Renesas Technology America introduced the dual-core SH7776 (SH-Navi3), a system-on-chip device with enhanced on-chip graphics functions and a high-performance image recognition processing function for next-generation high-end car information terminals.
Strategic Analytics ranks Renesas #1 in the global market for car navigation microprocessors. Renesas said the SH-Navi3 is among the first dual-core SoC products to incorporate an image recognition processing function. IP for image recognition processing was developed jointly with Hitachi, Ltd.
Compared with SH-Navi1 and SH-Navi2, SH-Navi3 delivers approximately 3.5 times faster processing through greater internal parallelism and a doubled bus width. It can execute multiple external environment recognition programs simultaneously - such as lane detection and detection and tracking of preceding vehicles - in real time.
The dual-core architecture supports symmetric multiprocessing (SMP), in which the operations of a single program running under a single OS are divided between two CPU cores for parallel processing, and asymmetric multiprocessing (AMP), in which different operating systems (or multiple instances of the same OS) and completely different programs run on each of the CPU cores.
Integrating two 32-bit SH-4A CPU cores, the SH-Navi3 achieves a processing performance of 1,920 MIPS when operating at 533 MHz. Its 3-D graphics engine incorporates PowerVR SGX IP from 3-D graphics IP specialist Imagination Technologies Limited, and is said to enable polygon performance approximately twice that of PowerVR MBX, which is used in SH-Navi1 and SH-Navi2 devices. Renesas said the extra performance provides support not only for 3-D rendering in navigation applications but also for HMI and other multimedia applications that demand more colorful and realistic 3-D rendering.
The SH7776 also incorporates a 2-D and 3-D graphics processor for detailed map rendering and operation screens that are easier to use. Features include 2-D rendering functions such as bold-line rendering, 3-D rendering functions such as triangle 3-D rendering, for enhanced three-dimensionality, and texture mapping, for more realistic textures. Renesas said the graphics features make it possible to realize a detailed and high-quality GUI incorporating maps, icons, and menus as well as colorfully rendered 3-D objects (such as high-rise buildings) in maps. The SoC‘s distortion compensation module enables transformation into any shape of image data captured by a camera. For example, image data from a camera fitted with a fisheye lens could be used to generate a bird‘s-eye view of the periphery of the vehicle.
A two-channel, 16-bit dedicated bus interface operating at 533 MHz is available for connecting high-speed DDR3-SDRAM, enabling data transfer at up to 4.27 gigabytes per second. Both channels can be accessed at the same time. Dedicated PCI Express interface I/O of allows high-speed transfer of data at up to 250 megabytes per second to and from an external device equipped with a PCI Express interface.
On-chip peripheral modules include a serial ATA interface for high-speed connection to hard disks, an audio encoder, a USB 2.0 Host/Function interface, a TS interface for receiving terrestrial digital TV broadcasts, and a GPS baseband processing module.
Renesas Technology America introduced the dual-core SH7776 (SH-Navi3), a system-on-chip device with enhanced on-chip graphics functions and a high-performance image recognition processing function for next-generation high-end car information terminals.
Strategic Analytics ranks Renesas #1 in the global market for car navigation microprocessors. Renesas said the SH-Navi3 is among the first dual-core SoC products to incorporate an image recognition processing function. IP for image recognition processing was developed jointly with Hitachi, Ltd.
Compared with SH-Navi1 and SH-Navi2, SH-Navi3 delivers approximately 3.5 times faster processing through greater internal parallelism and a doubled bus width. It can execute multiple external environment recognition programs simultaneously - such as lane detection and detection and tracking of preceding vehicles - in real time.
The dual-core architecture supports symmetric multiprocessing (SMP), in which the operations of a single program running under a single OS are divided between two CPU cores for parallel processing, and asymmetric multiprocessing (AMP), in which different operating systems (or multiple instances of the same OS) and completely different programs run on each of the CPU cores.
Integrating two 32-bit SH-4A CPU cores, the SH-Navi3 achieves a processing performance of 1,920 MIPS when operating at 533 MHz. Its 3-D graphics engine incorporates PowerVR SGX IP from 3-D graphics IP specialist Imagination Technologies Limited, and is said to enable polygon performance approximately twice that of PowerVR MBX, which is used in SH-Navi1 and SH-Navi2 devices. Renesas said the extra performance provides support not only for 3-D rendering in navigation applications but also for HMI and other multimedia applications that demand more colorful and realistic 3-D rendering.
