sumers – while possiblyenabling smaller batterypack sizes and reducedvehicle weight.

Kia pushes wireless charging

The system is being de-veloped by the Hyundai-Kia America TechnicalCenter (Hatci) and MojoMotabilit – a wirelesspower technology com-pany – after being

awarded a funding grantfrom the US Departmentof Energy (DoE).“Hatci is honoured to be

selected as a partner withthe DoE,” said SungHwan Cho, Hatci presi-

dent. “Innovative tech-nologies such as this alignwell with one of our coregoals, which is to create avehicle experience that isintuitive and easy for theconsumer.”Having already gone

through several stages ofdevelopment, this finalphase will use five SoulEVs to test how wirelesstechnology works in real-world performance, in-cluding durability, safetyand performance.Kia and Mojo Mobility

have not announced whenthe system will be avail-able for purchase.

Testing wireless charging with Kia Soul EVs

The UK’s Transport Sys-tems Catapult (TSC) willrun what it claims is theworld’s first intelligentmobility hackathon inNovember, as part of itsmission to accelerate in-novation in transport.The event will use the

hackathon along with theTSC’s transport dataindex to address criticalproblems within the UKstransport network.The event, over the

weekend of 14th and 15thNovember 2015, willbring together more than100 data scientists, soft-ware engineers, businessthinkers, marketers, inno-vators, and public andprivate transport sectorend-users and suppliers.Called IMCreate, it will

start in London with ac-

cess to data, hardwareand software. Teams willdevelop their ideas whiletravelling around onmany forms of transport,ending with the train fromEuston to Milton Keynes.The event will concludeat the Catapult’s Imova-tion Centre facility, homeof the Lutz pathfinder dri-verless car project.“The fusion of creativ-

ity and technical prowessis critical to solving thetransport challenges oftoday and tomorrow,”said IMCreate organiserCharles Carter fromTSC’s information ex-ploitation team. “It is timeto explore a new ap-proach, one that givesequal weighting to bothartistry and methodology,to shape the engineers

and technologists of thefuture. IMCreate is theembodiment of this andwe aim to develop theideas which will revolu-tionise how we movepeople and goods aroundthe country, using dataand information the TSChas gathered from allmodes of transport as in-spiration.”A panel made up of

leaders from industry andacademia will choose thefirst, second and thirdbest systems developed atthe event.“We are confident that

fresh thinking developedat IMCreate will lead tonew transport projects orstart-up companies thatwill become transport in-dustry leaders in the fu-ture,” said Carter.

UK to run intelligentmobility hackathon

Harting has joined forceswith the University of Os-nabrück in Germany, inan experiment to verifythe ability of the com-pany’s RFID systems todetect objects moving athigh speeds.The object of the exer-

cise is to determine howfast a vehicle can go andstill be detected reliablyusing RFID.As a warm-up, an elec-

tric racing car drove pastthe RFID antennas at80km/h. All systemsfunctioned and the carwas detected. The secondrace, involving an electricracing car at 120km/h,also resulted in the vehi-cle being detected.However, the electric

cars only have a maxi-mum speed of 120km/hsince the Formula Studentproject only uses a nar-row track or involves a75m sprint. Conse-quently, in the third rounda racing car with a com-bustion engine was used,reaching a top speed of160km/h.Even this failed to push

the RFID technology toits limits, and so a road-ster was driven in one lastrun. The result was star-tling: even at 200km/h,the vehicle was quicklyand reliably detected.

Can RFIDtrack fastvehicles?

NEWS

Page 5, September 2015 Vehicle Electronics

Bosch and Continental topentertainment figuresBosch and Continentalled the worldwide OE au-tomotive entertainmentsystems vendor shareranking in 2014, withboth suppliers consider-ably ahead of Alpine andHarman Becker, accord-ing to Semicast Research.Collectively these four

suppliers are estimated tohave accounted for abouthalf of OE automotive en-tertainment systems ship-ments in 2014.Continental and Bosch

Car Multimedia both hada 14.5% share of the 73million units sold in

2014.Alpine was third on10.5% followed by Har-man Becker at 9.5%.The next six were

Clarion (8.5%), Pana-sonic (6.5%), Fujitsu-Ten(5.5%), Hyundai Autonet(4.5%), Pioneer (3.5%)and Aisin AW (2.5%).“Semicast sees the front

seat automotive entertain-ment market moving to-wards systems which areeffectively portals thatmaximise the accessibil-ity of apps, features andfunctions of smartphonesand tablets,” said ColinBarnden, principal ana-

lyst at Semicast Research.The key issue for enter-

tainment systems ven-dors’ success over thenext five years will be re-sponding to the introduc-tion ofApple Carplay andAndroid Auto.“Semicast judges it

highly unlikely thatAppleand Google will makethese systems them-selves,” said Barnden.“Thus OE automotive en-tertainment systems sup-pliers that do not supportApple Carplay and An-droid Auto will fall be-hind in this rapidly

changing environment.”Smartphones and

tablets are becoming evermore central to the auto-motive environment, withstored music replacingconventional CD audiosystems; streaming musicservices and navigationover 4G replacing radioand embedded naviga-tion; and stored video re-placing DVD rear seatentertainment.This suggests that sup-

pliers of OE automotiveentertainment systemshave a significant oppor-tunity for growth on thehorizon: front seat, video-based, infotainment sys-tems with touchscreencontrol that replicate thesmartphone or tablet dis-play onto the centre stackin the car.Semicast defines vehi-

cle entertainment systemsto include audio-onlysystems, front seat info-tainment, rear seat enter-tainment and embeddednavigation systems, butexcludes under-the-bonnet systems such asbody, chassis, powertrain,safety and security.Original quipment fac-

tory-fitted systems onlyare included in this analy-sis; dealer-fit and after-market systems areexcluded.

The increasingly complexelectronics systems thatrange from powertraincontrols to infotainment,navigation systems and

VE editor puts spotlighton vehicle electronics

now self-driving technol-ogy are covered in areport by Vehicle Elec-tronics editor SteveRogerson.“Embedded Electronics

– the evolving futureheart of the automobile”,published by Autelli-gence, provides a detailedanalysis of a complexworld – car systems, mi-crocontrollers, architec-tures, sensors, standards,and networks and re-search projects, as well astrends towards integra-tion, quality processes,

systems-on-chip, and acomprehensive look atwho is doing what amongthe major players.“Electronics have be-

come the value centre ofthe future for suppliers,”said Rogerson. “Demandfrom OEMs has becomeenormous, whether formonitoring batteries inEVs or the proliferationof sensors and monitorsfor autonomous drivingapplications.”The report is available

to buy as a PDF fromwww.autelligence.com.


NEWSNEWS

Page 7, September 2015 Vehicle Electronics

Meet some of the future automotive electronics engineers. These are win-ning children in Toyota’s annual Dream Car Art Contest in Tokyo.A record total of 875,000 artworks were received from 81 countries and

regions. National contests were held with selected entries progressing tothe World Contest where they were judged by Toyota president AkioToyoda and a panel of outside experts. The winners were invited toJapan for the award ceremony in August.This year, gold awards were given to children from Sri Lanka, Romania

and Paraguay across three age categories. The winner of the engineeringinspiration award was nine-year-old Minhal Adnan Sami from the UAEwhose idea was a car that could run on fruit and vegetable compost.

Engineers of tomorrow with ideas today

The automotive semicon-ductor market continuesto suffer from over inven-tory after a strong 2014and is now expected to re-main relatively flat if notslightly down in 2015 foran expected total of$26.3bn, according tomarket watcher Data-beans.This lug in the market is

expected to recover by2016 as the market is pre-dicted to reach a high ofover $28bn and continueto grow at a compoundannual growth rate ofeight per cent.

