Archive for May, 2009

Fujitsu Microelectronics America, Inc. has published a technology backgrounder entitled “How the 1394 Automotive Network Simplifies Infotainment Delivery.”

It describes the 1394 Automotive standard and compares three contenders for automotive infotainment networking: 1394 Automotive, Media Oriented System Transport (MOST), and Gigabit Ethernet.

IBM has introduced Rational Team Webtop, a web-based user interface for its Jazz-based systems and software platform. The company also announced more than a dozen enhancements and/or integrations for existing products for requirements management, change management, modeling, configuration management, and collaboration.

Hans Windpassinger, Rational Software Go-to-Market Manager for the automotive industry, said Team Webtop provides a composite view of the information stored in separate tool repositories such as Rational DOORS and Rational Change. Users can access all of the available tools and repositories with a single sign-on, and will no longer have to navigate between tools.

IBM also introduced enhanced versions of Rational DOORS (version 9.2), Change (5.2), Team Concert (2.0), Rhapsody (7.5), and Synergy (7.1). All are scheduled for June availability.

DOORS 9.2 allows a wider range of stakeholders to review, analyze and modify requirements data via the web interface, without installing additional software.

Change 5.2 has been updated to include a central Synergy server that enforces traceability by managing all change processes within a wide area network. IBM said an interface between Rational Change and Rational DOORS provides round-trip traceability.

Team Concert 2.0 provides improved security features and scalability for enterprise deployments. Enhancements include an enterprise server with an unlimited number of developers, server support for p-Series hardware (AIX 5.3), support for 64-bit server platforms, and synchronized delivery of 13 languages.

Rhapsody 7.5 includes improvements for rapid prototyping and testing, and a new Agile code engineering workflow that synchronizes models and code.

Synergy 7.1 consolidates software assets and delivery on a single SCM platform with WAN access for distributed users. It also provides enhanced support for software reuse and component-based development.

An interface between DOORS and Rational Quality Manager improves traceability between test cases. Analysts can verify in DOORS that all requirements have been covered by test cases, and can also monitor test results. Other new interfaces include DOORS to Quality Manager, Rhapsody to Quality Manager, Focal Point to System Architect, Team Concert to Quality Manager, and Team Webtop to DOORS and Change.

IBM has introduced Rational Team Webtop, a web-based user interface for its Jazz-based systems and software platform. The company also announced more than a dozen enhancements and/or integrations for existing products for requirements management, change management, modeling, configuration management, and collaboration.

Hans Windpassinger, Rational Software Go-to-Market Manager for the automotive industry, said Team Webtop provides a composite view of the information stored in separate tool repositories such as Rational DOORS and Rational Change. Users can access all of the available tools and repositories with a single sign-on, and will no longer have to navigate between tools.

IBM also introduced enhanced versions of Rational DOORS (version 9.2), Change (5.2), Team Concert (2.0), Rhapsody (7.5), and Synergy (7.1). All are scheduled for June availability.

DOORS 9.2 allows a wider range of stakeholders to review, analyze and modify requirements data via the web interface, without installing additional software.

Change 5.2 has been updated to include a central Synergy server that enforces traceability by managing all change processes within a wide area network. IBM said an interface between Rational Change and Rational DOORS provides round-trip traceability.

Team Concert 2.0 provides improved security features and scalability for enterprise deployments. Enhancements include an enterprise server with an unlimited number of developers, server support for p-Series hardware (AIX 5.3), support for 64-bit server platforms, and synchronized delivery of 13 languages.

Rhapsody 7.5 includes improvements for rapid prototyping and testing, and a new Agile code engineering workflow that synchronizes models and code.

Synergy 7.1 consolidates software assets and delivery on a single SCM platform with WAN access for distributed users. It also provides enhanced support for software reuse and component-based development.

An interface between DOORS and Rational Quality Manager improves traceability between test cases. Analysts can verify in DOORS that all requirements have been covered by test cases, and can also monitor test results. Other new interfaces include DOORS to Quality Manager, Rhapsody to Quality Manager, Focal Point to System Architect, Team Concert to Quality Manager, and Team Webtop to DOORS and Change.

ZF and Continental are collaborating to develop and produce hybrid drives for commercial vehicles. ZF will provide the parallel hybrid transmission and Continental will contribute the lithium-ion battery accumulator and system electronics. Production is planned for 2011.

“The parallel hybrid concept can be implemented by utilizing existing vehicle driveline resources,” said Rolf Lutz, Group Executive of the ZF Commercial Vehicle and Special Driveline Technology division.

