Mentor Blogs

Posts tagged with 'Audi'

Protecting automotive ECUs

Posted Nov 25, 2011, by John Day

Counterfeit automotive electronic components and manipulation of electronic control unit (ECU) coding are potentially serious problems for automakers.  Chipmaker Infineon Technologies suggests that counterfeiting results in billions of dollars in financial loss annually, as well as possible safety risks, and code manipulation presents both safety and liability issues. To help control the problem, … Read More

Tags: Volkswagen, Secure Hardware Extension (SHE), AUDO MAX microcontrollers, Audi, Infineon Technologies, Porsche, Daimlre, Hersteller Initiative

A partial solution is a big step forward

Posted Aug 20, 2011, by John Day

A partial solution usually implies a need for ongoing work until the problem at hand is finally solved, but that’s not the case with CAN (Controller Area Network) partial networking. Despite the name, it’s a major step forward in automotive efficiency, and it’s a lot closer than I realized until this week when NXP introduced a CAN transceiver (TJA1145) and an integrated system basis chip (UJA1168) that … Read More

Tags: TJA1145 CAN transceiver, Porsche, UJA1168 system basis chip, AUTOSAR R3.2.1, Audi, Volkswagen, ISO 11898-6, NXP Semiconductors, CAN partial networking, Daimler

Hansen cites trends affecting electrical distribution systems

Posted Jun 27, 2011, by John Day

Speaking at Mentor Graphics IESF Detroit conference earlier this month, Paul Hansen, editor and publisher of The Hansen Report on Automotive Electronics (http://www.hansenreport.com) addressed four topics that strongly influence what electrical distribution systems will look like in the coming years. They are the German initiative to develop a 48-volt bus architecture and 48-volt components, a German … Read More

Tags: 48-volt bus architecture, Mentor Graphics IESF Detroit, The Hansen Report on Automotive Electronics, higher voltage power supplies, partial networking technology, Paul Hansen, body control modules, Volkswagen, Mentor Graphics Capital suite, Electrical Distribution Systems, stop/start syswtems, Mercedes, CAN transceiver, Porsche, mild hybrid vehicles, Audi, Delphi

Wireless data plans

Posted Mar 28, 2011, by John Day

For some time now, carmakers have been focused on allowing customers to use smart phones and other connected devices inside vehicles. The idea, for the most part, was to leverage the customer’s data plan, with the manufacturer allowing certain apps on the customer’s cell phone to be controlled from the head unit or steering wheel. Then, earlier this month, two car companies announced agreements with … Read More

Tags: Google Local Search, Google Earth, Microsoft value-charging feature, AT&T, Sprint Drive First, AT&T cellular connection, T-Mobile SIM card, T-Mobile USA, Add new tag, wireless mobile, MyFord Mobile app, Audi MMI Navigation Plus, secure mobile Wi-Fi hotspot, Ford Focus Electric, Sirius Traffic, Audi, Sprint, Audi Connect

Tired of being stuck in traffic?

Posted Jan 28, 2011, by John Day

It’s hard to imagine that anyone enjoys getting stuck in traffic. It’s a colossal waste of time, not to mention a waste of fuel, and millions of people endure it routinely. When companies like INRIX say they provide real-time traffic information, I wondered, does it make a difference? This week INRIX announced that Audi selected INRIX XD Traffic to provide real-time traffic information and traffic-powered … Read More

Tags: Clear Channel Radio, INRIX, Audi

New consortium tackles automotive ECU diagnostics

Posted Jul 21, 2010, by John Day

Four German automotive firms are embarking on a three-year collaborative research project to see if they can make vehicle diagnostics more like science than art. Audi, Continental, Infineon, and ASIC/ASSP developer ZMD estimate that up to 40 percent of vehicle electronics errors can’t be precisely diagnosed, which isn’t a huge surprise considering that cars these days contain 80-something electronic … Read More

Tags: German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits, IKT 2020, ASSP, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Audi, University of Stuttgart, University of the Federal Armed Forces, ASIC, ZMD, Infineon, DIANA research project, Information and Communications Technology 2020 program, end-to-end diagnostics, NPR's "Car Talk", Automotive Electronics, University of Cottbus

Outrageous!

Posted Jan 7, 2010, by John Day

Readers of the New York Times were shocked – shocked – by a January 7 article headlined “Despite Risks, Internet Creeps Onto Car Dashboards.” Most of the nearly 500 Times readers who posted comments on the paper’s Web site voiced outrage that the automotive industry, in its greed and stupidity (paraphrasing here), would have the audacity to offer such disastrous wares when so much attention is already … Read More

Tags: Distracted Driving, Ford, Audi, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Infotainment, New York Times