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White Paper: Reconfigurable Vehicles
The following table shows the revision history for this document.
Date Version Revision
11/19/01 1.0 Initial Xilinx release.



The Xilinx In-Car Multimedia Solution
We predict the heart of the reconfigurable multimedia platform will be a Xilinx
programmable logic device. The common platform approach enables one PCB to be
produced for all customers -- with the only change being to the style, shape, and color
of the interface to satisfy the need for product differentiation.
Xilinx is the leading provider of complete and innovative programmable logic
solutions. Our products help minimize risks for manufacturers of in-car electronic
equipment by shortening the time required to develop products and in taking them to
market. You can design and verify your proprietary circuits in Xilinx PLDs
(programmable logic devices) much faster than you could by using traditional
methods, such as ASICs and ASSPs. Xilinx builds programmable ICs, develops
software, IP (Intellectual Property) cores, and other tools to provide complete
solutions to our customers. We also provide application support and design services
to customers developing their own proprietary designs.
To "drive" the in-car digital convergence revolution, Xilinx recommends the
Spartan-II FPGA family and the CoolRunner and 9500XV CPLD families. The Xilinx
CPLD families are qualified to the automotive temperature range parameters. The
Spartan-IIE FPGA family is based on the very popular Virtex family. Spartan-IIE
extends the legacy of the Spartan series, with more gates, better performance, and
enhanced features. The Spartan-IIE family offers digital delay locked loops,
programmable I/Os, on-chip block memory, and densities up to 300,000 system gates.
These features and densities, coupled with enhancements to software and an
increased number of available IP cores, provide a reduced time-to-market and
increased time-in-market at a much lower cost. Xilinx also has a range of IP cores such
as memory controllers, system interfaces, DSP, communications, networking, and
microprocessors.
Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB), Radio Data broadcasting Systems (RDS), and the
Traffic Message Channel (TMC) are set to change car stereo systems as we are
witnessing massive innovations toward telematic applications. Until recently,
analogue radio signals, such as FM, have been subject to numerous kinds of
interference between the transmitter and the radio. Mountains, high rise buildings,
and atmospheric conditions can cause these problems. DAB uses these effects as a
reflector creating multi-path reception conditions to optimize receiver sensitivity.
Since DAB always selects the strongest regional transmitter automatically, the in-car
receiver will always be the focal point of incoming radio signals. DAB is broadcast on
terrestrial networks and is received using a small non-directional stub antenna. The
reception is CD-like quality without the annoying interference or signal distortion.
DAB is not only able to carry audio but can also carry text, pictures, data, and video. In
this application, time to market and price is a key factor when selecting components to
perform such tasks as decoding the incoming data stream. Xilinx CPLDs are an ideal
fit in this product as they are low cost and easy to design with. By completing a design
in the Xilinx WebPACK™, software designs can be input, simulated, and programmed
into a device in a matter of hours.
Passenger entertainment and on-board interactive information systems are just
around the corner. Newer vehicles will have multiple display terminals, and personal
audio sets will become available for passengers.
Although DAB/RDS systems are starting to be very popular in Europe, they are not in
demand yet in other regions. Video and gaming systems are starting to ship in
significant numbers in Japan, but not in other regions yet.
These new multimedia products are thought to have the effect of entertaining
passengers and reducing driver interruption, allowing these solutions to be marketed
as new entertainment, convenience, and safety systems. Some of the latest
technologies, such as DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), are already finding their way into
the in-car entertainment market. DVD players are replacing CD-ROM (Compact Disk
- Read Only Memory) players in car navigation systems, mostly being used to replay
prerecorded video, interactive video games, and other such high-density software
titles. The evolution of in-car entertainment continues at the same pace as
development in consumer entertainment markets.
Motorola has designed and developed a new in-car Internet radio prototype called
iRadio, a revolutionary concept for in-vehicle information and entertainment via
wireless Web access.
iRadio will enable drivers to capture music on demand, listen to real time traffic
reports, download audio books, access voicemail, receive the latest news and weather
reports, get updated stock portfolio information, and access Email. These off-board
mobile multimedia features will be delivered wirelessly via Web access, satellite,
digital cellular, and FM sideband technologies.
A number of infotainment system manufactures are designing Multi-Media Platforms
(MMPs) that integrate functions such as DVD, DAB radio, MP3 player, and other
functions. The MMP is a building block for future enhancements and technological
advancements for in-car infotainment. Many of these platforms are based on FPGA
technology to allow for future growth and enhancements and also accommodate new
standards and interfaces. These platforms have the potential to be updated and
upgraded in situe to provide new emerging audio and visual pleasures such as MP3
audio.
