New-Tech Europe | March 2017 | Digital Edition

Automotive Special Edition

Figure 6: Wideband parts simplify the overall signal chain in T&M and military applications

ADAS Solutions CrossLink

ECP5 In addition to data bridging and aggregation, the more powerful and capable ECP5 can act as an intelligent hub for controlling and aggregating multiple sensors of different types. In addition, the ECP5 can perform image signal processing before sending the image data to the application processor, lowering the processing power needed in the application processor to perform these functions and improving overall performance in the car. Conclusion The flexibility of FPGAs have already proven invaluable in many industries. In the automotive space, FPGAs can help bridge the gap between the needs of advanced entertainment and safety systems, and the mobile processors on which they run. This business model

has distinct advantages; allowing automotive manufacturers to use mass market proven products from the smartphone space and rapidly adapting them to the changing needs of the car landscape. FPGAs may yet prove useful in other areas of the car as well. FPGAs are now beginning to show up in areas such as the motor control space in other industries and could prove useful in the automotive space as well. One thing is clear; as car electronics continue to advance, and especially as ADAS and other efforts continue to move the industry towards the driverless car future, more and more sensors will need to be integrated into these systems, and the need for FPGAs to provide the flexibility to adapt cameras, sensors, video, and higher speed connectivity to the changing needs of the market will only grow.

As in the infotainment space, CrossLink provides low power, low cost, sensor and camera interface bridging. This allows data from multiple image sensors to be aggregated and delivered via Crosslink to the AP via a single CSI-2 interface. The small footprint of CrossLink allows it to be placed closer to the sensor adding flexibility to manufacturing design. In the future, CrossLink could be used in upcoming radar systems for ADAS. CSI-2 is the interface of choice in such functions too. The radars are used for multiple topologies in conjunction to the imaging to enhance ADAS functions. Once again CrossLink comes to rescue by converting the CSI-2 to the input that can be accepted by the application processor.

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