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AI in vehicle cockpit will help drivers interpret data

Mon, Jan 17, 2022

Computer vision based spatial AI provided by Phiar Technologies will be brought to Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon automotive cockpit platforms for AI-powered augmented reality (AR) navigation systems in vehicles.

Today, drivers are facing cognitive overload from having to interpret a multitude of information and notifications from the cockpit, while still trying to interpret directions on a 2D map, said Phiar, which is working with Qualcomm Technologies to bring seamless AI-powered road perception and AR navigation to video and HUD-based automotive IVI environments.

Gene Karshenboym, CEO of Phiar Technologies, explained that delivering AR navigation to drivers will bring them intelligent navigation guidance in real-time for more intuitive driving, without the need to look at a map. “Working with Qualcomm Technologies and the Snapdragon automotive cockpit platforms has empowered us to continually innovate on our existing high standards in AR navigation design, and to deliver the first-rate infotainment services and digital cockpit solutions demanded by modern consumers,” he said.

Bill Pinnell, vice president, product management, automotive at Qualcomm Technologies, added: “There is a growing expectation among consumers and automakers for sophisticated and truly connected digital cockpit solutions. Qualcomm Technologies is delighted that our next generation Snapdragon automotive cockpit platform is helping bring the future of driving navigation to consumers through Phiar’s innovative platform.”

Founded in 2017, Phiar Technologies is a computer vision AI company, specialising in augmented reality driving navigation technology for the automotive industry. Phiar combines its patented innovations in deep learning AI and AR into a new form of driving navigation platform to enhance safety, facilitate more intuitive wayfinding and connect drivers with their surrounding environments.

http://www.phiar.net

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Solid Sands updates SuperTest Vermeer with diagnostic reporting

Fri, Jan 14, 2022

New tests and line-number accurate diagnostic reporting, together with enhanced floating-point checks to confirm arithmetic accuracy are in the latest update of the SuperTest Vermeer Release test and validation suite. Update #3 supports widespread adoption of the C++ programming language in safety critical applications with comprehensive C++20 language coverage. It also includes over 800 tests designed to verify the correct implementation of C++ language constructs. There are 1700 new tests for C++ library functions to make sure they work as intended in all use cases.

The ability of C++ to meet the security, functional safety, and behavioural requirements of ISO 26262 has led to increased adoption of C++ in the automotive industry. Many of the latest image processing, signal processing and machine learning algorithms used in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are now written in C++, said Solid Sands. SuperTest now comprehensively supports the test and validation of C++20 compilers enabling developers to keep abreast of the latest developments in C++ programming.

“Vehicle manufacturers are moving from single-core embedded processors to high-performance multi-core processor solutions, for which C++ has a distinct advantage over C in terms of structuring large software projects,” explained Marcel Beemster, chief technology officer at Solid Sands. The AutoSAR Adaptive Platform now includes programming guidelines for C++ and developers wanting to use the latest features in C++ can now verify that their compiler implements them correctly, Beemster added.

For diagnostic tests that are specifically designed to generate a compiler error, SuperTest’s C++ support includes line-number accurate error reporting so that developers can identify the precise language construct that generates the error.

The update also features improved floating point accuracy checking, with the default accuracy limit on arithmetic operations now universally set at four ULP (units in the last place, which is the smallest interval between two subsequent floating point numbers). This limit can be changed by the user, if required. For non-library arithmetic it can be set to zero to check rounding accuracy. There are also enhancements to SuperTest’s arithmetic function testing, including improvements to its powerful arithmetic depth suite that now supports target platforms that do not support floating point arithmetic.

The calling convention test suite has been improved so that it can be used to verify calling conventions within a compiler, verify that no compiler changes break application binary interface (ABI) integrity between different versions of a compiler. It can even test for calling convention consistency between different compilers.

The section traceability report details how each individual test matches the language standard and has been extended to cover all versions of C, including C18, and C++ up to C++17.

Multiple installs of different versions can be managed in the same Windows operating system environment, allowing users to run SuperTest and SuperGuard (Solid Sands’ C Library Safety Qualification Suite), or multiple SuperTest versions, on the same machine.

SuperTest Vermeer Release Update #3 is available now from Solid Sands.

http://www.solidsands.nl

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Ethernet PCIe bridge IC anticipates zoning in automotive networks

Thu, Jan 13, 2022

Anticipating the movement towards zonal architecture in automotive design, Toshiba Electronics Europe has developed the TC9563XBG Ethernet bridge IC.

