Volkswagen and LG Gear up with QNX

Design wins put QNX technology in a wide range of infotainment systems, instrument clusters, and ADAS solutions.

Earlier today, QNX Software Systems announced that infotainment systems powered by the QNX Neutrino OS are now shipping in several 2015 Volkswagen vehicle models, including the Touareg, Passat, Polo, Golf, and Golf GTI.

The systems include the RNS 850 GPS navigation system in the Volkswagen Touareg, which recently introduced support for 3D Google Earth maps and Google Street View. The system also offers realtime traffic information, points-of-interest search, reverse camera display, voice control, Bluetooth connectivity, rich multimedia support, four-zone climate control, a high-resolution 8-inch color touchscreen, and other advanced features.

Bird's eye view: the RNS 850 GPS navigation system for the Volkswagen Touareg SUV. Source: VW

“At Volkswagen, we believe deeply in delivering the highest quality driving experience, regardless of the cost, size, and features of the vehicle,” commented Alf Pollex, Head of Connected Car and Infotainment at Volkswagen AG. “The scalable architecture of the QNX platform is well-suited to our approach, enabling us to offer a full range of infotainment systems, from premium level to mass volume, using a single, proven software base for our Modular Infotainment Modules (MIB) and the RNS 850 system.”

QNX and LG: a proven partnership
QNX also announced that LG Electronics’ Vehicle Components (VC) Company will use a range of QNX solutions to build infotainment systems, digital instrument clusters, and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) for the global automotive market.

The new initiative builds on a long history of collaboration between LG and QNX Software Systems, who have worked together on successful, large-volume telematics production programs. For the new systems, QNX will provide LG with the QNX CAR Platform for Infotainment, the QNX Neutrino OS, the QNX OS for Automotive Safety, and QNX Acoustics for Voice.

“QNX Software Systems has been our trusted supplier
for more than a decade... helping LG deliver millions
of high-quality systems to the world’s automakers”
— Won-Yong Hwang, LG's VC Company
“QNX Software Systems has been our trusted supplier for more than a decade, providing flexible software solutions that have helped LG deliver millions of high-quality systems to the world’s automakers,” commented Won-Yong Hwang, Director and Head of AVN development department, LG Electronics’ VC Company. “This same flexibility allows us to leverage our existing QNX expertise in new and growing markets such as ADAS, where the proven reliability of QNX Software Systems’ technology can play a critical role in addressing automotive safety requirements.”

Visit the QNX website to learn more about the Volkswagen and LG announcements.

To infotainment... and beyond! First look at new QNX technology concept car

The new car delivers everything you’d expect in a concept vehicle from QNX. But the real buzz can be summarized in a four-letter word: ADAS

The technology in today's cars is light-years ahead of the technology in cars 10 or 20 years ago. The humans driving those cars, however, have changed little in the intervening years. They still need to focus on a host of mundane driving tasks, from checking blind spots and monitoring road signs to staying within the lane and squeezing into parking spaces. In fact, with all the technology now in the car, including a variety of brought-in devices, some drivers suffer from information overload and perform worse, instead of better, at these crucial tasks.

Advanced driver assistance systems, or ADAS, can go a long way to offset this problem. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes — from drowsiness monitoring to autonomous emergency braking — but most share a common goal: to help the driver avoid accidents.

Which brings us to the new QNX technology concept car. As you’d expect, it includes all the advanced infotainment features, including smartphone connectivity and rich app support, offered by the QNX CAR Platform for Infotainment. But it also integrates an array of additional technologies — including cameras, LiDAR, ultrasonic sensors, and specialized navigation software — to deliver ADAS capabilities that simplify driving tasks, warn of possible collisions, and enhance overall driver awareness.

Mind you, the ADAS features shouldn’t come as any more of a surprise than the infotainment features. After all, QNX Software Systems also offers the QNX OS for Automotive Safety, a solution based on decades of experience in safety-critical systems and certified to ISO 26262, Automotive Safety Integrity Level D — the highest level achievable.

Okay, enough blather. Time to check out the car!

