Taoglas, a provider of IoT and M2M antenna products, has launched a range of high-performance GNSS antennas specifically designed to power the next generation of applications that require highly accurate location capabilities.
These applications include navigation, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), surveying, agriculture, connected cars and autonomous vehicles.
The new antenna range is Taoglas’ most comprehensive series of high-precision GNSS antennas and incorporates new form factors and use of multiple RF bands.
Taoglas’ new range includes systems and antennas that use Galileo, GLONASS and BeiDou, as well as GPS L2 or L5 bands.
“Today’s connected devices and applications demand new ways of approaching the age-old problem of location accuracy,” said Dermot O’Shea, co-CEO for Taoglas. “In certain applications, there is simply no room for positioning errors — location accuracy is an absolute requirement.”
The GRS.10 smart antenna. (Image: Taoglas)
The new antenna range includes:
The GRS.10, a smart antenna that includes a high-performance Taoglas GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou) ceramic patch antenna module integrated with a u-blox NEO-M8U GNSS receiver.
The Torpedo series GNSS quadrifilar helical antennas, extremely high-performance wideband satellite antennas for position-information-critical applications. It provides high circularly polarized antenna gain across a wide beamwidth. These are available in a passive (QHA) or active (AQHA) versions.
The BOLT A.90.A.10451111, a new GNSS timing antenna that includes lightning-induced surge protection. It is designed for the base station market. The advantage over other timing antennas is the addition of GLONASS and BeiDou frequencies.
The complete range of precision GNSS antennas also includes:
The MAT.12A. (Image: Taoglas)
The ASFGP.36A.07.0100C, a ceramic GPS L1/L2 low-profile, low-axial-ratio, embedded stacked active patch antenna.
The MAT.12A, a GPS/GLONASS/BeiDou dueling-loop chip antenna evaluation board, which delivers the advantages of a circularly polarized patch antenna with two miniaturized low-profile chip antennas on a smaller PCB footprint at one-fifth the weight.
This week, Taoglas also launched small form-factor ultra-wideband (UWB) antennas designed to work with DecaWave’s chipset and module solutions for applications including asset tracking, follow-me drones, healthcare monitoring, smart home services and other applications that demand high-performance indoor localization capabilities.
Taoglas’ complete range of GNSS and UWB antennas will be on display in Booth N.614 at Mobile World Congress Americas, Sept. 12-14, in San Francisco.
Taoglas has launched Axiom, a reference design for a low-profile, compact multiple-antenna solution for the next generation of connected cars. Taoglas is a provider of GNSS, automotive and Internet of Things products.
The reference design will help automobile manufacturers overcome one of the biggest challenges of the connected car: where and how to place the multitude of antennas needed for maximum performance.
As many as 18 antennas are needed to power the next-generation connected car, including
multiple cellular antennas for network connectivity;
Wi-Fi for hotspot connectivity;
GNSS for navigation, emergency call systems and other location-based technologies;
satellite radio;
AM/FM antennas;
radar antennas for object detection;
Bluetooth antennas for smartphones and other devices, and
dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) antennas for vehicle-to-vehicle/infrastructure applications.
Locating these antennas in a vehicle in close proximity to each other and additional electronics systems while minimizing interference and maximizing performance is extremely challenging from a design and RF performance perspective.
Manufacturers also need to take into consideration both ease of installation and assembly, and antenna size to determine how they would best work with the vehicle’s aesthetics. Taoglas has worked with the automotive industry for more than a decade, providing antenna solutions to many of the major tier 1 automobile OEMs across the globe.
The Axiom reference design incorporates Taoglas’ wealth of knowledge and expertise gained over the years into a roadmap to help automobile manufacturers more quickly advance antenna configurations that work for their particular make and model.
“Getting that many antennas to work efficiently in a small space at a competitive cost is the number one challenge for the RF teams of automobile manufacturers,” said Dermot O’Shea, co-CEO of Taoglas. “While every car manufacturer will require a slightly different solution, having a multi-antenna reference design to work from allows them to see what they can do in terms of placement and size, and how that impacts performance — all without waiting months for a custom solution to test. They can take the prototype and test it in the field to prove out concepts. Using Taoglas’ Axiom reference design allows them move more quickly to market with solutions that work. We can also work with Tier 1 OEMs to integrate the elements of the Axiom antenna reference design quickly and efficiently directly onto the board of their telematic control units, achieving highest radiated power and sensitivity, while minimizing project time, cost and size, all in one single package.”
Taoglas’ Axiom reference design has integrated nine antennas, including:
LTE Antennas: Four LTE antennas, each operating from 698 MHz to 6 GHz to fully cover LTE worldwide application bands.
Wi-Fi Antennas: Two Wi-Fi elements, supporting both 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz bands for Wireless Local Area Network.
GNSS Antenna: An active GNSS element to support GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou navigation systems. L1/L2 options available.