Continental already uses Li-ion batteries for passenger car volume production applications. The energy-accumulating systems are developed by Continental in Berlin, Germany and by ZF in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

Overall plans include five unique hybrid systems. The firms will work on an energy-accumulating system that can be flexibly integrated in different vehicle concepts to provide an output of 60 kilowatts. This system will be integrated in hybrid drives for light trucks used primarily for deliveries within urban areas. The hybrid system is set up to support the combustion engine during vehicle start-up and at lower speeds (boosting). Two energy-accumulating components providing more than 120 kilowatts total are also planned for city bus applications.

ZF prefers a parallel hybrid where the electric motor and the combustion engine can be actuated in parallel via the transmission, and, if needed, separated by a clutch. The flexible design can be installed in both mild and full hybrids, which use the entire range of hybrid functions: the start-stop function, regeneration of braking energy (recuperation), boosting, and electric starting. Vehicles equipped with full hybrid systems can achieve a 30 percent fuel economy improvement.

The system does not require additional installation space. The hybrid variants based on the parallel hybrid concept transmission, can be integrated into the existing driveline of current ZF manual or automatic transmissions. The additional system weight due to wiring, battery, and the cooling system is offset by downsizing the combustion engine, and omitting the 24 V battery and starter.

As the electric motor also acts as a source for additional power consumption during generator operation, the hybrid transmission system can also be used in municipal vehicles. In current applications, the Power Take Off (PTO) unit permanently requires fuel because it is mechanically connected to the combustion engine. The generator and the hybrid battery in the new system allow for the use of electric PTOs that consume fuel only while being operated (power-on-demand).

ZF and Continental are collaborating to develop and produce hybrid drives for commercial vehicles. ZF will provide the parallel hybrid transmission and Continental will contribute the lithium-ion battery accumulator and system electronics. Production is planned for 2011.

“The parallel hybrid concept can be implemented by utilizing existing vehicle driveline resources,” said Rolf Lutz, Group Executive of the ZF Commercial Vehicle and Special Driveline Technology division.

Continental already uses Li-ion batteries for passenger car volume production applications. The energy-accumulating systems are developed by Continental in Berlin, Germany and by ZF in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

Overall plans include five unique hybrid systems. The firms will work on an energy-accumulating system that can be flexibly integrated in different vehicle concepts to provide an output of 60 kilowatts. This system will be integrated in hybrid drives for light trucks used primarily for deliveries within urban areas. The hybrid system is set up to support the combustion engine during vehicle start-up and at lower speeds (boosting). Two energy-accumulating components providing more than 120 kilowatts total are also planned for city bus applications.

ZF prefers a parallel hybrid where the electric motor and the combustion engine can be actuated in parallel via the transmission, and, if needed, separated by a clutch. The flexible design can be installed in both mild and full hybrids, which use the entire range of hybrid functions: the start-stop function, regeneration of braking energy (recuperation), boosting, and electric starting. Vehicles equipped with full hybrid systems can achieve a 30 percent fuel economy improvement.

The system does not require additional installation space. The hybrid variants based on the parallel hybrid concept transmission, can be integrated into the existing driveline of current ZF manual or automatic transmissions. The additional system weight due to wiring, battery, and the cooling system is offset by downsizing the combustion engine, and omitting the 24 V battery and starter.

As the electric motor also acts as a source for additional power consumption during generator operation, the hybrid transmission system can also be used in municipal vehicles. In current applications, the Power Take Off (PTO) unit permanently requires fuel because it is mechanically connected to the combustion engine. The generator and the hybrid battery in the new system allow for the use of electric PTOs that consume fuel only while being operated (power-on-demand).

Texas Instruments’ automotive-qualified TPS54362-Q1 is a DC/DC step-down converter that combines a 3.6V to 48V input voltage range, support for transients up to 60V, switching frequency up to 2MHz, and quiescent current of 65µA in an HTSSOP-20 package. Priced at $2.75 in 1,000-piece quantities, the device is the first in a planned family of automotive-qualified DC/DC controllers and converters.

The TPS54362-Q1 converts an unregulated input voltage to a fixed lower output voltage to power automotive applications such as infotainment, navigation systems, and power supply for electronic control units. It allows designers to reduce overall solution size, cost, and design complexity when compared to discrete solutions.

AEC Q100-qualified Piccolo TMS320F2803x microcontrollers from Texas Instruments feature a 32-bit floating-point math accelerator that operates independently of the device‘s C28x core and provides direct access to on-chip peripherals and parallel execution of algorithms. TI calls the device a control law accelerator (CLA) and says that a single F2803x MCU can drive complex applications including power steering, seat control, and radar-based collision avoidance systems.

Priced from $3 in high volume, the new devices feature a 60 MHz C28x core and 60 MHz CLA with 64kB to 128kB flash memory plus high-resolution PWMs, a 12-bit A/D converter and 32-bit captures.