The “I want that” car
If the trident hasn’t already tipped you off, the new technology concept car is based on a Maserati QuattroPorte GTS. I won’t say much about the car itself, except I want one. Did I say want? Sorry, I meant lust. Because omigosh:



The differentiated dash
Before we run through the car’s many features, let’s stop for a minute and savor the elegant design of its QNX-powered digital instrument cluster and infotainment system. To be honest, I have an ulterior motive for sharing this image: if you compare the systems shown here to those of previous QNX technology concept cars (here, here, and here), you’ll see that they each project a distinct look-and-feel. Automakers need to differentiate themselves, and, as a group, these cars illustrate how the flexibility of the QNX platform enables unique, branded user experiences:



The multi-talented digital instrument cluster
Okay, let’s get behind the wheel and test out the digital cluster. Designed to heighten driver awareness, the cluster can show the current speed limit, display an alert if you exceed the limit, and even recommend an appropriate speed for upcoming curves. Better yet, it can display turn-by-turn directions provided by the car’s infotainment system.

Normally, the cluster displays the speed limit in a white circle. But in this image, the cluster displays it in red, along with a red bar to show how much you are over the limit — a gentle reminder to ease off the gas:



Using LiDAR input, the cluster can also warn of obstacles on the road ahead:



And if that’s not enough, the cluster provides intelligent parking assist to help you back into tight spaces. Here, for example, is an impromptu image we took in the QNX garage. The blue-and-yellow guidelines represent the car’s reverse trajectory, and the warning on right says that you are about to run over an esteemed member of the QNX concept team!



The rear- and side-view mirrors that aren’t really mirrors
By their very nature, car mirrors have blind spots. To address this problem, the QNX concept team has transformed the car’s rear- and side-view mirrors into video displays that offer a complete view of the scene behind and to the sides of the vehicle. As you can see in this image, the side-view displays can also display a red overlay to warn of cars, bikes, people, or anything else approaching the car’s blind zones:



The ADAS display for enhancing obstacle awareness
I don’t have pictures yet, but the car also includes an innovative LED-based display lets you gauge the direction and proximity of objects to the front, rear, and sides of the vehicle — without having to take your eyes off the road. Stretching the width of the dash, the display integrates input from the car’s ultrasonic and LiDAR sensors to provide a centralized view of ADAS warnings.

The easy-to-use infotainment system
To demonstrate the capabilities of the QNX CAR™ Platform for Infotainment, we’ve outfitted the car with a feature-rich, yet intuitive, multimedia head unit. For instance, see the radio tuner in the following image? That’s no ordinary tuner. To change channels, you can just swipe across the display; if your swipe isn’t perfectly accurate, the radio will automatically zero in on the nearest station or preset.

Better yet, the radio offers “iHeart drive anywhere radio.” If you drive out of range of your favorite AM/FM radio station, the system will detect the problem and automatically switch to the corresponding digital iHeartRadio station. How cool is that?



Other infotainment features include:

• Natural voice recognition — For instance, if you say “It’s way too cold in here,” the HVAC system will respond by raising the heat.
• Integration with a wide variety of popular smartphones.
• Support for multiple concurrent app environments, along with a variety of Android and HTML5 apps, as well as an HMI built with the Qt framework.
• A backseat display that lets passengers control HVAC functions, navigation, song selection, and other infotainment features.

The oh-so-awesome partners
The car is a testament not only to QNX technology, but to the ecosystem of technology partners that provide complementary solutions for QNX customers. Peek under the hood, and you'll find the latest tech from Elektrobit, iHeart, Nuance, Pandora, Parkopedia, Phantom Intelligence, Qualcomm, RealVNC, Rightware, and TE Connectivity.

The other stuff
Do not, for one minute, think that the Maserati is the only attraction in the QNX booth. Far from it. We will also showcase a significantly revamped QNX reference vehicle, outfitted with lane departure warnings, traffic sign recognition, and other ADAS features, as well as the latest version of the QNX CAR Platform — more in an upcoming post.

Visitors to the booth will also have the opportunity to experience:

• a 3D navigation solution from Aisin AW
• a digital instrument cluster designed by HI Corporation
• two QNX CAR Platform demo systems, one powered by a dual-core Intel Atom E3827 processor, the other by an NVIDIA Tegra Visual Computing Module
• the latest incarnation of the Oscar-winning Flying Cam SARAH aerial camera system

There’s experience, and then there’s experience

Or how a single word can have a trunkful of meanings.

