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IN THISISSUE

Page 2: Daimler andQualcomm partner

Page 4: UMC targetsAEC-Q100

Page 5: Volvo picksMost 150 for XC90

Page 6: Audi inChina push

Page 7: DeviceDevelopers’Conference report

Page 13: Electronicbattery simulator

Page 18: Driver-in-the-loop simulators

Page 21: Self-driveheavy-duty lorry

Page 25: Powertrainsemiconductors

Page 29: Productnews

Page 34: Contactdetails

Issue 18June 2015

NEWS

Vehicle Electronics June 2015, Page 2

Thanks to augmented reality, this automotive workshop technician can seethe location of hidden components or the cable harness behind the dash-board on a tablet computer. The platform, developed by Bosch, expandsreality in a computer-assisted manner by adding useful information.Using a tablet computer or a smart phone, matching explanations, pictures

or videos are added to the live image once the user points the device’s cameraat an area for which augmented reality information is available.The platform is backed by a comprehensive database from which it ex-

tracts the matching contents for the respective augmented reality applica-tion. Besides written information and explanations in text format, videoclips, pictures, safety instructions with audio clips, 3D data, circuit dia-grams, technical drawings and markers for the tracking configuration canbe added.

Augmented reality for workshops

Continental’s headquarters in Germany

Elektrobit has sold its au-tomotive business to Con-tinental for €600m. EBwill continue with itswireless business underthe name Bittium, as theElektrobit brand is in-cluded in the sale.

EB’s directors say theywill unanimously recom-mend the transaction toshareholders and expectthe transaction to have anon-recurring positive ef-fect of approximately€530m on net profit andapproximately €575mpositive effect on net cashflow for this year.

The transaction in-cludes EB’s 51 per centownership of E.Solutions,a jointly owned companybetween Elektrobit andAudi Electronics Venture.

EB’s automotive busi-ness offers a range ofsoftware products andR&D services for in-carembedded software, aswell as professional toolsthat support the whole

Continental buysElektrobit for €€600m

process of the in-car soft-ware development. Itscustomers are car makers,car electronics suppliersand other suppliers to theautomotive industry. Itemploys 1431 peopleworldwide, mainly inGermany. E.Solutionsemploys 459 people.

EB’s CEO Jukka Harjusaid he believed Conti-nental had the right capa-bilities and was com-mitted to developingElektrobit Automotive asa part of a broader rangeof its products.

“For EB, this transac-tion gives good cash con-

sideration for the businessand a significant non-re-curring profit and cash in-crease,” he said.

Continental has indi-cated it considers themanagement and employ-ees of the business as akey asset and, hence, re-taining the managementand employees is para-mount to its plans.

Continental’s plans tokeep EB’s Automotive asa separate unit with itsown brand, retain thebusiness model and or-ganisation within thecompany, and maintainits facilities.

Qualcomm Technologiesis collaborating withDaimler on technologiesincluding 3G and 4G con-nectivity, wireless charg-ing for in-vehicle use andimplementation of wire-less electric vehiclecharging (WEVC) tech-nology.

The first stage will lookat Daimler’s WirelessPower Transfer 2.0 programme for electricvehicles linked withQualcomm Halo WEVCtechnology. This could letDaimler customerscharge their EVs andplug-in hybrid EVs with-out plugging them in.

In addition, QualcommWiPower technology al-lows consumer electron-ics to charge wirelesslyin-vehicle.

“We are eager to jointlyexplore possible fields offuture cooperation withan internationally leadingtech firm like Qual-comm,” said ThomasWeber, a member ofDaimler’s managementboard.

Qualcomm is helpingthe automotive industrychange the landscape forcommunications, conven-ience, energy efficiency,infotainment and safetythrough its Snapdragonproducts, while Daimler

Daimler and Qualcomm worktogether on wireless charging

has a history of producingvehicles that embodythese concepts.

Mercedes-Benz cus-tomers have come to ex-pect vehicles equipped

with numerous intelligentsystems and sensors thatenhance safety, conven-ience and comfort. To-gether, the companiesintend to combine auto-

motive expertise to ad-vance the connected carindustry by delivering in-telligently connected ve-hicles that driveemission-free.

NEWS NEWS

Vehicle Electronics Vehicle ElectronicsPage 3, June 2015 June 2015, Page 4

Taiwanese semiconductorfoundry United Micro-electronics (UMC) hasdeveloped a technologyplatform that targets ICcompanies designingchips for automotive ap-plications. The Auto SMplatform consists of aportfolio of automotiveAEC-Q100 qualifiedtechnology ranging from0.5µm to 28nm nodes,backed by manufacturingprocesses that complywith ISO TS-16949 auto-motive quality standards

for all UMC fabs. In addition, UMC is se-

lectively developing cer-tified design models, IPand foundry design kitsspecific to its automotiveplatform to fulfil the in-creasing pace of evolve-ment of the vehicleindustry supply chain,helping chip designerscapture market opportuni-ties as the internet ofthings and increased useof sensors permeate intoautomotive applications.

“With the rapid rise in

silicon content withineach new vehicle, manybelieve the automotive ICsector will experience thehighest CAGR comparedwith other semiconductorsegments,” said Po WenYen, CEO of UMC.“UMC has a successfulhistory as an automotiveIC supplier, being the firstfoundry to receiveISO22301 certificationfor our business continu-ity management systemand implementing a com-prehensive automotive

UMC platform targetsAEC-Q100 qualification

service package that in-corporates zero-defectpractices within our man-ufacturing procedures.”

UMC is producing elec-tronic components usedin vehicles, including foradas, safety, body control,infotainment and under-bonnet use. These ICshave been widely adoptedby well-known car mak-ers in Japan, Europe, Asiaand the USA.

The foundry’s automo-tive IC manufacturinglines are said to meet orexceed industry qualityand reliability criteria, in-cluding AEC-Q100 grade0 certification for its fabmanufacturing.

Tokyo-based Thine Elec-tronics has developed au-tomotive surround viewmonitor technology itclaims provides signifi-cant cost performanceand faster display speeddue to its view-point con-version algorithm.

The technology can re-configure images cap-tured by automotivecameras at vehicle sidesinto bird’s-eye view im-ages. Such conversionusually requires largememories because suchsystems need temporarymemories to save cap-tured images before con-

verting them to an over-head view.

Thine has developedtechnology that can re-duce the temporary mem-ories by a fourth or thirdand, in addition, achievefaster image display withless delay from capturingto displaying. This tech-nology aims to extend theapplicable vehicles forsurround view monitorsystems from luxuryclasses to light and inter-mediate models.

The technology can si-multaneously convert upto four-channel cameradata and extend to more

channels. The companyplans to distribute work-ing samples in 2016.

If used with Thine’sTHP7312 image signalprocessor that supportsinfra-red images and de-fogging functions, it canachieve visibilities atnight time and in foggyweather.

In addition, if used withthe company’s V-by-OneHS high-speed interfacetechnology, the surroundview monitor systems canreduce the number ofinput-output cables fortransmitting high-resolu-tion pixel data.

Algorithm aims to cut cost ofbird’s eye view technology

X-Fab Silicon Foundrieshas agreed to industrialisestart-up Exagan’s GaN-on-silicon technology,producing high-speedpower switching deviceson 200mm wafers.

The firms plan a Euro-pean production centre tomake GaN devices forautomotive, solar, indus-trial and IT markets.

The two companieshave demonstrated theircapabilities by processingthe first GaN-on-silicondevices built on 200mmsubstrates at X-Fab’swafer fab in Dresden,

Germany, and are chang-ing the prototype into aprocess robust enough formass production.

Working with CEA-Letiin Grenoble, where someprocess steps are per-formed, X-Fab and Exa-gan are making the firstof Exagan’s G-Fet 650V,fast-switching power de-vices on 200mm sub-strates using a standardsilicon manufacturingline. To date, the globalsemiconductor industry’swork with GaN has beenlimited to 100 and150mm wafers due to the

difficulties of creating therequired GaN layers onsilicon substrates.

Exagan’s G-Stack tech-nology is said to let GaN-on-silicon devices bemanufactured economi-cally on 200mm sub-strates by depositing astack of GaN and strainmanagement layers thatalleviates the stress be-tween bonded GaN andsilicon layers.

The devices meet re-quirements for highbreakdown voltage, lowvertical leakage and high-temperature operation.