It incorporates two 10Gbits per second Ethernet media access controllers (MACs) supporting USXGMII (universal serial 10 Gbit media independent interface), XFI (the 10Gbit serial interface), the SGMII (serial Gbit media independent interface) and the RGMII (reduced Gigabit media independent interface) Ethernet interface standards.

Both ports support Ethernet IEEE802.1 audio/video bridging (AVB) for real time processing and low latency IEEE802.1 time sensitive networking (TSN) for synchronous processing. The ports also support single root I/O virtualisation (SR-IOV) on PCIe devices.

The IC is intended for use in automotive zonal-architecture, infotainment, telematics or gateways as well as industrial equipment. Toshiba said automotive networks are evolving toward zonal architecture that requires real time transmission between the zones using multi-gigabit Ethernet communication. It developed the TC9563XBG with dual 10Gbits per second AVB and TSN-capable Ethernet interfaces for this networking technology.

The TC9563XBG includes a PCIe Gen 3 switch with three external ports for communications with the host controller SoC and additional devices equipped with PCIe interfaces like 5G-modem modules. The PCIe switch upstream port supports up to four lanes (32G transfers per second) for connection with the host SoC. Depending on the configuration, the downstream ports can connect with one and two lanes to PCIe-capable devices.

As automotive communication requirements increase in terms of the amount of data as well as the required speeds, the bridge IC will support various automotive applications including in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) and telematics. It can also replace Toshiba’s Ethernet-to-PCIe TC9560 and TC9562 bridges, to upgrade system throughput and performance.

The use of PCIe interfaces has proliferated for device-to-device communication such as Wi-Fi, which can occupy PCIe interfaces on the host SoC. Using the TC9563XBG’s three-port PCIe switch function for these connections addresses this conflict.

Housed in a 10mm x 10mm, 0.65mm pitch P-FBGA package, the TC9563XBG bridge IC will be compliant with AEC-Q100 (Grade 3).

Samples are shipping now and volume production ramp-up will be in April 2022.

http://www.toshiba.semicon-storage.com

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Software engine makes lidar data hardware-agnostic

Tue, Jan 11, 2022

3D spatial intelligence specialist, Outsight, offers the Augmented Lidar Box (ALB), believed to be the first real-time lidar (light detection and ranging) software engine that allows developers to seamlessly use lidar data from any hardware supplier.

The software within a small computing device works with sensors from different manufacturers (including Velodyne, Ouster, Hesai, Robosense and Innoviz) and instantly converts raw 3D data input to accessible, actionable data.

Lidar technology is increasingly used across a range of industries outside of the automotive sector, such as energy, intelligent transportation systems, logistics, manufacturing, smart infrastructure, defence, space and agriculture.

3D lidar was introduced in 2005 to give autonomous vehicles real time, 360 degree perception. It allows cars to determine the situation on the road, but also to cope with other, more complex tasks, for example, analysing people’s interactions in a certain space, calculating the exact volume and quantity of objects in a truck, or enabling many robotics applications. It is estimated there will be 16 million lidar sensors in smart cities, security and industry verticals by 2030, and 13 million installed in vehicles. Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) such as smart intersections and smart infrastructure applications are expected to be the main drivers of market growth, with software for lidar in smart infrastructure and ITS applications expected to account for at least 40 per cent of the value.

Lidar sensor prices are dropping as more companies operate in the market but there are problems of data interpretation and ease of use of available devices, reports Outsight. Selecting the right lidar sensor from dozens of hardware suppliers and more than 100 available products, without any standard, is a time-consuming and inefficient use of engineering resources, argues the company.

It says its ALB real time software allows any engineer from any market segment to use lidar data without needing to become a 3D expert because it includes the fundamental insight commonly required by users (e.g., localisation and mapping, object identification and tracking, segmentation and classification).

The ALB is believed to be the first lidar pre-processor. It is a real time software engine that turns any lidar into a spatial intelligence device. It overcomes the complexity of using raw 3D data, so any application developer or integrator can efficiently use lidar without needing to become a 3D lidar expert, says Outsight.

http://www.outsight.tech

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AI in vehicle cockpit will help drivers interpret data

Solid Sands updates SuperTest Vermeer with diagnostic reporting

Ethernet PCIe bridge IC anticipates zoning in automotive networks

Software engine makes lidar data hardware-agnostic

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