Pentonville Prison inLondon is using Chem-ring Technology’s Vehi-clescan surveillancetechnology to check forobjects concealed undervehicles.The system provides

sharp images of the un-derside of vehicles to im-prove the time taken toreview scans and reducewaiting times for vehiclesentering the men’s prison.Using automatic num-

ber-plate recognition

(ANPR), it maintains adatabase of vehicles andtheir images, and alerts anoperator to any changeson a vehicle’s undersideduring subsequent visits.The system will alsoidentify any previously

blacklisted vehicle at-tempting to enter the site.It uses high-resolution

line-scan technology todeliver full colour imagesof the underside of a ve-hicle with millimetre-scale detail.

Over inventory

Image scanner checks prison vehicles

Neonode and Autolivwill jointly show the in-novative ZForce DriveMultisensing steeringwheel at this month’sFrankfurt Motor ShowIAA.The steering wheel is

already being tested bysome large automotiveOEMs. The gesture andtouch enabled wheel fo-cuses on safety and us-ability. Using the sametaps and sweep gesturesthat Neonode invented formobile devices, a drivercan control systems in thecar in an intuitive way,with the hands safely po-sitioned on the steeringwheel and the eyes fo-cused on the road.

Gesture and touch sensing steeringwheel to make Frankfurt debut

Controls will alwaysappear at the driver’s fin-gertips, regardless ofwhere the hands are posi-tioned on the steeringwheel.The HMI limits the

number of gestures, mak-ing the systems as easy tolearn to operate as a regu-

lar computer mouse.Visitors to the show will

have the opportunity totest drive the steeringwheel.“The response from the

automotive OEMs thathave seen and tested theZForce Drive steeringwheel has greatly sur-

passed the expectations ofall involved,“ saidThomas Eriksson, CEO atNeonode. “At the Frank-furt Motor Show IAA, weplace our ZForce Driveon the world stage and webelieve that our uniquetechnology will be astandout success.”

Tools from IAR Systemshave helped Dutch stu-dents develop a hydro-gen-powered racing car.IAR Embedded Work-bench was used by stu-dents at Delft Universityof Technology in theNetherlands.Forze, a student founda-

tion at the university, isdeveloping hydrogen-powered racing cars.Thanks to its code optimi-sations and easy-to-useinterface, IAR EmbeddedWorkbench helped theteam accelerate the devel-opment cycle and to getthe cars into productionfaster.Forze is a group of over

50 students at the univer-sity. The team focuses onthe development and pro-motion of sustainabletechnology and, since2008, has built six hydro-gen fuel cell vehicles. Theentire project is carriedout by team memberswho work voluntarily.

IAR tools help students buildhydrogen-powered race car

Forze hydrogen-powered racing car

Earlier this year, theirlatest car Forze VI brokethe lap record for fuel cellvehicles on the Nord-schleife of the Nürbur-gring in Germany. Neverbefore has a racing carwith a hydrogen fuel cellcompleted the track sofast.“Thanks to our spon-

sors, we are able to let theworld know about thegreat potential of this hy-drogen technology andmake a clear statement

about its place in theautomotive industry,”said Mart van Rijsingen,chief of electronics andbodywork for Forze.“IAR Embedded Work-bench has an intuitive andvery user-friendly IDEand it has helped us a lotin structuring our soft-ware and filtering errorsout. The included debug-ger performs code checksin a very powerful wayto make sure the codeis doing what we expect

it to do.”The tools help compa-

nies and organisationsfrom all parts of the worldbring products to the mar-ket easier, cheaper andfaster.The complete compiler

and debugger toolchain ofIAR Embedded Work-bench provides the em-bedded industry withdevice support, includingmore than 10,000 devicesfrom all major semicon-ductor vendors.

THERMAL MANAGEMENT THERMAL MANAGEMENT

Vehicle ElectronicsPage 9, September 2015 Vehicle Electronics September 2015, Page 10

Engine off…venting off?Thilo Haiss explains how vents can protect carelectronics from serious temperaturefluctuations

Even when the car is turned off,the engine compartment cancontinue to heat up

THERMAL MANAGEMENT THERMAL MANAGEMENT

Vehicle Electronics September 2015, Page 12Vehicle ElectronicsPage 11, September 2015

In electric cars, hybrid cars orcars with conventional com-bustion engines, the electron-

ics are exposed to constantpressure fluctuations. Yet drivingis not the only activity that posesmajor challenges for electronicshousings. Shutting off the enginein particular causes huge pressurespikes, putting considerable stresson the seals that are supposed toprotect sensitive electronics fromdirt and liquids.When the vehicle is in opera-

tion, the wind cools the electron-ics that heat up in the enginecompartment. However, if the caris sitting in traffic or at a trafficlight, then this natural coolant dis-appears. As a result, the tempera-ture under the bonnet quicklyshoots up. This increase is evenmore serious when the car re-mains stationary for several hours.The heat from the engine rapidly

drives up the temperature, whichin turn produces pressure spikes inthe electronics housings. Becausethese spikes equalise only veryslowly without vents, enormousstrain is put on the seals. Thishappens at least twice a day incommuter cars; the recurringstress can weaken the seals over

time, eventually allowing ingressof dirt particles and liquids intothe housing’s interior. Ultimately,this can damage the sensitive elec-tronics.Vent specialists tested the tem-

perature and pressure changes intwo identical electronics housingsinstalled under the bonnet. Oneelectronics housing remained inits original condition (in otherwords, non-vented), while an au-tomotive vent was integrated intothe other. The test observed bothelectronics housings during atypical commuter day – starting Extreme situation: The carwash

Temperature and pressure fluctuations arise from all kindsof situations, not just when the driver shuts off the engine.These include driving a route with major altitude differ-ences, sudden weather changes or when the car is sitting intraffic.The graph shows the extreme conditions vehicle electronicsare exposed to when the vehicle goes through the carwash.Without venting, the cool sprayed water creates 90mbar ofnegative pressure in the electronics housings.This puts enormous strain on the seals, meaning that water,oil or cleaning agents can penetrate them and damage thesensitive electronics.

Fig. 2: Automotive vents

Fig. 1: Commuter test: dangerous pressure spikes in non-ventedhousings are par for the course

at 4pm with the drive home andconcluding with the drive back towork the next morning (see Fig.1).

Non-vented housingsWhile the driver was running af-ternoon errands, the wind causedby the car’s motion was able tocool off the engine sufficiently.Yet around 5:30pm, when the carwas sitting in rush hour traffic, thetemperature under the bonnet rosefrom roughly +15˚C to about+45˚C (yellow line). It didn’t dropuntil traffic started moving andthe generated breeze began cool-ing the electronics again – andeven then it fell only slightly. Assoon as the car was back at home,with the engine turned off and nowind to dissipate the heat, thetemperature climbed up to a newhigh of nearly +60˚C. There it re-mained until hours later, when thecool night air brought it backdown.In the non-vented housing, this

temperature increase created apositive pressure of 150mbar (redline). Positive pressure of just

70mbar over an extended periodof time can already be dangerous,as it allows the seal to becomeporous. It wasn’t until the enginecooled off several hours later thatthe pressure gradually fell to itsoriginal value of 0mbar.In winter, if the car is exposed to

outside temperatures of just abovefreezing for an entire night, nega-tive pressure forms in the non-vented housing, putting criticalstrain on the seals. As a result,water and dirt particles can pene-trate the housing.

