Smart Cities

Renesas enables HD video over SD cables for automotive cameras

Wed, Jul 14, 2021

Automotive manufacturers can deliver high definition (HD) video over low cost cables and connector that currently support standard definition video, by using the Automotive HD Link (AHL) from Renesas.

The RAA279971 AHL encoder and RAA279972 decoder use a modulated analogue signal to transmit the video, for transmission rates 10 times less than required to transmit HD signals digitally. The lower transmission rate means that traditional twisted pair cables and standard connectors and existing analogue video cables and connectors can be used.

Digital links such as SerDes require heavily shielded cables and high end connectors that cost significantly more than those for AHL. Additionally they may need to be replaced in five to seven years. They are also difficult to route because of a limited bending radius.

AHL is robust against noise and has a bi-directional control channel that operates independently of the video data, says Renesas. It can initialise, program and monitor the camera module. The camera can be controlled simultaneously over the same pair of wires (UTP) during video transmission to reduce the cost of installation. In comparison to a digital link in a rear view camera application, a digital link will degrade due to a failure in the cable harness or connector assembly, as weak signals can cause macroblocks to appear, hiding large portions of the viewing area. Using the same cable under the same conditions for comparison, the AHL will present a slight change in video colour or contrast, but all pixels will appear on the screen. The resulting image will accurately identify an object or person behind the vehicle.

According to Renesas, the AHL system allows automotive manufacturers to deliver advance safety systems in all vehicles, including economy models and not just luxury ones.

AHL supports resolutions from VGA up to 720p/60 or 1080p/30 enabling it to implement non-standard vertical resolutions.

There are also MIPI-CSI2, BT656, and DVP inputs and outputs to provide a flexible interface to support old and new image sensors.

The RAA279971 AHL encoder and RAA279972 decoder are available today. Renesas also offers the RTKA279971DA2000BU AHL encoder and the RTKA279972DA1000BU AHL decoder evaluation boards.

http://www.renesas.com

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Dual-output automotive navigation unit has sensor-based spoofing detection

Wed, Jul 14, 2021

The NEO-M9L navigation modules and M9140-KA-DR chip have been introduced by u-blox. They are built on the company’s M9 GNSS platform and use dead reckoning techniques to provide accurate position data when satellite signals are compromised or unavailable, says u-blox.

The NEO-M9L-20A and NEO-M9L-01A modules, and the M9140-KA-DR chip are specially designed for first-mount automotive designs. The modules and the chip are all automotive grade, with the NEO-M9L-01A offering an extended operational temperature range up to 105 degrees C, making it suitable for integration on the roof, behind the windscreen, or the hot conditions inside electronics control units (ECUs). Applications include integrated navigation systems, for example in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) and head units, integrated telematics control units (TCU), and vehicle to everything (V2X).

The modules include six-axis inertial measurement units (IMUs) which deliver low-latency 100Hz raw data output. The modules offer a low-latency 50Hz position update rate, for use in real-time applications. The automotive dead reckoning (ADR) output  combines the GNSS fix with IMU data for accurate positioning output. Additional GNSS-only output enables seamless integration into third-party applications. The receiver also supports wake-on-motion, which enables smart features such as theft protection and power-efficient designs, explains u-blox.

The modules offer sensor-based spoofing detection for advanced security and robustness. The chip offers protection against possible GNSS signal spoofing, which can cause navigation systems to report faulty position data or time.

“Availability and trustworthiness of position output are increased by using concurrent reception of four GNSS constellations,” says Aravinthan Athmanathan, product manager, product centre positioning at u-blox.

All the module variants comply with AEC-Q104, the latest standard for ensuring the reliability of modules used in automotive applications. Engineering samples and the evaluation kits will be available by the end of September 2021.

u‑blox specialises in positioning and wireless communication in automotive, industrial, and consumer markets. The company has a broad portfolio of chips, modules, and secure data services and connectivity. It has headquarters in Thalwil, Switzerland.

http://www.ublox.com

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TI redefines microcontroller with x10 higher processing capability

Tue, Jul 13, 2021

For real-time control, networking and analytics applications at the edge, Sitara AM2x microcontrollers can help engineers can achieve 10 times the computing capability of traditional, flash-based microcontrollers, says Texas Instruments (TI). The microcontrollers can be used in factory automation, robotics, automotive systems and sustainable energy management where fast, accurate microcontrollers at the edge deliver more power-efficient processing to distributed systems for industry 4.0.

