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?
Dash Navigation‘s recent decision to stop marketing its traffic-centric, subscription-based, connected PND confirms the low perceived value of traffic service, according to ABI Research. “Current traffic solutions suffer from a lack of quality and reliability, with dissatisfied customers increasingly reluctant to keep paying recurring fees, according to ABI.
“While there is certainly an issue with convincing consumers to pay monthly fees for navigation content services, in the case of traffic the priority should be to increase the value of the offer before exploring new business models,” says ABI Research director Dominique Bonte.
“Predictive traffic makes time-dependent routing possible and provides customers with more trustworthy information, allowing them to prepare their trips more efficiently on Internet mapping sites and to calculate a more accurate Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The MathWorks chose Convergence 2008 to announce Simulink Fixed Point version 6, which supports 128-bit (versus 32-bit) word lengths among other enhancements. According to Wensi Jin, automotive marketing manager for both North America and the Asia Pacific region, the application is designed to do the non-creative, repetitive, heavy lifting - including code generation - involved in converting floating point models to run on typically less costly fixed point processors. It‘s also said to create more efficient workflows in less time.
“Silicon space is getting more diverse,” Jin says. “It‘s no longer a case of choosing between a micro and a DSP. New ECUs have a lot of silicon options, and (Simulink Fixed Point version 6) supports design engineers deciding what goes on a micro and what goes on a DSP.”
Jin adds, referring to 128-bit support, “When hardware moves, design tools have to also. Otherwise you don‘t get the advantage of the hardware.” The new version works with floating point designs built in
Simulink, Stateflow, Embedded MATLAB functions, Signal Processing Blockset, and Video and Image Processing Blockset. It‘s available for Microsoft Windows, Solaris, Linux, and Macintosh platforms. Prices start at $1k.
Renesas (www.renesas.com) attracted some 300 customers and partners to its first Developers Conference, held in San Diego. More than 80 technical sessions were scheduled, with topics including CAN and FlexRay connectivity.
It used the conference to debut a system-on-chip, the SH77721, that it said is the first product in a new SH-NaviJ series. Microprocessor marketing manager Paul Sykes described the SH-NaviJ as a new SuperH processor tailored for low-end through mid-range car information terminals, including small portable navigation devices and dashboard-mounted car navigation systems.
Renesas‘ SH-Navi processors are being used in many high-end nav system designs, according to Sykes, and the new SoC leverages the same basic architecture and bus structure, CPU, graphics processor, and IP. The SH77721 lets developers “migrate desirable capabilities downward” into lower-priced mainstream products.
The SH77721 uses a fast (333MHz, 599 MIPS, 2.3 GFLOPS) 32-bit superscalar SH-4A CPU core with cache and a floating point unit (FPU). Software written for devices with SH-4 CPUs can be used as is or repurposed with modifications to shorten development time.
Sykes said on-chip peripheral functions have been selected and fine-tuned for mainstream navigation, and screen displays can rival those of high-end systems. The graphics processor has 2D and 3D drawing capabilities for creating recognizable map objects and distinctive GUI icons. Features include 2D bold-line drawing and anti-aliasing, and 3D triangle drawing and texture mapping. The 3D graphics library has an industry standard interface and API while the 2D library is GDI-Sub compliant with Microsoft’s Windows Automotive 5.0 Service Pack 2.
The SH77721 also features a USB v2.0 High Speed host/function interface, SD card host interface, GPS baseband processing module, FM multiplex decoder, and CAN in-vehicle LAN interface, all to help lower component counts. It operates from -40°C to +85x{02da}C.
The SH77721 is packaged in a 23mm x 23mm, 440-pin BGA, with is less than half the size of the 33mm x 33mm, 520-pin BGA that houses the SH7770. To decrease chip size, the SH77721 has fewer channels for the sound interface, DMAC and SCIF. Also, it can work with just one DDR333-type DDR2 SDRAM chip instead of the four external DDR1 memory chips required by the SH7770 SH-Navi. In addition to a 16-bit DDR2 memory interface, the SH77721 has a 32-bit extension bus for connections to external flash memory or SRAM. Its memory can be shared by various function modules, which minimizes if not eliminates the need for external memory chips.
The SH77721 features on-chip debugging at 333MHz. Development tools include the E10A-USB emulator, and the High-performance Embedded Workshop IDE with C compiler and project management capabilities. A new reference platform is also available. It includes application-oriented peripheral circuits and provides a user-system actual-device verification environment. The SoC is $47 in sample quantities, and should be available in Q4 of 2008.
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.
