Revolutionizing Automotive Certification with Robotics and AI

Revolutionizing Automotive Certification with Robotics and AI

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction
2. The Joint Solution: APEX.AI, SYSGO, and Renesas
3. The Challenges in the Automotive E/E Architecture
4. The Shift Towards Centralized and Zonal Architectures
5. The Role of Base Software in Automotive Development
6. An Introduction to ROS (Robot Operating System)
7. Bringing Cloud-Native DevOps to the Automotive Industry
8. The Apex.AI Solution for Automotive Safety
9. PikeOS: A Unified Software Platform for Automotive Middleware and Infrastructure
10. Renesas R-Car: A Wide Portfolio of Automotive Devices
11. The Envision Joint Solution on a Software Level
12. Integration of the Apex.AI LiDAR Demo with PikeOS on Renesas R-Car H3
13. Key Features of the Renesas R-Car V4H SoC
14. Key Takeaways

Introduction

Welcome to this webinar on the joint solution provided by Apex.AI, SYSGO, and Renesas. In this webinar, we will be discussing the next generation platform that combines robotics, AI, and real-time with automotive certification. We will cover various aspects of this joint solution, including the challenges in the automotive E/E architecture, the role of base software, an introduction to ROS (Robot Operating System), cloud-native DevOps in the automotive industry, the Apex.AI solution for automotive safety, PikeOS as a unified software platform, Renesas R-Car devices, the Envision joint solution, integration of the Apex.AI LiDAR demo, and the key features of the Renesas R-Car V4H SoC. By the end of this webinar, You will have a clear understanding of how this joint solution can help you in developing safe and efficient automotive software.

The Joint Solution: Apex.AI, SYSGO, and Renesas

The joint solution offered by Apex.AI, SYSGO, and Renesas brings together the expertise of three leading companies in the automotive software and hardware industries. Apex.AI is a software company specializing in developing automotive-grade software Based on open source platforms like ROS 2. SYSGO is a European vendor for embedded operating systems, offering products like PikeOS, a hard real-time operating system and hypervisor. Renesas is a leading-edge semiconductor company, with a wide portfolio of devices for the automotive market. Together, these three companies provide a complete solution for developing safe and secure automotive applications.

The Challenges in the Automotive E/E Architecture

The automotive E/E architecture is undergoing a significant transformation, moving from distributed architectures with multiple microcontrollers (MCUs) to domain-based architectures with ECUs and dedicated MCUs for each domain. This shift is driven by the need for centralized and zonal architectures, where vehicle functions are implemented as virtualized software. This change poses several challenges for automotive developers, including the need for software certification and the integration of various software components from different vendors. The joint solution offered by Apex.AI, SYSGO, and Renesas addresses these challenges by providing a unified software platform and certified components.

The Shift Towards Centralized and Zonal Architectures

In the automotive industry, there is a trend towards centralized and zonal architectures, where vehicle functions are no longer implemented as discrete physical components but as virtualized software. This shift is driven by the need for increased flexibility, scalability, and cost-efficiency in automotive development. By adopting a centralized and zonal architecture, automakers can easily update and upgrade vehicle functions by modifying or adding software components, without the need for expensive hardware changes. However, this shift also poses challenges in terms of software certification, safety, and security. The joint solution offered by Apex.AI, SYSGO, and Renesas provides a robust and certified software platform to address these challenges.

The Role of Base Software in Automotive Development

In the automotive industry, base software plays a crucial role in enabling the rapid development of vehicle functions. Base software provides a foundation for developing applications by providing essential functionalities and interfaces. It abstracts the complexity of underlying hardware and software components, making it easier for developers to focus on application logic. In the joint solution offered by Apex.AI, SYSGO, and Renesas, base software is provided by ROS (Robot Operating System), which is a flexible open-source platform for developing and prototyping applications. ROS has a large developer community and is widely used in the automotive industry for ADAS and autonomy prototyping.