X-Fab to produce Exgan’s GaNtechnology on 200mm wafers

Green Hills Software sub-sidiary Integrity SecurityServices (ISS) has se-lected Security Innova-tion’s Aerolink softwarefor vehicle to everything(V2x) communicationssecurity. Aerolink will beincorporated into the ISSautomotive security de-velopment toolkits.

Aerolink will be the de-fault message securitywhen organisations planto use the security andfunctionality of Integrityfor V2x applications. Inaddition, Security Inno-vation has incorporatedthe ISS native FIPS 140-2compliant, embeddedcryptographic library intoAerolink.

“It is our natural choiceto include Aerolink forV2x message securitycompliance with our se-curity credential manage-ment systems,” saidDavid Sequino, ISS VP.“This partnership willallow our customers toquickly manufacture anddeploy V2x communica-tions in the most securepossible manner.”

As a provider of soft-ware for the automotiveindustry, ISS sought apartner with expertise inthe latest protocols andwas well respected in theautomotive V2x industry.

Green HillschoosesAerolink forV2x security

NEWS

Page 5, June 2015 Vehicle Electronics Vehicle Electronics June 2015, Page 6

NEWS

Audi is intensifying theexpansion of connectivityof its cars in China, ac-cording to an announce-ment by the car maker inadvance of last month’sCES Asia in Shanghai.With Baidu CarLife, Audiwill also be offering inte-gration of smartphones inits cars in China. AChina-specific LTE mod-ule, which Audi is devel-oping in a joint venturewith Huawei, will deliverfast data transmission.

“The aim of our part-nership with Baidu – acompany that is numberone on the Chinese searchengine market – is todrive advances in the on-line networking of ourcars in China,” said RickyHudi, head of develop-ment at Audi.

Baidu CarLife is asmartphone integrationfor use in the automobile,similar to Android Autoand Apple CarPlay.

As soon as customersconnect their smartphoneto the car, the Audi smart-phone interface starts up.On the MMI display, anenvironment opens withcustomised Baidu appsthat are popular in China,especially among youngpeople. CarLife will oper-ate with both iOS and An-

Advanced infotainmentsystems, over-the-air(OTA) updates, big dataanalytics, mobility serv-ices and in-car securityare key technologies thatwill shape the global con-nected car market in2015, according to Frost& Sullivan.

Human machine inter-face (HMI) input and out-put products, as well as,heads up display (HUD)are set to take centrestage. However, car mak-ers must create consumer-centric HMIs that willstrike a balance betweenreducing driver distrac-tion and meeting con-sumer need for connectedservices.

The analysis found 90

per cent of OEMs inNorth America had de-ployed connected telem-atics, making it theleading market for associ-ated innovations. Withover 20 launches in thepast two years, China isbecoming the second in-teresting region from adeployment standpoint,while mandates around e-call, vehicle safety anddriver distraction will actas catalysts for telematicsuse in Europe.

“While embedded con-nectivity is on the rise dueto specific regulations re-lated to telematics, shareddata plans and smart-phone-based connectivitywill also gain prominencein the global mass mar-

ket,” said research analystRamnath Eswaravadivoo.“OEMs wanting to com-pete with free smart-phone-based navigationare offering connected ca-pabilities with dynamicre-routing, real-time traf-fic and point of interfaceservices.”

Since 2G is likely to bediscontinued in NorthAmerica by 2017, theseamless running of 3Gand 4G networks will bea rigorous task. In addi-tion, consumers are un-willing to pay extra forin-car LTE, and the pene-tration of LTE in mobilehandsets remains slow.Nevertheless, 4G LTEnetworks are expected tocover over 60 per cent of

the world’s population by2020.

OTA updates are be-coming critical to provid-ing a smooth end-userexperience, thus the secu-rity aspect gains impor-tance and poses yetanother challenge. Secu-rity must evolve from of-fering feature-level safetyto delivering in-vehicleand back-end protection,covering multiple areassuch as OTA, connectedservices, user data protec-tion and virtualisation.

The connected car, ve-hicle prognostics andcyber security will be dis-cussed at Frost & Sulli-van’s Intelligent Mobilityconference in London on1 and 2 July 2015.

Volvo has integratedMost 150 into its XC90.

“Proceeding on its pathof success, Mostco cele-brates the growing ac-ceptance of theautomotive network stan-dard, now with the imple-mentation by key carmaker Volvo,” said HenryMuyshondt, administratorof the Most Cooperation.“With Volvo, we arepleased to welcome thefourth car maker already

embracing Most 150, fol-lowing Audi, Daimler andHyundai. Volvo is takingadvantage of the Mostnetwork concept, whichis inherently scalable andextendable with respect tospeed and the amount andcharacteristics of the datachannels.”

Along with the higherbandwidth of 150Mbit/s,Most 150 has an isochro-nous transport mecha-nism to support video

applications, as well as anEthernet channel for effi-cient transport of IP-based packet data. Thischannel carries Ethernetpackets according toIEEE 802.3. Thus, stan-dard TCP/IP stacks can beused without change.

In consequence, the lat-est generation of Mostprovides the automotive-ready physical layer forEthernet in the car.

Volvo’s XC90 is the

first car in its range builton the SPA scalable prod-uct architecture modularchassis technology devel-oped in house.

For seamless smart-phone integration, theXC90 provides AppleCarplay and AndroidAuto, which brings selected features andservices familiar to smart-phone users directly intothe car via the centre con-sole touch screen display.

Audi partners Baidu andHuawei for China push

droid, which will allowAudi to reach the vastmajority of customers.

Audi and Baidu alreadyagreed to form a partner-ship at the end of January.Along with integration ofBaidu CarLife, othercomponents of the part-nership include joint de-velopment of map data,positioning algorithmsand point-of-interestfunctions. For example,they enable the transfer ofdestination data into thecar from a Baidu map ona computer or smart-phone.

Another cooperative ef-fort shown by Audi atCES Asia was the Auditablet, which already in-cludes the integratedBaidu web browser andBaidu app store.

Integrating CarLife and Audi

To assure its Chinesecustomers of unlimiteduse of their online serv-ices in the automobile,quick and seamless datatransmission must beguaranteed. Audi says itis adapting to market-spe-cific requirements inAsia.

Audi’s agreement withHuawei Technologies,one of the world’s largestnetwork providers, is for

the development and useof an Asia-specific LTEmodule. Audi will use themodule in China, Japanand Korea. It supports theTDD-LTE wireless stan-dard by China Mobile,which was redefined in2013, and the FDD-LTEstandard. Audi claims tobe the first premium carmaker to offer a fully in-tegrated LTE system inChina.

Volvo opts for Most 150 in XC90

Key technologies to shapeconnected car markets

Automotive and trans-portation is one of sevencategories in the 13th an-nual Create the Future de-sign contest organised byAnalog Devices, Intel andMouser Electronics.

The grand prize winnerwill receive global recog-nition and a cash prize of$20,000 for an innovativeproduct that benefits soci-ety and the economy. Pre-

vious contests have pro-duced more than 10,000design ideas from engi-neers, entrepreneurs andstudents in more than 100countries. Entries arebeing accepted until 1July 2015.

“Advancing technolog-ical innovation is at thecore of what we do hereat Mouser and we arevery excited to support

design engineers by onceagain helping to sponsorthis global design contestfor them,” said KevinHess, Mouser Electronics'vice president of techni-cal marketing.

The other categories areaerospace and defense,consumer, electronics,machinery and automa-tion, medical and sustain-able technologies.

Create the Future design contest


Steve Rogerson reports from last month’sDevice Developers’ Conference at theUK’s Cambridge Belfry Hotel

BITS INTHE BELFRY

Vehicle ElectronicsPage 9, June 2015 Vehicle Electronics June 2015, Page 10

Time-triggered architec-tures are underused, al-though Michael Pontfrom Safetty Systems be-lieves it should be thefirst architecture anyoneshould think about even ifit is not the one that endsup in the final project.“Some organisations

need to get it right firsttime,” he said, “such as inthe traditional safetyareas including automo-tive. Also, in things likemodern washing ma-chines. And devices forplaces where it is difficultto carry out repairs, likein deep-sea mining.”Time-triggered tech-

niques originated in aero-space but thearchitectures have mi-grated to other safetyareas.