"Liked your blog post. It was so random.” That, believe it or not, is one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. You may think it funny that I see this as a compliment. But truth be told, randomness is part of my mental DNA — as anyone who has attempted to hold a conversation with me can attest. Even Google seems to agree. A few years ago, they temporarily closed my Blogger account because, according to their algorithms, my posts consisted of random, machine-generated words. I kid you not.

So why am I going on about this? Well, someone asked me about QNX Software Systems’ experience in the automotive market and, sure enough, my mind went off in several directions all at once. Not that that’s unusual. In this case, however, there was justification for my response. Because when it comes to cars and QNX, experience has a rich array of meanings.

First, there is the deep experience that QNX amassed in the automotive industry. We’ve been at it for 15 years, working hand-in-hand with car makers and tier one suppliers to create infotainment systems, digital instrument clusters, connectivity modules, and handsfree units for tens of millions of vehicles.

Next, there’s the experience of working with QNX the company. In the auto industry, almost every automaker and tier one supplier has unique demands — not to mention immovable deadlines. As a result, they need a supplier, like QNX, that’s deeply committed to the success of their projects, and that can provide the expert engineering services they need to meet start-of-production commitments. No shrink-wrapped solutions for this crowd.

Then, there’s the experience of using QNX technology to build automotive systems — or any type of system, for that matter. Take the QNX OS, for example. Its microkernel architecture makes it easier to isolate and repair bugs, its industry-standard APIs make it easy to port or reuse existing code, and its persistent publish/subscribe technology offers a highly flexible approach to integrating high-level applications with low-level business logic and services.

And last, there’s the experience of using systems based on QNX technology. One reason we build technology concept cars is because words cannot express the rich, integrated user experiences that our technology can enable — experiences that blend graphics, acoustics, touch interfaces, natural language processing, and other technologies to make driving simpler and more convenient.

Nor can words express the sheer variety of user experiences that our platform makes possible. If you look at the QNX-powered infotainment systems that automakers ship today, it soon becomes obvious that they aren’t cookie-cutter systems. Rather, each system projects the unique values, features, and brand identity of the automaker. For evidence, look no further than GM OnStar and the Audi Virtual Cockpit. They are totally distinct from each other, yet both are built on the very same OS platform.

On a personal note, I must mention one last form of experience: that of working with my QNX colleagues. Because that, to me, is the most wonderful experience of all.

One day I’ll be Luke Skywalker

Cyril Clocher

What happens when you blend ADAS with infotainment? Guest post by Cyril Clocher, business manager for automotive processors at Texas Instruments

As we all begin preparing for our trek to Vegas for CES 2015, I would like my young friends (born in the 70s, of course) to reflect on their impressions of the first episode of Lucas’s trilogy back in 1977. On my side, I perfectly remember thinking one day I would be Luke Skywalker.

The eyes of young boys and girls were literally amazed by this epic space opera and particularly by technologies used by our heroes to fight the Galactic Empire. You have to remember it was an era where we still used rotary phones and GPS was in its infancy. So you can imagine how impactful it was for us to see our favorite characters using wireless electronic gadgets with revolutionary HMIs such as natural voice recognition, gesture controls or touch screens; droids speaking and enhancing human intelligence; and autonomous vehicles traveling the galaxy safely while playing chess with a Wookiee. Now you’re with me…

But instead of becoming Luke Skywalker a lot of us realized that we would have a bigger impact by inventing or engineering these technologies and by transforming early concepts into real products we all use today. As a result, smartphones and wireless connectivity are now in our everyday lives; the Internet of Things (IoT) is getting more popular in applications such as activity trackers that monitor personal metrics; and our kids are more used to touch screens than mice or keyboards, and cannot think of on-line gaming without gesture control. In fact, I just used voice recognition to upgrade the Wi-Fi plan from my Telco provider.

But the journey is not over yet. Our generation has still to deliver an autonomous vehicle that is green, safe, and fun to control – I think the word “drive” will be obsolete for such a vehicle.

The automotive industry has taken several steps to achieve this exciting goal, including integration of advanced and connected in-car infotainment systems in more models as well as a number of technologies categorized under Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that can create a safer and unique driving experience. From more than a decade, Texas Instruments has invested in infotainment and ADAS: “Jacinto” and TDAx automotive processors as well as the many analog companion chips supporting these trends.

