Archive of the What's New Category

Autodesk, Inc. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire ALGOR, Inc. for approximately $34 million in a deal that the firms say will strengthen Autodesk‘s digital prototyping capability.

ALGOR’s computer aided engineering software is used for product design and development in the automotive industry, among others. The acquisition will effectively give Autodesk new advanced simulation functionality, including multiphysics, mechanical event simulation and fluid flow.

Autodesk senior VP Buzz Kross said the acquisition “will add significant new capabilities to virtually test and predict the impact of simultaneous real world conditions like heat and pressure on product designs.”

When the acquisition is completed, Autodesk customers will be able to perform more sophisticated analysis based on real-world structural and thermal conditions.

Autodesk plans to integrate ALGOR into its Manufacturing Solutions business unit and to continue developing the ALGOR products with an open approach, allowing direct data exchange between ALGOR products and multiple computer aided design software offerings.

The transaction is expected to close in Q4 of fiscal 2009, which ends in January.

STMicroelectronics and Sensata Technologies have each introduced CMOS image sensors for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) applications. STMicro describes its VL5510 as a high dynamic range CMOS camera specifically for vision-based such as active braking and lane departure warning. Sensata said its CMOS-based Avocet image sensor offers a dynamic range up to 154dB in bright and low light conditions.

Marco Monti, general manager of the Powertrain and Safety Division within ST‘s Automotive Product Group, said the VL5510 sensor complements the dedicated vision-processor family developed by the company via its collaboration with Mobileye. Monti said the extended range of the VL5510 provides superb images even in extreme illumination conditions. more

ATX Group said it‘s developed a natural language “Browse By Voice” capability for drivers who want to surf the web without taking their hands off the wheel. The firm said drivers only to speak a search phrase, such as “What‘s the weather in Boston?” when a Google or Yahoo search engine main page is displayed on an in-vehicle display.

ATX said its voice platform should enable drivers to send text messages or emails without typing, and manage social networking, in addition to performing searches. “Voice is a natural method to converse in the car,” said Dr. Tom Schalk, ATX vice president of voice technologies. “Extending this to the Internet makes sense. We’re not only interested in finding the best and safest way to enable drivers to browse while driving, but we’re also interested in enabling other functionality in mobile devices such as outbound texting.”

Am I missing something? An advance in the deployment of in-vehicle speech recognition technology is to be applauded - especially one that involves natural language, doesn’t get hung up on regional pronunciations, need special training, etc. But search? If I type “weather in Boston,” Google gives me about 23,600,000 results. How do you comb through all of that data hands-free?

Texas Instruments has added two devices to its TAS54xx family of Class-D audio amplifiers. With greater integration and channel flexibility, the new amplifiers can reduce the system costs for automotive head units and external amplifier applications by as much as 50% without affecting electromagnetic compliance or audio performance. The amplifiers are scheduled for AEC-Q100 qualification

The TAS5412, with single-ended inputs, and the TAS5422, with differential inputs, provide improved system design flexibility when combined with TI’s existing four-channel amplifier devices, TAS5414A and TAS5424A. Car audio system architects can optimize designs that require two or six channels by matching the number of speakers more efficiently while maintaining high levels of integration. The new TAS5412 and TAS5422 are also designed to operate in car audio systems without a microcontroller, for system- level cost savings.

The TAS5412 and TAS5422 use the same patent-pending EMC technology as the TAS54×4A, which surpasses CISPR-25 Level 5 and many OEM-specific requirements, to ensure that high-power audio systems do not compromise vehicle operation. The TAS5412 and TAS5422 support higher voltage and current capabilities, enabling a higher maximum output power for applications where feature densities and system configurations require reduction in heat from the audio power amplifier. TI said the amplifiers incorporate patented PWM designs that provide excellent power supply rejection in the harsh electrical environment common in automotive applications.

The TAS5412 and TAS5422 are sampling now with volume production scheduled for the first quarter of 2009. The TAS5412 is $5.30 and the TAS5422 is $5.80 in 1000-piece quantities.

