EPN Automotive Electronics Blog

The pole keeps watch

While classic traffic light cameras - sometimes even with chemical film - are still very common in Europe, their days are numbered. That doesn't mean that red light violations won't be controlled any longer, but the cameras are becoming multifuctional and even more inconspicuous. A rather elegant traffic control system is being installed in Estonia.

Threewise triple MCU

In modern automotive systems, various bus systems, rigid safety demands and the need for high performance at low power have to be balanced. While there are many specialized automotive chips like microcontrollers and SoCs around, this  is an area where the general trend towards higher integration finally makes sense.

When cars communicate

It seems to be a sure deal that vehicle-to-vehicle communication is the next big thing. It may not be a mature technology and there are many unclear issues concerning the communication protocol and, most important, security. Apart from those practical things, it isn't even totally clear what V2V will be good for. However, researchers and semiconductor companies are busy preparing for this future of automotive technology.

Safer ECUs

The ISO 26262 functional safety standard for road vehicles poses various problems for component manufacturers as well as for system integrators. Luckily, not all control units in a car are that safety critical, but the ones that need to comply require extensive checking and testing during all stages of product development.

IAA 2011: An extra eye on the road

One of the hottest among the hot topics at IAA 2011 - Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung - in Frankfurt is safety. Safety for driver and passengers but also for pedestrians and all the other traffic on the road.

How to mislead the public

The German motoring organization ADAC has just published its annual Emergency Road Service statistics. In a bout of misguided patriotism, the association interpreted the results as a huge success for German cars. Even a superficial glance on the making of the report shows that this is only true by omitting a very important fact.

Sensors against collisions

A big deal for Jenoptik, manufacturer of optical components: The East-Germany-based company just signed a long-term delivery contract with automotive supplier Magna and expands its production of sensors for the automotive industry.

ABS for two wheels

In 2008, the number of motorcyclists involved in fatal accidents in the European Union amounted to 5520 – 14% of all road deaths. Since the introduction and standardization of ABS has lowered

Model truck

Inefficient driving techniques can increase carbon emissions and raise fuel consumption by as much as 10%. For a company with 20 trucks, each driven 120,000 kilometres a year, this translates to 200 tons

Sensitive for crash situations

More safety – less dead victims: Freescale Semiconductor expands its Xtrinsic sensing portfolio with “intelligent” radar technology. Using Silicon Germanium (SiGe) instead of Gallium Arsenid (GaAs), the 77 GHz chipset enables vehicles to sense potential crash situations, claims the company.