Imagine a smart and safer car that senses and interacts directly with other vehicles and with the environment to improve occupant safety and convenience. The proliferation and evolution of active safety features are leading us down the path toward autonomous vehicles.
Looking forward, cars soon are likely to be “talking” to each other and to the roads. Car-to-car information sharing can alert vehicles miles behind that the cars ahead are slowing down, warning drivers and their vehicles.
Smart intersections will allow stop signs and traffic lights to communicate with vehicles, as sensors report if another vehicle is running a red light or encourage safe sequencing in merging vehicles. Traffic lights could also be synchronised to improve traffic flow — and fuel efficiency — and if there is only one vehicle sitting at a traffic light late at night, the light could be programmed to turn green.
ADAS—developed with Mobileye–is a vision based solution with presence in more than 27 leading car brands. The 4th generation device is developed on ST’s 28nm FD-SOI process. “We also offer the first 77 GHz single-chip RX/TX IC in the market along with an expanded family of 24 Ghz receivers with multiple RX/TX channel in a single package, for automotive applications. In V2X (vehicle-to-infrastructure) Communications, we are working closely with Autotalks and together we bring know how in positioning, processing platform, and security.”
The Wi-Fi 802.11p solution we’re developing offers an effective solution for crash avoidance, cooperative cruise assist, emergency vehicle approaching, roadwork alert, and green-light speed advisory that is compatible with the latest NHTSA (US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) specifications.
Smart-driving systems related to:
- Car electrification and fuel economy
- Autonomous driving system and Active Safety
- Connected car and infotainment, where the vehicle is a technology hub and
- Addressing the digital revolution in the car are the ones that find most applicability.
The future for the autonomous car is quite bright and green through effective solutions for hybrid and electrical vehicles. There will be specific solutions in battery charging technologies, direct Injection engine management, and Brush-less DC Motor drivers.
“A green vehicle is connected and uses a GNSS technology. Also a collaborative innovation network based on third party software platform where users share their localized position together and with the infrastructure will provide the necessary information to prevent collision and optimize the fluidity at traffic lights, minimizing congestion. They also help drivers prevent accident, saving time and energy.”
There is a broad portfolio of technologies available for the Smart Car. ST Microelectronics however, would involve in infotainment, telematics, ADAS, and V2X technologies. “We have built a solid road-map, with continuous evolution, in collaboration with the leading original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Smart technologies include sensors, cameras, radars, microcontrollers, computing for sensors, cloud and data transfer, and are often found in infotainment & Global Positioning Systems (GPS).”
ST’s objective in pushing the smart driving challenge, is to drive investments according to the vision for evolution of their product portfolio for infotainment, telematics, ADAS and V2X technologies, and to build a solid road-map in continuous evolution, established in collaboration with the leading OEMs.
After 20 years in the market, ST are now applying their technologies into Smart Driving to foster growth in the automotive sector. They have a rapidly expanding automotive-sensor portfolio including a broad range of sensors adding intelligence to make cars more energy-efficient and comfortable, while keeping drivers and passengers safe.
Inputs from Mr. Bipin Pande, technical marketing manager, automotive product group, STMicroelectronics India.
