Automotive Archives - Page 48 of 78 - SmartCitiesElectronics.com

Rohde & Schwarz and Quectel cooperate on cellular-V2X for automotive 3GPP

Mon, Jul 12, 2021

Selected 3GPP test cases based on Rohde & Schwarz’s R&S CMW500 wideband radio communication tester for a Quectel AG15 C-V2X module have been verified by the two companies.

Cellular vehicle to everything (C-V2X) connectivity technology is expected to improve road safety and accelerate autonomous driving. The C-V2X PC5 interface operates in the 5.9GHz frequency to enable direct, reliable, low latency communication between vehicles (V2V), vehicles and infrastructure (V2I) and vehicles and pedestrians (V2P). According to Rohde & Schwarz, in order for the automotive industry to deploy this technology in a timely manner will require cooperation between suppliers.

The test cases performed by Rohde & Schwarz and Quectel can be used by automotive companies looking to pre-validate 3GPP system performance before entering OMNIAIR or CATARC certification processes. The test system provides a high degree of automation and flexible instrument configuration, which meets the requirements of the automotive industry for C-V2X testing, say the companies. Importantly, this can be done leveraging existing investments in Rohde & Schwarz equipment.

The Quectel AG15 is an automotive grade C-V2X module which has been designed and manufactured according to IATF 16949:2016 standards. It is intended for use in harsh environments and provides superior ESD/EMI protection performance, claims the company.

Manfred Lindacher, vice president of global sales automotive international, Quectel Wireless Solutions, commented: “We’re delighted to have collaborated with Rohde & Schwarz to validate these test cases and are looking forward to helping our customers on the road to build a smarter world with our automotive grade C-V2X modules.”

Rohde & Schwarz supplies test and measurement software, instruments and systems. Its expertise can be applied through the entire automotive lifecycle from pre-development to production. OEMs, Tier 1s and chip suppliers around the world use the company’s products for automotive radar, connectivity, infotainment, high performance computing and EMC. It develops, integrates and production tests radar for ADAS and autonomous driving systems. It also has expertise in wireless technology for robust connectivity in all standards from 5G and C-V2X to UWB, WiFi6 and GNSS. In-vehicle networks support the latest bus speeds and engine control units (ECUs).

With decades of experience in EMC testing, Rohde & Schwarz offers test and measurement equipment and customisable turnkey test systems for performing EMI and EMS measurements on vehicles and components in line with all major CISPR and OEM specific EMC standards. It supports full vehicle antenna testing and also wireless co-existence testing with using own systems and instruments. The company also offers solutions for board level tests (ICT/FCT/BS) during ECU production. Partners and customers around the world use these test solutions to ensure automotive components and systems function correctly, co-exist successfully and communicate with the outside world without errors.

http://www.rohde-schwarz.com

> Read More

Hands-free ECU detection assists autonomous driving

Mon, Jul 12, 2021

To support autonomous driving systems by distinguishing between variations in a driver’s grip on the steering wheel, an electronic control unit (ECU) developed by Alps Alpine will contribute to safe, comfortable mobility, says the company.

In the field of autonomous driving, there is growing deployment of systems that enable a vehicle, under certain conditions, to automatically follow the car in front while keeping to the lane, reports Alps Alpine.

Such vehicles need to be able to detect and assess a driver’s driving status to allow safe and smooth switching between automated and manual driving. One aspect is to determine the driver’s grip on the steering wheel to enable safe switching between driver-controlled and system-controlled modes. Determining the right time to switch between autonomous driving assistance and manual driving requires constant monitoring of the vehicle’s drive status and the driver’s driving posture to ensure safety. If autonomous driving assistance is not appropriate, the driver needs to be quickly warned that the assistance is to be disengaged and will need to immediately revert to manual driving.

Capacitive sensing is the dominant technology used for steering wheel touch detection due to its cost and functional performance. The ECU uses data obtained via a special-purpose capacitive sensor, wrapped around the steering wheel, to determine if the driver is touching it and conveys the assessment to an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS). Existing hands-off detection systems are mono-zone set ups, with a single electrode, Alps Alpine has developed a multi-zone configuration with four electrodes. Dividing the steering wheel and grip patterns into smaller sections enables efficient system switching and enhanced touch assessment reliability, says the company. This allows a more detailed assessment of driving status than a basic touching/not touching determination reached using an existing single-electrode sensor, Alps explains.

The ECU has been designed for use with a special-purpose steering wheel capacitive sensor to maintain resistance to environmental factors such as temperature, humidity and electromagnetic noise.

Alps Alpine has also developed an original capacitive control ASIC with improved durability and versatility for conformance to strict automotive standards.

Varying conditions may lead to a variance in the data obtained via the capacitive sensor. To accommodate the separate circumstances, Alps Alpine can supply an originally developed algorithm to accommodate the parameter changes.

Reliability is enhanced by an original failure determination feature and the ECU sensor conforms to ISO 26262, the international standard on the functional safety of electrical and electronic systems in automobiles.

Alps Alpine will also put forward product proposals, representing examples of applied capacitive technology, for a wide range of human-machine interfaces (HMI) both inside and outside the vehicle cabin, not just hands-off detection.

The ECU is in mass production. It measures 40 x 45 x 12mm and uses a LIN 2.1 or LIN 2.2 interface. It operates at 8.0 to 16V and up to 100mA.

http://www.alpsalpine.com

> Read More

M.2 cards let i.MX users try wireless connectivity options

Fri, Jul 09, 2021

A set of Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth expansion cards which plug into NXP Semiconductors’ i.MX processor evaluation kits allow users to try connectivity options, says u-blox. The cards conform to the M.2 form factor and integrate u-blox modules powered by wireless SoCs from NXP.