SDARS Antenna: One SDARS element to support satellite radio applications.
DSRC Antenna: One DSRC element, which supports V2V/V2X dedicated short range communication.
Taoglas’ advantage is its ability to integrate all of the antennas required for the connected car in a confined space and maintain maximum performance. The Axiom reference design uses a compact PCB all with SMT-mounted components, and also incorporates a unique board-to-board connector option, allowing the antennas and electronics systems to coexist in a single space inside the vehicle, with no RF cables or additional connectors required.
The Axiom reference design also helps auto manufacturers simplify manufacturing and assembly, with surface-mount solutions that feature the temperature and vibration resistance with the quality standards that manufacturers require. Installation is clipping the PCB into the telematics board.
Telit’s 300-Mbps LE940B6-NA LTE Cat 6 module has received AT&T certification for use on the carrier’s North American LTE wireless networks. The smart module is the first 300 Mbps Cat 6 automotive-grade solution certified by AT&T, Telit announced in a press release.
With advanced security features, the LE940B6 aligns with automakers’ vehicle roadmaps which include requirements for secure, high-speed mobile data that support next generation applications such as advanced diagnostics, infotainment and remote software updates.
“The automotive industry is continuously raising the bar on internet connection speeds to the car,” said Yossi Moscovitz, CEO of Telit Automotive Solutions. “Along with higher speeds, there are increasing requirements for security, quality and environmental performance which Telit has achieved with the LE940B6. With certification of the North American LTE-Advanced LE940B6-NA module variant, auto makers can immediately start delivering car models in the United States with these new modules.”
The LE940B6 powers the entire connected-car platform, supporting current needs while including advanced features that enable future integration of up-coming value-added, telematics and managed services.
The module can run in-vehicle applications inside a secure processing environment from the built-in 64-bit application processor, storage and memory. Automotive application programs can run entirely and securely on the module itself protected by advanced cyber-security capabilities.
Telit has introduced the LE940A9 smart module, an automotive-grade module designed to support LTE Advanced Category 9 (Cat 9) networks.
The series offers three multi-band, multi-mode variants — including voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) — and is optimized for automobile manufacturers to deploy next-generation connected-car technology in world markets.
The LE940A9 is the latest addition to Telit’s xE940 family of automotive-grade modules. According to Telit, it delivers 450 Mbps download and 50 Mbps upload speeds with extremely low latency and advanced security, enabling the next wave of automobile industry’s applications and services which also serve as a springboard for autonomous driving.
https://youtu.be/kXBlY_L3OjI
“Digital transformation is driving the evolution of the connected car with major improvements in driver safety, new revenue streams, and an immersive connected experience,” Telit said in a press release. “With government safety mandates around the globe, added advancements in the connected world, there is greater demand for more value-add services and feature-rich in-vehicle applications.
The xE940A9 40×40 mm LGA form factor nests with the 34x40mm Telit xE920 automotive module family, offering flexibility for the OEM or tier-one integrator.
“From commercial and consumer telematics services, to autonomous driving and driver assistance features, along with a host of other applications dependent on remote software updates, including infotainment; secure, wired broadband-like speed is now a requirement. The evolution to high-speed wireless connectivity is only possible if powered by LTE Advanced, with little to no lag time, for the applications to work.”
The LE940A9 powers the entire connected-car platform, supporting current needs while including advanced features that enable future integration of upcoming value-added, telematics and managed services.
The module can run in-vehicle applications inside a secure processing environment from the built-in application processor, storage and memory. Automotive application programs can run entirely and securely on the module itself, protected by advanced cyber-security capabilities.
“In addition to serving as a significant advancement for the connected car industry, the LE940A9 series is a powerful testament to Telit’s continued technology leadership enabling the future of the connected car worldwide,” said Yossi Moscovitz, CEO of Telit Automotive Solutions. “Not only does the LE940A9 enable unprecedented applications with the speed and low latency of Cat 9 of the multi-mode variants, it also simplifies integration and reduces costs that help accelerate the development of our OEM partners’ global roadmaps.”
All poll takers will be entered in a drawing for a $50 gift card.
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Meanwhile, here’s a preview of the V2V Countdown article from the May issue, introduced by Chaminda Basnyake, an engineer at Locata Corporation:
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in December 2016 for the deployment of Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC)-based vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) safety applications as part of the connected vehicles (CV) and automated vehicles (AV) initiative. If all goes well, this mean a V2V deployment mandate for new passenger vehicles likely starting in 2021 and reaching all new vehicles within 2–3 years.
Standards required for V2V deployment were published in 2016 or before, including the V2V Minimum Performance Requirements SAE 2945/1, leading the way for commercial product development. The USDOT, which has been the catalyst behind V2V industry R&D starting from the automaker collaboration CAMP (Crash Avoidance Metrix Partnership) in 2001, is conducting CV Pilot programs in New York, Wyoming and Florida. These offer the opportunity for state DOTs, vendors and all other stakeholders to test the technology in real-life scenarios.