Vented housingsBy contrast, the venting integratedinto the comparison housing con-tinually equalises pressure differ-entials, making it impossible forspikes to form. The pressure in thevented housing remains the sameas the ambient pressure and there-fore doesn’t harm the seals (greenline).On the following morning, the

problems of the previous day’stest repeated themselves. After thecar was driven to work, the tem-perature in the engine compart-ment rose to over +40˚C (yellow

line), again creating a pressurespike of about 100mbar (red line)in the non-vented housing. But inthe vented housing, the air pres-sure once again remained thesame as the ambient pressure(green line).The result is that the vent re-

duces strain on seals and protectsthe electronics.

ConclusionDriving to and from work everyday – which means turning the en-gine on and, more specifically, offagain twice a day – leads to multi-ple harmful temperature and pres-sure spikes in non-ventedhousings. That doesn’t even takeinto account other types of driv-ing, such as vacations, weekendgetaways and day trips. All in all,the electronics housings in a typi-cal commuter vehicle are exposedto an average of 500 critical pres-sure spikes each year. Their sealscannot withstand such high levelsof stress over an extended periodof time. In the medium to longterm, they give in to the constantstrain and permit ingress of dirtparticles and liquids into the hous-

ing, potentially shortening the lifeof automotive electronics by al-lowing them to corrode and be-come damaged.Nowadays, the average mid-size

car features more than 100 sen-sors, 30 or more control units and20 or more engines and actuators– sensitive electronic componentsthat have to function throughoutthe car’s entire service life.Automotive vents, as shown in

Fig. 2, make it possible for pres-sure to be continuously equalised,so dangerous spikes don’t evenhappen in the first place. The sealscan function reliably throughouttheir entire lifetime and protectthe car’s sensitive electronics.

Thilo Haissis productlinemanager forautomotivelighting atWL Gore &Associates

DRIVER ASSISTANCE DRIVER ASSISTANCE


We are on the thresholdof a radical change invehicle technology. No,

it’s not automation, although thatwill come very soon. Instead,change is being driven by the un-derlying technology for automa-tion that is already here andadvancing rapidly; that is, crashavoidance technology deliveredby advanced driver assistance sys-tems (adas).Adas makes safety and market-

ing sense. Whether it is Daimler,Toyota, Ford, Nissan, GM, an-other vehicle OEM or evenGoogle, none is going to put vehi-cles on the road that can steer,brake or accelerate autonomouslywithout having confidence thatthe technology will work. Adaspromises first to reduce accidentsand assist drivers as a co-pilot be-fore eventually taking over forthem on some of and eventuallyall their journey as an autopilot.As for how quickly the impacts

of this technology will be felt, theadoption curves for any new tech-nology look very similar to oneanother. For example, the firstcommercial mobile-phone net-work went live in the USA in1983 in the Baltimore-Washingtonmetropolitan area. At the time,phones cost about $3000 and sub-scribers were scarce. Even severalyears later, coverage was unavail-able in most of the country out-side of dense urban areas. Today,there are more mobile-phone sub-scriptions than there are people inthe USA, and more than 300,000mobile-phone towers connect theentire country. Low-end smart-phones cost about $150.Vehicle technology is moving

forward at a similar pace. And,

Coming revolutionThe three major trends of electrification,connectivity and autonomy all havesoftware in common, according toThomas Gage and Jonathan Morris



because transportation is sofundamental to how we live, thedisruptive effects are likely to beastoundingly large.

Three vehiclesThe development of automationand adas is not the first trend toupend the auto industry statusquo. International competition andliberalised trade forever alteredthe automotive OEM landscape,eroding the US sales market shareof the big three car makers from72 to 45 per cent in the past 20years. And while vehicle technol-ogy has advanced enormously, thebasics of driving have notchanged much in the past 40years.Now, every day in California’s

South Bay, you can commonly seethree vehicles representing threeworld-changing trends in the auto-motive industry – a sleek Tesla Srolling quietly past, a late-modelsedan with an Uber U in the backwindow picking up a passengerand a heavily modified LexusSUV with a spinning lidar on theroof, driving itself down the streetwhile a Google employee (or anemployee from an auto OEM inone of their vehicles in other partsof the world) collects data.These daily sights represent

three technology-driven trendsthat are simultaneously arriving todisrupt the automotive status quo:electrification, connectivity andautonomy. Each trend is movingat a different pace, but all threehave one thing in common: it’s allabout the software.

SoftwareSince 2004, the costs of electron-ics in an average vehicle have

Fig. 1: Basic adas architecture starts with sensors that providedata on driving conditions to an ECU

Fig. 2: Adas software algorithms must account for road types,speed and threat complexity

doubled from 20 to 40 per cent.Today’s luxury vehicles com-monly contain 100 microproces-sors and run 100 million lines ofsoftware code, controlling every-thing from engine timing to info-tainment systems. We are now atan inflection point where soft-ware, sensors and processors aredelivering entirely new areas ofvehicle functionality, and not sim-ply transitioning conventionalfunctions from mechanical toelectronic control. Both the adasof today and the autonomous driv-ing systems of tomorrow will relycompletely on software to makesense of a slew of data from sen-sors, cameras, the internet, infra-structure and other vehicles.The increasing complexity of

vehicles has already shifted theautomotive value chain. Thetrends of electrification, connec-tivity and automation will only ac-

The Tesla S has come to representthe face of vehicle electrification

celerate this shift in value towardsthose companies that create elec-tronics and software, and awayfrom OEMs that fail to innovate.This shift will have two effects.

First, software will become a criti-cal market differentiator, pressur-ing OEMs to shorten productcycles and provide support andupdates for legacy systems. Tomeet consumer demands for cur-rent technology, OEMs are nowforced to modify significantly orintroduce new models after onlythree or four years, while previousproduct cycles averaged five toeight years. This leaves OEMswith many challenges includingrapid innovation, complex QAtesting, higher development costs,less time to amortise R&D and theneed for new sales and vehicle-ownership models.Secondly, the shift to software

allows new entrants to innovate inan industry with notoriously high

barriers to entry. After decades ofthe same players dominating theindustry, Google, Apple, Tesla andUber are all poised to remake theautomotive landscape throughsoftware, a thought that wouldhave seemed highly unlikely evenfive years ago.In a typical adas-equipped vehi-

cle (Fig. 1), applications such asforward collision avoidance(FCA) are enabled by a set of sen-sors that provide data on the exter-nal driving environment to anelectronic control unit (ECU).This unit then uses software to de-termine whether a threat is presentand operates brake actuators or,potentially, other countermeasuresto mitigate the threat.The sensors available today for

driver assistance applications arethe hardware foundation for au-tonomous vehicles. But tomor-row’s sensors will necessarily besmaller, faster and cheaper. For

example, Continental’s sensorsand processors can transmit andrecalculate algorithms needed tounderstand the driving environ-ment every 10 to 60ms, while thehuman brain can pass a messagefrom a sensory neuron to a motorneuron in only a few milliseconds.But the real gap between adas

today and the fully autonomoussystems of tomorrow is seen insoftware. Regardless of how fastinputs can be processed, the soft-ware algorithms that will allowvehicles to drive themselves moreefficiently and safely than humandrivers in complex driving envi-ronments remain the biggest chal-lenge. Complexity is defined byboth the number of threats, char-acterised by the types of threatsthat a driver can encounter on dif-ferent road types – for example,pedestrians, vehicles travelling ata right angle to the vehicle, bicy-clists – and the speed at which the



