At the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2020, Aptiv officially unveiled the design concept of intelligent vehicle architecture (SVA). Since then, Aptiv has continued to innovate in its efforts to bring future cars and mobility into the real world, and at this year's CES, it showcased a series of recent developments around SVA, including power data centers (PDCs), vehicle central controllers (CVC) and other regional controllers, so that SVA is already fully operational and supports the realization of software-defined cars.
Image source: Aptiv
SVA is an upgradable, open vehicle architecture platform that reduces total cost of ownership and facilitates mass production of feature-rich, highly automated vehicles. The platform is a hierarchical architecture that contains logical blocks that can be flexibly expanded, providing a platform for automotive software innovation, greatly simplifying the vehicle architecture, and combining different applications with each other. Under the SVATM architecture, the development and upgrading of new functions has become easier and more efficient, improving the lifecycle management of the vehicle and enabling OEMs to define the user experience functions they want to provide.
At this year's CES, the Aptiv booth showcased a working SVATM architecture. When the narrator approaches the architecture, the zone controller in the architecture is immediately woken up. This demo reflects the car's rapid response to support keyless door opening, phone keys, and other features that require instant response. Assuming that this architecture is an electric vehicle, when the owner approaches, some key elements of the system will be immediately turned on, which will greatly simplify the vehicle start process, speed up the car start- speed, so that the car is ready to start at any time before the owner is aware of it.
Network latency issues are an important challenge for intelligent connected vehicles. Taking the steering wheel as an example, at present, the car is connected to the steering wheel by an independent network rotation sensor to ensure the smooth operation of systems such as traction control and anti-lock braking. Engineers can reduce costs by changing the topology and eliminating this independent network without compromising performance. This requires the network to address latency issues. Aptiv demonstrated an almost perfectly synchronized instant response at the stand.
SVA Applications: Optimized hardware solutions
SVA is very easy to scale and can be applied from entry/compact models (typically less I/O) to L4 models with autonomous driving capabilities.
Zone controllers are seen as the next logical step in driving the evolution of automotive architectures to SVA. The SVA architecture presented by Aptiv includes two zone controllers, also known as power data centers (PDCs), located on the front and rear sides of the body. PDC extracts the inputs/outputs (I/O) of sensors and actuators around the vehicle from the computing power (OSP, CVC, etc.) responsible for processing. In addition, it significantly simplifies hardware interchangeability by eliminating the reliance of the device layer on the compute layer through a standardized, service-based API.
The number of zone controllers varies depending on vehicle requirements and complexity, but in practical cooperation with customers, Aptiv found that the configuration of three PDCs was often the best approach.
The zone controller is the logical focal point for multiple ECUs, helping to reduce cost and weight. In a study for an OEM, Aptiv found that the area controller could integrate nine ECUs while saving hundreds of independent wires – resulting in an 8.5 kg reduction in the weight of the vehicle. Every little weight reduction means a reduction in CO2 emissions and an increase in the range of electric vehicles.
In addition, because zone controllers divide the vehicle's electrical infrastructure into multiple sections that are easier to manage, harness assembly is easier to automate.
The SVATM architecture can also realize personalized user experience function customization, users can choose their favorite car driving sound, open door sound, panel light color, login preferences set to ensure network security, ADAS function, etc. These personalizations are processed by being transferred online to the back office via the cloud toolkit, and are finally presented on the vehicle architecture designed according to SVA.
In other words, with SVATM, suppliers can customize automotive functions such as ADAS, infotainment, and smart cockpits for automakers. In addition, Aptiv also offers an open platform and development kit with standardized interfaces, on which OEMs or third-party developers can further define and develop individual settings and functions.
Aptiv launches Central Vehicle Controller (CVC)
One of the highlights of Aptiv's exhibition is the Central Vehicle Controller, or CVC for short. It is the latest system from Aptiv. As a key component of the SVA architecture, the system is responsible for translating software code into physical action. As a router for all data communication, CVC connects various devices in the vehicle in real time to handle the ordering and information scheduling of network traffic.
CVC is a key component of all advanced automotive architectures, especially suitable for the Zal architecture (partition architecture). In this application scenario, the CVC is the zone master, responsible for coordinating the operation of all zone controllers in the vehicle. PDCs still retain I/O, but most of the body control functions are located within the CVC.
In fact, CVC can integrate all functions such as power and body controllers, driver and chassis controllers, data network routers, gateways, firewalls, area masters, and data storage centers. That is, it can perform all these functions.