Automotive OEMs have been developing this technology for more than a decade, and the NPRM is the beginning of a race toward integrating V2V to production vehicles. Deploying V2V technology requires the close cooperation of OEMs, their suppliers and many other stakeholders.
This article captures the views of major players in the CV marketplace on expected deployment timelines, remaining challenges such as reliable positioning technology, integration with existing systems, and the implications on AV technology.
The May issue of GPS World carries these three expert opinions on the question: How are autonomous vehicles and V2V technologies driving innovation within the GNSS industry?
Chaminda Basnyake
Chaminda Basnyake
Principal Engineer, Market Development,
Locata Corporation
We still have technical and cost versus performance challenges to meet the PNT needs of V2V and AV. Positioning and even timing expectations in deep urban areas are still not met reliably. As a result, ad hoc methods such as HD map-based nav — methods that work but are not scalable — have emerged. Innovations to deal with multipath, signal visibility and geometry are critical. Solutions that enable real-time mapping will be essential for scalable AV deployment.
Curtis Hay
Curtis Hay
Technical Fellow, GPS & Maps,
General Motors
Four key areas the commercial GNSS industry is pursuing include: low-cost, high-volume dual-frequency chipsets; broadly available PPP and network RTK corrections delivered either through mobile IP or satellite; precise maps for highways, urban centers and trunk roads that achieve 10-cm localization relative to WGS-84; and improved integrity monitoring and fault detection. The National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration also released a proposed rule-making with tight standards for GNSS performance: 1.5 meters, 1-sigma confidence.
Jonathan Auld
Jonathan Auld
Director, Safety Critical Systems,
NovAtel
Unlike traditional GNSS applications, automotive positioning requires high-precision accuracy at extremely low cost and size. Most importantly, this performance must be achieved with high reliability while operating in the toughest environments. Solving this positioning challenge is driving innovation in the system engineering of multi-frequency receivers and antennas along with extending performance through sensor fusion with lower cost devices. Additionally, there is significant work in the area of safety and integrity for land-based applications.
Here’s a preview of the V2V countdown article from the May issue, introduced by Chaminda Basnyake, an engineer at Locata Corporation:
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in December 2016 for the deployment of Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC)-based vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) safety applications as part of the connected vehicles (CV) and automated vehicles (AV) initiative. If all goes well, this mean a V2V deployment mandate for new passenger vehicles likely starting in 2021 and reaching all new vehicles within 2–3 years.
Standards required for V2V deployment were published in 2016 or before, including the V2V Minimum Performance Requirements SAE 2945/1, leading the way for commercial product development. The USDOT, which has been the catalyst behind V2V industry R&D starting from the automaker collaboration CAMP (Crash Avoidance Metrix Partnership) in 2001, is conducting CV Pilot programs in New York, Wyoming and Florida. These offer the opportunity for state DOTs, vendors and all other stakeholders to test the technology in real-life scenarios.
Automotive OEMs have been developing this technology for more than a decade, and the NPRM is the beginning of a race toward integrating V2V to production vehicles. Deploying V2V technology requires the close cooperation of OEMs, their suppliers and many other stakeholders.
This article captures the views of major players in the CV marketplace on expected deployment timelines, remaining challenges such as reliable positioning technology, integration with existing systems, and the implications on AV technology.
We asked major players in the connected vehicles marketplace for their views on expected deployment timelines, remaining challenges such as reliable positioning technology, integration with existing systems, and the implications on autonomous vehicle technology.
Curated and introduced by Chaminda Basnayake, Principal Engineer, Market Development, Locata Corporation
State of the Industry: Connected Vehicles
Intersection Movement Assist warns the driver if it is not safe to enter an intersection, for example, if another vehicle is running a red light or making a sudden turn. (Image: U.S. Department of Transportation)
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in December 2016 for the deployment of Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC)-based vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) safety applications as part of the connected vehicles (CV) and automated vehicles (AV) initiative. If all goes well, this mean a V2V deployment mandate for new passenger vehicles likely starting in 2021 and reaching all new vehicles within 2–3 years.
Standards required for V2V deployment were published in 2016 or before, including the V2V Minimum Performance Requirements SAE 2945/1, leading the way for commercial product development. The USDOT, which has been the catalyst behind V2V industry R&D starting from the automaker collaboration CAMP (Crash Avoidance Metrix Partnership) in 2001, is conducting CV Pilot programs in New York, Wyoming and Florida. These offer the opportunity for state DOTs, vendors and all other stakeholders to test the technology in real-life scenarios.
Automotive OEMs have been developing this technology for more than a decade, and the NPRM is the beginning of a race toward integrating V2V to production vehicles. Deploying V2V technology requires the close cooperation of OEMs, their suppliers and many other stakeholders.