“It gives you a way tomodel your system,” saidPont. “And you can con-firm at run time that youare getting the correct be-haviour. This is how youshould engineer reliableembedded systems.”He said that whereas

Misra C was a safe subsetof C, time-triggeredsystems were a safe sub-set of event-triggered sys-tems.“You can use it to build

automotive systems up toAsil D in ISO26262,” hesaid. “An example is anautomotive ECU for sayan electronic steering col-umn lock.”While these are built for

security to lock the steer-ing column so that a thiefcannot drive the car away,the safety comes in be-

Think TT before you start

Michael Pont: “You can’t think yourself todeath.”

cause the user does notwant it to deploy acciden-tally while driving downthe motorway.“That is why it ASIL

D,” said Pont. “If it goeswrong, there is an imme-diate danger of peoplegetting injured or killed.”Here you would have

separate processors eachrunning separate time-triggered architectures.Each processor controlsone half of the system andif either thinks there issomething wrong it openstwo switches that preventthe other processor fromlocking the steering. The

two systems could alsorun on one processor witha separate monitor tocheck their operation.He said systems such as

this already operated inthe human brain – heeven had a model of abrain to demonstrate –where the cortex dealswith the high-levelthought processes and thebrain stem handles lifesupport functions such asbreathing, heartbeat andblood pressure.“This is why you can’t

think yourself to death,”he said. “You can’t thinkto stop your heart.”

The phrase “least privi-lege separation kernel hy-pervisor” may be a bit ofa mouthful but can be keyto ensuring safety and se-curity in real-time embed-ded systems, believesMark Pitchford, technicalmanager at Lynx Soft-ware Technologies.“There is an increased

awareness of safety andsecurity,” he said. “Peo-ple now have to complywith functional safetystandards such asISO26262. But there isalso a demand for moreconnectivity.”

The danger is real, hesaid. In 2010, universityresearchers demonstratedhow to interfere withbrakes, steering and so onon a late model car.The story starts with

separation kernels. Forhardware and software,these allow multiple func-tions on a common set ofphysical resources with-out mutual interference.“The idea is to have pri-

mary information flowfrom high to low securityblocks,” he said. “Butsome information has togo the other way even if it

Separation forsafety and security

is just handshaking, andthat causes compromises.So how can you separateparts of the software?Youdon’t want combinationsof high and low securityinformation.”This is where least priv-

ileges come in. Privilegescan be imposed on theseparation kernel to en-sure no subject gets moreaccess than needed toallow the desired flow.This lets least privilegesand separation kerneltechnologies apply tosafety and security.The third element in

this is a hypervisor. Here,a guest operating systemcan run at a lower privi-lege level than the under-lying virtual machinemonitor (VMM). TheVMM manages the func-tions of which the guestoperating system thinks itis in control.“But this is not good

enough for real-time em-bedded systems,” said

Pitchford. “There canalso be overheads interms of executability andmemory. This means youneed to reduce the com-plexity so the perform-ance is not compromisedby the hypervisor.”The answer is virtuali-

sation. Outside the em-bedded world, this hasbeen used since 2005.Virtual machines arebeing implemented ratherthan physical ones. Thelikes of Intel, AMD, Armand Freescale have virtu-alisation features.“Now, the real-time op-

erating system has noknowledge that it is beingexecuted on anything buta real system,” said Pitch-ford. “The coming to-gether of the principles ofleast privilege, separationkernel and hypervisor isnow something that is re-alistic to do with real-time systems. And youcan apply it to many dif-ferent applications.”

MarkPitchford:“Thedanger isreal.”

Qualified tool chainThere are lots of benefitsto using a qualified toolchain for software devel-opment, believes StevenBlyth from Ansys, espe-cially for products thatneed certification as it au-tomates a lot of theprocess.“And if you don’t need

certification, it still givesyou the quality,” Blythsaid. “A qualified tool issomething that candemonstrate with a highlevel of confidence thatthe output is as expectedand that it has been inde-pendently assessed andcertified. This is good for

things like, say,ISO26262.”He is also a proponent

of model-based softwareengineering for defininghigh-level requirements.“It is a different way of

thinking,” he said.But he said that when

something went wrong itwas normal to blame therequirements, which iswhy he said it was impor-tant to start testing at thesame time as the require-ments were beinganalysed.“A qualified code gen-

erator makes the link be-tween code and

requirements,” he said.“You can also have aqualified document gen-

StevenBlyth: “It isa differentway ofthinking.”

erator. You don’t have towaste two to three weekswriting reports after thework has been done. Youcan also create the testsautomatically, and theywill be qualified as well.”


Forget bugs. Bugs are notbugs, they are errors andthat is how engineersshould treat them, be-lieves Chris Hills, chieftechnology officer atPhaedrus Systems.“We have to stop call-

ing them friendly thingslike bugs,” he said. “Soft-ware has errors and whatother industry wouldallow errors. Error re-moval should be in theproject plan.”He also moaned about

the use of the word “de-bugger” whereas reallythey should be callederror correction tools.“Software engineers

need to be realistic,” hesaid. “Bugs are errors.”He was advocating that

error elimination shouldbe built into the systemfrom the start.

Even though model-dri-ven as opposed to docu-ment-based developmentis becoming essential toreduce time to market anddrive down upgradecosts, it does have perilsas well as benefits, saidChris Raistrick, profes-sional services director atAbstract Solutions.“Modelling does not

need to cost a lot ofmoney,” he said. “Youcan do a light investmentprocess that still lets youaddress what you can’twith document or codecentric development.Modelling lets you pro-duce abstract views ofcomplex systems thathelp you view that com-plexity. There are a lot ofcheaper modelling toolsthat do the job just as wellas the more expensiveones.”He was quick to point

out though that such ab-straction does not meanvague, but rather the sup-pression of unnecessarydetail.“The basic idea is to

save time and moneythrough fewer defects,shorter time to market,easier upgrades and in-creased reuse,” he said.On this, he said that

software engineering hada long way to go to catchup with the more mature

Collaboration platform makes debutSDC Systems used theshow to give a first lookin the UK of PerforceSoftware’s Helix collabo-ration platform thatbrings distributed work-flows, Git management,advanced threat detectionand deployment optionsto enterprises buildingmodern software prod-ucts, internet of things de-vices and digital media.The platform serves as a

single source for all thecontributors and assets in-volved in designing, cre-ating and releasing aproduct – includingsource code, cad files,

product specs, multime-dia, build scripts and en-vironment artefacts. It isavailable as both onpremises software and acloud service.Helix is hybrid version

management softwarethat supports both distrib-uted and centralised ver-sion control. It is said tocombine the developeradvantages of a distrib-uted version control sys-tem workflow with thesecurity, scalability andperformance required bythe larger enterprise.Also on the stand were

products from Klocwork

to help embedded auto-motive software teamsidentify critical coding er-rors and security vulnera-bilities, and protect theirsoftware against failureand malicious attack onthree fronts: build secu-rity in at the developmentstage via threat modellingand the use of defensivecoding principles; addressreliability early in the de-velopment process to re-duce costs across theautomotive supply chain;and ensure compliancewith coding and processstandards, includingISO26262 and Misra.

The Device Developers’ Conference is a four-part event, the first two ofwhich took place in Cambridge and Reading in May with the third andfourth events due to happen in June. The first will be in Warrington on 2June and this will be followed by the final event in Uphall, Scotland, on 4June. More than 130 delegates attended the first two events.

DDC moves up north

Talk about errors,not software bugs

“The earlier you can fixerrors, the less it costs,”he said. “After you startcoding, the cost of fixingerrors ramps up at onehell of a rate. It is far eas-ier to stop the errors get-ting in than trying to fix

them afterwards.”Static analysis, he said,

was a must. It shows thatthe syntax and semanticsare correct. And Misracan also not be used with-out static analysis. But healso believes that Misra

should not be followed tothe letter.“If anyone uses Misra

without deviations, theyshould be taken out andshot,” he said. “Youshould not blindly followorders.”

Chris Hills: “Bugs areerrors.”