The SH7776 also incorporates a 2-D and 3-D graphics processor for detailed map rendering and operation screens that are easier to use. Features include 2-D rendering functions such as bold-line rendering, 3-D rendering functions such as triangle 3-D rendering, for enhanced three-dimensionality, and texture mapping, for more realistic textures. Renesas said the graphics features make it possible to realize a detailed and high-quality GUI incorporating maps, icons, and menus as well as colorfully rendered 3-D objects (such as high-rise buildings) in maps. The SoC‘s distortion compensation module enables transformation into any shape of image data captured by a camera. For example, image data from a camera fitted with a fisheye lens could be used to generate a bird‘s-eye view of the periphery of the vehicle.
A two-channel, 16-bit dedicated bus interface operating at 533 MHz is available for connecting high-speed DDR3-SDRAM, enabling data transfer at up to 4.27 gigabytes per second. Both channels can be accessed at the same time. Dedicated PCI Express interface I/O of allows high-speed transfer of data at up to 250 megabytes per second to and from an external device equipped with a PCI Express interface.
On-chip peripheral modules include a serial ATA interface for high-speed connection to hard disks, an audio encoder, a USB 2.0 Host/Function interface, a TS interface for receiving terrestrial digital TV broadcasts, and a GPS baseband processing module.
Three of the top ten trends in automotive electronics relate to software, according to Paul Hansen, publisher of The Hansen Report on Automotive Electronics. Speaking to an audience of engineers at the Integrated Electrical Solutions Forum (IESF) 2008, sponsored by Mentor Graphics, Hansen said another three trends reflect the current economic crisis. Two relate to the need to make vehicles that are more energy efficient and produce less CO2.
Listing the trends in reverse order, Hansen said #10 is the growing importance of specialization. “Companies that focus on what they are very good at can at least survive in these very difficult times,” he said, citing software developers KPIT Cummins and Mentor Graphics, and navigation firms Navteq and Garmin as examples.
“As we move into the age of connected cars–connected to each other, to the infrastructure and to the Internet–opportunities abound for companies who will control and manage the flow of data, and companies who can provide the content and driver information services the market will demand,” Hansen said.
Trend #9 is China, where carmakers and suppliers have moved beyond manufacturing joint ventures to establish world-class engineering and R&D facilities, according to Hansen. “From this Chinese crucible, powerful new companies will rise up to take on the world,” he said.
Number 8 on Hansen‘s list is a shift in the automotive industry‘s center of gravity away from Detroit and toward Munich and Toyota City. “The financial struggles of GM, Ford and Chrysler have made those carmakers, and most U.S. suppliers, far less aggressive about new technology,” he said.
‘Wait and see what works‘
“When it comes to creating new industry standards, it‘s the German carmakers, led by BMW, who have become the main drivers of a lot of new automotive electronics, especially software, networking, infotainment and chassis control technologies. Meanwhile, the Japanese carmakers continue to make most of the world‘s most reliable cars. Detroit carmakers seem content with a ‘wait-and-see-what-works‘ attitude, letting the Germans and Japanese shape the industry‘s technological future.”
Hybrids are trend #7, according to Hansen. Electrical and electronics parts account for 20% to 25% of the cost of an average vehicle, he said, but in hybrid vehicles those parts account for 50% of the cost. “Today a hybrid vehicle‘s electrical distribution system costs twice as much as a non-hybrid vehicle‘s. However, he added, “For the next few years, the vast majority of hybrid vehicles will be built by Toyota and Honda, who are not at all open to doing business with Western suppliers, unless it is for parts they cannot source from their affiliated partners.”
Fuel economy trumps safety
“With the urgent call for energy independence from the Middle East and tough mandates to curb CO2 emissions on the way, fuel efficiency has become the global industry‘s development obsession,” according to Hansen. It has eclipsed safety as a priority, and that is trend #6.
“While no carmaker is going to sacrifice safety for the sake of fuel economy, carmakers are far more likely to support engineering programs that yield fuel-economy improvements and CO2 reductions,” Hansen said.
“I worry about what lower fuel costs will do to our industry‘s resolve to make and sell more fuel efficient vehicles,” he added. “The U.S. government should tax gasoline to keep the price high enough to encourage consumers to invest in hybrid and electric vehicles. Those funds could be used to help the U.S. industry develop green technology. Because of higher fuel taxes in Europe, the European automobile industry is higher up the green technology learning curve.”