The following transportation article captures the views of major players in the CV marketplace on expected deployment timelines, remaining challenges such as reliable positioning technology, integration with existing systems, and the implications on AV technology.
By Curtis Hay Technical Fellow, GNSS and Precise Maps, General Motors
General Motors is the first automaker to offer V2V technology in North America with the 2017 interim model year Cadillac CTS. These V2V-equipped vehicles share information to alert drivers of upcoming potential hazards. Cadillac’s V2V uses DSRC and GPS, and can handle 1,000 messages per second from vehicles up to nearly 1,000 feet away. For example, when a car approaches an intersection, the technology scans the vicinity for other vehicles and tracks their positions, directions and speeds, warning the driver of potential hazards.
GM continues to make technology investments in V2V to achieve greater global market volumes. We have been developing V2V technology for the past several years and are exploring potential enhancements to the V2V features currently offered. Nearly all global OEMs are developing V2V today, but market readiness, adoption and technology maturity vary greatly between regions and manufacturers. I expect other OEMs will begin to deploy V2V systems beyond model year 2017.
We believe that autonomous vehicles will require some level of connectivity — there is no way around this. V2I connectivity is required for precise map updates, emergency call alerts, GNSS corrections, remote diagnostics, traffic and weather updates, and many more applications — both existing and emerging. V2V communication will also be an important technology to improve safety and reliability as autonomous vehicles become more broadly deployed.
As a technical challenge, the limitations of GNSS are certainly understood by automakers for applications such as vehicle navigation, stolen vehicle tracking and emergency response services. Many recent advances in vehicle positioning technology mitigate the effects of urban multipath and poor sky view. These include higher quality micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) sensors, low-cost lidar, visual inertial odometry, wheel encoders, precise maps and more GNSS satellites in view.
We believe that high-confidence lane classification is becoming possible even in dense urban environments, thanks to these and other advancements. Infrastructure augmentation will certainly help, and these investments are gradually being made by state and local governments. However, technology development occurs at a faster pace inside the vehicle versus along our roadways.
There is growing demand for low-cost, high-quality automotive cameras and radar components that will be critically important for CV and AVs. I expect some degree of sensor data sharing over V2V will enter the industry within a 4–5-year time frame. Today, not all automotive cameras are designed to provide real-time video output across a high bandwidth interface such as low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS).
Furthermore, DSRC protocol and LTE Release 14 are not yet broadly accepted among competing OEMs. V2V innovations will occur as OEMs see what is possible, and customer demand for safety and reliability increases. Once the auto industry has passed the 50% milestone for market penetration of V2V vehicles, the rate of adoption will be much higher for new vehicle builds.
Denso’s autonomous vehicle research and development ranges from head-up display to voice recognition and human machine interfaces.
As we know, GM offers V2V in the current model year CTS, and Toyota deployed ITSConnect in Japan in 2016. So, multiple OEMS have cars on the road and appear to see the value of V2V.
A retrofit V2V, a universally acceptable U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)-compliant solution that could be installed at a dealership, is an interesting concept that has been around in recent years. This will allow OEMs to comply with the rule much quicker. However, that concept is easier said than done, and it hasn’t been the focus of the industry up until now.
I see connectivity as nearly a requirement to get to highly AV in the future. On a limited-access highway, connectivity is probably not a requirement, as there are predictable and infrequent “high anxiety” encounters. In an urban setting, however, many other elements complicate the necessary behavior and reaction; and therefore I see the most value from connectivity.
Sensors such as cameras can detect the state of a traffic light with some level of certainty, but often the situation is complicated, such as the need to differentiate between a straight versus a turn signal. Even in highway scenarios, we can see how connectivity can favorably impact use cases like truck platooning and cooperative automated cruise control.
For positioning, it may be that a terrestrial solution will be necessary in difficult GNSS environments such as New York. It’s clear traditional GNSS is not capable of performing at the level required for the cooperative crash avoidance capability that NHTSA desires. Ranging systems that operate as a part of V2I and high-definition maps with lidar could be potential augmentations. I can relate the latter to how humans drive: Although we are not aware of our position, we can certainly drive in Manhattan (with difficulty!) by observing lanes, curbs and other relative
I envision V2V as part of a typical in-vehicle sensor suite at some point without exception; vehicles will eventually communicate what they see with their sensors to others via DSRC. Denso holds a patent that proposes to use on-board sensing to detect the presence of unequipped vehicles and send a proxy basic safety message (BSM) to other vehicles through DSRC.
In the V2V NPRM, NHTSA defines benefits in terms of lives saved under full penetration, but we believe benefits can be shown under much lower levels. For example, in the Ann Arbor Safety Pilot, even with under 5% penetration, anecdotally the University of Michigan buses averaged about one warning every 150 miles during the trial, a significant number of warnings.
