Automotive Innovators Hit High Gear in - Xilinx

COVER STORY
As developers seek to use a given set of sensors to perform
multiple DA tasks, DSP-only systems can’t do the job effectively.
As a result, the role of FPGAs will expand.
the side and rear of the automobile to monitor
whether another car is approaching a
driver’s blind spot. If so, the system will
display a warning light to inform the driver
that someone is there, perhaps reducing
the amount of time drivers spend looking
over their shoulders and allowing them to
keep their eyes on the road ahead.
Barnden is waiting to see if blind-spot
detection will take off as a market. He
notes that in 2007, the automotive industry
sold 300,000 units. OEMs typically
offer the systems only in high-end vehicles,
such as the Audi Q7 luxury SUV.
Barnden said that blind-spot detection
becomes more compelling when OEMs
combine it with other DA systems. For
example, if a driver took his or her eyes off
the road to double check what was going
on in a blind spot, the adaptive cruise control
would sense a slowdown and adjust the
speed accordingly.
“That’s why driver’s assistance is so interesting,”
said Barnden. “There are all these
things coming together that can really
change the driving experience and provide
some useful and helpful advice to the driver.”
Barnden sees great growth potential in
another emerging DA technology called
lane departure warning—and great potential
for FPGAs to power these systems.
Lane departure warning systems typically
use a camera module mounted on the
rearview mirror to gather images of the
road ahead. “Typically there is a DSP or,
increasingly, an FPGA that is doing highspeed
math to identify the white markings
on the road to help users see what lane
they are in relative to the road ahead,” said
Barnden. And should the driver swerve
into another lane accidentally, perhaps
because he or she is sleepy or busy tuning
the radio, the system would sound an
audible warning, jiggle the driver’s seat or
make the steering wheel vibrate.
But the system will not send a warning
if the driver first uses the turn indicators
before changing lanes, Barnden notes. So
in essence, the technology not only warns
drivers if they are accidentally swerving
into another lane, but also encourages
good driving habits.
OEMs today offer lane departure
warning systems in their highest-end vehicles
(Peugeot-Citron, BMW, Infineon,
Cadillac and Buick), and in 2007, sold
just under 1 million units. “I see that as
one of the highest-growth segments going
forward, growing to 17 million units over
the next decade,” said Barnden. “I think
one in every four vehicles will have the
technology by 2015.”
Like lane departure warning systems,
another emerging DA technology, sign
recognition, uses forward-facing cameras
to read signs posted on the sides of the
road. “For example, the system could see
a speed indicator and detect that you’ve
gone past the sign, and display on the
dashboard that you are now in a 30-mph
zone,” said Barnden. “Or it could display
things you may have overlooked, such as
‘no right on red.’”
Sign recognition systems are still
largely in development and must overcome
some big challenges before coming
to market, Barnden said. For example, if
you are driving past a series of signs
grouped very closely together, the system
may have to figure out how to prioritize
which sign to display to the driver. One
road sign could read “Speed Limit 35
mph,” for instance, and the next one,
“Flooding Ahead.” Clearly, the system
would need to display the more ominous
of those two signs.
“The technology could prove very useful,”
said Barnden. “It’s an assistance system
to inform the driver, but the liability
still remains with the driver.”
The Future: FPGA Platforms
Drive Sensor Fusion
While all these segments of DA systems have
advanced rapidly over the course of the last
10 years, experts say the real innovation is just
beginning. Indeed, those designing DA systems
and other automotive electronics are in
the process of combining many of these functions,
for example using one set of sensors to
perform multiple jobs and then connecting
them with other ECUs in the automobile.
The idea is to reduce system cost, along with
the cost and heft of the wire harness that links
these multiple systems—thereby cutting fuel
consumption. Ultimately, that will make the
automobile more affordable and environmentally
friendlier.
A key to fusing these advanced systems is
the use of FPGA platforms. Many first- and
second-generation systems that use ultrasonic,
radar and camera-based sensor technologies
have relied on DSPs, or DSPs in
conjunction with FPGAs, to quickly perform
the calculations needed to inform
drivers of their surroundings. But as DA
systems become more complex—and especially
as developers seek to use a given set of
sensors to perform multiple DA system
tasks—experts say DSP-only systems can’t
do the job effectively. As a result, the role of
FPGAs will expand.
For example, Xilinx’s Zoratti said that
evolving a basic lane departure warning system
to simultaneously evaluate the road
ahead for sign recognition and oncoming
headlamps requires a significant amount of
compute power as well as advanced algorithm
development.
“Today, DSPs can perform the computing
for less advanced systems,” said Zoratti.
“But as the systems become more advanced,
and especially as companies start using sensors
to do multiple functions and interconnect
them with other systems, DSPs just
don’t have the compute horsepower. The
12 Xcell Journal Fourth Quarter 2008