Car safety is one of the primary concerns in the automotive industry and we have seen
over the years the addition of airbags, seat belt pre-tensioners, side impact beams, and
other structural enhancements. We are now seeing the emergence of car driver
assistance systems to augment the more "physical" safety enhancements. The latest
car driver assistance system is based around a video processing system located in the
rear view mirror and dashboard of the vehicle. The system processes data from both
inside and outside the car. It analyzes erratic road movements or leaving the lane if the
driver has fallen asleep and automatically corrects and brings the car to a gentle stop.
The system also analyzes outside light levels compared to road conditions, such as
curves, and adjusts the headlamp luminosity and direction accordingly. This driver
assistance system also measures distance to the car in front and if an accident is
imminent it will ensure activation of the airbag systems. The distance sensors can also
aid when parking your vehicle. Xilinx FPGAs are ideal for implementing complex
imaging and DSP functions and have been used in car driver assistance systems.
Choosing how large your hard-drive, how much RAM you require may soon be as
common as choosing what color your vehicle will be in the list of car options. It is
predicted that the AutoPC will become an integral part of the make up of your vehicle
by integrating all audio, visual, internet connection, cell phone, and navigation
functions into one small PC; which will fit into the dash board where the typical car
radio usually fits.
This addition to the average family car will enable an office on the move along with
playing DVDs for the rear passengers and downloading the latest MP3 file to pipe
through to your car speakers. This addition will allow you to purchase items
advertised on the radio by reading your credit card details and authenticating it via
the dash mounted smart card reader, dialing up the appropriate website from details
provided by the RDS function of your radio, and then transacting an on-line purchase
via wireless internet connection.
Internet traffic is doubling every 100 days so it is conceivable to imagine this
technology migrating to standard in-car equipment very soon. At Visteon, Ford's auto
electronic business, a Pentium and Microsoft CE based Information; Communications,
Entertainment, and Safety (ICES) platform contains numerous features. It includes a
CD player for audio, a DVD player for movies (displayed via a LCD screen), a cellular
telephone, Internet access for e-mail and information, and a global positioning system.
The company plans to add MMX features in its second generation system. For safety
purposes and to keep the driver's attention on the road all system commands are
voice-activated.
A similar system was developed at GM's Delphi subsidiary. GM worked closely with
IBM, Sun Microsystems, and Netscape to come up with a system that offers essentially
the same tools and features as the Visteon unit. GM and IBM took the client-server
approach in their system development. In a prototype, the car (client) was connected
to a satellite, which provided access to the Internet and geo-graphic positioning. Data
was beamed at a rate of 400K baud from a satellite to an antenna built into the roof of
the test car. Digital audio from an Internet broadcast was beamed at the rate of 80K
baud, producing CD-quality sound.
IBM also is working on a system for Mercedes-Benz in which an embedded PowerPC
chip performs as a server, and other electronic systems -- climate control,
entertainment, information, and communication units -- are the clients.
Typical services offered are:
• Entertainment -- audio CDs, DVDs, games, etc.
• Communications -- Internet access, cellular phone, GPS navigation, IR link to
PDA/laptop
• Information -- news, weather, traffic, email, engine diagnosis, etc.
• Navigation -- route finder, map, etc.
All under voice control, commands given verbally and feedback from the unit in
digitized voice.
Some of the major in-car audio system designers are producing their own version of
the AutoPC that fit into the dashboard. These multi-functional in-dash systems are
available as aftermarket products, but will be installed as standard or optional features
in high-end vehicles beginning in late-2001 or 2002. As the price of electronic systems
declines, they will be placed in mid-priced cars and eventually, all vehicles.
Because the AutoPC is designed to fit into the space usually occupied by the standard
audio system the electronic design has to be highly integrated. Many manufacturers of
these products are looking to system-on-a-chip technology but with short time-scales
to meet consumer demand. FPGAs lend themselves very well to this environment
having the ability to absorb interface logic, decoding, encoding, and Digital Signal
Processing (DSP) functions. Ball Grid Array (BGA) packaging techniques allows many
millions of system gates to occupy very little space on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB).
FPGAs can offer a great advantage over ASIC equivalents by reducing time to market
and can by upgraded in-dash using Internet Reconfigurable Logic (IRL). IRL can be
used to great advantage in this fast moving area as the Internet connection is already
there in the AutoPC. If the hardware needs to be upgraded to implement new
functions or standards, then this is achieved by Internet based FPGA reconfiguring.