By Roger C. Lanctot Director, Automotive Connected Mobility, Strategy Analytics
We think the best-case U.S. V2V deployment scenario might be 2021 — but given the challenges in security management, the ongoing testing of spectrum sharing by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the lack of infrastructure support — we think an even later commencement is likely. This means that early 5G deployments will already be beginning.
It is worth noting that the NPRM provides for alternative technologies as long as the performance requirements are met. The interest in DSRC in Europe has waned significantly, and Toyota appears to be the only company aggressively investing in Japan. China appears to be heading towards 5G for V2X.
In our view, given the vast uncertainties, it makes little sense to proactively add a box that will add cost along with driver distraction and security vulnerabilities. Vehicles will benefit from connectivity regardless of the technology used, but many more miles must be driven before a level of sufficient confidence is reached to integrate V2V with safety systems.
We believe DSRC-based V2V is decades away from delivering a reliable and warrantee-able or life-saving value proposition. Even NHTSA has suggested it may take as long as 20 years before significant value is returned to the manufacturers, let alone the consumer, making the investments today.
We do not think the industry is prepared to integrate safety systems with V2V for a broad range of reasons — GNSS vulnerabilities in urban canyons being one of them. This is the scenario in which additional sensors and high-definition maps can add to location accuracy. Details not only on the road, but also on the location and geometry of buildings, trees, street furniture and more can be gathered by sensors during the mapping process. The vehicle camera and/or lidar sensors can then be used to position the vehicle against this map.
We think a base map will be generated by the mapping entity using vehicles equipped with high-quality sensors and location technology, and then this will be updated by user-gathered data, as well as continued use of the mapping vehicles. This is the approach taken by the likes of TomTom, Mobileye and Civil Maps.
Cellular networks are de facto infrastructure assistants today, and we expect those capabilities to be enhanced. Connectivity is a nice-to-have for AV — not necessary. With the onset of 5G this will change a little bit, but AVs will always have to be able to operate without a connection, in our opinion.
Connected Car a Critical Stepstone to Automated Vehicle and Driverless Driving
By Jonathan Auld
Director, Safety Critical Systems, NovAtel Inc.
I think some OEMs and Tier1s will integrate the technology in advance of the full mandate and thereby reduce the time to widespread adoption. The benefits of V2V may not be fully realizable at first, but will increase as more equipped vehicles and infrastructure becomes available.
It’s a false assumption that any one technology will resolve CV or AV positioning challenge. The challenging environments and user expectations for high availability and safety will require multiple sensors and systems.
In this context, we see the CV as a critical stepping stone to the AV. CV provides a critical link for V2V communications in low/no-visibility/hidden-object situations as well as a pipe for critical mapping and road network information to the car. As part of this, the GNSS receiver plays a role in being an all-weather absolute position and time reference that can tie all the other sensors together. GNSS has its limitations, as do other sensors, which leads to the multi-sensor fusion approach for accuracy, availability and safety.
The automotive industry’s understanding of GNSS performance is largely driving from the perspective of L1-only single- and dual-constellation receivers. In both the CV and AV use cases, there is a push for more accuracy from GNSS. When moving to a higher performance expectation from GNSS, issues come up that are new to the automotive industry.
For consistent sub-meter-level performance, we start to consider multi-frequency receivers with correction/integrity services supporting them. This is where we see PPP (precise point positioning) as a key technology. Taking advantage of our global PPP correction network for corrections, authentication and safety services will make this performance possible. Also, antenna quality and location become more important. In urban environments where GNSS is less available, we expect a multi-sensory solution to aid GNSS through outages, but still keep lane-level performance as long as possible and safe.
Given the significant challenges on the automotive environment, I would expect that new and innovative ways of gathering and sharing additional information between vehicles and the infrastructure will be developed. It’s entirely feasible that future systems will share as much data as is practical, with the cloud to allow for better map generation and data dissemination. All of this will be driven by the need to keep the systems as available as possible while still maintaining safety.
Dual-Band Carrier Phase for Lane Position
By Rod Bryant
Senior Director, Positioning Technology, u-blox
We expect to see early adopters integrating the technology ahead of the mandate in selected models such as GM with Cadillac-CTS planned for this year. Depending upon the applications to be supported, DSRC fleet penetration of over 70–80% is probably needed for it to become a truly all-round sensor. That’s why the forthcoming legislation in the U.S. is so important for solving the chicken-and-egg problem, as well as the development of aftermarket V2X.
The combination of CV safety applications with features that use in-vehicle sensors would be a natural evolution. Sooner or later every vehicle will be able to see what others see.