"Jacinto 6 EP" and "Jacinto 6 Ex"
infotainment processors

A unique approach of TI is our capability to leverage best of both worlds for non-safety critical features, and to provide a seamless integration of informational ADAS functions into existing infotainment systems so the vehicle better informs and warns the driver. We announced that capability at SAE Convergence in Detroit in October 2014 with the “Jacinto 6 Ex” processor (DRA756), which contains powerful CPU, graphics multimedia, and radio cores with differentiated vision co-processors, called embedded vision engines (EVE), and additional DSPs that perform the complex ADAS processing.

For the TI’s automotive team, the CES 2015 show is even more exciting than in previous years, as we’ve taken our concept of informational ADAS to the next step. With joint efforts and hard work from both TI and QNX teams, we’ve together implemented a real informational ADAS system running the QNX CAR™ Platform for Infotainment on a “Jacinto 6 Ex” processor.

I could try describing this system in detail, but just like the Star Wars movies, it’s best to experience our “Jacinto 6 Ex” and QNX CAR Platform-based system in person. Contact your TI or QNX representative today and schedule a meeting to visit our private suite at CES at the TI Village (N115-N119) or to immerse yourself in a combined IVI, cluster, megapixel surround view, and DLP® based HUD display with augmented reality running on a single “Jacinto 6 Ex” SoC demonstration. And don't forget to visit the QNX booth (2231), where you can see the QNX reference vehicle running a variety of ADAS and infotainment applications on “Jacinto 6” processors.

Integrated cockpit featuring DLP powered HUD and QNX CAR Platform running on a single “Jacinto 6 Ex” SoC.

One day I’ll experience Skywalker’s life as I will no doubt have the opportunity to control an intelligent and autonomous vehicle with my biometrics, voice, and gestures while riding with my family to the movie theater playing chess with my grandkids, not yet a Wookiee.

QNX celebrates crystal anniversary in automotive

Long-term success in the auto market relies on a potent mix of passion, persistence, innovation, and quality. And let's not forget trust.

Imagine, for a minute, that you are a bird. Not just any bird, but a bird that can fly 11,000 kilometers, non-stop, without food or rest.

That’s hard to imagine, I know. But the bird in question — the bar-tailed godwit — is very real, and its ability to fly across vast distances is well documented. Every year, as winter approaches, the godwit lifts off from its breeding grounds in Alaska, bears southwest, and doesn't stop beating its wings until it touches down in New Zealand. Total uninterrupted flight time: 216 hours.

The godwit epitomizes indomitable drive, infused with a dose of pure stick-with-it-ness. Qualities that, to me, characterize QNX Software Systems’ success in the auto market — a story that took flight 15 years ago.

Bar-tailed godwit: long-distance champion
© Andreas Trepte

It all started in 1999, when Motorola and QNX unveiled mobileGT, an automotive reference platform based on the QNX Neutrino OS. For the first time, QNX publicly threw its hat into the automotive ring. Mind you, QNX was already busy behind the scenes: 1999 also marked the first year that QNX technology shipped in passenger vehicles. It’s been a steady climb ever since, and you can now find QNX technology in tens of millions of vehicles.

There are many technical reasons why QNX has become a premier software provider for the automotive market. But for automakers and their tier one suppliers, technology alone isn’t enough. They also need to know that, as a supplier, you are deeply committed to the success of their projects — like the flight of the godwit, bailing out halfway isn’t an option. They also need to trust that, when you say you’ll do something, you will. And that you’ll do it on time. Even if you have to cross an ocean to do it.

In short, you might enter this market because of your skills and passion, but you thrive in it because you behave as a real partner, working in concert with your customers and fellow technology suppliers. That’s why I refer to our fifteenth anniversary in the car business with the same language used to describe a fifteenth wedding anniversary. Because we’re committed, we’re passionate, and we’re in for the long haul.

The power of together

Bringing more technologies into the car is all well and good. The real goal, however, is to integrate them in a way that genuinely improves the driving experience.

Can we all agree that ‘synergy’ has become one of the most misused and overused words in the English language? In the pantheon of verbal chestnuts, synergy holds a place of honor, surpassed only by ‘best practices’ and ‘paradigm shift’.