CVC also manages time synchronization, a feature that determines how effectively multiple systems in the car work together. By defining the network in CVC, expensive router hardware configured for other devices can be removed, further reducing the cost of the vehicle. In the case of managing turn signals, when an application needs to turn on the left light, the CVC selects a specific area controller to communicate to send a flash signal, while managing the timing of all area controllers and isolating these details from the application. In hybrid networks, this approach ensures that more critical traffic, such as radar data, is transmitted in a timely manner.
How can SVATM middleware (PDC, CVC) unleash exponential innovation while reducing vehicle costs?
There are two main ways:
First, Aptiv abstracts the hardware with well-defined interfaces and APIs that completely isolate in-car and cloud-based applications from the vehicle's mechanics. This speeds up the development process, increases reuse, and ensures that developers can focus on optimizing the user experience.
Second, redeveloping existing code is a meaningless task. The Aptiv tool suite supports seamless upward integration, simplifying the integration and validation process, especially for existing code. It produces verifiable behavior for time-sensitive applications, ensuring that the system is both predictable and repeatable. This means that engineers can shorten the development cycle without compromising safety or performance.
In software-defined cars, a transport layer is needed that translates programming into car functions, just as a transport layer between the human brain and the nervous system translates the brain's decisions into actions. In SVA, this transport layer can be set up in either PDC or CVC, depending on the OEM's individual requirements.
SVATM middleware such as PDC and CVC is the bridge between signals and actions.
Previously, a car sent a signal to a device through a body controller, which then performed its functions. In the new generation of service-centric architectures, automotive capabilities are presented as services, and applications that require this functionality are subscribed to. This trend is certainly a good thing for newly developed applications, but we still need to provide support for legacy software. When you've just tuned the sunroof algorithm just right, the last thing you want to face is a change! However, engineers have to face the challenge of software integration that contains legacy code.
Middleware such as PDC and CVC allow OEMs to make full use of the original software, rather than "tearing it down and starting over." It makes software integration simpler and more efficient, while blocking interference between functions when needed. For most body functions, Aptiv's middleware solutions have been proven to reduce integration effort by 30 to 50 percent, as well as more than 10 percent of testing, validation and quality-related work.
Introduction to the Aptiv Open Service Platform (OSP).
Aptiv also showcased its Open Service Platform (OSP). With an open domain control, Aptiv shows how OSP can improve the scalability of automotive features and functions.
OSP is responsible for running the complex software needed in areas such as advanced security and in-vehicle infotainment and user experience tasks.
One of SVATM's goals is to improve the scalability of automotive features and functions, whether throughout the vehicle lifecycle, platform, décor, or personalization. OSPs with standardized interfaces, combined with the right development tools such as the Aptiv Continuous Delivery toolkit, will unleash exponential innovation.
Case 1: In-car user experience application
At present, the application of sensor technologies such as radar and cameras in the cockpit is still in its infancy, and is limited to applications such as driver condition monitoring systems (DDS). However, the application of sensor technology in the cockpit has become the next clear development direction.
Wide-angle cameras are often used in the cockpit, which also covers the passenger seat and rear seats. Not only can the system see if the driver's hands are on the steering wheel, but it can also perform a variety of value-added functions. For example, it can identify the front passengers and adjust the seats accordingly, ensure that the passengers wear the seat belt correctly, and combine artificial intelligence technology to remind the passengers of the items pulled on the car.
Case 2: Applications in the field of driving safety
As automotive automation increases, automotive architecture requires more powerful data processing capabilities, and optimization of subsystems is becoming increasingly important.
Aptiv's radar-centric solutions meet these needs. It has strong data processing power, low energy consumption, and strong adaptability to environmental factors.
Radar-centric system configurations are not only more powerful but also less expensive than systems based on vision sensors such as cameras. Radar-centric systems require a 60 percent reduction in computing power and energy consumption, and at least 25 percent lower system costs. Moreover, the radar not only has good distance and speed detection capabilities, but also can be flexibly installed in various positions of the car. It can be safely placed behind the body panels, away from dirt and dust. In addition, compared to cameras, the application of radar avoids many privacy issues. Finally, due to its all-weather performance, radar plays an important role in extending the operational design of vehicles. It works well at night or in adverse lighting conditions, as well as in rain, snow and fog, ensuring the availability of the relevant functions.
Of course, radar also has some limitations, but Aptiv is effectively eliminating these limitations through artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques. By applying AI/ML to radar, Aptiv has significantly improved its performance, allowing it to identify objects with greater precision while requiring only a small amount of data to better understand the environment around the vehicle.