The basic goal of adas is to make drivers moreaware of their environment so they can drivesafely while enjoying the experience. Aroundten years ago, luxury OEMs began to offer thefirst adas products in the form of backup radarand lidar sensor-based systems that would sim-ply beep if they detected an object behind thevehicle. Over time, these systems advanced tomulti-sensor versions that fused radar withcameras and even lidar, to give drivers not onlya view of what’s behind them but also detect ifsomething is coming up from the side.In subsequent years, the adas sensor arraysmorphed from doing one task at the back of avehicle into networked sensor arrays that see360˚ and inside an automobile, with each sen-sor performing multiple tasks. Today’s high-end vehicles can include adas products with notonly highly advanced rear-cameras, but fusion-sensor systems that simultaneously performmultiple tasks such as blind-spot and lane-de-parture warning, pedestrian and sign detection,automated cruise control, forward-collisionwarning and even drowsy-driver detection andwarning. The latter monitors the driver’s eyesto detect eye patterns that may indicate he orshe is falling asleep at the wheel and needs asonic alert or even a puff of smelling salts.What’s more, over the past five years, an in-creasing number of features once offered onlyin premium vehicle lines are quickly becomingstandard in even economy lines. In short,OEMs are leveraging adas as competitive sell-ing points for their vehicles.Today, OEMs are moving beyond the adaswarning features and are starting to networkadas into the controls of the vehicle to takecharge actively and momentarily. Adaptivecruise control, intelligent speed control, lane-keep assist, collision avoidance and even auto-mated parking are available. And theseremarkable technologies represent the firststeps in the automotive industry’s race to offerconsumers fully autonomous, self-driving vehi-

cles in which the driver is essentially the co-pilot. What’s more, these technologies will beleveraged heavily to facilitate vehicle-to-vehicleand vehicle-to-infrastructure communicationsdesigned to enable governments to build smartinfrastructure – streets, traffic signals and so on– to streamline traffic flow in real time, makingtransportation safer, more efficient and eco-nomical, and better for the environment.At the heart of many of these systems are pro-grammable devices such as Xilinx’s Zynq SoC,and these are quickly replacing less versatileASSPs. The combination of such Arm-basedprocessors and FPGA logic on the same devicehas let OEMs build highly sophisticated, all-programmable adas platforms that can scalewith automotive product lines and be upgradedwith new enhancements to suit demanding andever-evolving customer requirements.Automotive OEMs leverage such devices inmany configurations. A device can serve as amulti-sensor, multi-feature driver assist plat-form, high-resolution video and graphics plat-form, vehicle networking and connectivityplatform, and image-processing and recogni-tion platform. In these applications, users im-plement algorithms for the design’s mostcomplex and compute-intensive functions inthe logic portion of the SoC and implement se-rial processing in the onboard Arm processingsystem. They leverage the SoC’s high-speed IOto link to sensors and create highly reliableconnections to automotive networks. They canalso leverage IP and design sites such as Xil-inx’s Vivado to develop adas platforms quickly.Xilinx has a rich history in automotive, butwith the launch of the Zynq-7000 all program-mable SoC in 2011, the company has become aprovider of choice in for much of the adas mar-ket. Companies such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW,Nissan, VW, Honda, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota,Mazda, Acura, Subaru and Audi are among theOEMs that have placed these FPGAs and SoCsat the heart of adas products.

Fig. 3: Simpler systems such as traffic jam assist will roll out first,followed by systems able to operate the vehicle

Fig. 4: Additional sales for adas and autonomous vehicletechnology will pick up as consumers see the safety andconvenience benefits

vehicle is driving (Fig. 2).As they race to improve their

software, vehicle OEMs and theirsuppliers are introducing theirtechnology to the market in threedistinct ways. OEMs such asBMW, Daimler and Nissan havealready begun to sell moderate-functionality adas designed to op-erate in simple drivingenvironments such as interstates.Without needing to account fortraffic signals, turns or multidirec-tional traffic, these vehicles auto-matically steer, brake andaccelerate in lower-speed situa-tions using systems such as trafficjam assist, a trajectory representedby the blue line in Fig. 3. Eventu-ally, systems will operate athigher speeds or in more-complexurban settings, and offer addi-tional functionality such as theability to merge, change lanes ornegotiate an intersection. A subsetof these OEMs, such as Volvo and

Ford, are introducing moderate-functioning systems for definedgeographic areas (typically geo-fenced), such as a particularstretch of an interstate between

two cities, to take advantage oflaser scan mapping data. Overtime, system functionality will in-crease and the number and com-plexity of geographic areasavailable to the system will ex-pand (green line in Fig. 3). Fi-nally, Google’s approach has beento develop a highly functioning,fully autonomous vehicle from theoutset (in geo-fenced areas and forlow-speed city or campus driv-ing), then test and refine its capa-bilities in increasingly complexenvironments (in orange on Fig.3).

Adoption and diffusionWhile OEMs are choosing differ-ent strategies to bring adas andvehicle autonomy to market, adas-equipped vehicles of increasingcapability have already been in-troduced nearly every year since2010 and continue to roll out an-nually. In 2013, fully 29 per centof passenger vehicle models of-fered optional forward-collision

Platforms for adas and beyond



Fig. 5: Cumulative sales for adas and autonomous vehicletechnology could approach 85 per cent of total car sales by2035, according to one model

warning and, of those, 12 per centhad autonomous braking. Thisyear’s Mercedes entry-level pre-mium CLA sedans come standardwith a forward-collision preven-tion system, and Volvo has madeits City Safety braking systemstandard on its XC60 since 2010.Now that the early generations ofthis technology are available, howfast will consumers adopt it?To understand the adoption of

adas-enabled and autonomous ve-hicles, it is instructive to look atadoption rates of other technolo-gies. As a general trend, moderntechnologies such as the mobilephone, internet and PC have beenadopted at a much faster rate thanolder technologies such as theVCR or TV. Cars have conven-tionally been one of the slowertechnologies to be adopted. This is

largely due to their high relativecost as compared with consumerelectronics, and to the need forhighways to be constructed. Incontrast, the smartphone is con-sidered to be the fastest-adoptedtechnology in history, on track toreach saturation in a decade. Mo-bile phones – largely what wetoday call feature phones – took20 years to reach saturation andconventional landlines took acentury, largely be-cause of the needto build out thelandline net-works.Adas-

equipped and au-tonomous vehicleslikely will be adoptedat rates slightly slower thanother modern technology due to

vehicle costs, but they will still beadopted much faster than wereconventional automobiles. Aswith the uptake of other new tech-nologies, we expect a wave offirst movers and early adopters todrive early sales of adas-equippedvehicles, followed by gradualadoption by the majority of con-sumers once the safety benefitshave been proven (see Fig. 4).Importantly, the current addi-

tional cost of a typical adas suiteof equipment is only about $3000(declining at about seven to nineper cent per year), or about ten percent of the cost of the average ve-hicle sold in the USA of $33,560.For luxury vehicles, the adasequipment cost represents onlytwo to three per cent of the vehi-cle sale price on average.Consumer research into adas

and autonomy indicates that con-sumers will be initially drawn tothe safety and convenience of thistechnology. Safety will be a largemotivator for families as theybegin to hear that adas-equippedvehicles avoided crashes thatmight have injured or killed thevehicle’s occupants. But the bigdriver will be time recapture.Being able to cruise along a mo-torway – and soon other road

types – while payinglimited atten-

tion tothe

Short range radarfrom Continental

road will be a significant accelera-tor of demand.A diffusion model can help bet-

ter understand the pace of intro-duction of the technology and theuptake by consumers. The modelis scenario based, with numerousinputs. A few key factors are an-nual vehicle sales, adas technol-ogy introduction dates and fleetturnover forecasts. The results arestriking. In one run of the model,by 2035 more than 50 per cent ofvehicles and 85 per cent of new-vehicle sales across all segmentshad one generation or another ofadas-equipped or autonomous ve-hicles (see Fig. 5). Of course, dif-ferent levels of adas and ofautonomy will have different im-pacts on society, including differ-ent levels of total annual crashreduction, different impacts ontraffic congestion and differentimpacts on shared-vehicle, Uber-like services.