For Level 4 AV systems, GNSS is needed to unambiguously identify the road segment. Highway pilot should not be used off the highway; for lane-accurate positioning with integrity on the urban highway and main roads, we are using dual-band carrier phase positioning with wide area State Space Representation (SSR) corrections and automotive-grade INS. This combination of technologies can cope with the level of interruptions to carrier phase lock and the multipath distortion caused by bridges, signs, trees and buildings in such environments.
As we move deeper into the urban canyon, additional measures will be needed. More advanced multipath mitigation, terrestrial ranging and beamforming techniques could contribute to the solution. V2I ranging is a particularly attractive and obvious example. However other ranging sources could also be utilized. Various beamforming approaches are possible with various levels of disadvantage regarding the accommodation of antenna arrays into the car.
Inevitably, there will be periods of unavailability of GNSS-based lane-level accurate position deep in the urban canyon when required protection limits cannot be met within the required level of integrity risk. It is essential that these are managed properly in the reliance on different sensors at different times and, for lower levels of autonomy, in the interactions between machine and driver.
We see automated driving as a related but separate evolution. The crux of the automated-driving problem is how to manage risk in such a complex scenario. Multiple sensors are being used by OEMs to determine the position of the vehicle with respect to roads and for collision avoidance. Those sensors include GNSS/IMU, radar and lidar, which have overlapping capabilities across conditions. This allows the decomposition of the Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ISO26262 ASIL) requirements.
A combination of all of these sensors is required to meet the stringent safety goals. In that context, V2X will clearly play a role, but may not be seen as a prerequisite. The cooperative nature of V2X operation presents challenges for the application of functional safety methodologies like ISO26262. Partly for that reason, we do not expect the application of V2X to autonomous driving before 2025.
SAP SE demonstrated new technology to make life easier for drivers and rental car users through an Internet of Things (IoT) collaboration with Concur Technologies, Hertz and Nokia.
The announcement was made at Mobile World Congress, being held Feb. 27–March 2 in Barcelona, Spain.
Also, Mojio — a connected vehicle platform and app provider for Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile USA — has joined SAP Vehicles Network and will provide parking and fueling through its app in the United States and Europe.
A part of the SAP Leonardo portfolio, the SAP Vehicles Network solution creates an intelligent, automated experience — from car rental to parking and fueling location and payment, to integrated navigation and expense management for business travelers.
SAP Vehicles Network, built on SAP Cloud Platform, enables participating network companies to provide mobility services to drivers and passengers. By standardizing the business processes, SAP Vehicles Network enables integration and collaboration to facilitate new revenue streams and business opportunities for network members.
Through the network, member companies can offer secure, convenient services — independent of devices or vehicles — such as parking, fueling and location-based food services, tailored for the business traveler or the individual consumer.
The new collaboration showcased at Mobile World Congress draws on the strengths of each participating vendor:
Concur, Hertz, SAP and other members of the Nokia-founded IoT Community, a worldwide ecosystem of companies collaborating on the development of innovative IoT solutions, drove the development of the connected rental car experience.
Nokia provided its Intelligent Management Platform for All Connected Things (IMPACT) to securely control and manage devices and sensors in the vehicle, including the personalization of driver settings and entertainment systems, as well as the automatic configuration of in-vehicle communications without Bluetooth paring, which ensures data privacy for drivers. The Nokia IMPACT IoT Platform works in conjunction with payment systems in SAP Vehicles Network for parking and fueling authorization to create a seamless and driver-optimized experience.
Hertz, one of the world’s leading rental car companies, is developing new products and services for its next 100 years of meeting customers’ needs. By exploring the use of connected-car technology in collaboration with leading technology and travel players such as SAP, Nokia and Concur, Hertz is evaluating the opportunity to integrate travel and itinerary planning, along with in-car personalization, through its customer apps as part of an elevated car-rental experience.
https://youtu.be/CmMoPUgEXS8
With the connected car prototype, business travelers can automate route guidance through Concur TripLink integration with other Concur solutions in addition to accessing seamless trip reporting capabilities for all travel-related expenses, including parking and fueling transactions. All in-trip payment transactions can be reported in Concur Expense in real time and be ready for the traveler to submit by the time the trip is complete.
Mojio’s cloud integration with SAP Vehicles Network takes the guesswork out of parking, enabling drivers to plan and reserve a parking spot based on calendar events or search, as well as to find and pay for a spot in real time based on the connected vehicle’s location. A “tap” inside Mojio’s app toggles between personal and business, allowing for automated expense reporting to Concur solutions. Together, Mojio and SAP plan to bring automated parking and fueling services to a growing base of connected drivers around the world.
SAP Vehicles Network makes any car smart and transactional by providing drivers with cashless access to on- and off-street parking and connected fueling stations. It minimizes unnecessary drive time and fuel expenditures and helps reduce traffic and emissions caused by drivers searching for open spaces.
