The signal strength of automotive radar can be estimated from the target radar cross section and distance. Greg Lee, Keysight Technologies Sir Robert Watson-Watt is generally credited as radar’s inventor, having developed the first practical system in 1935 and later applying radar to aircraft and weather. We’ve since used radar to monitor everything from ballistic […]
FAQ
Evolving radar technology in ADAS
Lidar may become unnecessary for future autonomous vehicles thanks to advances in highly integrated RF chips. Prajakta Desai, Texas Instruments Over the years, the application of radar within the automotive industry has improved both safety and convenience. Radar can work in extreme environmental conditions such as rain, snow, dust and bright sunlight and also provide […]
Keeping hackers out of GPS receivers
Resilient GPS/GNSS receivers protect inertial navigation systems from jamming and spoofing. Maria Simsky, Septentrio The demand for accurate and affordable navigation is on the rise thanks to the growth of automation and robotization. Of course, the go-to technology for navigation is GPS—able to locate receiver position to within 16 ft or less—and other GNSSs: Russia’s […]
Keeping autonomous vehicles on track
What autonomous vehicle developers need to know about inertial navigation systems. James Fennelly, Acienna inertial measurement systems The inertial navigation system (INS) is essential to autonomous vehicles. It provides timing information for sensor synchronization and rapid updates of velocity, position, and attitude needed for the ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems). It complements perception sensors for […]
Planning for vehicle dynamics with simulation
Vehicle dynamics play an important role in validating intelligent systems. Michael Peperhowe, dSpace gmbh Advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous driving (ADAS/AD) functions are designed to make everyone on the road more safe. Design engineers have long validated these functions by simulating them in test scenarios involving other vehicles, pedestrians, and obstacles. But it is […]
The basics of dielectric resonator antennas
The mmWave equipment on connected vehicles may sport dielectric resonator antennas that look nothing like conventional antennas. Automotive designers have always put a premium on technologies that are light-weight and compact. The preference hasn’t changed for connected vehicles. As connected features increasingly rely on mmWave frequencies, designers investigate ways of shrinking the size of radio […]
Writing a bootloader for Arm Cortex-A35/A5X microprocessors
By Aaron Bauch, Senior Field Application Engineer, IAR Systems Design specifications require the ability to update a device’s firmware in the field dynamically. This is done commonly via a bootloader. Designing a bootloader, however, is challenging as it must meet various requirements. For example, the mechanism for getting the new application into the MPU is […]
What is the controller area network (CAN) bus?
The controller area network (CAN) bus was developed to support the networking of large numbers of electronic control units (ECUs) in automobiles. CAN is implemented using unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cabling, designed for reliability in electromagnetically noisy environments. CAN has evolved significantly since it was first introduced in 1986, along with early ECUs. Today, there […]
What is the onboard diagnostics system, OBDII?
OBDII is the second-generation onboard diagnostic (OBD) interface. The first generation of OBD coincided with the advent of onboard computers in vehicles. Initial OBD systems were intended to provide technicians with information on the status of various vehicle systems, with an indicator light on the dash to alert drivers of a malfunction. OBDII includes more […]
How is the MOST bus optimized for the automotive industry?
The media-oriented systems transport (MOST) bus was initially intended for implementation on optical fiber to support high bit rates, but fiber and copper transport layers are currently defined. MOST provides a solution for automotive peripherals like radios, CD and DVD players, GPS navigation systems, and infotainment electronic control units (ECUs). This FAQ describes the MOST […]