Ecosystem implicationsThe automotive sector and adja-cent industries form a largeecosystem with pervasive reachacross the global economy; in theUSA, transportation representsjust under ten per cent of GDP. Asinnovation in the form of electrifi-cation, connectivity and automa-tion disrupts the status quo, theeffects will be felt not just byOEMs, but also by numerousother sectors and businesses thathave previously been structuredaround conventional personal ve-hicles (see Fig. 6).Car makers have many opportu-

nities as the race to deliver ad-vanced functionality accelerates.These include more luxury vehi-cles and features, more telematicsand infotainment, and new driving

Fig. 6: Adas and autonomy will have a major impact on manyancillary industries besides automotive

experiences. But there are alsorisks regarding competitive tim-ing, technology capability (hard-ware and software), complexsourcing, technical selling capa-bility of dealers and brand differ-entiation. Automotive OEM,component and aftermarket sup-pliers also are likely to have in-creased product liability risks astheir technologies assume directresponsibility for more of thedriving.Auto parts and component sup-

pliers and adjacent industries havetheir own opportunities and risks.Chip makers and security compa-nies have significant opportunitiesto enable and secure this function-ality. Telematics content and plat-form providers, as well astelecoms network operators, haveopportunities in areas such asmapping, car sharing, parkingapps, infotainment, vehicle-to-Xcommunications and vehicle-to-web integration.Traditional vehicle hardware

suppliers are likely to be price-squeezed as value moves to soft-

ware and infotainment. Auto in-surance companies will need todevelop new business models ascrashes diminish in both fre-quency and severity, with corre-sponding reductions in premiums.Property developers, garages,transportation engineering andconstruction firms, and transitagencies must all consider howtransportation will change as vehi-cles become safer, perhaps ownedless by individual families and ul-timately are fully automated.The three technology-driven

trends that are simultaneously ar-riving to disrupt significantly theautomotive status quo – electrifi-cation, connectivity and autonomy– are here today. Companies thatmove quickly to take advantage ofthe opportunities are likely to suc-ceed. Laggards – well, history hasshown what usually happens tothem.

Thomas Gage is CEO and man-aging director and JonathanMorris senior associate, both atMarconi Pacific

INFOTAINMENT INFOTAINMENT


As the rate of smartphoneuse in vehicles continuesto grow rapidly in nearly

every major market globally, vehi-cle manufacturers and suppliersare rushing to integrate and incor-porate design and connectivity el-ements into new vehicles toaddress the market demand anddesire among consumers.More than 85 per cent of new

car intenders in Germany and theUK have a smartphone, accordingto recent research from IHS Auto-motive.The report, Apps in the Car

2015, includes regional prefer-ences from a recent consumerstudy conducted by IHS Automo-tive. More than 4000 vehicle own-ers who intend on purchasing anew vehicle within the next 36months were surveyed, represent-ing four key automotive markets –the USA, China, Germany and theUK.“Across the UK and Germany,

we saw very similar results,though not exact,” said ColinBird, senior analyst, automotivesoftware, apps and services at IHSAutomotive. “Consumers in thesecountries rely on their phones forin-vehicle connectivity and use avariety of apps while driving. Ourresearch identifies many trendsthat can help foster further devel-opment for technology in vehiclessold in these countries.”Among new vehicle intenders in

Germany, Samsung smartphonesled the way with 49 per cent of re-spondents indicating Samsung asthe brand they owned and usedmost often. Apple ranked secondat just 21 per cent. In the UK,ownership of Samsung and Appledevices was nearly equal with

LISTEN ONA recent IHS survey investigated theuse of smartphones and listeningchoices in vehicles

People have more in-vehicle listeningchoices than ever, as seen in thisMercedes-Benz GLE Coupé

Samsung edging out Apple by justa percentage point margin (34 percent Samsung to 33 per cent forApple). Respondents from the UKalso showed the largest variety ofsmartphone brand ownership inthe survey, demonstrating an op-portunity for vehicle app integra-tion ecosystems that cater to awider variety of devices, accord-ing to the research.Operating systems also varied,

with 67 per cent of German con-sumers reporting Android usecompared with just 21 per cent foriOS systems. In the UK, findingswere not as dramatic, though An-droid led the way with just over50 per cent of respondents com-pared with just 30 per cent iOSusers.Respondents in the UK over-

whelmingly (more than 80 percent) indicated that using theirsmartphone while driving was dis-tracting, while just over 75 percent of respondents in Germanyfound it distracting. Interestingly,just over 60 per cent of respon-dents from the UK indicated theyprefer controlling their smart-phone with in-vehicle voice con-trols, while nearly 80 per cent ofGermany-based respondents indi-cated they prefer to do so. In bothcountries, about 65 per cent of re-spondents reported using theirphone as a navigation aid fordirections or points of interestwhile driving.When it comes to using Blue-

tooth pairing to stream audio froma smartphone into the vehicle, lessthan 65 per cent of respondents inthe UK reported doing so, whilemore than 70 per cent of respon-dents in Germany indicated doingso.

INFOTAINMENT COCKPIT ELECTRONICS


Consumers in the UK and Ger-many also indicated preferencesfor interacting with smartphonesin the vehicle through an in-vehi-cle touchscreen and steeringwheel controls, each of whichwere cited by more than 60 percent of respondents.

Carrier and data plansEighty-three per cent of respon-dents in the UK indicated theirmobile phone package included adata plan, while just 60 per cent ofrespondents in Germany reportedhaving one. This could be a signthat German respondents relymore heavily on Wifi networkswhen they travel with theirphones, suggesting that embeddedconnectivity might be of morevalue in Germany. Alternatively,UK-based respondents may be aptto use tethered infotainment appsand CE telematics more often.More than 70 per cent of re-

spondents subscribe to a monthlymobile plan, with less than 30 percent indicating they have pre-paidor pay-as-you-go plans. Whenasked about carrier use, top mo-bile carriers were very competi-tive among UK-basedrespondents, with O2 having 25per cent share, Vodafone at 18 per

Use of smartphones in vehicles (Source: IHS Automotive)

Smartphone operating systems used (Source: IHS Automotive)

cent and EE used by 17 per centamong respondents.In Germany, however, T-Mobile

led among carriers, with 25 percent share of the market for re-spondents. O2 and Vodafone fol-lowed closely behind, with 22 and21 per cent of respondents, re-spectively.

InfotainmentWhen asked about radio and info-tainment systems, 60 per cent ofrespondents in the UK indicatedthat they would prefer a radio orinfotainment system designed byApple or Google, while 55 percent of respondents in Germanyagreed with that sentiment.Somewhat surprisingly, AM and

FM radio and CD and DVD play-ers were cited by more than 65 percent of respondents as their listen-ing method of choice in the UK,while respondents based in Ger-many indicated similar prefer-ences. Across all respondents,more than 50 per cent indicatedlistening to music that was storedon their mobile device was amongthe top choices for in-vehicle lis-tening. Internet or streaming radioand HD radio followed in therankings.Nearly 40 per cent of respon-

dents in the UK report said theysubscribe to a premium streamingradio or on-demand streamingservice, while less than 30 percent of German responders do.According to the report, top in-

ternet radio and audio apps in theUK and Germany include Spotifywith 33 per cent share among re-spondents in each country, fol-lowed by ITunes Radio with just13 per cent in both the UK andGermany. However, Google Playwas close behind, with 12 per centof respondents in Germany notingthat as the app they use mostoften. Google Play netted just sixper cent interest among UK re-spondents, however.

