By Mark Elo
At CES this year, the Automotive Hall showcased the next generation of drive chains, in-vehicle networks and sensors, all operating in concert to change our driving experience forever.
Many automotive manufacturers and tier one suppliers showed how today’s advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) will evolve to complete multiple autonomous systems working together to form a larger intelligent system.
Ultimately these efforts will improve our transport experience, while improving the carbon footprint of the automobile and reducing road congestion. You can even avoid congestion altogether with the Bell’s Nexus hybrid engine flying taxi. Be sure to check out some snapshots of vehicles that stood out for me below.
Tektronix enables innovation
Tektronix plays an important role in all of this. We enable the development of core technologies driving this revolution with test solutions for electric and hybrid electric drivetrains, networking and sensor development.
During this year’s event, we demonstrated our solutions for in-vehicle network (IVN) testing including Automotive Ethernet, CAN and CAN-FD. The star of the show was the 5 Series MSO Mixed-Signal Oscilloscope with its ultra-responsive pinch/zoom/swipe touchscreen and options for CAN, CAN-FD, FlexRay, LIN and Ethernet; and advanced trigger capability that lets you get to the root of the problem.
The 5 Series MSO was seen in a number of demonstrations at the event. Intrepid Control Systems featured a complete connectivity demo with Amazon Alexa connected through the cloud into an IntrepidCS neoODB 2 Pro IoT interface, pushing CAN-FD data to an instrument cluster, all monitored by a 5 Series MSO.
Dataspeed Inc. demonstrated how Lidar and video sensors driving a neural network along with the company’s ADAS drive-by-wire technology can be used to avoid pedestrians. A 5 Series MSO was used in this demo for CAN-FD signal quality and traffic measurements.
Also worth mentioning, during the event Tektronix affirmed its support for the HDBaseT Alliance and will be working with the technology’s developer Valens to provide compliance and protocol analysis solutions. HDBaseT Automotive enables high-speed tunneling of audio, video, Ethernet, USB, PCIe, and more, with native networking capabilities over a single unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cable for up to 15 m (50 ft.), while meeting the stringent EMC requirements of the automotive sector.
IntrepidCS showed a complete connectivity demo, with a voice enabled control of vehicle systems demonstration. Amazon Alexa, hooked through the cloud into an IntrepidCS neoODB 2 Pro IOT interface, pushing CAN data to an instrument cluster, monitored by a Tektronix 5 Series MSO Mixed Signal Oscilloscope.
LIDAR and video sensors were used to drive a neural network to demonstrate how Dataspeed Inc. ADAS drive-by-wire technology can be used to avoid pedestrians. The Tektronix 5 Series MSO is used for CAN-FD signal quality and traffic measurements.
Tektronix showed attendees how to measure the signal integrity of a PAM3 signal across a short run Automotive Ethernet cable. Understanding how these signals perform in the harsh, noisy environment of a car is key when ensuring a comfortable and safe driving experience.
Exciting new transport tech at CES
Is Bell’s Nexus six-rotor flying taxi concept the future of transport? Its Hybrid fuel-efficient engine is powered from a mix of onboard batteries and a gas turbine.
Chinese electric vehicle maker Byton was on hand with its K-Byte sedan along with the M-Byte crossover. The K-Byte is designed as a Level 4 autonomous vehicle, meaning it will require some driver intervention. The company plans to bring it to market in 2021.
The Audi Aicon concept is expected to be on the road by 2021 and will offer Level 5 automation – a full driverless experience – and lacks a steering wheel and other driver controls.
To learn more about the full range of Tektronix automotive solutions, please visit this automotive solutions page.