Automotive Electronics

Wolfspeed has introduced a 900V, 10mΩ mosfet rated for 196A (case=25°C) for electric vehicles. Four of the devices were used recently in a research project with Ford and the US DoE to create a 400A all-SiC module with 2.5mΩ on-resistance. “Wolfspeed engineers have since demonstrated the capability to use these chips to create an 800A, 1.25mΩ module,” added the firm. ...

For radio reception in vehicles, Maxim is proposing a ‘remote-tuner’ software-defined radio (SDR) architecture, where multiple tuners located next to their antennas communicate to a central ‘head unit’ (car radio) through bit streams in coax cable. “Traditional radio architecture (right) brings many challenges to designers. The vehicle’s complex head unit must accommodate multiple tuners, manage heat dissipation, and receive multiple ...

Panasonic has adopted Android 7.0 for the user interface of a in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system it is developing with Qualcomm – a co-operation that was announced at CES in Las Vegas. “State-of-the art Android 7.0 features give drivers a unified experience across an automaker’s entire vehicle line-up, adjusting for different applications, screen sizes, and resolutions,” said Panasonic. It “is designed ...

Carried out on behalf of the UK government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Lutz Pathfinder project was started 18 months ago to build and trial three automated pods within Milton Keynes, and assess their feasibility from both a technological and societal point of view. Designed and manufactured by Coventry-based firm RDM, the electric-powered two-seater pods are equipped with sensor and ...

Renesas and TTTech Computertechnik have developed a prototype electronic control unit (ECU) for self-driving vehicles. Aimed at mass production vehicles, the platform includes TTIntegration software and tools. It is the first outcome of the collaboration between TTTech and Renesas announced in January 2016, and is an extended version of kit released in October 2016. The hardware is based around dual ...

Intel is focusing on self-driving cars at CES with FPGA-boosted x86 processing, calling it the ‘Intel GO in-vehicle development platform for automated driving’ in which FPGAs sit alongside either an Atom or Xeon processor. “These FPGA and CPU-based boards can serve automakers as they look for a rapid, yet reliable way to design ADAS systems,” said Dan McNamara, general manager of ...

Osram is showing automotive lasers amongst its offering at CES this year, including in headlights. It has a surface-mountable four-channel lidar laser with four individually controllable laser diodes and an integrated control circuit. “The new laser is a bar consisting of four laser diodes that are separated in the production process but are not individual diodes. The result is a ...

Tata Elxsi, the Bangalore-based automotive design services firm, has teamed up with DiSTI, the Florida-based user interface tool firm, to develop an integrated e-cockpit for 3D dashboards, HUD and ADAS. Based on the Renesas R-Car H3 platform, the UX was developed using DiSTI’s GL Studio and will be used for 3D instrument clusters, head-up displays and infotainment. Tony K. John, global head of marketing at ...

Renesas has added automotive radar microcontrollers to its 32bit RH850 family. Called RH850/V1R, they are aimed at driver assistance and autonomous driving. “Radar sensors are required for ADAS [driver assistance] applications, including emergency braking and adaptive cruise control, because radar sensors are not negatively affected by adverse weather conditions, such as rain, fog or whether the sun is shining or ...

Intel has bought a 15% stake and the right to a supervisory board seat in HERE the mapping company which makes 3D digital maps of roads to centimetre-scale precision. Many technologists believe that this precision will be required to enable self-driving cars. Intel has agreements with BMW, Mobileye and Delphi to develop driverless technology and has set up a unit ...