It doesn’t seem too long ago that the electrical system in a vehicle was mostly concerned with lights, starter motors, radios and windshield wipers. Those days are long gone. The automotive industry is currently realizing a dramatic increase of electronic equipment for onboard vehicle control. In modern cars, a variety of electronic control units (ECU) delivers sophisticated real-time control functionality.
In the automotive industry, there is little doubt that electronics growth will continue. To remain competitive, it is crucial to seamlessly integrate the new technology. Whether it’s an entertainment system, keyless entry, a back-up camera or touch screen navigation, the role of the automotive manufacturer is increasingly becoming that of a system integrator working closely with its suppliers.
There is a long tradition in the industry of working with suppliers, and a number of suppliers that exist deliver similar systems to vehicle manufacturers. Automotive suppliers are more than happy to fill the needs of manufacturers, and the ever increasing importance of electronics in automobiles brings with it a growing challenge and need for low-cost, reliable electronic systems. These systems are not isolated and must communicate with each other.
Historically, automotive electronics have relied on proprietary, dedicated wire communication schemes (at least for many sensor systems) and directly wired power outputs. This has led to excessive wiring, and wiring consumes space, adds weight and expense, and can be difficult to maintain.
Fortunately, advances in vehicle-networking standards are addressing these issues with the wide adoption of Controller Area Network (CAN) and Local Interconnect Network (LIN) architecture. These network standards are providing a balance between performance and cost optimization across automotive systems. CAN provides a high-speed network for chassis, powertrain and body-backbone communications, while LIN answers the need for a simple network for sensor and actuator subsystems that reduces cost and improves robustness through standardization. Together, the vehicle networking standards and advanced mixed-signal processes provide an opportunity for automotive manufacturers to introduce affordable new electronic systems as well as reduce costs. They also improve maintenance and reliability while providing advanced convenience and safety features, like collision avoidance.
The widespread adoption of CAN and LIN standards is an important development for automotive electronics and becomes much more significant in conjunction with recent advances in mixed-signal semiconductor processes.
Adopting standardized vehicle-networking architectures and using more highly integrated mixed-signal ICs bring several advantages at the system level. The first is an improvement in a system’s robustness and diagnostics. By adopting standardized networks for two-way communication, diagnostic and failure information can be obtained when there are issues with the system.
The second is a reduction in wiring requirements. Using standardized vehicle-networking architectures, it is possible to build a feature- and diagnostic-rich system that requires only three wires. Reduced wiring requirements have less cost, less weight, will be easier to install at the factory, and will help reduce the potential for failure.
Integration also leads to other advantages and savings. Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) and housings can be smaller, allowing for improved and more flexible placement in the vehicle, with less concern about where and how to run the wires. Through the use of fewer components, there are fewer items to keep in inventory, qualify and monitor. Some of these factors also lead to a reduction in weight and space consumption, factors that are always important in vehicle design.
This advance is another step in increasing the intelligence and capabilities of automotive systems. We’re already witnessing this increased intelligence and capability with complex navigation systems, Internet access, passenger entertainment, ABS brakes, engine management systems and advanced stability control. The next generation of mixed-signal automotive integrated circuits (ICs) will integrate even more performance and processing power. It will provide programmable features and added flexibility that will be used to address the automotive electronic system needs of tomorrow. As these systems become more advanced, the possibilities are limited only by the applications that vehicle designers can imagine and that the end customer is willing to purchase.
