Qualcomm Inc. through its subsidiary, Qualcomm Technologies, launched Wednesday the Qualcomm Connected Car Reference Platform aimed at accelerating the adoption of advanced and complex connectivity into the next-generation of connected cars. The Connected Car Reference Platform allows automakers and their suppliers to explore, prototype and commercialize connectivity designs using modules and solutions offered based on Qualcomm Technologies’ roadmap.
The Qualcomm Connected Car Reference Platform is expected to be available by the end of this year. 2016. Qualcomm Technologies is showcasing the Connected Car Reference Platform, along with application demos from collaborating companies including OTA updates by Movimento, V2X communications by Savari, Inc., and vehicle data management and analytics by Hortonworks, at the ongoing TU-Automotive Detroit conference.
The Connected Car Reference Platform is built upon Qualcomm Technologies’ broad automotive product and technology portfolio, including Qualcomm Snapdragon X12 and X5 LTE modems, quad-constellation Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and 2D/3D Dead Reckoning (DR) location solutions, Qualcomm VIVE Wi-Fi technology, Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) for V2X, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy and broadcast capabilities such as analog and digital tuner support using software-defined radio via Qualcomm tuneX chips.
In addition, the platform features in-vehicle networking technologies such as Gigabit (OABR) Ethernet with Automotive Audio Bus (A2B) and Controller Area Network (CAN) interfaces.
Qualcomm Technologies developed a product designed to maintain pace with an ever-increasing set of automotive use cases facilitated by the latest advances in 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications. The platform is also designed to solve for challenges such as wireless coexistence, future-proofing and support for a large number of in-car hardware architectures.
The Connected Car Reference Platform design uses a common framework that scales from a basic telematics control unit (TCU) up to a highly integrated wireless gateway connecting multiple electronic control units (ECUs) within the car supporting critical functions such as over-the-air software upgrades and data collection and analytics.
It also allows the vehicle’s connectivity hardware and software to be upgraded through its life cycle, providing automakers with a migration path from DSRC to hybrid/cellular V2X and from 4G LTE to 5G. It also manages concurrent operation of multiple wireless technologies using the same spectrum frequencies, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy, with OEM and third-party applications support that offers a secure framework for the development and execution of custom applications.
“With the Connected Car Reference Platform, Qualcomm Technologies has developed a platform for automakers, module OEM customers, and developers that emphasizes scalability, modularity and security for integrating and managing multiple cutting-edge wireless technologies inside vehicles,” said Nakul Duggal, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies. “We are pleased to introduce this platform to help enable best-in-class advanced connectivity solutions and services in upcoming vehicle designs.”
