Display Technology of a Hundred Flowers Blooming in Intelligent Cockpit

fter the launch of the Ideal L9 this year, there were mixed voices of applause and ridicule. The cheers come from praise for the intelligence and comfort of its cockpit; The mockery rebukes him for only valuing the power in the cockpit and neglecting the essence of mechanical qualities such as driving.

The two voices actually reflect the same trend: the product definition of automobiles is gradually enriching, and the consumption concept of automobiles is changing. Cars are no longer just productivity tools, but also an integrated digital platform centered around consumers, a super large intelligent device. The cockpit of a car is not only carrying simple functions such as driving and carrying passengers, but is gradually evolving into an intelligent third living space.

Figure 1: Ideal L9 Intelligent Cabin

Moving towards "One Core, Multiple Screens"

Looking back at the development process of automobile cabins, it can be found that they have gone through a stage of development from mechanization, to electronics, and then to intelligence. Before 2000, simple mechanical instruments and audio devices were used in the cockpit of cars, and physical buttons were often used for interaction.

From 2000 to 2015, the booming development of consumer electronics to some extent also promoted the digitization of car cabins, such as LCD instruments, video entertainment systems, touch screens, etc., which began to appear in some high-end car models. But at that time, there was usually a one car, one solution, with a high degree of customization and no market conditions for achieving scale.

Since 2015, with the emergence of domain control concepts, the intelligent development of car cabins has accelerated, and people have also gained new understanding and requirements for cabins. Display technology has rapidly evolved as an important part of intelligent cockpit applications. The evolution in display includes: replacing traditional central control with large-sized LCD screens; High brush LCD instrument and HUD replace traditional pointer instruments; Streaming rearview mirrors to replace traditional rearview mirrors; Add artificial intelligence assistants, etc. The human-computer interaction mode has also been upgraded to a hybrid natural interaction mode such as gesture operation and voice operation.

Figure 2: Evolution of Intelligent Cabins

It can be seen that an important trend in the development of intelligent cockpit is the increase in the number and size of screens, as well as the improvement of refresh rate and resolution. According to data from Qunzhi Consulting, global car sales in the first half of 2022 were approximately 37.66 million units, a year-on-year decrease of approximately 10.7%.

However, the shipment of front mounted vehicle display panels was approximately 85.81 million pieces, an increase of approximately 5.6% year-on-year. Despite the decline in car sales, automotive display applications have maintained a significant growth rate, indicating that display technology is crucial in the current development of intelligent vehicles.

Figure 3: Global Automotive Frontend Display Panel Shipment Data for the First Half of 2022

The traditional design scheme adopts a screen by chip approach, which has many drawbacks: high BOM cost; The overall cockpit interaction experience is also relatively fragmented; There is a problem of signal delay; The coordination and debugging of solutions from different suppliers is also cumbersome and the development cycle is long; Reliability is not ideal, etc.

At the 2015 World Communications Conference, Visteon launched its first intelligent cockpit solution, SmartCore. It runs multiple independent systems such as car entertainment systems, digital instruments, and HUD on a multi-core SoC level chip, redefining the information transmission method and making multi-screen interaction easier to achieve. Subsequently, this plan was implemented on high-end Mercedes Benz models. Currently, multi core, multi screen, and one core, multi screen display solutions are becoming the mainstream trend.

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Figure 4: Samsung and Harman Collaborate to Launch a One Chip Multi Screen Solution

As the core of a one core, multi screen solution, SoC with multi-system operation, high computing power, high security, and high reliability has become a hot pursuit in the industry. Industry leading processor manufacturers are joining in one after another.

This includes Qualcomm's SA8155P, which adopts a 7nm process and provides 8TOPS of ultra strong computing power; Samsung's Exynos Auto V9 supports 6-screen display using 8nm technology; Renesa's H3 provides 40000 DMIPS computing power, with performance four times that of the previous generation; The RK3588M of Ruixin Micro drives 5 screens with one chip, and has a 360 degree panoramic algorithm.

But in fact, in addition to these main chips, the composition of the entire intelligent cockpit also requires the participation of many different types of chips. In addition to these chips, there are also many other chips that have become behind the scenes heroes.