Automotive cockpit elec-tronics are used to en-hance driving conditions

and to create a comfortable atmos-phere inside the vehicle. Theirsales are made through originalequipment manufacturer (OEM)contracts and the aftermarket.Increasing per capita income

and industrial development arekey drivers for the automotive andcockpit electronics industry glob-ally, according to a report from

IN THE COCKPIT

A global market study on automotivecockpit electronics finds that theinfotainment and navigation segmentwill witness the highest growth by 2020

Persistence Market Research. Theper capita car ownership has beencontinuously rising due to aworldwide increase in the middle-class population.Growing concerns of the con-

sumers regarding safety has in-creased the demand for automatedpassenger cars that give the driv-ers higher control over their vehi-cles. Infotainment has seen asignificant rise in recent yearssince the consumers are seen to be

inclined towards a more informeddriving experience.With the increasing number of

road accidents, vehicle owners areturning towards more automatedvehicles. Stringent regulations areleading to the inclusion of ad-vanced features in passenger carsincluding tyre pressure monitoringsystem (TPMS), electronic stabil-ity control and occupant detection.

Under pressureOEMs are under constant pressureto equip their vehicles with ad-vanced safety systems. NorthAmerica, Japan, China and SouthKorea are the major countrieswhere these regulations have beenimposed. For instance, the South

There is high growth in cockpitelectronics as seen from theinside of Ford’s C-Max

COCKPIT ELECTRONICS

Vehicle ElectronicsPage 25, September 2015

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT


Korean Ministry of Land, Trans-port & Maritime Affairs issued aregulation effective from January2013 that requires the new modelsof passenger vehicles and othertransport vehicles of 3.5 gross ve-hicle weight (GVW) tons or lessto be equipped with TPMS. More-over, effective from June 2014,the same regulation was also ap-plicable to existing vehicles. Simi-lar regulations are expected to beimplemented in Japan, China andIndia by 2017, 2018 and 2019 re-spectively.

SensorsAutomotive sensors such as GPSsystems and humidity sensorskeep the driver more informedabout the location of vehicle,routes and weather conditions.Adaptive lighting sensors auto-matically adjust the luminance ofthe vehicle’s light beam, depend-ing on the light and road condi-tions. The increasing tour andleisure activities have increasedthe scope of info-travelling to agreat extent and that is further fu-elling the demand for automotivesensors.

EuropeThe Eurozone crisis remains a keyconcern for the automotive cock-pit electronics market and hasaffected the OEM sales in theregion.However, the market is expected

to gain momentum in this area to-wards the end of the forecastedperiod as a result of expected im-provements in the economy.The registration of new cars in

the European Union has been ob-served to be increasing everymonth as compared with sales inthe same month for the previousyear.According to the European Au-

tomobile Manufacturers’Associa-tion (EAMA), Spain, the UK andItaly witnessed the strongestgrowth in the passenger car salesin October 2014 as compared withOctober 2013.With the tightening of regula-

tions for the passenger car manu-facturers – for instance, the TPMSbecoming mandatory for new ve-hicles in Europe – plenty of op-portunity awaits the automotivecockpit electronic companies inthe near term, says the report.

Harman is investing in researchand development

Continental is one of the major players in this segment

BrazilCertain developing countries arereporting high growth rates in thecockpit electronics market. Brazilwas the sixth largest automobileproducer globally. It is a youngcountry with over half of its popu-lation below thirty years of ageand over 70 per cent of its popula-tion economically active. How-ever, the slowdown of itseconomy since 2010 has affectedautomobile sales in the country.The country’s cockpit electronicsmarket is witnessing high growthdue to its increasing per capitaconsumption and escalating ur-banisation, which stood at approx-imately 87 per cent in 2013.

Major playersThe major players in this industryinclude Continental, Denso, Vis-teon, Harman, Alpine, Panasonic,Delphi, Bosch and Pioneer.The companies are making new

investments to improve their tech-nology to retain their competitive-ness in the industry. For instance,Denso, Harman and Delphi areactively funding their researchand development activities.

Nissan is collaborating witharchitect Foster & Part-ners to rethink the fuel

station of the future. The conceptexplores how zero-emission tech-nology will influence future de-sign with the final design to berevealed later this year.Because by 2020 there will be

almost one million electric vehi-cles on the road, Nissan realisedthat a rethink was needed in fuelstation design. So it decided tochallenge conventions to offer afascinating view of how fuellingstations will adapt in a rapidlychanging world.The car maker recognised that

the refuelling infrastructure of thefuture represented the perfect op-portunity to integrate and engagewith local environments in an in-novative way – potentially provid-ing an energy and societal hub formodern communities.The need for a sustainable and

Fuel station of the futureFuel station of the future

Nissan is working with architect Foster& Partners to redesign fuel stations

innovative refuelling network isbecoming vital as the marketshifts towards alternative sourcessuch as electric power.The concept aims to be be an-

chored at the heart of a world thatis concerned with a zero-emis-sions society, connected commu-nities, autonomous drive and theinternet of things. The goal is todemonstrate the host of benefitsbrought by a smart EV ecosystem– not just in terms of mobility, butin harnessing the potential of bat-tery storage and vehicle-to-gridsystems.“The aim of our collaboration

with Nissan is to highlight themagnitude of the challenge thatwe face in evolving our cities tomeet change,” said David Nelson,head of design at Foster & Part-ners. “New technologies, alterna-tive forms of fuel and changingtrends within our society are allhaving a huge impact on the way

we get around. It seems to beclear that electric vehicles will bea major feature of the urban land-scape and, as a result, this pres-ents an exciting opportunity torethink the fuel station for futuregenerations; a new approach todesign will create a more inte-grated and communal role withinour towns and cities. As the lead-ers in the electric vehicle market,Nissan has been critical in provid-ing insight on how the motoristsof the future will interact with thebuilt environment.”The collaboration to conceive a

new vision of the fuel stationcomes as the popularity of electricvehicles continues to increase.Adoption of EVs is reaching a tip-ping point, and projections sug-gest that current growth trendswill only accelerate in pace.“Our current refuelling infra-

structure model is out-dated andfaces an uncertain future unless itrapidly adapts to support thechanging needs of consumers,”said Jean-Pierre Diernaz, directorof electric vehicles at Nissan.

PRODUCTS

Vehicle Electronics Vehicle ElectronicsPage 27, September 2015 September 2015, Page 28

PRODUCTS

A safety manual andFMEDA document canhelp streamline ISO26262 functional-safetycertification up to Asil-Bfor systems containingST Microelectronics’STM8AF automotive mi-crocontrollers.With features includingCan and Lin drivers,touch-sense and LCD-control capability, theAEC-Q100 qualified se-ries is for body and info-

Safety manual helps meet ISO 26262

tainment applicationssuch as seat adjusters, in-strumentation and light-ing controllers.Tier-one equipmentsuppliers now tend to de-sign these systems tomeet ISO 26262 func-

tional-safety standards atAsil A or B.The STM8A-SafeAsilsafety tools show design-ers how best to work withthe microcontroller toachieve the desired safetyintegrity level, therebyhelping ensure certifica-tion.The safety manual hasbeen developed with as-sistance fromYogitech. Itprovides guidance forhardware design and soft-

ware integration, includ-ing a list of tips, to helpengineers ensure correctand safe operation and soeliminate system failuresdue to the microcon-troller.The accompanyingFMEDA describes thefailure probabilities ofSTM8 IP blocks to helpdesigners ensure their ap-plications achieve the de-sired system safetyintegrity.