Mind you, you can’t blame people for invoking the word so often. Because, as we all know, the real value in things often comes from their interaction — the moment they stop acting alone and start working in concert. The classic example is water, yeast, and flour, a combination that yields something far more flavorful than its constituent parts. I am speaking, of course, of bread.

Automakers get this principle. Case in point: adaptive cruise control, which takes a decades-old concept — conventional cruise control — and marries it with advances in radar sensors and digital signal processing. The result is something that doesn’t simply maintain a constant speed, but can help reduce accidents and, according to some research, traffic jams.

At QNX Software Systems, we also take this principle to heart. For example, read my recent post on the architecture of the QNX CAR Platform and you’ll see that we consciously designed the platform to help things work together. In fact, the platform's ability to integrate numerous technologies, in a seamless and concurrent fashion, is arguably its most salient quality.

This ability to blend disparate technologies into a collaborative whole isn't just a gee-whiz feature. Rather, it is critical to enabling the continued evolution and success of the connected car. Because it’s not enough to have smartphone connectivity. Or cloud connectivity. Or digital instrument clusters. Or any number of ADAS features, from collision warnings to autonomous braking. The real magic, and real value to the consumer, occurs when some or all of these come together to create something greater than the sum of the parts.

Simply put, it's all about the — dare I say it? — synergy that thoughtful integration can offer.

At CES this year, we will explore the potential of integration and demonstrate the unexpected value it can bring. The story begins on the QNX website.

First impressions are the most lasting

Lynn Gayowski

Preparations for 2015 CES in January are in full swing at QNX Software Systems, both in and out of the garage. Thus, with fond memories in mind, the time has come to graduate our 2014 technology concept car, based on a Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG, to a CES Car of Fame. The Mercedes will always hold a special place in my heart, as it was the first technology concept car I got to experience hands-on since joining the QNX team.

If I were to describe this concept car with one word, I would choose "user-centric". (I love how hyphens can really help in these succinct situations.) We designed the infotainment system and digital instrument cluster with a vision to help drivers interact in new and seamless ways with their vehicles. This concept car is a great example of how QNX technology can enable a more natural user experience.

As we hum a few bars of Sarah McLachlan's classic I Will Remember You, let's look back at some highlights.

The first thing that catches your eye is the matte exterior and stylish lines, exuding just a soupçon of James Bond:



But let's get to the technology. At 21" by 7" the touch screen is a showstopper. It brings a rich, graphical interface to both driver and passenger. This is where you can really see the user-centric design, with options to control the infotainment system with the touch screen, physical buttons, a jog wheel, or voice commands:



We really wanted to use the car to highlight the flexibility of the QNX CAR Platform and how customers can easily modify features using the platform's pre-integrated technologies. A great example of this is the car's navigation system. The car actually has 4 different navigation solutions installed, demonstrating how automakers can choose a solution best suited for a particular geography or language. EB Street Director is featured in this photo:



The infotainment system may wow you, but don't forget about the cluster. The Mercedes has a dynamically reconfigurable digital instrument cluster that can display turn-by-turn directions, notifications of incoming phone calls, video from the car's front and rear cameras, as well as a tachometer, speedometer, and other virtual instruments, at a full 60 frames per second. The cluster can even notify you of incoming text messages on your phone. Simply push a steering-wheel button, and the system will read the message aloud, so you can keep your eyes on the road.



Another cool feature is the cluster's "virtual mechanic" which lets you access vehicle info like tire pressure, brake wear, and fuel, oil, and windshield fluid levels:



What car of the future would be complete without connectivity? A custom "key fob" app allows you to remotely access system maintenance information, control the media player, locate the car on a map, and perform a number of actions like starting the car and opening window. This cross-platform HTML5 app can run on any smartphone or tablet:



As an overall view of the Mercedes, one of my favourite pieces is this video by Sami Haj-Assaad of AutoGuide, where he takes a look at the design and features of the car. His closing quote really sums up the innovation showcased: "The infotainment industry is going through a huge upgrade, with QNX leading the charge."



I hope you enjoyed the 2014 QNX technology concept car. Watch for the reveal of our 2015 technology concept car January 6 at CES in Las Vegas!