BMW Group Research and Technology (www.bmwgroup.com) and NXP Semiconductors (www.nxp.com) have developed a prototype of a multifunctional car key the capabilities of which include contactless payment, personalized access control, and applications such as public transport e-ticketing.

Powered by NXP’s SmartMX security chip, the prototype allows drivers to perform quick, secure and convenient electronic payments with a car key, creating new usage scenarios for future consumers. NXP will demonstrate the car key prototype during the CARTES & IDentification show in Paris November 4-6.

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A traffic accident occurs every five seconds on U.S. roads killing over 42,000 Americans each year - equivalent to a full 737 flight crashing each day, according to the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America). Commuters waste more than seven million gallons of fuel daily, and the average rush hour commuter wastes almost a full work week each year stuck in traffic. The resulting financial cost to the U.S. economy exceeds $300 billion per year.

Organizers of the 15th World Congress on Intelligent Transportation Systems in New York this week constructed test beds on the west side of Manhattan and along the Long Island Expressway. The test beds are equipped with sensors and probes that transmit data to a traffic management center where transportation officials can detect bottlenecks as they form and initiate immediate responses, including travel advisories; respond to crashes more quickly, and deploy maintenance crews in response to changing weather conditions.

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Strategy Analytics‘ report,”Automotive Microcontrollers: Market Demand and Product Directions,” predicts that 32-bit devices will account for 58% of the $7.6 billion automotive MCU market by 2015 and that high-end MCUs will be key enablers of future emissions-controlling powertrain technology, advanced safety and driver assistance systems, and multimedia entertainment products. So that‘s what Freescale focused on at Convergence 2008:

Freescale FlexRay and BMW

Freescale‘s FlexRay controller technology was first implemented last year in the BMW X5 Sports Activity Vehicle, which was the first standard-production vehicle to use the FlexRay protocol. The Integrated Chassis Management (ICM) system in the BMW X6 Sports Activity Coupe, which manages the vehicle‘s drivetrain and suspension functions, uses two 32-bit Freescale Power Architecture MCUs. As with the X5, Freescale FlexRay controller technology is used in BMW‘s optional Adaptive Drive, which allows drivers to select a sporting or a more comfortable ride with the press of a button.

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16-bit F Series MCUs

For cost-sensitive body electronics applications that have outgrown 8-bit MCUs, NEC Electronics is offering a new 36-member family of 16-bit devices in its F Series, which also includes 8- and 32-bit versions. The 78K0R/Fx3 MCUs, for window, seat, and door modules, and HVAC systems, are based on NEC‘s 78K0R core, but use a three-stage pipeline architecture that achieves a CPU clock speed of 24MHz, and executes 15 Dhrystone MIPS.

Memory configurations range from 24kB to 256kB. Dual operating data flash memory (simultaneous code execution and internal EEPROM emulation) helps reduce memory access time, among other potential benefits. Other features include an expanded instruction set (25 more); CAN support, and LIN support with automatic baud rate detection and enhanced timer functionality.

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OmniVision announced at Convergence 2008 that it has begun volume shipments of its ¼-inch OV7710 (color) and OV7211 (b/w) VGA CMOS CameraChip sensors to automotive customers. Of course it declined to say which ones, or to specify display-based and/or signal processing applications beyond mentioning its “dual static overlay function enabling on-screen reference frames and guiding systems for rear view and parking assist cameras. “

Senior product marketing manager Inayat Khajasha said the company has design wins for lane departure warning and forward looking cameras, a video event recorder, blind spot detection, 360° view, rear-view, and occupant sensing for airbag deployment. Prospects are evaluating OmniVision products for automatic headlight dimming and bending; front, rear, and side view sensing for park assist, and adaptive cruise control, where radar and lidar are more common. Khajasha said OmniVision is working on sensors to prevent windows and sunroofs from closing on tiny fingers, and “forgotten baby” sensors.

Also in the works, due to ship next March, are OmniVision‘s single-chip high dynamic range (HDR) sensors, the OV10620 (color) and OV10121 (b/w). Both offer automatic adaptation in low and high contrast settings.