Archive for August, 2007

As the number of electronic functions in a vehicle increase, so do the number of electronic control units (ECUs) required. That‘s unavoidable in some cases, but in others, it‘s possible and beneficial to reduce the total number of ECUs by controlling multiple functions from a single location. To that end, Robert Bosch LLC is developing what it calls a domain control unit (DCU). Kay Stepper, marketing manager for Bosch‘s Chassis Systems Control Division, says the DCU is based on a 32-bit, 130nm multi-core microcontroller that‘s optimized for advanced safety applications. In its current iteration the DCU will scale to 180MHz and come with up to 4MB of flash with error correction code. It will include a floating point unit, implement AUTOSAR, and include a FlexRay interface as well as CAN and LIN interfaces.

Omron is poised to enter the active safety market with a system that demonstrates sensor fusion. It combines LIDAR-based adaptive cruise control system with camera-based lane departure warning. The firm has configured a demo vehicle - a Mercedes C320 - with a black and white camera and a dashboard display. The CMOS camera displays the road ahead, highlighting the lane markers in red. The dashboard displays two broken lines converging, plus an icon representing a vehicle ahead, when one is present. The Omron system, which operates on a CAN bus, links up with the Mercedes cruise control system, the speed of which can be set in one mile per-hour increments, so a driver can set a comfortable trailing distance. What‘s especially cool about the system, however, is the way it nudges a driver with a clear but gentle tug on the wheel in the proper direction - toward the center of the lane - when the vehicle drifts over a lane marker. The haptic signal may not be firm enough to awaken a truly drowsy driver, but Omron also has an internal camera in development.