MIPI A-PHY 2.0 boosts data links to 32Gbit/s
The MIPI Alliance has released the latest version of its A-PHY specification for software defined vehicles and driverless cars.
The MIPI A-PHY-v2.0 doubles the maximum data rate of the SerDes interface in emerging vehicle architectures and simplifies the integration of image sensors and displays for next-generation ADAS and autonomous driving applications
The A-PHY v2.0 specification doubles the maximum available downlink data rate to 32Gbit/s from 16Gbit/s on a single channel, as well as adds an additional uplink gear with an eight-fold speed boost to support up to 1.6Gbit/s. These enhancements are designed to support the higher bandwidth requirements for zonal and other emerging architectures in next-generation vehicles.
MIPI A-PHY was purpose-built to provide high-performance links between automotive image sensors and displays and their associated electronic control units (ECUs). It was developed to simplify the integration of greater numbers of onboard sensors and displays for applications such as advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), modern digital cockpits, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) and autonomous driving systems (ADS).
A-PHY offers a reach of up to 15m with low packet error rate of 10-19 over a vehicle’s lifetime, high noise immunity and ultra-low latency, along with very low bandwidth channel requirements. It also forms the foundation of the MIPI Automotive SerDes Solutions (MASS), an end-to-end framework for connecting cameras, sensors and displays with built-in functional safety, security and data protection.
The specification also includes enhancements to address the increasing bandwidth and performance requirements needed for software-defined vehicles (SDVs), and zonal and other emerging vehicle architectures with PAM4 modulation up to 16 Gbit/s and the addition of two new gears, G6 and G7, with PAM8 and PAM16 encoding, for speeds 24 and 32 Gbit/s respectively.
The faster 1.6 Gbit/s uplink supports symmetrical gigabit Ethernet channels over A-PHY links for command and control of automotive peripherals.
To aid implementation, no changes were made in the upper layers of A-PHY v2.0 so that migration from previous versions would have minimal impact. Version 2.0 is fully interoperable with A-PHY v1.1 and v1.0, and devices using all three specifications can coexist on the same network.
“MIPI A-PHY continues to evolve to provide unprecedented bandwidth and increased implementation flexibility while still maintaining its superior noise immunity and resiliency,” said Sanjiv Desai, chair of MIPI Alliance. “This new version allows A-PHY to meet an even greater range of speed and design needs, and provides a strong roadmap to address the future demands of the rapidly evolving automotive industry.”
A-PHY compliance
To support testing and implementation, MIPI Alliance is developing a compliance programme to provide OEMs and device manufacturers with assurance that their devices are compliant with the A-PHY specification.
The programme is being introduced in a phased approach, with the next test event scheduled for early December 2024.
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