The Kilovac KHR500Bubba II high-voltage,high-rupture, 600A con-tactor from TE Connec-tivity is smaller, lighterand switches significantlyhigher power than itspredecessor, the EV500Bubba I.It is capable of handlinginrush currents as high as4kA and is hermeticallysealed for use in harsh en-vironments such asground vehicle, marine,solar, automotive and en-ergy storage applications.“The new KHR500high-voltage contactorsare smaller and 64 percent lighter than our pop-ular EV500 Bubba con-tactors, providing moresavings and flexibility toour customers,” said

Earle Alldredge, productmanager at TE.Configured as a single-pole, single-throw device,the contactor can handlevoltages from 28 to1000V DC and continu-ous 600A currents.Because it is not polar-ity sensitive, it allowsbidirectional load switch-ing.An integrated coileconomiser reduces thepower required to holdthe contacts closed to320mA at 24V DC. Thesingle-pole, double-throwauxiliary switch supports3A at 125V RMS or 1Aat30V DC, and low-levelsignals down to 5V,10mA.The contactors have anintegrated dual-coil elec-

High-voltage contactor is 64%lighter than predecessor

tronic cut throateconomiser. They canwithstand 100,000 cycles

and have an operatingtemperature from -40 to+125˚C.

Melexis has added an ele-vated current version toits MLX91208 series ofprogrammable Hall-effectcurrent sensors. Opti-mised for the high fieldsthat characterise hybridand electric vehicle(HEV) applications, theMLX91208CAV cancope with up to 1kA ofprimary current.Thanks to the propri-etary integrated magneticconcentrator (IMC) tech-nology, the sensors in theAEC-Q100-qualified se-ries can accurately meas-ure current withoutincluding bulky externalferromagnetic cores thatare required for conven-tional Hall-effect currentsensors.The IMC structure con-centrates the magneticflux and thereby enhancessensor performance.The devices can thusenable savings in boardspace and simplify the as-sembly process as theyare housed in surfacemount standard soic-8packages. These sensorsalso exhibit flexibility,with the ability for cur-rent data to be measuredthrough adjacent busbars, wires or underlyingPCB traces.The contactless current

Elevated current sensoradded to Hall effect range

sensing mechanism issaid to meet required per-formance benchmarks.This device intrinsicallydelivers the galvanic iso-lation mandated by high-voltage applications,while simultaneouslyeliminating the additional

sources of power loss thatare found with shunt tech-nology.“The increasing preva-lence of hybrid and elec-tric vehicles has majorimplications for the auto-motive sector, with evergreater need for high per-

formance current sensingtechnology,” said BrunoBoury, product line man-ager at Melexis. “Highcurrent sensing is in-evitable in order to reachthe power requirementsof HEVs. There is alsothe emerging mild hybridsegment to take into ac-count, where lower powermotors and generators,along with a lower volt-age net, dictate high cur-rents.“The MLX91208CAVis a well-timed responseto these trends, address-ing the relatively high ex-pense associated withinverter hardware, whichuntil now has sloweddown widespread HEVadoption, by allowing mi-gration to smaller, higherpower density inverters.”

A sealed connector sys-tem for automotive pow-ertrain, body and safetyelectronics applicationshas been developed byMolex. The MXP120connectors and recepta-cles for safety applica-tions come in distinctiveyellow outer housings,while those for non-safetypowertrain and body elec-tronics applications have

black outer housings.The 4.0mm pitch,1.2mm connectors pro-vide mating, sealing andperformance for severeapplications. The rangeincludes a small one-by-two version that meetsUscar-25 ergonomic re-quirements. Automotiveand commercial vehiclemanufacturers can use thedevices to replace 1.5mm

terminal connections inspace-constrained appli-cations.The single-wire-sealconnection system with arobust perimeter seal isIPX8 rated and with-stands high-pressurespray environments(IPX9K) under certainconditions. They arecompatible with AK andUscar interfaces.

Sealed connector suits safety use

PRODUCTS


PRODUCTS


Claimed to be the firstpolymer electrolytic ca-pacitor that meets all therequirements of AEC-Q200 for passive compo-nents, the T598 highhumidity and temperatureseries from Kemet buildson its T591 series.The company has re-fined the design, materi-als and manufacturing todeliver higher stabilityand endurance underharsh conditions. Theseimprovements result in adesign that exceeds thehumidity bias testing re-

quirements of +85˚C with85 per cent relative hu-midity in addition to de-livering stable electricalperformance at +125˚C.“In 1999, Ko-Cap of-fered engineers a break-through in highcapacitance, low ESR andlong lifetime capacitors,”said Philip Lessner,Kemet chief technologyofficer. “Since this time,designers have utilisedpolymer electrolytic ca-pacitors in space-constrained or high per-formance applications.

A rugged Com Expressmodule has been devel-oped by MEN Mikro ac-cording to the EN 50155railway standard and is inthe qualification processto achieve Sil 2 certifica-tion. Due to its robust de-sign it is particularlysuitable for safety-criticalapplications in mobilemarkets but also in indus-trial applications.The CB30C complieswith EN 50129 for sys-tem and hardware devel-opment in railways. Thecertification package in-cludes the safety case andthe certification reportfrom TÜV SÜD. Thepackage aims to simplifythe certification processof the final system.For achieving Sil 2, theboard is monitored by aCPLD supervisor. If thedefined operating condi-tions such as power sup-ply voltage or temper-ature reach critical limits,the supervisor interruptsthe power of the subsys-tem, so external commu-nications are stopped.It is embedded in analuminium frame protect-ing the electronics againstenvironmental impactssuch as humidity, dust orelectromagnetic radia-tion. Operating tempera-ture is -40 to +85˚C via

Cabling systemsuits EV needsA high-current cablingsystem fromAmphenol issaid to meet energy stor-age needs in electric vehi-cles, hybrid electricvehicles, and commercialand residential batterystorage systems.The SurLok Plus can beused by inverter andpower supply manufac-turers and is optimised forbattery pack connectionsfrom 50 to 400A using atouch-safe interface.Witha flexible design to ac-commodate dimensionalconstraints, this low pro-file, right angle Radsokpin and socket connectoris space efficient.It comes in an unsealedconfiguration or IP67rated, which offers envi-ronmental sealing to pro-tect the system from theelements.The patented Radsokcontact technology in-creases amperage, whilereducing insertion force,temperature rise and volt-age drop. The contactsprovide a large contactarea, while using the ten-sile strength properties ofthe flat, high conductivityalloy grid for the highnormal forces requiredfor conductivity.

Rugged module ridesrailway standards

conduction cooling.Based on the FreescaleQoriq P1013 single coreor P1022 dual coreprocessor, it runs at up to1GHz. IO functionality,includes up to three Giga-bit Ethernet and PCI Ex-press interfaces, two Sata

channels, up to four USBports and uarts.The board complieswith the Com ExpressBasic form factor andtype six pin-out. A ComExpress version withoutthe aluminium frame isalso on offer.