Trend #5 is Linux. “BMW‘s initiative with Intel, Wind River, and others to create a standard open-source infotainment platform based on the Linux operating system will permanently alter the market,” Hansen said. “Driving the Linux infotainment initiative is what‘s driving the Autosar software architecture standard - the opportunity to significantly reduce the cost and improve the quality of software.
“Instead of relying on vertically integrated suppliers to handle the entire customized infotainment system, carmakers and system integrators will be able to purchase best-in-class software components from a variety of sources, whose applications are designed to fit the standard platform.”
Autosar is trend #4. “It will take at least a decade for Autosar to be implemented in enough vehicles to significantly impact the global market,” Hansen surmises, “but of all the technical standards adopted thus far, none will have as much impact as Autosar. It will significantly lower the cost of systems and improve their quality by letting carmakers reuse proven software in multiple platforms and multiple vehicles.”
He added that with Autosar, software will be sold separately from hardware. “Application software can run in any ECU, wherever it makes sense. That would let carmakers reduce the number of electronic control units (ECUs) in each vehicle, which would lead to reductions in connectors and wiring, along with some other hardware.”
Hansen said carmakers don‘t expect the number of ECUs in each vehicle to decline significantly. “The typical Ford or Chrysler vehicle has from 25 to 35 ECUs while GM vehicles have anywhere from 30 to 40. The new BMW 7 Series, which employs Autosar software in some of its systems, has between 60 and 65 ECUs, about the same number as in the last 7 Series.”
Software is the third most significant trend in automotive electronics, according to Hansen. “Carmakers and suppliers with the best architectures and the best integrated software development tool chains are likely to gain competitive advantage,” he said. “Companies that get software development right will bring new and improved features and functions to market more quickly, with fewer engineers, and they will keep their warranty costs low.”
Electronics content is leveling
Second in significance, according to Hansen, is the fact that electronics content in vehicles is leveling. “According to some carmakers, the percentage of the average non-hybrid vehicle‘s cost devoted to electrical and electronics parts and software is likely to remain at 20% to 25%. As a result, the global market can increase only as a function of growth in the number of vehicles produced each year, plus increases in the average light vehicle retail price.” He said growth in E/E content will also be held in check by rising raw material costs for non-electrical parts, and by the appeal of “super-economical” vehicles like Tata Motors‘ $2,500 Nano. “Smaller vehicles have significantly less electrical and electronics content compared to larger vehicles.”
Not surprisingly, the economic turmoil battering the auto industry is the most significant trend impacting the automotive electronics market. “We have to consider the real possibility that GM or Chrysler might not make it. That would be devastating for the American automotive industry and for the American automotive electronics industry. Already a number of suppliers who are dependent on business with the Detroit Three in North America are in big trouble: slammed with a double whammy of horribly bad sales at a time when money for loans has completely dried up.”
Hansen concluded, “The industry should be forced to take the painful steps that it must to restructure into businesses that are sustainable. Labor, management, shareholders and creditors all must sacrifice. I am optimistic that the American automotive industry will survive this crisis, get its strength and vitality back, and join the fight to take its fair share of the global automotive market.”
Three of the top ten trends in automotive electronics relate to software, according to Paul Hansen, publisher of The Hansen Report on Automotive Electronics. Speaking to an audience of engineers at the Integrated Electrical Solutions Forum (IESF) 2008, sponsored by Mentor Graphics, Hansen said another three trends reflect the current economic crisis. Two relate to the need to make vehicles that are more energy efficient and produce less CO2.
Listing the trends in reverse order, Hansen said #10 is the growing importance of specialization. “Companies that focus on what they are very good at can at least survive in these very difficult times,” he said, citing software developers KPIT Cummins and Mentor Graphics, and navigation firms Navteq and Garmin as examples.
“As we move into the age of connected cars–connected to each other, to the infrastructure and to the Internet–opportunities abound for companies who will control and manage the flow of data, and companies who can provide the content and driver information services the market will demand,” Hansen said.
Trend #9 is China, where carmakers and suppliers have moved beyond manufacturing joint ventures to establish world-class engineering and R&D facilities, according to Hansen. “From this Chinese crucible, powerful new companies will rise up to take on the world,” he said.
Number 8 on Hansen‘s list is a shift in the automotive industry‘s center of gravity away from Detroit and toward Munich and Toyota City. “The financial struggles of GM, Ford and Chrysler have made those carmakers, and most U.S. suppliers, far less aggressive about new technology,” he said.