How to choose the key chips for the intelligent cockpit?

Chips are the key to achieving an intelligent cockpit experience, so how to choose the appropriate chip to build an intelligent cockpit solution? The following section of this article will provide some selection suggestions.

processor

The recommended processor is Microchip Technology's SAM9X60 low-power microprocessor, which adopts the ARM926EJ-S architecture and runs at two to three times the speed of microcontrollers (MCUs). It can support large software applications and provide access to extended functions of the Linux operating system environment.

The specific product model we recommend on the official website of Maoze Electronics is part number SAM9X60D1G-I/LZB, which is the SOM module system (SOM) of SAM9X60D. The overall size is only 28mm × 28mm, including MPU and 4Gb SLC NAND flash memory in a single package, as well as power, clock, and memory.

Figure 5: SAM9X60D1G-I/LZB

Touch IC

The recommended touchscreen interaction is also the ATMXT1189TD-A series automotive touchscreen controller from Microchip, which is suitable for displays up to 13 inches in size; Used for the center console, navigation system, or rear seat entertainment system. Support the use of self capacitance and mutual capacitance measurements to achieve adaptive touch, thereby identifying all touches and avoiding false touch detection. We recommend using the ATMXT1189TDAT maXTouch evaluation board directly for device evaluation and rapid development. The part number of this evaluation board on the official website of Maoze Electronics is ATMXT1189TDAT-SPI-PCB.

Figure 6: ATMXT1189TDAT maXTouch Evaluation Board

Ethernet chip

Communication in the cockpit cannot be separated from Ethernet. The Ethernet switching chip recommended here is KSZ8841 series from Microchip, which is a single port Fast Ethernet MAC chip with 32-bit/33MHz PCI processor interface. The specific model recommended to everyone is the part number KSZ8841-PMQLI-TR on the official website of Maoze Electronics.

CAN bus

In addition, as an automotive application, signal reliability is particularly important. As shown in Figure 7, a common mode suppression coil is required in the automotive CAN bus network to suppress common mode noise transmitted in the same direction, filter out common mode EMI interference in high-speed differential data lines of the network or telecommunications equipment, and maintain signal integrity. The common mode suppression coil recommended here is the DR SMD series data line choke coil from Bourns.

Figure 7: Application of DR331-513AE in Automotive Electronic Controller Local Area Network

Let's first introduce Bourns, a leading global chip manufacturer that has been providing automotive solutions since 1980. In 2005, the Automotive Industry Department was established and several companies related to the automotive electronics field were acquired. At present, we focus on providing products such as automotive sensors and circuit protection solutions, and all automotive products are manufactured in accordance with the requirements of IATF 16949.

Figure 8: Bourns' Development History in the Automotive Industry

The DR SMD data cable choke we recommend has a wide frequency range of over 1000MHz, a rated current range of 0.1A to 0.5A, and a high-quality annular magnetic core. At the same time, Bourns DR chokes provide dual wire or sector windings. The specific product model recommended on the official website of Maoze Electronics is part number DR331-513AE.

USB port protection

The use of USB is inevitably indispensable in the intelligent cockpit of automobiles, and the use of USB in automotive applications also requires attention to safety and reliability issues. As shown in Figure 9 below, Bourns also provides a USB 2.0 single port protection array solution specifically for this type of application requirement

Figure 9: USB 2.0 Single Port Protection - Array Solution

MF-NSMF Multiuser in this solution ® The AEC-Q200 PTC self recovery fuse complies with the AEC-Q200 standard and RoHS directive, and adopts a symmetrical design. This device has a very small size (1206 package) and can quickly respond to fault events, making it very suitable for plug and play protection, battery and port protection. The specific product model we recommend on the official website of Maoze Electronics is part number MF-NSMF150-2.

summary

In the future, smart cars will be an important window for obtaining user data, and smart cabins will be the key for car manufacturers to create differentiated competitiveness and a moat. As a medium of interaction, "one core multiple screens" will be the most important technological trend in the evolution of intelligent cabins. Mao Ze provides a wealth of intelligent cockpit display related chip products, helping you quickly complete future oriented intelligent cockpit design.