These technological breakthroughs are enabling Aptiv and its vehicle customers to apply radar-centric solutions more widely, significantly reducing system cost and power consumption.
Breaking through bottlenecks: Aptiv launches a new development approach to "continuous delivery"
At present, the traditional automobile development method has become a major bottleneck in technological innovation.
Bottleneck 1: Because the safety and life of the car are at stake, the development of automotive systems has traditionally adopted a "requirements-centric" development approach. This approach helps ensure that safety and regulatory issues are properly addressed, but it is often also necessary to make decisions about the various definitions of the system early in development and to continuously follow up on development and validation results. This means that complex systems often require thousands of integration tests.
Bottleneck two: many systems are equipped with embedded software, and the testing of these software must be carried out with hardware to ensure the normal operation of the software. Therefore, engineers must add the appropriate hardware when testing, which increases the complexity of the test.
Real-time response is a key consideration for automotive system development, not only for the safety of the car, but also for the user's perception.
Therefore, in general, engineers need to test the corresponding software on the hardware to ensure that the operation of the software will not be affected by changes in the operating environment, so the time required for testing is also extended by the need to assemble the corresponding hardware. Be aware that the operation of a set of software often involves multiple pieces of hardware, and these hardware often come from different manufacturers. Therefore, in order to test a set of software, engineers often need to spend more effort to assemble the required hardware neatly.
Moreover, embedded software often has many bottlenecks, such as computing power, limited memory, the need for multiple and unrelated tools, the requirement of real-time response, and the existence of connectivity problems, and so on. Because of these limitations, tools such as coordinators, hypervisors, loaders, or maintenance class code are not practical. In addition, because they interact directly with the physical world, inputs and outputs are required, and these outputs cannot always be generated or reliably inspected by software testing alone.
In actual development, to carry out thousands of software integration tests, and to carry out code integration every day, it is conceivable that engineers will spend a lot of time and energy on software testing alone.
The traditional development method is to test at the customer to achieve the goal, resulting in the CI chain is scattered across the customer and supplier development teams, and it is very difficult to collaborate.
In order to solve the above bottlenecks, Aptiv invested a lot of manpower and material resources and successfully developed a toolkit called "continuous delivery", which perfectly solved the above development bottlenecks. At CES, Aptiv presented this set of development tools to the industry.
Aptiv showcases the latest technologies related to electric vehicles at CES
Aptiv is a leader in high-voltage electrification, and the solutions presented by Aptiv are committed to achieving a more sustainable future of mobility in a more efficient way.
Shorter charging cycles
With the demand for higher range, the battery is getting bigger and bigger, which means that the charging power needs to be increased, otherwise the charging wait time will be longer, and this is certainly not the result we want! As a result, battery technology is steadily moving towards high-voltage systems.
Aptiv's fast charging technology has become an industry leader. Aptiv's charging guns and charging plugs meet fast charging needs – whether ac or DC. The key to increasing the charging speed is to manage the heat to be compatible with higher currents. Aptiv's charging systems measure the temperature of the connection nodes and use this data to actively optimize the charging cycle. Aptiv's modular, serviceable charging jacks integrate active cooling channels to extract heat to support high voltages and fast charging.
Apfort uses the first-on-the-market direct contact technology to increase the current intensity from 200 amps to 500 amps, charging up to 5 times faster than existing products.
Battery life and cost are another major challenge for electric vehicles. At present, the best way to improve battery life is still to reduce the weight of the car. Aptiv offers a range of lightweight solutions for this purpose.
The Aptiv high-voltage system uses a flat busbar as a conductor, which is not only robust and flexible, but also reduces the height by about 70%, thus taking up less battery space, which not only helps to load more battery packs, but also helps to dissipate battery heat. In addition, compared with the soft cotton wiring harness, the flat busbar is more conducive to automated assembly, which is conducive to improving the level of automated assembly.
Aptiv's unique 4-way junction connector adopts a conventional equipment connection system and can also be used as a connection board, which effectively reduces the number of vehicle connectors and corresponding cables, and makes cable routing more efficient.
Aptiv's wiring harness portfolio is also centered on optimizing the vehicle system, helping the vehicle to optimize harness assembly, improve wiring, and improve the level of automated assembly.
Aptiv is uniquely positioned to help vehicles optimize vehicle systems for more efficient and scalable eviction architectures by reducing system complexity and applying its "Smart Vehicle Architecture".