‘Wait and see what works‘
“When it comes to creating new industry standards, it‘s the German carmakers, led by BMW, who have become the main drivers of a lot of new automotive electronics, especially software, networking, infotainment and chassis control technologies. Meanwhile, the Japanese carmakers continue to make most of the world‘s most reliable cars. Detroit carmakers seem content with a ‘wait-and-see-what-works‘ attitude, letting the Germans and Japanese shape the industry‘s technological future.”
Hybrids are trend #7, according to Hansen. Electrical and electronics parts account for 20% to 25% of the cost of an average vehicle, he said, but in hybrid vehicles those parts account for 50% of the cost. “Today a hybrid vehicle‘s electrical distribution system costs twice as much as a non-hybrid vehicle‘s. However, he added, “For the next few years, the vast majority of hybrid vehicles will be built by Toyota and Honda, who are not at all open to doing business with Western suppliers, unless it is for parts they cannot source from their affiliated partners.”
Fuel economy trumps safety
“With the urgent call for energy independence from the Middle East and tough mandates to curb CO2 emissions on the way, fuel efficiency has become the global industry‘s development obsession,” according to Hansen. It has eclipsed safety as a priority, and that is trend #6.
“While no carmaker is going to sacrifice safety for the sake of fuel economy, carmakers are far more likely to support engineering programs that yield fuel-economy improvements and CO2 reductions,” Hansen said.
“I worry about what lower fuel costs will do to our industry‘s resolve to make and sell more fuel efficient vehicles,” he added. “The U.S. government should tax gasoline to keep the price high enough to encourage consumers to invest in hybrid and electric vehicles. Those funds could be used to help the U.S. industry develop green technology. Because of higher fuel taxes in Europe, the European automobile industry is higher up the green technology learning curve.”
Trend #5 is Linux. “BMW‘s initiative with Intel, Wind River, and others to create a standard open-source infotainment platform based on the Linux operating system will permanently alter the market,” Hansen said. “Driving the Linux infotainment initiative is what‘s driving the Autosar software architecture standard - the opportunity to significantly reduce the cost and improve the quality of software.
“Instead of relying on vertically integrated suppliers to handle the entire customized infotainment system, carmakers and system integrators will be able to purchase best-in-class software components from a variety of sources, whose applications are designed to fit the standard platform.”
Autosar is trend #4. “It will take at least a decade for Autosar to be implemented in enough vehicles to significantly impact the global market,” Hansen surmises, “but of all the technical standards adopted thus far, none will have as much impact as Autosar. It will significantly lower the cost of systems and improve their quality by letting carmakers reuse proven software in multiple platforms and multiple vehicles.”
He added that with Autosar, software will be sold separately from hardware. “Application software can run in any ECU, wherever it makes sense. That would let carmakers reduce the number of electronic control units (ECUs) in each vehicle, which would lead to reductions in connectors and wiring, along with some other hardware.”
Hansen said carmakers don‘t expect the number of ECUs in each vehicle to decline significantly. “The typical Ford or Chrysler vehicle has from 25 to 35 ECUs while GM vehicles have anywhere from 30 to 40. The new BMW 7 Series, which employs Autosar software in some of its systems, has between 60 and 65 ECUs, about the same number as in the last 7 Series.”
Software is the third most significant trend in automotive electronics, according to Hansen. “Carmakers and suppliers with the best architectures and the best integrated software development tool chains are likely to gain competitive advantage,” he said. “Companies that get software development right will bring new and improved features and functions to market more quickly, with fewer engineers, and they will keep their warranty costs low.”
Electronics content is leveling
Second in significance, according to Hansen, is the fact that electronics content in vehicles is leveling. “According to some carmakers, the percentage of the average non-hybrid vehicle‘s cost devoted to electrical and electronics parts and software is likely to remain at 20% to 25%. As a result, the global market can increase only as a function of growth in the number of vehicles produced each year, plus increases in the average light vehicle retail price.” He said growth in E/E content will also be held in check by rising raw material costs for non-electrical parts, and by the appeal of “super-economical” vehicles like Tata Motors‘ $2,500 Nano. “Smaller vehicles have significantly less electrical and electronics content compared to larger vehicles.”
