Broadcom, NXP, Freescale and Harman join forces to establish in-car Ethernet
OPEN stands for "One Pair Ether-Net" and refers to Broadcom’s success in providing an Ethernet PHY/MAC technology that can transmit 100Mbit Ethernet signals over inexpensive two-wire unshielded cables — a major advantage over competing fibre optic cables and LVDS wiring. The technology has been developed in close cooperation with carmakers BMW and Hyundai. The OPEN SIG has announced to address industry requirements for improving in-vehicle safety, comfort and infotainment while reducing network complexity and cabling costs. In addition, the group plans to establish its technology as an open standard.
NXP has licensed Broadcom’s technology dubbed BroadR-Reach and announced to develop semiconductors on this basis. From the company’s perspective, which claims the pole position in the IVN semiconductor market, Ethernet is complementary to existing IVN technologies such as CAN, LIN, LVDS and FlexRay.
As cars evolve into ever more sophisticated and connected electronic environments, there is increasing demand among OEMs and design engineers for an IVN technology that can handle high-bandwidth applications without being excessively expensive. Broadcom BroadR-Reach Ethernet technology has significant cost advantages over other high-bandwidth IVN technologies such as LVDS, based on its ability to operate over single unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cabling. Not only is single UTP less expensive and lower in weight than shielded cabling, the technology is already in use by CAN- and LIN-based control systems, enabling BroadR-Reach to run over existing in-vehicle networks.
One of the key applications driving high-bandwidth IVN is camera-based security, a safety feature that may become mandatory for new vehicles in countries such as the US in the future. By networking a series of cameras mounted on the outside of the vehicle, the driver can get a 360-degree view of what’s happening around the car displayed via the dashboard. Other high-bandwidth applications that Ethernet could support include networked infotainment – one of the reasons why infotainment company Harman, otherwise a strong proponent of the competing MOST technology, has jumped the Ethernet bandwagon.
Another advantage of using Ethernet as an IVN technology is that it is a globally recognized standard that supports IP-based networking. This makes it much easier to adapt existing IP software and applications from the consumer and business markets for automotive use, speeding the development of the connected vehicles of the future.
Rob Hoeben, director of marketing and business development for Ethernet, NXP Semiconductors, said the company regards Ethernet as the best choice for high-bandwidth IVN and believes that BroadR-Reach is the superior technology in this field. Against the background of the existing Broadcom development, NXP has chosen to partner with Broadcom rather than undertake a parallel R&D program. "This enables us to reduce development costs, and also to bring new technologies to the automotive market more quickly. We believe that licensing BroadR-Reach will give a major boost to its adoption as a de facto standard for IVN Ethernet," Hoeben explained, adding that the first NXP product samples using the BroadR-Reach technology will be available in 2013.
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