Beware the perils ofmodel-based development

engineering disciplines.Most of the code runningtoday was rubbish, hesaid.“The key to success

with model driven devel-opment is not to overcomplicate it,” he said.A common pitfall

though, he said, was theuse of inefficient manualprocesses in producingsoftware that has beencarefully created but is asource of mystery.“You need to automate

out the boring stuff,” hesaid, “and leave the hu-

ChrisRaistrick:“We aretrying toretain thecreativitybutautomateout thecommonstuff.”

mans to do the creativebrilliant stuff. But havethem generating code?Come on.”Another pitfall he said

was to have pollutedmodels that could not beeasily reused and ported.He said to avoid notationsthat were not universallyunderstood as these cre-ated a barrier to commu-nications. And the finalpitfall was to use inade-quate tools, such as draw-ing tools, for modelling.“Powerpoint is not a

modelling tool,” he said,“even though it is used assuch. It is a drawingtool.”

SIMULATION & MODELLING SIMULATION & MODELLING


Many new products areincorporating lithium-based batteries for the

high performance and lightweight characteristics they offer.Prime examples include thenewest crop of all-electricvehicles and hybridelectric vehiclescoming out

KEEPING BALANCEJon Munson explains how to build

an electronic battery simulatorof Germany, such as BMW’s i3and i8, and VW’s Passat. Allthese, as well as more sophisti-cated applications, involve con-necting a multitude of cells toachieve the desired pack workingvoltage, often hundreds of volts.

Since lithium cells are prone toill effects if allowed to over

charge or overdischarge,

Volkswagen Passat


Vehicle Electronics June 2015, Page 16Vehicle ElectronicsPage 15, June 2015

these series packs incorporatemonitoring systems that keep tabson each cell potential to avoidsuch problems. The process of de-veloping such a multi-cell batterymonitoring system (BMS) re-quires a convenient means ofstimulating the circuitry to test theeffectiveness of the control andprotection algorithms.

Ideally, the stimulus would beactual cells, but then to vary the

state-of-charge (SoC) to triggerdifferent functional actions in theBMS becomes a slow and cum-bersome matter. Multiple labpower supplies are frequentlyused but this is very expensive. Sofor simple functional tests, resistorstrings are often just biased toprovide a rudimentary cell simula-tion.

The resistor strings have signifi-cant limitations since they present

a fairly high source resistance,and thus introduce system arte-facts that are not representative ofactual cells. Even with dedicatedsupplies though, if the systemunder test involves active cell bal-ancing, then the supplies must ac-commodate virtual chargingcurrent, or current reversal.

The bottom line is that it is de-sirable to have a means of havinga multiplicity of compact cell sim-ulators to provide easy lab testingof the BMS functionality. Anotheruseful aspect of having a batterysimulator is that such an item isreadily transportable by air freightfor operations away from the lab-oratory, whereas an actual lithiumcell pack usually has to beshipped by surface vessel.

Practical circuitThe primary feature that is neededis low source impedance and two-quadrant operation – positive volt-age but bidirectional current, soboth discharge and charge direc-tions can be simulated. The vari-ous cell simulators need to beisolated so they may be wired inseries like the actual pack. Thislatter requirement suggests the useof transformers and, for compact-ness, a switching-type architec-ture. One particular switchingtopology offers both isolation andtwo-quadrant operation, namelythe synchronous flyback con-verter.

In a simple flyback converterused as a voltage booster, a low-side switch operates at a dutycycle that sets the output currenton an output section as shown inFig. 1. In this idealised form, therectifier diode conducts during thetime the switch is off, and allowsoutput current to flow in the in-

Fig. 3: Synchronous isolated flyback circuit supportsbi-directional current flow

Fig. 2: Basic isolated flyback circuit generating dV/N volts

Fig. 1: Basic flyback circuit generating boost of dV volts

Battery monitoring system

ductor as magnetic energy istransferred to the output capacitorin a unidirectional fashion. Whenregulating, the switch experiencesa flyback peak voltage dV abovethe 12V supply, where dV is ofthe order of the supply voltage inmost designs.

To make the converter isolated,replace the inductor with a trans-former as in Fig. 2 so the outputappears on the secondary side.While the output is now isolated,the magnetic energy transfer isjust the same as an inductor. Thetransformer turns-ratio N is se-lected to optimise the operationwith the specific input and outputvoltages desired. Here again, theswitch experiences a flyback peakvoltage dV above the 12V supply.Notice that this circuit cannot pre-vent the output voltage from beingforced above the set-point by anexternal current – this only sup-ports one quadrant of operation.

A synchronous version is cre-ated when the rectifier is replacedby another switch as shown inFig. 3. This both improves the ef-ficiency, since the switch will dis-sipate less power than aforward-conducting diode, andcreates a second quadrant of oper-ation because now the circuit hassymmetry.

This circuit can accept reversecurrent in the secondary that in-duces primary winding flybackcurrent back into the main supply,thus the output will hold its setpoint even with a forced reversedoutput current. The designer needsto be cognisant of the possibilitythat the source supply for the cir-cuit could itself experience a re-versed current if the simulated cellis being heavily charged, that iswith current flowing into the posi-

tive output voltage.Since the outputs are all iso-

lated, the source power can beshared among any number of cir-cuits so a single bulk supply canconveniently provide power to anentire array. Such an array con-nection also consolidates the para-sitic circuit losses so it becomesunlikely that the source supply ex-periences a current reversal innormal usage, that is as long asnet charging power is less thantotal operating losses.

DetailsThe typical application for a suit-able circuit is to provide low, bat-tery-like voltages at several ampsfrom higher voltage bulk supplyrails. The only difference for thecell simulator function is that anadjustable output voltage could bebeneficial. Since turnkey high-power bulk supplies are availableat 12V, the design can be opti-mised to use this as a source.

Given the range of lithium cellchemistries is from just under 2Vto just over 4V, a corresponding

tuning range can be establishedthat provides versatile usage andthe ability to simulate a widerange of SoC states.

Fig. 4 shows one section of anarray with all the part details. Toprovide voltage adjustment, thefeedback network supports an opamp control signal such that zerovolts represents about 4.2V outputand 3V commands about 1.9Vout. For good user control, eachcell circuit is configured to have avernier fine tune, and then anarray set is group controlled witha coarse and fine adjust – masteradjustment signal MCTL can beconnected to several convertersections.

For the values shown, the outputvoltage group coarse is about±0.9V, the group fine is about±0.15V, and the cell verniers areabout ±0.1V, so collectively themaximum desired range isachieved; to provide vernier con-trols, ability to cross-control cellsto the full limits was sacrificed.All the control circuitry is pow-ered by 3.3V derived from the



12V bulk supply. For comput-erised voltage control, the op ampsignals can be replaced withDACs.

In Fig. 4, Q101 and T100 are themain flyback elements, with Q102being the synchronous rectifier.For fast and isolated control ofQ102, the gate is driven by T101via current buffers Q103 andQ104. Feedback is scaled from anauxiliary winding in T100. A10mΩ series resistor is included atthe output so that current sensemeasurements are possible by tak-ing Kelvin connections to a volt-meter, by use of signals I+ and I-.The total output impedance of thecircuit is about 25mΩ and pro-vides a solid ±6A capability.Static losses are about 1W per cell

section, so with an array of 24cells, the likelihood of a 12V sup-ply reversal is minimal and thepower level scales well for usewith an off-the-shelf 12V, 300Wsupply.

ConclusionIt is clear that EVs and HEVs aregrowing in number and con-sumers are demanding long life,as well as long run times from thebattery packs used inside them.Consequently, a battery simulatoris a key tool for understandinghow these battery packs will per-form once installed within a vehi-cle. As a result, building batterysimulators is a practical way toprovide a high density and easilytransported BMS development

Fig. 4: Complete cell simulatorschematic (a higher resolutionversion of this picture isavailable on request fromthe editor –[email protected])

tool. A 24-cell simulator can bepackaged in a 2RU rack-mount-able chassis complete with a 12Vbulk supply, and provide preciselyadjustable voltages in the 1.9V to4.2V range with ±6A capability.

Jon Munson is anapplications engineerwith Linear Technology

Driver-in-the-loop (DIL)simulation has long beenregarded as an effective

tool for vehicle and componentdevelopment but it’s fair to saythat not all engineers have com-pletely embraced the virtualworld. For example, those whohave experienced motion sicknessand the phenomenon called simu-lator adaptation syndrome (SAS)may harbour a general distrust ofDIL technologies.

