SiLC Technologies has received an investment from Honda to develop frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) lidar solutions. This collaboration aims to advance artificial intelligence (AI)-based machine vision capabilities for autonomous vehicles and other mobility systems.
SiLC’s FMCW lidar technology offers long-range detection, precise measurements, interference resistance and enhanced object detection. It can detect objects at distances of a kilometer or more, offering accurate distance and velocity measurements while overcoming issues related to sunlight, reflectors and other lidar systems. Additionally, it can identify dark objects, such as tires, at long distances.
The investment from Honda supports the development of vision systems that are powerful, computationally efficient, compact, and scalable. These attributes are crucial for advancing autonomous transportation technologies that can enhance safety, reduce traffic congestion and minimize human error on the roads.
As a FMCW lidar developer, SiLC’s technology could play a role in advancing autonomous systems. The company’s Eyeonic Sensor and Vision System is an advanced lidar technology centered around the Eyeonic Vision Chip. This chip integrates multiple photonics functions, including an ultra-low linewidth laser, semiconductor optical amplifier, Germanium detectors and optical circuits on a silicon photonics chip. This compact design enables long-range detection of more than 2 km with sub-millimeter resolution, offering capabilities such as distance measurement, instantaneous velocity, and polarization intensity through FMCW lidar technology.
Qualcomm Technologies Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, announced several automotive agreements at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018, at North Hall Booth 5616. The show took place Jan. 9-12 in Las Vegas.
As the automotive industry advances toward 5G, highly advanced connectivity solutions are needed to support road safety, mission critical applications, as well as advanced capabilities, such as autonomy.
With the Qualcomm Snapdragon automotive platform’s integrated GNSS and automotive dead reckoning, future vehicles are expected to have the increased capability to effectively be aware of its surroundings.
2017 Jaguar Land Rover. (Photo: Jaguar)
Jaguar Land Rover.Jaguar will use the Qualcomm Snapdragon automotive platform in the Land Rover to power highly advanced telematics, infotainment and digital cluster with integrated connectivity and rear-seat entertainment. The platform will help meet the demand for rich, immersive and seamless connected in-vehicle experiences in future Jaguar Land Rover vehicles.
For telematics units, Jaguar Land Rover will use the Snapdragon 820Am automotive platform to provide customers with ultra-quick and efficient connectivity throughout the vehicle by integrating 4G LTE Advanced, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technologies.
As Qualcomm Technologies’ most advanced automotive solution, the Snapdragon 820Am Automotive platform features a custom-built 64-bit Qualcomm Kryo CPU, custom-built Qualcomm Adreno 530 GPU for virtualization advantages, and Qualcomm Hexagon 680 DSP Vector eXtension to stream high-definition videos seamlessly onto multiple displays.
It also features the Snapdragon X12 LTE modem to support Category 12 speeds up to 600 Mbps download, as well as vehicle sensor integration and computer vision to support driver assistance using the Snapdragon Neural Processing Engine.
2018 Honda Accord.The 2018 Honda Accord features the Snapdragon Automotive Platform to power applications for its in-vehicle infotainment and navigation system. The 2018 Honda Accord also features a Qualcomm 4G LTE modem designed to support the Hondalink vehicle connectivity system.
BYD Electric Vehicles. Chinese new energy company BYD Company Ltd. also selected Qualcomm Technologies’ automotive solutions for its upcoming electric vehicles. Anticipated to begin in 2019, BYD electric vehicles will feature integrated infotainment and digital cluster systems powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820A Automotive platform.
The software architecture, hypervisor support and integration capability of the 820A supports BYD’s efforts to integrate its infotainment and digital cluster systems into a single electronic control unit (ECU). This is designed to deliver significant optimization and integration benefits compared to previous architectures, which used several different ECUs within the vehicle.
Qualcomm Technologies’ automotive solutions help improve power efficiency within the integrated ECU, which aids in enhancing the vehicle overall performance, battery life and driving range. The use of Qualcomm Technologies’ integrated infotainment and cluster system with Snapdragon 820A Automotive platform is designed to support a unified user interface, improvement in contextual awareness, and a rich in-vehicle user experience with multimedia.
Visteon Cockpit.Visteon Corporation plans to deliver the next-generation of its SmartCore cockpit controllers using automotive solutions from Qualcomm.
Future SmartCore cockpit controllers will feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820A Automotive platform to support automakers’ demand for highly advanced virtual cockpit controllers, which Visteon will design to support autonomous driving technology and applications.
Visteon’s SmartCore domain controller, which can independently operate several cockpit domains on one system-on-a-chip (SoC) through a single driver interface, will be the first platform-based domain controller to incorporate the Snapdragon 820A Automotive platform.
Using Snapdragon automotive solutions from Qualcomm Technologies, Visteon aims to make available technologies to support advanced virtual cockpits and autonomous driving through Visteon’s scalable hardware and software stack in SmartCore and its DriveCore autonomous driving controller.
DriveCore is an open platform consisting of the hardware, middleware and frameworks to develop machine learning algorithms for object classification, detection, path planning and execution.
Visteon is scheduled to launch the first SmartCore-based solution in 2018 on a high-volume, global vehicle platform with a European automaker.
Garmin International Inc. has expanded its partnership with Honda Motors to provide the infotainment systems in new-model Hondas with Garmin’s navigation system. The latest vehicle platform to launch with Garmin and its navigation solution is the all-new Honda Pilot.
“We are delighted to expand our esteemed partnership with Honda across multiple new vehicle platforms, bringing our navigation expertise to their customers via an integrated system that is feature-packed and easy to use,” said Matt Munn, Garmin managing director of automotive OEM. “This growing partnership is a testament to the reliability and quality of our navigation solutions and we are honored by Honda’s continued confidence in Garmin.”
The Garmin system integrates seamlessly into Honda infotainment consoles. Preloaded maps allow users to navigate through areas that lack cell reception, while millions of points of interest make it easy to find existing or new locations, Garmin said.
Spoken turn-by-turn directions are enhanced with advanced guidance features to navigate drivers through challenging and rigorous circumstances. Lane guidance indicates the proper lane for a driver to make a turn, and photoReal junction view provides photo-realistic images of junctions and exits. The system also includes real-time traffic avoidance, speed limit display, 3D buildings, terrain views and more.
The Business section from the January 2014 issue (Download the PDF). Includes: 2014 Receiver Survey Addendum (for the full survey, click here); FAA Selects Six Sites for UAV Research; NovAtel Supplies Reference Receivers for IRNSS Ground Segment; SkyTraq Seeks Crowdfunding for GPS/BeiDou Development Board; Hemisphere GNSS Names Chuck Joseph President and CEO; Honda Joins Google Alliance to Develop GPS Solutions; Garmin Launches New Outdoor Series; Saelig Introduces Low-Cost SMD Antennas; Events
Honda Motor Co. is joining an alliance of companies that will work with Google Inc. on technological innovations for inboard automotive information networks, such as GPS, according to The Asahi Shimbun. Honda will be joining Audi AG, General Motors, and Hyundai Motor Group in the Open Automotive Alliance. The alliance plans to incorporate Google’s Android operating system into automotive communications systems.
Google has also indicated interest in the development of driverless cars.
Toyota Motor Corp., meanwhile, established a joint venture with Microsoft Corp. three years ago to develop information technology for Toyota’s next-generation vehicles. The technology allows for updating map data and other services for the GPS in Toyota vehicles, as well as track stolen vehicles.
