On Electronics
Sensing More from Crashes
A new sensor from data recording technology company Diversified Technical Systems (www.dtsweb.com), the DTS 6DX, is just 28-mm square and 16.5-mm high, weighs and a mere 26 grams, but is made to take a punch and provide multiple streams of data afterwards. The sensor incorporates three linear accelerometers and three angular rate sensors in a single data gathering system. When combined with the DTS e-Sensing Slice Micro or Slice Nano data recorders there are six output channels to provide the numbers to calculate things like a vehicle’s acceleration vector and to plot its motion in 3D. The rugged unit was created for high-speed impact and monitoring applications for rollovers as well as suspension, ride, and handling.
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| The CAR infotainment portal, which QNX is offering up for free to OEM and tier one users developing prototypes. |
Effectively Embedding Web Apps
Web applications will continue to proliferate in the car. The big question is: how is this going to work out with the embedded chips and infotainment systems that are in there?
QNX Software (www.qnx.com) is a middleware company attempting to bridge between sometimes-disparate OEMs, tier one system integrators, chip makers and popular Web-based apps, such as streaming Internet radio providers like Pandora (www.pandora.com). The firm recently launched what it calls the “QNX Connected Automotive Reference” (CAR), a platform designed to test internet applications across different vehicle chip architectures and consumer devices, and to help reduce development and prototyping time for all supply chain players. The CAR provides two platforms, a digital instrument cluster and a multi-node infotainment system, and supports chips and microprocessors from Freescale, Fujitsu, Intel, Renesas, Nvidia, and Texas Instruments. QNX is also trying to tweak the business model somewhat by providing free access to its CAR portal for “qualified” OEMS and tier ones, and says it will only charge for those projects that actually go into production program.
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| Grabbing and analyzing CAN data using The MathWorks’ Vehicle Network Toolbox and MATLAB. |
Connecting with CAN
A new tool from The MathWorks called the Vehicle Network ToolBox connects its data crunching and analysis MATLAB system directly into a vehicle’s controller area network (CAN). The tool was created to cut down on ancillary CAN connection systems, resulting in faster access to live vehicle communication data to improve simulations, test cells and prototyping vehicles and components. The Vehicle Network Toolbox works via the Windows platform and is priced starting around $1,000.
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| The Grote LightForm film being shown here is being powered by a AA battery. |
LED the Way
It twists, it bends, it illuminates. Grote Industries’ (www.grote.com) LightForm material embeds energy-thrifty light emitting diodes (LEDs) into a pliable 1-mm thick film. Grote says the material consists of a top substrate, bare-die LEDs, a laminating layer, and a bottom substrate. It’s powered by a handheld battery pack, and is suited for both interior and exterior vehicle lighting. Grote says it can be applied in a peel-and-stick fashion, eliminating the need to drill holes or otherwise secure it with fasteners. The company is producing limited quantities and plans a commercial launch before the end of 2009.
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