“With leading partners like Hertz and Nokia and new customers like Mojio, SAP is delivering new levels of value for businesses and end consumers based on SAP Cloud Platform, SAP Leonardo and tight integration with Concur solutions,” said Tanja Rueckert, executive vice president, IoT and Digital Supply Chain, SAP. “SAP Vehicles Network puts the end consumer in the driver’s seat by transforming the vehicle into the ultimate digital wallet and making car rental into a seamless, intelligent experience.”
For more information on SAP Vehicles Network, including videos, see here. For video on collaboration with Hertz, see here, and Mojio, see here.
Panasonic Business introduced its connected airport concept at Mobile World Congress, which is taking place this week in Barcelona, Spain, and is showcasing a suite of intelligent technology solutions for the first time in Europe.
Panasonic LinkRay. Photo: Panasonic
High-tech airports
A key technology on display is LinkRay, a one-to-one customer engagement tool for public spaces. With LinkRay, dozens of people can simultaneously get native language information from display panels and LED lighting to their smartphone, so that display panels in an airport can contain links to transport information in multiple languages.
Also on display is HD Beacon technology, which can assist localized mapping and wayfinding within the terminal buildings at an airport. So, for instance, airport staff or people with limited mobility could use their mobile device to find the nearest electric cart to get them quickly to their gate.
At MWC, Panasonic is displaying at the 120m2 booth (Hall 6, Booth H31) with technology for retail, car rental, communications, security, logistics and ground handling.
Car rentals
In the car rental area of the booth, Ficosa, who has had a business alliance with Panasonic since 2015, will introduce the latest technologies in connected cars. These solutions will transform the in-vehicle experience, providing innovative vehicle services, enabling more autonomous driving with higher levels of safety and efficiency.
Within the airport logistics hub area, Panasonic’s Parcel Picking Director uses barcode technology to project key parcel information onto parcels themselves, making it viewable by workers at a distance.
Panasonic Media Track allows organizations to track and optimize the deployment of mobile assets such as baggage containers, trolleys and wagons, perfect for ground handling operations. While Intelligent Warehouse Software (iWS) use CCTV cameras and software to find lost parcels or luggage in minutes rather than hours spent manually searching through security footage.
“We know that our connected, intelligent technology solutions are well matched for the transportation market,” said Tony O’Brien, managing director of Panasonic System Solutions in Europe. “Our research tells us that improving the passenger journey through better connectivity and information sharing is an important driver in this space and Mobile World Congress gives us the opportunity to showcase what Panasonic can do to innovate within transportation.”
Spireon Inc., an aftermarket telematics company for risk management and business optimization, will introduce its latest connected car solution, Kahu.
Photo: Kahu
Kahu is designed for dealers, providing streamlined lot management while delivering a new finance and insurance (F&I) profit center by offering consumers a modern location tracking and stolen vehicle recovery service, Spireon said.
Additionally, Kahu empowers dealers to grow service retention with car buyers by providing accurate vehicle data for proactive maintenance reminders that can improve vehicle health and keep vehicles within warranty.
“New car dealer margins have been flat for several years, driving a need to create new revenue and profit opportunities,” said Kevin Weiss, CEO at Spireon. “Connected cars are changing the industry, but dealers are receiving little value from this shift. Kahu changes that dynamic, giving dealers the tools they need before, during and after the sale to grow profits and benefit from the connected car revolution.”
Kahu includes an aftermarket GPS device and mobile apps for both dealers and their customers. The solution provides these features and benefits to dealers:
Lot Management — Dealers can manage inventory, track specific vehicle location, and see low-battery indicators using a mobile phone or tablet, streamlining operations and creating a better buying experience for consumers. Virtual geofences and after-hours alerts allow dealers to identify and recover stolen vehicles within minutes.
F&I Profit Center — Kahu offers dealers a high-value add-on for consumers who seek peace of mind with a next-generation vehicle recovery service and an arsenal of easy-to-use mobile features. From 24/7 vehicle location visibility, so consumers can track their vehicle and family at all times, to smart alerts for speeding and low battery, Kahu is an attractive add-on that safeguards consumers while driving dealer profit.
Customer Loyalty — Kahu uses GPS-based mileage tracking to improve the accuracy of service reminders and increase service retention. Consumers benefit by being able to maximize warranty protection and ensure recommended service intervals are maintained.
“Our partnership with Spireon has paid for itself tenfold,” said Jon Hansen, general sales manager, Burien Nissan. “Being able to offer a product that I find value in to our customers and making it a revenue generator for the dealership is really big for us. I would absolutely recommend Spireon to other dealerships.”
Spireon’s aftermarket GPS devices are installed on more than 3.5 million vehicles and offered by 14,000 dealerships across North America. With Kahu, car dealers and consumers now have access to state-of-the-art mobile location services, which protect their vehicle assets and can lead to reduced insurance premiums.
Kahu is already installed with a select group of early adopter customers, and will be generally available in the second quarter of 2017.