Now, a very different, emergentapproach to DIL simulation, withmore emphasis on the human ele-

New direction

Phil Morse explains howdriver-in-the-loop simulatorshave evolved into seriousengineering tools

ment, is starting to attract enoughof a following that DIL simulationis earning a trusted position as avehicle development tool.

Develop for driverThe ultimate design goal of anyvehicle is to satisfy the driver forwhom the vehicle is being de-signed. The driver, being an indi-vidual embodiment of a particularmarket segment, might seek a lux-urious and comfortable experienceor simply pure performance. Asthe driver himself or herself is aninseparable part of the vehicle ex-

perience, real-time physical andsubjective feedback is crucialwhen developing any car. This hasled to the increased use of DILsimulators over the past decades,often complementing or replacingtraditional proving ground vehicletests. DIL simulators can be de-fined in standard electronic termsas a closed loop feedback system,where the controller (the humandriver) closes the loop on a plant(a vehicle physics model).

Stimulate to simulateTo control a virtual vehicle prop-erly, a driver must be informed ofits behaviour at every moment intime so as to react appropriately tosituations by steering, braking andso on.

Sophisticated and expensiveDIL simulators have thus evolvedthat try to replicate real driving

An increasing amount of testing is donein the virtual world, saving time and costfrom vehicle programmes



experiences. Unfortunately, manyof these simulators fail to engageproperly the highly skilled driverswho are such a critical part of ve-hicle developments. Since skilleddrivers have such refined expecta-tions of what real cars feel like,industrial DIL simulators can in-advertently induce motion sick-ness. In part because they areheavy, large and slow, often rely-ing upon legacy technology fromthe aviation industry such as hexa-pod motion machinery and cin-ema-level image generation.

Interestingly, engaging skilleddrivers in a DIL simulation doesnot require the exact replication ofa real vehicle’s physical move-ments and accelerations, nor doesit require the massive motion ma-chinery and dome-style graphicsthat one might associate withlegacy simulators.

In fact, rather than stimulatingmuscle memory or the like, it isthe mental engagement of a driverthat needs to reach a high level totrick both the brain and body intothinking that they are experienc-

ing the sensations required forsensible control of a real vehicle.For these necessary perceptions ofspatial orientation, movement andworld-space to be achieved, thehuman vestibular system needs tobe effectively convinced by care-fully co-ordinated cues.

Human factorThe human vestibular system isessentially a miniature organicsix-degree-of-freedom gyroscopein the inner ear. It detects acceler-ations in the vertical, lateral andlongitudinal directions as well asyaw, pitch and roll. During anymovement, this information istransmitted to the brain via nerveimpulses. The vestibular systemneeds to believe that it is movingand spatially oriented in a sensibleway.

Understanding this in relation tovehicle dynamics, engineers canensure accurate motion cues areachieved in a DIL simulator, thusstimulating the driver’s vestibularsystem into the necessary realm ofperception. In the aforementioned

emergent class of DIL simulators,the sensory cues that are neededto stimulate the vestibular systemare translated from mathematicalmodels, which are integrated di-rectly into the simulator’s motioncontrol systems.

Travel sickCorrect stimulation of the driver’sprimary senses not only improvesthe realism of a DIL simulator forthe benefit of driver feedback sys-tems and interaction, but it alsoaddresses head-on the eliminationof unwanted side effects such asmotion sickness, which has per-haps been the main criticism ofsimulator technologies to date.

Drivers experience motion sick-ness when, for example, there isan asynchronicity between visualcues and vestibular cues, whichresults in confusion and disorien-tation. Experienced drivers areparticularly susceptible to thisphenomenon as their expectationsare highly refined and can there-fore be more easily disturbed.

Eradicating motion sickness re-sulting from simulator usage islinked to the brain’s perceptions.Motion sickness is a result of ex-pectation conflict; the brain’s fail-ure to accept as real the virtualenvironment in which it has beenplaced. A proper DIL simulatorhas to make a driver believe he orshe is engaging an actual car onan actual road. This involves play-ing tricks on multiple humansenses responsible for optical (vi-sion), haptic (touch), audio(sound) and vestibular (move-ment) reckoning.

Engineering classExperience demonstrates thatsome of the most important mo-

Driver-in-the-loop simulation provides the opportunityto develop an array of vehicle systems

Engineering-class simulators are increasingly trusted by engineersas problems around accuracy and motion sickness are solved

tion cues for the driver of aground vehicle are those related tomaintaining directional control –that is lateral and longitudinal mo-tions along with yaw rotations.

As such, it became clear to for-ward-thinking DIL simulatormanufacturers that to deliver themotion and vestibular cueing re-quired in the automotive sector,the traditional hexapod-based mo-tion architecture needed to be re-placed.

Their resultant concept, one thatis finding favour with OEMs, is asix degree of freedom stratiformmachine that emphasises groundplane movements – horizontally,longitudinally and rotationally –while still pivoting on the threeadditional axes. To represent thedriver’s immediate surroundingsand tactile experiences, a lowmass vehicle cabin is mounted di-rectly to the machine, and driversview the world as projected andblended images on large screensout beyond the eyes’ perception ofinfinity.

Further enhancements offer a

more immersive experience, ex-amples being various in-cockpittensioning motors that amplify thesensation of acceleration and de-celeration for the driver, and highperformance image generationand refresh rates.

All the characteristics add up tofully integrated DIL simulatorsthat are truly suitable for vehicledevelopment work, and are thustermed engineering-class simula-tors. Such simulators can achievea correlation of over 80 per centwith acquired key data traces ofactual vehicles during ride andhandling tests – providing an ex-cellent laboratory tool for the au-tomotive sector, one that allowsreal drivers to interact with imag-ined vehicles, components androadways.

Cost and timeThe emergence of engineering-class DIL simulators is enablingautomotive OEMs to perform vir-tual test drives of anything fromchassis fundamentals to advanceddriver interactive systems. What

once took ten days of in-car test-ing for a prototype subsystemsuch as electronic stability controlcan now be completed withinthree days as the required test ma-trices for performance tuning andfailsafe testing are reduced to thethirty-odd parameter sets that re-quire physical verification.

The recent advances in systemresponsiveness and latency nowmean these DIL simulators canalso be used to validate vehicle re-sponses to monitor and exploreunpredictable situations. This hasopened the doors for OEMs to testactive safety systems as well asdevelop sophisticated systems forsemi-autonomous vehicles.

Now, DIL simulators haveevolved into to being the compre-hensive and advanced engineeringtools for ground vehicles that theywere always intended to be, pro-viding a useful and practical test-ing platform for vehicles andcomponents alike.

Phil Morse is technical liaisonmanager at Ansible Motion

AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES


What the truck!Daimler Trucks has become the world’s firstmanufacturer to be granted a road licencefor an autonomous heavy-duty lorry

An autonomous heavy-dutylorry has travelled onpublic roads in the state of

Nevada marking a milestone forDaimler Trucks as it became theworld’s first manufacturer to begranted a road licence for a self-driving vehicle of this size. Thefirst journey in the Freightliner In-spiration Truck, which took placeon US highway 15 in Las Vegas,was made by Brian Sandoval,governor of Nevada, and Daim-ler’s Wolfgang Bernhard.

The lorry is equipped with the

intelligent Highway Pilot systemfor autonomous driving. The stateof Nevada licensed two Freight-liner Inspiration Trucks for regu-lar operation on public roads.Daimler Trucks claims to be theglobal leading lorry manufacturerand, with the Freightliner brand,also the biggest producer in theUSA.

“Our Freightliner InspirationTruck is the world’s first au-tonomous commercial vehicle tobe licensed for road use,” saidBernhard, who is Daimler’s board

AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES


Advert for the autonomouslorry on the Hoover Dam

member responsible for lorriesand buses. “Our achievement hereunderlines yet again our role as atechnological pioneer and demon-strates our consistent dedication todevelop the technology for au-tonomous long-distance driving toseries production standard.

Transport in the future must beeven safer, more efficient andmore networked – this is the aspi-ration that Daimler Trucks has ex-pressed in the Freightliner. In Julylast year, Daimler provided theworld’s first demonstration of anautonomous lorry in action whenthe Mercedes-Benz Future Truck2025 drove along a cordoned-offsection of the A14 autobahn nearMagdeburg. Now, the first appear-ance of the Inspiration Truck on apublic road in the USA marks thelogical next step on the journey toseries production. In the past fewmonths the technology has beentested over many thousands ofkilometres and configured for usein US highway traffic.