The cards use NXP’s integrated 88W8987 and 88Q9098 Wi-Fi 6 + Bluetooth chipsets and easily plug into the M.2 sockets to evaluate i.MX and development kits are claimed to make it significantly easier for developers to explore the many wireless connectivity possibilities enabled by their modules.

u-blox has launched two wireless connectivity cards based on its JODY modules. The cards are built to the M.2 Type 2230 Key E form factor, for which sockets are provided on the latest range of NXP i.MX evaluation boards.

The M2-JODY-W3 card comprises a u-blox JODY-W3 Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 module. The module’s NXP 88Q9098 chipset supports IEEE 802.11ax and dual mode Bluetooth 5.1. It runs concurrent dual band Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks using dual MACs, and 2×2 MIMO antenna set-up in each band.

Bluetooth support in the M2-JODY-W3 includes dual-mode Bluetooth 5.1 Classic and LE, as well as the standard’s long-range operation option. The M2-JODY-M3 card supports simultaneous operation of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Its Wi-Fi functionality includes simultaneous access point, station, or Wi-Fi Direct modes.

The M2-JODY-W2 card features a u-blox JODY-W2 Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5 module, which uses the NXP 88W8987 chipset to support IEEE 802.11ac and Bluetooth/Bluetooth Low Energy 5. The card supports dual-band Wi-Fi to the 802.11a/b/g/n/ac standards.

The card also supports dual-mode Bluetooth 5 operation and is capable of dual port simultaneous operation of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and its Wi-Fi functionality also includes simultaneous access point, station, or Wi-Fi direct modes.

The cards can be used as a way of evaluating wireless connectivity options in the context of both NXP i.MX evaluation kits and embedded systems boards built by NXP partners. The cards can be used in industrial automation, vehicle navigation and telematics, in-vehicle infotainment and hands-free audio, remote diagnostics and patient monitoring, security cameras, payment terminals, and other applications requiring high data rates, says u-blox.

The M2-JODY-W3 and M2-JODY-W2 cards can be used with legacy evaluation boards that do not feature an M.2 socket as a convenient microSD-to-M.2 adapter that connects to a standard microSD socket, or a microSD-to-SD adapter for boards with a standard SD socket.

http://www.u-blox.com

> Read More

Automotive radar sensors simulate laterally moving objects

Fri, Jul 02, 2021

Driving scenarios for testing radar based advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and radar sensors used in autonomous cars are simulated entirely over the air by the Rohde & Schwarz RTS radar test system. The RTS system consists of R&S AREG800A automotive radar echo generator (back end) and the R&S QAT100 antenna array (front end).

Currently, laterally moving objects are simulated by mechanically moving antennae. The R&S RTS replaces the mechanical movement by electronically switching individual antennae in the front end on and off. Even objects moving laterally to the car at very high speed can be simulated reliably and reproducibly, says Rohde & Schwarz. The R&S RTS is able to simulate the radial velocity (Doppler shift) and the size (radar cross section) of objects at user configurable ranges, including very small ranges, adds Rohde & Schwarz. Objects can be represented by cascading multiple R&S AREG800A back ends.

The R&S RTS moves tests currently performed on the road into the lab. This allows early error detection and a significant reduction in costs, claims Rohde & Schwarz.

The number of radar sensors in vehicles is growing, with long range radars required by NCAP (New Car Assessment Program), and an increasing number of corner radars are installed that can also monitor objects moving laterally. The latest generation of radar sensors have integrated RF antennae and signal processors for object recognition on the same chip. That is why the objects to be recognised need to be simulated over the air in radar sensor tests, argues Rohde & Schwarz.

The R&S RTS – consisting of the R&S AREG800A back end and the R&S QAT100 antenna array front end – is a target simulator that generates dynamic radar echoes that can be used at all stages of automobile radar sensor testing – from pre-development through hardware-in-the-loop lab tests to validation of ADAS/autonomous functions integrated in the vehicle.

The back end can simulate a large number of independent artificial objects and dynamically vary their range, size (radar cross section) and radial velocity. With an instantaneous bandwidth of 4GHz between 76 and 81GHz, it covers the typical frequency range of current and future automotive radar sensors.

The front end uses up to 192 independently switchable antennae to simulate objects moving laterally to the car’s direction of movement, providing very fine resolution, high switching speed and high repeatability. Electronic switching of the antennae does not cause any wear to RF cables and other moving parts, as is otherwise encountered with mechanical antenna motion used in traditional test systems. An optional transmit array makes it possible to simulate two objects very close together and moving laterally to the car. The small patch antennae and the absorber-lined surface provide a low-reflection RF front end with a very small radar cross section. This reduces the sensor’s noise floor and suppresses close range targets and potential multi-path reflections. The antenna spacing of just 3.7mm delivers very fine angular resolution. Multiple front ends can be combined to cover larger fields of view of radar sensors. An angular resolution of less than 0.5 degrees is possible.

From simple scenarios such as automatic emergency breaking, the R&S RTS is modular and can be extended to cover very complex scenarios with multiple radar sensors. Any number of R&S QAT100 front ends and R&S AREG800A back ends can be combined. One of the back ends synchronises all the components installed in the set up. A graphical user interface (GUI) with a touchscreen makes it easy to configure the test set up.

For test automation with industry-standard tools, the R&S RTS comes with a hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) interface conforming to the ASAM Open Simulation Interface specification.

http://www.press.rohde-schwarz.com

> Read More

Rohde & Schwarz and Quectel cooperate on cellular-V2X for automotive 3GPP

Hands-free ECU detection assists autonomous driving

M.2 cards let i.MX users try wireless connectivity options

Automotive radar sensors simulate laterally moving objects

About Smart Cities