Qualcomm Technologies Inc. has introduced a new variant of its connected car reference platform using its flagship gigabit class Snapdragon X16 LTE modem to help car manufacturers deliver the high-speed, high-quality and reliable connectivity required for advanced telematics and connected vehicle services — supporting peak download speeds up to 1 Gbps.
Qualcomm is showcasing the variant at CES 2017, which is being held Jan. 5-8 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Building on the Company’s leadership supplying 3G/4G LTE modems for automotive, the reference platform is designed to allow carmakers to quickly and easily integrate the broad range of additional wireless and networking technologies required in today’s vehicles, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy and GNSS, with optional support for DSRC and Cellular-V2X.
The platform also includes a module reference design for the Snapdragon X16 LTE modem to help automotive suppliers accelerate development and improve time-to-commercialization.
Highlights of the new connected car reference platform include:
Gigabit Class LTE cloud connectivity: The Snapdragon X16 LTE modem supports Gigabit-class download speeds, up to 10x as fast as first generation 4G LTE devices. The modem is designed to employ sophisticated digital signal processing to pack more bits per transmission with 256-QAM, receives data on four antennas through 4×4 MIMO, and supports for up to 4x Carrier Aggregation. All of this comes together to support peak download speeds up to 1 Gbps, helping satisfy the connectivity needs and use cases of the next generation of connected vehicles including high-definition map updates, connected navigation with real-time traffic and road condition information, software upgrades, Wi-Fi hotspot and multimedia streaming.
In-car networking and satellite navigation: The connected car reference platform also integrates Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2, Bluetooth Low Energy 4.2, sensor support for stolen vehicle tracking and recovery, quad-constellation GNSS and 3D Dead Reckoning (DR) location solutions, with optional support for vehicle-to-everything communications using DSRC/802.11p or Cellular-V2X. The solution is designed to manage concurrent operation of multiple wireless technologies using the same spectrum frequencies. In addition, the reference platform features in-vehicle networking technologies such as Gigabit Ethernet with Automotive Audio Bus (A2B), Controller Area Network (CAN) and Local Interconnect Network (LIN) interfaces.
OEM and third-party applications support: Qualcomm Technologies also provides a security-rich framework for the execution of custom OEM and third-party telematics applications. The simplified access to tightly-integrated apps processing functionality is designed to help automakers and service providers handle the increasing number of use cases requiring connectivity — simultaneously in many cases — and quickly prototype, develop and deliver unique and differentiated experiences to their customers.
Qualcomm Technologies has also developed a reference hardware module in two different band configurations, North America and Rest of World (including Europe). The module design is engineered to support up to four antennas to utilize the 4×4 MIMO capabilities of the Snapdragon X16 modem and reach the peak download speeds of up to 1 Gbps. This can help accelerate the time-to-commercialization of this flagship device and the Company is working with module manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers to further optimize 2-antenna and 4-antenna configurations aiming to meet cost-effectiveness and size requirements of specific automakers, specific segments and use cases.
“Connected cars are becoming intelligent sensors on the road, not only using data for consumer use cases such as Wi-Fi hotspots and video streaming, but also collecting and transmitting critical, rich real-time information about road conditions, map updates and driver status,” said Patrick Little, senior vice president and general manager, automotive, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “As a leader in car connectivity, Qualcomm Technologies is well positioned to address the tremendous data demand, helping automakers integrate the broad set of technologies required by a new generation of connected vehicles.”
The new connected car reference platform using Snapdragon X16 LTE modem, including its corresponding reference module, is expected to be available in the first half of 2017.
All major global automakers currently use products from Qualcomm Technologies’ broad portfolio of automotive solutions, including the Company’s flagship Snapdragon automotive processors and modems.
Across telematics, infotainment and connectivity, Qualcomm Technologies has achieved more than 150 automotive design wins, and car manufacturers across the globe have selected Snapdragon processors for their next generation infotainment solutions. To learn more, please visit Qualcomm Technologies’ automotive booth at CES, north hall, booth #5609, or visit qualcomm.com/automotive.
T-Mobile is offering SyncUp Drive, a device that turns any post-1996 car into a 4G LTE connected car — a Wi-Fi hotspot that also provides vehicle diagnostics, safety and security features. The device is being offered as an incentive with two-year service plans, or separately.
SyncUp Drive plugs in to a car’s OBD-II (on-board diagnostics) port, which is standard on autos built after 1996. The device is always on, doesn’t require charging and can be managed from a smartphone.
Other carriers don’t yet offer 4G solutions. The diagnostic tool HUM by Verizon runs on 2G technology. AT&T has been going a different route — partnering directly with car manufacturers to integrate 4G LTE data connectivity into new vehicles.
SyncUp DRIVE was developed by T-Mobile with ZTE, a global provider of mobile devices and telecommunication systems, and Mojio, the open platform for the growing ecosystem of connected car apps and services.
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