“We are in a unique positionamong manufacturers that we areable to implement technologiesacross all business units andbrands,” said Bernhard. “We havetransferred our Highway Pilot sys-tem to our US Freightliner brandwithin a very short time frame anddeveloped it for the world’s firstautonomous truck to be licensedfor road use.”

PremiereThe world premiere of theFreightliner took place near LasVegas, in front of representativesof the media, government as wellas business and finance. Lorriesare by far the most importantmeans of transport in the USA. In2012, they transported around 70

per cent of all freight tonnage inthe country. This way, a total of9.4bn tons of freight were movedby lorries. Globally, the roadfreight transport is expected totriple between now and 2050. Au-tonomous lorries provide the op-portunity to cope with this growthin a manner that harmonises eco-nomic and environmental needs

“Nevada is proud to be makingtransportation history by hostingthe first US public highway drivefor a licensed autonomous com-mercial truck,” said Sandoval.

“The application of this innova-tive technology to one of Amer-ica’s most important industrieswill have a lasting impact on ourstate and help shape the New Ne-vada economy. The Nevada De-partment of Motor Vehicles hasbeen closely monitoring the ad-vancements being made in au-tonomous vehicle developmentand reviewed DTNA’s safety, test-ing and training plans beforegranting permission for thisdemonstration of the FreightlinerInspiration Truck.”

Public testsThe lorry is based on the series-produced US Freightliner Casca-dia Evolution model, but with theaddition of the Highway Pilottechnology. The latter comprises afront radar and a stereo cameraplus existing assistance systemssuch as the Adaptive Cruise Con-trol+, as seen in the Mercedes-Benz Actros. For licensing onpublic roads in Nevada, the tech-nology was further developed andthe interaction of components ex-tensively tested. As part of the

truck’s so-called Marathon Run,the Freightliner Inspiration Truckcovered over 16,000km on a testcircuit in Germany.

“The Freightliner InspirationTruck is all about more sustain-able transport, for the benefit ofthe economy, society and con-sumers alike,” said Martin Daum,president and CEO of DaimlerTrucks in North America. “It re-mains our goal to be in a positionto offer the Highway Pilot in se-ries-produced vehicles from themiddle of the coming decade.With licensing for road use in theUSA we have reached an impor-tant milestone in autonomoustruck driving.”

Bernhard added: “DaimlerTrucks is actively urging dialoguewith politicians, authorities and allother parties involved. Our nextgoal is to test the Highway Pilottechnology on public roads inGermany too. Preparations are al-ready under way.”

Initial research findings ofDaimler Trucks show autonomousdriving relieves the strain of lorrydrivers

The Highway Pilot technologyfrom Daimler Trucks demonstra-bly leads to more concentratedand thus more efficient long-haullorry drivers. This is a result ofstudies conducted on a cordoned-off test route during the pilot stageof the technology. Measurementsof the probands’ brain currents(EEG) demonstrated that driverdrowsiness decreases by about 25per cent when the lorry was beingoperated in autonomous mode,and the driver all the while pursu-ing other meaningful operations.The studies also prove a high ac-ceptance of the Highway Pilottechnology and a rapid adaption

phase of the probands. Relievingstrains of the driver through au-tonomous lorry driving leads tomore road safety.

Increased salesIn the first quarter of 2015, the de-mand for lorries in the Nafta re-gion rose again as a result of asustained period of strong eco-nomic activity. With 40,800 vehi-cles sold, Daimler Trucks salesfigures are, significantly, 18 percent up on the previous year’squarter (compared with 34,600units). This meant the companywas able to increase its marketshare by 1.2 percentage points to41.4 per cent, securing its place asmarket leader in the six to eightweight categories once more. Asignificant driving factor behindthe sales figures was the Freight-liner Cascadia Evolution.

Overall for 2015, DaimlerTrucks is expecting marketgrowth in the order of 10 to 15 percent in the Nafta region. Newproducts such as the Western Star5700XE and the top-sellingFreightliner Cascadia Evolutioncould help reinforce the com-pany’s market dominance further.

Brian Sandoval (left) andWolfgang Bernhard

POWER TECHNOLOGIES POWER TECHNOLOGIES


The automotive powertrainsemiconductor marketgrew 8.3 per cent in 2014.

Increasing volumes of new vehi-cles and the need for fuel-efficienttechnologies were the main driv-ers contributing to this growth.

Revenues related to powertrainsemiconductors look set to in-crease with a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of nearly sixper cent in the next five

POWER SURGEAhad Ahmed Buksh shows how electrificationis spurring market growth for automotivepowertrain semiconductors

years from US$7.2bn in 2014 to$9.5bn in 2019.

Electrification is propelling thepowertrain semiconductor marketon a global scale. As an example,start-stop systems are forecast togrow at a CAGR of 21 per cent,while plug-in hybrid vehicles areexpected to have a strong annualgrowth of 37 per cent forthe next

Toyota Prius is the mostsuccessful hybrid modelby volume

POWER TECHNOLOGIES POWER TECHNOLOGIES


five years. In addition, for internalcombustion engines, there is anincreasing trend away from tradi-tional incumbent multi-port fuelinjection systems towards petroldirect injection systems. Direct in-jection systems are more efficientand require higher semiconductorcontent than their multi-port coun-terparts.

Without electrification, the pow-ertrain semiconductor marketwould have only grown 3.1 percent annually for the next fiveyears, whereas electrification isnow accelerating the market at sixper cent growth rate annually.

Electric and hybrid vehiclesPropulsion systems for electricand hybrid vehicles demand, onaverage, ten times more semicon-ductor content than a conventionalengine. Some key components in-clude the motor inverter, DC-DCconverter, battery managementsystem and plug-in charger, all ofwhich require power managementby analogue integrated circuits(ICs) and discrete components.Growth rates are expected to behigh, as the market is currentlyrelatively small.

These applications saw growth

of 24 per cent in 2014 and another22 per cent increase is forecast in2015, the highest of any automo-tive semiconductor application.From a revenue perspective, semi-conductor content in electric andhybrid vehicles is expected togenerate more than $1bn in totalrevenue growth from 2014 to2019, by which time $1.6bn willbe generated in this segment.

Powertrain systemsEmissions legislation efforts inmost regions around the world arethe main drivers for semiconduc-tor sales in powertrain applica-tions, while current concepts inengines and exhaust after-treat-

Large MCU suppliers such asRenesas have launched multi-core products for automotiveAutomotive semiconductor revenues for powertrains showing

HEV, EV and start-stop versus other powertrains (Source: IHS)

Automotive semiconductor revenue in HEVs and EVs bydevice categories (Source: IHS)

ment systems for internal combus-tion engines, together with a re-quirement for on-boarddiagnostics, require sensors fortheir operation. As a result, themarket for semiconductors in in-ternal combustion engines was$5.3bn in 2014, growing to$6.2bn in 2019.

The engine control unit (ECU)consumes most of the semicon-ductor content in these applica-tions, in addition to a growingtrend towards electrification ofvarious components – includingfans, water pumps and oil pumps– that will further contribute topowertrain semiconductor rev-enues in the future.

Leading the path for growth,however, is the start-stop system,which uses semiconductor compo-nents to sense when a vehicle isstopped, and turns off the engine,thereby saving fuel and reducingCO2 output.

Transmission managementTransmissions are well-estab-lished systems for semiconduc-tors, but recent new concepts withhigher electronics content – suchas dual-clutch transmissions(DCTs) and continuously variable

transmissions (CVTs) – have en-tered the market. As a result, thisportion of the semiconductor mar-ket is expected to grow from$1.4bn in 2014 to $1.5bn by 2019.Most new growth stems from thedemands on microcontrollers, par-ticularly as a result of increasedsensor content featured in newtransmissions. China, Japan andeventually Europe will drive themarket for DCTs, while China,south Asia and eventually NorthAmerica will drive the market forCVTs.

TrendsUnder the challenging emissioncircumstances, the tier ones andOEMs have devised exhaust-cleaning strategies while main-taining car performance andimproving fuel consumption.These strategies comply with on-board diagnostics and functionalsafety level standards such asISO26262 where applicable. Thesensors per se are also more intel-ligent due to an inherent ability toperform self tests.