Not surprisingly, the economic turmoil battering the auto industry is the most significant trend impacting the automotive electronics market. “We have to consider the real possibility that GM or Chrysler might not make it. That would be devastating for the American automotive industry and for the American automotive electronics industry. Already a number of suppliers who are dependent on business with the Detroit Three in North America are in big trouble: slammed with a double whammy of horribly bad sales at a time when money for loans has completely dried up.”
Hansen concluded, “The industry should be forced to take the painful steps that it must to restructure into businesses that are sustainable. Labor, management, shareholders and creditors all must sacrifice. I am optimistic that the American automotive industry will survive this crisis, get its strength and vitality back, and join the fight to take its fair share of the global automotive market.”
Hella KGaA Hueck & Co. has developed a digital throttle-body position sensor with a SENT (Single Edge Nibble Transmission) protocol interface. The sensor, planned for deployment later this year in select vehicles of a U.S. automaker, provides an alternative to analog sensors.
Martin Fischer, president of Hella‘s Corporate Center USA and Hella Electronics Corporation, said the SENT protocol, first approved by SAE International in 2006, was created for the transmission of accurate, high-resolution sensor data to an electronic control unit (ECU).
Fischer said digital SENT sensors provide a low-cost alternative to analog sensors on Controller Area Network (CAN) or Local Interconnect Network (LIN) digital buses. “For cost reasons, it‘s not necessary to use CAN- and LIN-bus systems in every case,” he said.
“Using the example of a throttle-body sensor, where a travel angle must be detected, the sensor acquires data and converts it into a digital value that is transmitted to the ECU, where it is decoded. Today, data is transmitted in an analog form, but digital technology is able to provide more functionality.”
Fischer said that unlike analog transmissions, where signals can be altered, the SENT protocol allows for a more robust signal transmission. He added that Hella‘s electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) design for the SENT interface makes the sensor insensitive to interference, so shielded or twisted cables are no longer needed to fulfill automotive EMC requirements.
The SENT protocol permits compact packaging since two signals can be transmitted over a single wire, reducing the need for additional cables and cutting costs.
Hella pairs the SENT protocol with its CIPOS (Contactless Inductive Position Sensor) technology. CIPOS sensors measure travel or angle changes regardless of high temperatures and vibrations.
Hella KGaA Hueck & Co. has developed a digital throttle-body position sensor with a SENT (Single Edge Nibble Transmission) protocol interface. The sensor, planned for deployment later this year in select vehicles of a U.S. automaker, provides an alternative to analog sensors.
Martin Fischer, president of Hella‘s Corporate Center USA and Hella Electronics Corporation, said the SENT protocol, first approved by SAE International in 2006, was created for the transmission of accurate, high-resolution sensor data to an electronic control unit (ECU).
Fischer said digital SENT sensors provide a low-cost alternative to analog sensors on Controller Area Network (CAN) or Local Interconnect Network (LIN) digital buses. “For cost reasons, it‘s not necessary to use CAN- and LIN-bus systems in every case,” he said.
“Using the example of a throttle-body sensor, where a travel angle must be detected, the sensor acquires data and converts it into a digital value that is transmitted to the ECU, where it is decoded. Today, data is transmitted in an analog form, but digital technology is able to provide more functionality.”
Fischer said that unlike analog transmissions, where signals can be altered, the SENT protocol allows for a more robust signal transmission. He added that Hella‘s electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) design for the SENT interface makes the sensor insensitive to interference, so shielded or twisted cables are no longer needed to fulfill automotive EMC requirements.
The SENT protocol permits compact packaging since two signals can be transmitted over a single wire, reducing the need for additional cables and cutting costs.
Hella pairs the SENT protocol with its CIPOS (Contactless Inductive Position Sensor) technology. CIPOS sensors measure travel or angle changes regardless of high temperatures and vibrations.
ATX Group has enhanced the automatic collision notification (ACN) application it provides as part of BMW Assist. For most 2009 and later BMW models, BMW Assist will send additional data from the vehicle‘s control units to the BMW Assist response center in the event of a crash. The data will be evaluated at the response center using an algorithm developed jointly with BMW and the William Lehman Injury Research Center at the University of Miami. The analysis allows the response center to determine the risk of severe injury, thus helping emergency services set dispatch priority and identify the appropriate response team and treatment facility.