The Sitara AM2x microcontrollers are built around Arm cores. TI offers single and multi-core devices running at speeds up to 1.0GHz with integrated peripherals and accelerators.

The AM243x microcontrollers are the first family of devices available in the AM2x portfolio. They have up to four Arm Cortex-R5F cores, each running up to 800MHz, which meets the high processing speed critical in factory equipment such as robotics. Fast computations coupled with the microcontroller’s internal memory enhance a robot’s precision of motion and speed of movement, translating to higher productivity, says TI. The additional processing capability enables designers to add analytics for functions such as predictive maintenance, reducing downtime on factory floors. In typical applications, AM243x devices consume less than 1.0W of active power, enabling factory operators to extend their power resources, lowering operating costs and the site’s energy footprint.

Sitara AM243x microcontrollers integrate sensing and actuation peripherals to enable low-latency real-time processing and control for factory automation as well as communications accelerators to simplify industrial networking. Engineers can leverage certified protocol stacks available directly from TI to support, for example, EtherNet/IP, EtherCAT, ProfiNet, and IO-Link Master to meet evolving industrial communication standards. On-chip security and integrated functional safety mechanisms, diagnostics and collateral help enable system integrators to target up to Safety Integrity Level (SIL) 3 of the IEC 61508 standard.

TI has also created the Sitara AM243x LaunchPad development kit. The evaluation tool, combined with the Sitara MCU+ software framework can be used by developers to assess the precision real-time control and networking capabilities in the AM243x. Developers also have access to application-specific reference examples, a strong ecosystem of tools and software, and the MCU+ Academy training portal to help them streamline designs and accelerate time to market.

Pre-production versions of the AM2431, AM2432 and AM2434 in a 17 x 17 or 11 x 11mm package are now available. The AM243x LaunchPad Development Kit is also available.

http://www.ti.com

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Fanless edge AI system uses Jetson AGX Xavier for autonomous AI

Tue, Jul 13, 2021

Artificial intelligence (AI) -powered autonomous machines can be realised with the AIE900-902-FL fanless edge AI system, says Axiomtek.

According to Axiomtek, the AIE900-902-FL is an edge AI computing system for advanced AI-powered autonomous machine applications. It is based on Nvidia’s Jetson AGX Xavier platform which has an eight-core Nvidia Carmel Aem v8.2 (64-bit) processor and 512-core Nvidia Volta graphics processing unit (GPU) with 64 Tensor cores. The AI system has four PoE ports and two LAN ports for 3D lidar and high-speed intelligent video surveillance applications. The AIE900-902-FL is designed for use in 3D vision guided robots, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), intelligent video analytics, domain-focused robot assistants, intelligent roadside units.

The AIE900-902-FL has a ruggediszed design for harsh environments, allowing it to operate under a wide temperature range from -30 to +50 degrees C and vibration of up to 3G rms. It is housed in a compact enclosure. Despite its size, the AIE900-902-FL comes with a 32Gbyte 256-bit LPDDR 4x onboard and has one M.2 Key M 2280 SSD slot with a PCIe x4 NVMe interface, one Micro SD slot and one 2.5 inch SSD/HDD drive bay for massive data processing and AI applications.

The embedded system has one full-size PCI Express Mini Card slot (USB + PCI Express signal), one M.2 Key E 2230 slot and one SIM slot for 3G/4G, GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections. To reduce the effort and shorten the deployment process, the Nvidia JetPack is pre-installed on the edge AI system for quick development. The AIE900-902-FL is certified to CE and FCC Class A.

The AIE900-902-FL offers multiple I/O options including two lockable HDMI 2.0 ports with 4k2k supported, two 10/100/1000 Mbits per second Ethernet (Intel i210-IT), four 10/100/1000 Mbits per second PoE (Intel i210-IT), two USB 3.1 Gen2 ports, two USB 3.1 Gen1 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, one Micro USB port, one 8-CH DIO, two RS-232 default (or two CAN by jumper settings) and four SMA-type antenna openings. There are eight LED indicators showing for power / storage / LAN / PoE active status alert. There is also a recovery switch and one 24V DC power input connector.

The AIE900-902-FL will be available for purchase in September 2021.

http://www.axiomtek.com 

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