The evolution in legislation haslead to a significant increase inthe number of inputs into the en-gine control unit. The other, lesswell developed markets such as

south Asia, Russia, China andBrazil have also increased theiruse of sensors that have been pre-viously deployed as a result of ad-vanced US, Japanese andEuropean standards, which alsodrive the market for pressure,speed and position sensors, amongothers.

MicrocontrollersThe evolution of sensors for pow-ertrains has brought a develop-ment in microcontrollers. TheseMCUs represent the brain of thesystem and, with an increase inthe number of inputs, the MCUneeds a higher processing powerin addition to more memory andhigher frequency of operation.

Apart from the impact of emis-sion standards on MCUs, new in-jection systems, engine principlesand increases in the number offorward speeds in the transmis-sion demand different specifica-tions. An MCU specified for theengine control unit of a diesel en-gine might operate at a frequencythree times higher than an equiva-lent MCU in the engine controlunit of a petrol engine with amulti-port fuel injection system.

Powertrain MCUs are undergo-ing evolutionary changes. In thepast, a 32bit MCU would havesufficed for all processing, butnow due to increasing DMips andasil compliancy requirements,there can be two MCUs, one a32bit device and the other a 16bitMCU in the engine and transmis-sion control units. This architec-ture could soon be replaced byone multi-core MCUs (two ormore cores) in the control unit.Multi-core MCUs are alreadyavailable in the market. The bigMCU suppliers — Renesas,

Freescale and Infineon —launched multi-core products asearly as 2011.

BatteriesToday, there are mainly two typesof battery technologies used in hy-brid and electric vehicles – nickelmetal hydride (NiMH) andlithium ion (Li-ion). These batter-ies made up of small cells are con-tinuously monitored using abattery management system orBMS. The state of health (SoH),state of charge (SoC) and depth ofdischarge (DoD) are key parame-ters that need to be monitored.

These two battery types havebeen in fierce competition in thepast, but now Li-ion batteries arewinning today. OEMs such asDaimler, Nissan, Honda, BMW,Tesla, Opel, Peugeot and Ford arealready using Li-ion batteries forhybrid and electric models. TheToyota Prius is the most success-ful hybrid model by volume andhas been the main driving factorfor NiMH battery development.

Today, 50 per cent of the batter-ies in hybrid and electric vehiclesare NiMH but this share is ex-pected to fall drastically to 11 percent by the end of 2020. On theother hand, Li-ion technology –which had a 42 per cent share in2014 – is forecast to increase to82 per cent penetration by 2020.This rapid shift will dramaticallyaffect the semiconductor marketfor BMS. Li-ion batteries requiremore intelligent control technol-ogy as the battery has to be moni-tored at a cell level, as comparedwith modular level in NiMH.

Ahad Ahmed Buksh isan automotive softwareanalyst at IHS

PRODUCTS


PRODUCTS

A current mode, fixed fre-quency sepic or boostDC-DC converter with aninternal 2A, 70V switch isavailable from LinearTechnology. The LT8495has a quiescent current of9µA, making it suitablefor always-on automotivesystems, and its inte-grated power-on reset(POR) and watchdogtimer provide reliabilityfor automotive and indus-trial applications.

The device starts upfrom an input of 2.5 to32V and, once running,operates from inputs of 1to 60V, making it suitablefor applications with

Low quiescent current suitsalways-on applications

input sources rangingfrom a single-cell Li-ionto automotive inputs.

It can be configured aseither a boost, sepic orflyback converter. Swit-ching frequency is pro-grammable via a singleresistor between 250kHzand 1.5MHz.

The internal 2A switchdelivers efficiencies of upto 83% while operating ina sepic configuration.Dual supply pins (Vin andbias) let the device oper-ate from the most effi-cient supply, optimisingefficiency over a widerange of conditions.

It can operate with inputsupply voltages up to 60Vfor sepic topologies andup to 32V with ride-through protection inboost and flyback topolo-gies. Reset and watchdogtimeout periods are inde-pendently adjustableusing external capacitors.Other features include anFMEA tolerant package,programmable soft startand thermal shutdownprotection.

The device is availablein a thermally enhancedtssop-20 package. Indus-trial temperature (-40 to+125˚C) versions are alsoavailable.

Infineon has started vol-ume production of auto-motive power mosfets on300mm thin wafers. Thefirst family Optimos 540V is optimised for CO2reduction applications.The products are manu-factured at Infineon’s fabin Villach, Austria.

“Our automotive cus-tomers will benefit fromsupply security and our

Production starts for mosfets on 300mm waferslong-term productivityroadmap of the 300mmproduction line,” saidJochen Hanebeck, presi-dent of the company’s au-tomotive division.

The thin-wafer technol-ogy reduces power lossesand enables compact de-signs to improve effi-ciency and power density.Wafer thinning is down to60µm (0.06mm).

Thanks to the 50 percent larger wafer diame-ter compared with stan-dard 200mm wafers,two-and-a-half times asmany chips can be pro-duced on each 300mmwafer.

Production has startedwith 40V variants in aS308 package with a foot-print of 3.3 by 3.3mm.

Compared with the pre-

vious Optimos genera-tion, the 40V productshave a 40 per cent reduc-tion in on-resistance anda 35 per cent lower figureof merit. They suit auto-motive BLDC and H-bridge drive applicationssuch as power window,door control, sun roof,fuel pumps, and valvecontrol and fast switchingDC-DC converters.

A communications andvideo bridge chip givesvehicle manufacturers away to interconnect thegrowing number of in-cardisplays with consumergrade chips. The So-cionext MB86R91 ApixCompanion Chip enablesthe connection of modernhigh-performance appli-cation processors via var-ious standard interfaces,such as single or dualOpen LDI flat panel dis-play links and DRGB888.

Car makers are increas-ingly turning their atten-tion to powerfulapplication processorsmade by major chip man-ufacturers from the con-sumer electronics sector.However, because thesewere not originally de-signed for automotiveuse, they are seldom

equipped with the inter-faces needed for this ap-plication.

The fully integratedApix 2 transmitters, witha downlink data rate of3Gbit/s and an uplink rateof 187.5Mbit/s, allow upto three high-resolutionremote displays to beconnected in parallel.

Typical automotive res-olutions of up to 1920 x720 pixels with 24bitcolour depth per connec-tion are supported, as isthe transmission of touchinformation. The connec-tions offer flexibility,allowing a system archi-tecture to use differentresolutions.

The integrated receiverenables the connection ofa video source the inputof which can be for-warded for processing to

Chip forms bridge betweendisplays and consumer ICs

the application processor.A typical application in

a vehicle would be adriver information systemwith a freely programma-ble cluster display, a headup display and a centralinformation display, all ofwhich can be addressedsimultaneously. Differentcombinations of passen-ger displays, controlpanels and central infor-mation systems, withtouchscreen if required,

can be implemented.The savings that can be

made with the chip on thetransmitter side are alsopossible on the displayside, thanks to the com-pany’s Indigo graphicscontrollers, which pro-vide remote control of thedisplay, thus the MCU onthe display side is nolonger required. It also al-lows the display’s Canand TCon connections tobe eliminated.

Debugger integrated with test platformLauterbach’s Trace 32 de-bugger has been inte-grated with testautomation platform Vec-torcast to enable develop-ment, test and

certification teams to setand continuously collectpractically unlimited vol-umes of test data fromram constrained embed-ded systems.

“We are very excited tosee Vectorcasr take ad-vantage of our Trace 32product’s engineeredfeatures,” said Rudolf Di-enstbeck, software devel-oper at Lauterbach. “Thisenhancement signifi-cantly improves our cus-tomers’ debug capabilityin demanding scenarios.”

This integration shouldbenefit users in aero-space, military, automo-tive, medical devices,industrial control, andcommercial environ-ments, where softwarequality and industry com-

pliance are critical. Thetwo companies workedclosely to implementIEEE 1149.1-1990 JTagand IEEE-ISTO 5001-2003 Nexus.

The impact of this com-bined capability affectsall the supported hard-ware from microproces-sors such as Arm,Imagination TechnologiesMips, Freescale-NXP,Fujitsu, Intel and AMD,and microcontrollers suchas from TI and STM,DSPs from Analog De-vices, and CPLDs fromAltera and Xilinx.