ATX President Steve Millstein called the system enhancement “a critical next step” in using vehicle generated-data to help emergency dispatchers assess the nature of the emergency more quickly, and aid emergency responders in more accurately determining triage criteria. “It has the potential to save precious minutes in identifying and transferring critically injured patients to the appropriate care, as well as providing more information to prepare awaiting hospital emergency staff,” he said.
ATX Group has enhanced the automatic collision notification (ACN) application it provides as part of BMW Assist. For most 2009 and later BMW models, BMW Assist will send additional data from the vehicle‘s control units to the BMW Assist response center in the event of a crash. The data will be evaluated at the response center using an algorithm developed jointly with BMW and the William Lehman Injury Research Center at the University of Miami. The analysis allows the response center to determine the risk of severe injury, thus helping emergency services set dispatch priority and identify the appropriate response team and treatment facility.
ATX President Steve Millstein called the system enhancement “a critical next step” in using vehicle generated-data to help emergency dispatchers assess the nature of the emergency more quickly, and aid emergency responders in more accurately determining triage criteria. “It has the potential to save precious minutes in identifying and transferring critically injured patients to the appropriate care, as well as providing more information to prepare awaiting hospital emergency staff,” he said.
HUGHES Telematics will support Next Generation Telematics Protocol if it doesn‘t already, according to Kevin Link, vice president of marketing.
BMW, Connexis LLC, and WirelessCar were the first organizations to collaborate under the NGTP banner. Their goal is to establish a more stable and uniform interface infrastructure for end-to-end telematics services.
“When we started to develop a telematics system for Chrysler, we wanted to ensure that our architecture would be open to support other OEMs,” said Link. “When we met with NGTP thought leaders last year, we realized that our paths not only crossed, but were aligned. Their goal and ours is to have the flexibility to integrate pieces along the telematics value chain so as not to become locked in.”
Link said the NGTP vision has been defined, but agreement has yet to be reached on protocol specifications. “We think we‘ve implemented NGTP, because our OEM customers - using different hardware suppliers, carriers, and call center providers - all hook into the same system. We‘ve created an open platform, and when the NGTP protocols are defined, we will adopt them. “ In the meantime, Link said that HUGHES Telematics intends to continue working with the NGTP.
HUGHES plans to market its OEM telematics solutions under the Cocero brand, it markets fleet services through its Networkfleet subsidiary, formerly known as Networkcar, and at CES HUGHES announced its entry into the aftermarket with a product called in-Drive, aimed at OEMs, insurance companies, and auto clubs.
Link said in-Drive can support usage-based insurance or pay as you drive (PAYD) programs. It can also be used for stolen vehicle or family vehicle identification, and could include a button to push for emergency or roadside assistance. “It‘s not a full-service replica of our embedded solution, but it can provide several valuable services.”
HUGHES Telematics will support Next Generation Telematics Protocol if it doesn‘t already, according to Kevin Link, vice president of marketing.
BMW, Connexis LLC, and WirelessCar were the first organizations to collaborate under the NGTP banner. Their goal is to establish a more stable and uniform interface infrastructure for end-to-end telematics services.
“When we started to develop a telematics system for Chrysler, we wanted to ensure that our architecture would be open to support other OEMs,” said Link. “When we met with NGTP thought leaders last year, we realized that our paths not only crossed, but were aligned. Their goal and ours is to have the flexibility to integrate pieces along the telematics value chain so as not to become locked in.”
Link said the NGTP vision has been defined, but agreement has yet to be reached on protocol specifications. “We think we‘ve implemented NGTP, because our OEM customers - using different hardware suppliers, carriers, and call center providers - all hook into the same system. We‘ve created an open platform, and when the NGTP protocols are defined, we will adopt them. “ In the meantime, Link said that HUGHES Telematics intends to continue working with the NGTP.
HUGHES plans to market its OEM telematics solutions under the Cocero brand, it markets fleet services through its Networkfleet subsidiary, formerly known as Networkcar, and at CES HUGHES announced its entry into the aftermarket with a product called in-Drive, aimed at OEMs, insurance companies, and auto clubs.
Link said in-Drive can support usage-based insurance or pay as you drive (PAYD) programs. It can also be used for stolen vehicle or family vehicle identification, and could include a button to push for emergency or roadside assistance. “It‘s not a full-service replica of our embedded solution, but it can provide several valuable services.”
This blog focuses on issues and trends in the design and deployment of automotive electronics products, including chips, embedded systems, network topologies, standards, and system components for infotainment, telematics, ADAS, and more. It's a forum for engineers at every link in the value chain.