Polymer caps meet AEC-Q200

Now that Ko-Caps meetall of the AEC-Q200 re-quirements, engineers canincorporate these innova-tive capacitors into auto-motive and other harshenvironment applica-tions.”The series is availablein capacitances up to330µF and rated voltages

up to 16V. The qualifica-tion test plan is in accor-dance with AEC-Q200and they are manufac-tured in an ISO TS 16949certified facility.Typical applications in-clude decoupling and fil-tering of DC-to-DCconverters in automotiveinfotainment and ad-vanced driver assistance,as well as industrial andtelecoms applicationswhere harsh conditionssuch as high humidity andtemperature are of con-cern.

A brushless motor pre-driver IC has been en-hanced to achievefunctional safety for usein electric power steeringsystems. Sample ship-ments of Toshiba’sTB9081FG started thismonth with mass produc-tion scheduled to start inAugust 2017.The IC integrates func-tions, including three-phase pre-driver circuits,fail-safe relay pre-drivercircuits and motor currentdetection circuits, plusvarious failure detectioncircuits.An initial diagno-sis circuit to detect latentfaults in the failure detec-

Brushless motor pre-driver ICenhanced for functional safety

tion circuits is also incor-porated to secure higherfunctional safety.The company has car-ried out functional safetyanalyses to simulate vari-ous system failures andwill provide documenta-tion, such as FMEDA, tosupport safety analysisand design.There is built-in over

and under-voltage, overtemperature and short de-tection circuits.A built-in diagnosticcircuit in the failure-de-tection circuit detects anylatent faults.Built-in fail-safe relaypre-driver circuits drivethe semiconductor relaybetween the motor andmosfet (driver) and be-tween the power-supplyside and mosfet (driver).The fail-safe relay pre-driver circuit has fivechannels, three for themotor side and two forthe power-supply side.Both have dedicated inputterminals, making inde-

pendent control possible.Voltage drop caused bycranking after idling re-duction is accommodatedby improving battery op-eration voltage rangedown to 4.5V.Users can set the systemto respond to detectedfailures in one of twoways using the input set-ting of the SPI communi-cations. One setting usesthe IC to stop the externalmosfet, the other switchesto external control of themosfet using the MCU.Selection can be made ac-cording to the user’s ap-plication or system, andfor various systems.

Vishay Intertechnologyhas released two bidirec-tional symmetrical (BiSy)ESD protection diodes inthe compact sot-323package.Measuring 2.3 by2.1mm with a 0.95mmprofile, the single-lineVLIN26A1-03G anddual-line VCAN26A2-03G have low capaci-tance and leakage currentfor protecting automotivedata lines against tran-sient voltage signals.For Lin bus applica-tions, the VLIN26A1-03G provides transient

protection for one dataline as per IEC 61000-4-2 at ±30kV (air and con-tact discharge), while theVCAN26A2-03G pro-tects two lines for Canbus and Flex bus applica-tions.The AEC-Q101-qualified devices havelow load capacitance of10pF typical and 15pFmaximum, maximumleakage current of lessthan 0.05µA, and a work-ing voltage of ±26.5V.The protection diodesare lead (Pb)-free andRoHS-compliant.

ESD protection diodes


PRODUCTS

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© 2015 Vehicle ElectronicsISSN 2055-1177

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PRODUCTS


Functionality has beenadded to a laboratory net-work simulator to make itsuitable for carrying outhardware-in-the-loop sys-tem level tests for the Eu-ropean e-call system andRussian ERA-Glonasssystem.The e-call tester option(MX703330E) and MSDGlonass option (MX-703330E-031) used incombination with theAn-ritsu MD8475A supportin-house testing and eval-uation of communica-tions modules (in-vehiclesystems) with built-in e-call and ERA-Glonassfunctions, as well as gen-eral evaluation followinginstallation of the mod-ules in automobiles. Theflexible software tool cansimulate public safety an-swering points (PSAP) tosimplify application de-

Signal tester provides e-call check

velopment and evalua-tion.As it is difficult to testemergency call systemsusing a live network, theapplications support lab-oratory testing, whichcuts development time byletting evaluations be per-formed in-house using thenetwork simulator. It alsoreduces the amount offield testing needed toverify and de-bug e-callsystems.

This is claimed to be thefirst system level test en-vironment using a flexi-ble control gui and userconfigurable settings toprovide a test environ-ment where differentmodes and configurationsof network and e-call en-vironments can be config-ured and tested with ease.The instrument operatesas an all-in-one networksimulator for testingmulti-standard cellular

wireless modules. Com-posed of hardware andmultiple measurementsoftware options, it sup-ports all standard cellularcommunications tech-nologies, enabling chipsetand module developers toverify the performanceand functions of commu-nications devices. Withits SmartStudio gui, it issuitable for evaluating in-vehicle systems for V2Xand M2M testing.

A family of robust dramcomponents can with-stand the high operatingtemperatures and stress inapplications such as auto-motive, avionic, aero-space and militarywithout requiring a dou-bled or quadrupled re-fresh-rate to work againstthe physical limitations ofdram cells.Based on its ECC dramtechnology, IntelligentMemory’s devices canoperate stable even at+125˚C without increas-ing the refresh-rate.With integrated errorcorrection code, they cor-rect single-bit errorscaused by any kind ofroot cause, such as heat,radiation or degradation.Also, most bit-pattern-dependant bit-flips andeven permanent single-bithard-errors get coveredby the on-chip ECC logic.“Our extra robustness

ECC drams have alreadyproven their radiationhardness,” said JosephChan, general manager ofIntelligent Memory.“Now we want to showthe automotive andavionic market that IMhas the perfect solutionfor the increased demandsof high operating temper-ature and reliability with-out any performance loss.Our products are madefor the markets that re-quire long-term availabil-ity without revisionshrinks.”Temperature range is-40 to +125˚C and theyare sampling in DDR3technology having a ca-pacity of 1Gbit (IME1G-16D3EEBG-15EX), withDDR2 and DDR1 prod-ucts to follow.AEC-Q100automotive grade onequalified DDR3 parts areplanned to be samplingby November.

Robust dramslike it hot

An electronic throttleactuator from Jenvey Dy-namics is modular, mak-ing it compatible withmany aftermarket inde-pendent throttle body(ITB) kits for road or raceapplications, and pro-vides precise control overthrottle actuation to opti-mise induction systems.“We have identified theneed for a highly config-urable, fit-and-forgetelectronic actuator that isgood enough to be used ininternational race series,yet is more attainablethan often complicated,cost- or compatibility-prohibitive bespoke fly-by-wire systems,” saidJenvey managing directorMike Jenvey. “The actua-tor is competition-provenhaving completed its first24-hour race on a GT carwithout issue, as part of arigorous in-house testingprocedure.”Benefits of electronicthrottle actuation includepackaging, idle control

(during warm up), auto-blip with paddleshifttransmission, launch andtraction control, anti-lag,switchable pedal maps,controllable push-to-passstrategy, pit lane speedcontrol, and variablebank-to-bank control.The actuator can closelymonitor pedal positionversus throttle position,improve throttle controland ensure active closureor power down to safe-guard the competitionpowertrain in the event ofany component failure.The unit is tested to func-tion from -20 to +140˚C,weighs 500g and has amaximum torque capac-ity of 3600Nmm, allow-ing throttle opening timesof less than 0.1s from 10to 90 per cent throttle.It requires standaloneECU control and is com-patible with all the com-pany’s ITB kits, includingdowndraft SFD and SFDtaper kits for the Chevro-let LS3 V8 engine.

Throttle actuator iscompetition proven

news audi, bmw and daimler purchase here from nokia · report by vehicle elec-tronics editor steve...

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