PRODUCTS

Vehicle ElectronicsPage 31, June 2015

PRODUCTS


For electric-vehiclecharging systems, a 900Vmosfet platform usingSiC power technologysuits applications inwhich a higher DC-link-voltage is desirable. TheC3M0065090J from Creecan also be used for re-

TDK has expanded itsCLF-NI-D series ofrugged power inductorsfor automotive use.

The CLF7045NI-Dwirewound SMD powerinductors work over atemperature from -55 to+150˚C and have ratedinductance values from1.0 to 470µH (E6 series).

Measuring 7.4 by 7.0by 4.5mm, the devices areavailable for rated cur-rents of 0.41 to 8.5A andhave DC resistances from9mΩ to 1.20Ω. Mass pro-duction will start in Au-gust 2015. They arequalified to AEC-Q200.

A bonding process for

the terminals enables asolderless structural de-sign with improved me-chanical strength. Theautomated manufacturingprocess ensures reliabilityand quality. As a result,the inductors are suited toapplications in automo-tive environments such asthe power supply circuitsof engine control modulesand ECUs for airbags,ABS and headlights.

They complement therecently introduced 6mmsquare CLF6045NI-Dtypes. The firm also plansto expand the CLF-NI-Dseries with 5, 10 and12.5mm square types.

A high-power silicon-controlled rectifier thyris-tor with 1.2kV blockingvoltage and automotive-grade production qualitywas on show by STMicroelectronics at lastmonth’s PCIM show inNuremberg.

With a current capabil-ity up to 80A and an op-erating temperature up to+150˚C, the TN5050H-12WY is suitable for awide range of AC-DCconverter applications,including electric vehicleand other battery charg-ers, solar and wind re-newable energy inverters,solid-state relays, uninter-ruptible power supplies,and industrial weldingsystems.

It has AEC-Q101 com-

AEC-Q100 qualified ver-sions of On Semiconduc-tor’s latest LDO linearvoltage regulators areavailable for automotiveapplications includingembedded GPS mappingsystems, infotainment,and Wifi and Bluetoothcommunications.

They support doubledata rate (DDR) memoryincluding DDR1, DDR2,DDR3, LPDDR3, DDR4and LPDDR4 standardswith termination voltagesdown to 500mV.

Each is capable of ac-tively sourcing and sink-ing a full 2.0A when usedwith DDR4 andLPDDR4. Additionally,the NCP51145 can sup-port up to 1.2A whenused with DDR4 andLPDDR4. The NCP andNCV51199 can sourceand sink 2.0A and 1.5Acurrents for DDR2 andDDR3, respectively,while the NCP51200 and

NCP51510 are specifiedfor 3A peak current oper-ation and support remotesensing.

These integrated DDRtermination LDOs alsobenefit from soft-start,on-chip thermal shut-down and for some de-vices under-voltagelockout mechanisms.

Each has a high-speeddifferential amplifier thatprovides fast response toline voltage and load cur-rent transients.

All devices are compat-ible with DDR1 andDDR2 allowing for up-grades to newer DDRmemory. A temperaturerange of -40 to +125˚C isspecified, with an ex-tended temperature of+150˚C for automotiveversions.

The three package of-ferings are eight-pin soic-EP, eight-pin 2 by 2mmDFN, and ten-pin 3 by3mm DFN.

LDO linear regulatorssupport DDR memory

Bonding improvesinductor strength

Thyristor provides EV power control

pliance and the automo-tive PPAP (productionpart approval process)certification.

With the device, design-ers can achieve the samelevels of power and cool-ing efficiency as theycould with traditionaldiode bridges, and withlower cost and smallerPCB footprint.

Surge-current handlingis up to 580A over thefirst 10ms. The device

can withstand maximumsurge peak forward andreverse-blocking voltagesas high as 1.3kV.

Junction-to-case ther-mal resistance is 0.3˚C/Wat a junction temperatureof +150˚C. On-state volt-age drop is 1.55V (maxi-

mum voltage) at 100Aand a junction tempera-ture of +25˚C. Off-statepower consumption is5µA maximum at 1.2kVand +25˚C.

PCB creepage distanceis more than 4mm to sim-plify PCB layout.

SiC mosfet for EVsnewable-energy invertersand and three-phase in-dustrial power supplies.

Built on SiC planartechnology, the producthas an on-resistance of65mΩ at +25˚C. In addi-tion to the TO247-3 andTO220-3 packages, thedevice also comes in alow-impedance D2Pak-7L surface-mount pack-age with a Kelvinconnection to help reducegate ringing.

It is rated at 900V, 32A.At 150˚C operation, theon resistance is 90mΩ.

The A6271 from AllegroMicrosystems is a DC-DC converter controllerthat provides a program-mable constant-currentoutput for driving high-power LEDs in series inautomotive applications.

AEC Q100 qualified,the device is based on aprogrammable fixed-frequency peak-currentmode control architec-ture, and the DC-DC con-verter can be configuredin various switching con-figurations includingboost, buck-boost, sepic(single-ended primary in-ductor convertor) andbuck (ground referencedswitch). It is for automo-tive exterior lighting ap-plications includinghigh-power LED lightingsystems, fog lights, re-versing lights, daytimerunning lights, positionlights and headlights.

The device can be cost-effective using an exter-nal logic-level mosfet andfew additional externalcomponents. The maxi-

mum LED current is setwith one external senseresistor and can be accu-rately modulated using acurrent reference inputfor analogue control.

External PWM dim-ming is possible via thePWM input, which alsoprovides a shutdownmode. As an alternative,an internal PWM dim-ming circuit can be usedby programming thePWM input and duty-cycle programming pins.Either PWM scheme con-trols the PWM output,which drives an externalp-channel mosfet con-nected in series with theLED string. This mosfetis also used to isolate theload during certain faultconditions, including out-put shorts to ground.

It has been designed toreduce electromagneticemissions through distrib-uted decoupling and anexternally programmablefrequency dither circuitconfigured for the CISPR25 EMI specification.

DC-DC controllerdrives LEDs in series

Vehicle ElectronicsPage 33, June 2015

PRODUCTS

Editor and Publisher:Steve [email protected]

Advertising Manager:Jayne [email protected]

Web Site Manager:Martin [email protected]

Published by: Vehicle Electronics Magazine,72 Westwood Road, Nottingham NG2 4FS, UK

Web site: vehicle-electronics.bizTwitter: @velectronicsmag

© 2015 Vehicle ElectronicsISSN 2055-1177

Vehicle Electronics is available to readers world-wide. It will be published approximately twelvetimes a year in a digital-only format. All rightsreserved. No part of Vehicle Electronics may bereporduced or transmitted in any form or by anymeans, electronic or mechanical, including photo-copying or recording on any information storagesystem, without the written consent of the pub-lisher. The publisher cannot be held responsiblefor loss or damge to unsolicited press releases orphotographs. Views of contributors and advertis-ers do not necessarily refelect the policy ofVehicle Electronics or those of the publisher.

PRODUCTS


Technology designed toprovide scalable and se-cure protection of next-generation SoCs isavailable from Imagina-tion Technologies. ItsOmnishield-ready hard-ware and software IP canensure that SoCs andOEM products are de-signed for security, relia-bility and dynamicsoftware management, asuse models and servicesevolve across connecteddevices.

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The technology also ad-dresses the scalability thatheterogeneous architec-tures will require by pro-tecting all the processorsin a SoC, including theCPU and GPU.

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Imagination is buildingOmnishield support intoits entire range of proces-sors, including Mips War-rior CPUs, PowerVRmultimedia processorsand Ensigma processors.

These processors aredesigned to operate inheterogeneous and coher-ent clusters connected bya scalable secure inter-connect fabric that ex-tends Omnishieldthroughout the SoC withsecure flows controlledby a hypervisor.

The latest version of theMentor GraphicsFlotherm XT soft-ware has thermal man-agement capabilities forelectronic systems, PCBsand packages of any geo-metric complexity. Theintegrated mechanical de-sign automation (MDA)and electronic design au-tomation (EDA) packagehas cad-centric technol-ogy and a mesher thatsimulates complexgeometries.

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PCB copper nets andtraces are represented infull 3D detail, critical forhigher-fidelity work orhigh-power applicationsusing Joule heating ef-fects for critical deviceson a board.

Thermal management tooladds transient support

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