An Introduction to ROS (Robot Operating System)

ROS (Robot Operating System) is a widely used open-source platform for developing and prototyping robotics applications. It provides a flexible and modular framework for building robotic systems, and it is used by a large community of developers and researchers worldwide. In the automotive industry, ROS is extensively used for ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) and autonomy prototyping. Automakers rely on ROS for its extensive library of tools, algorithms, and drivers, making it easier for them to develop and test new features and functionalities. The joint solution offered by Apex.AI, SYSGO, and Renesas leverages the power of ROS and extends it for automotive applications, ensuring safety and certification.

Bringing Cloud-Native DevOps to the Automotive Industry

The automotive industry is undergoing a transformation with the adoption of cloud-native DevOps practices. Cloud-native DevOps brings the benefits of cloud computing and software development practices to the automotive domain, enabling faster and more efficient software development processes. With cloud-native DevOps, automotive developers can develop, build, test, and deploy software applications in a cloud-based environment, and then seamlessly deploy them to vehicles. This approach allows for faster iterations and updates, as well as better integration between software and hardware components. The joint solution offered by Apex.AI, SYSGO, and Renesas provides tools and frameworks to enable cloud-native DevOps in the automotive industry.

The Apex.AI Solution for Automotive Safety

Apex.AI offers a software-first solution for automotive safety, enabling OEMs to develop functions independent of the hardware while maximizing OEM software assets. Apex.AI specializes in developing automotive-grade software based on open-source platforms like ROS 2. Their flagship products, Apex.OS and Apex.Middleware, provide a robust and certified software platform for developing safe and efficient automotive applications. Apex.OS is an open-source operating system based on ROS 2, hardened and certified to ASIL D, the highest level of safety certification in the automotive industry. The Apex.Middleware provides vehicle communication via APIs, supporting different automotive domains and technologies.

PikeOS: A Unified Software Platform for Automotive Middleware and Infrastructure

PikeOS is a unified software platform developed by SYSGO, offering both a Type-1 hypervisor and an RTOS (Real-Time Operating System). PikeOS has been certified to ASIL D as a software element out-of-Context and provides strict partitioning for mixed criticality between units. It enables the consolidation of systems that previously required the separation on ECU level. PikeOS supports a wide range of guest OS, including POSIX, Linux (including automotive-grade Linux), and AUTOSAR. It provides a comprehensive set of features for inter-device connectivity and communication, as well as fast and secure boot-up capabilities. PikeOS is a key component of the joint solution offered by Apex.AI, SYSGO, and Renesas.

Renesas R-Car: A Wide Portfolio of Automotive Devices

Renesas is a leading-edge semiconductor company with a wide portfolio of devices for the automotive market. Their main focus is on the automotive market, where they have a significant market share with products like RH850 and R-Car. Renesas has been investing in ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) and autonomous drive technologies for seven years, developing new ASIL D SoCs (System-on-Chips) with cutting-edge deep learning performance. Their devices are designed to address the diverse needs of the automotive industry, from entry-level ADAS to fully autonomous driving. The joint solution offered by Apex.AI, SYSGO, and Renesas leverages the capabilities of Renesas R-Car devices for developing safe and efficient automotive applications.

The Envision Joint Solution on a Software Level

The Envision joint solution provided by Apex.AI, SYSGO, and Renesas offers a comprehensive software platform for developing safe and secure automotive applications. The solution is compatible with heterogeneous platforms like the Renesas R-Car VH4 and homogeneous platforms like the R-Car H3e. It provides a basis for a wide range of automotive applications, from ADAS and autonomous driving to telematics, connectivity, and infotainment. The solution leverages the capabilities of PikeOS as a hypervisor and Apex.OS as a middleware, along with the Apex.Middleware for vehicle communication. With this joint solution, automakers can develop and deploy automotive applications from prototyping to certification.

Integration of the Apex.AI LiDAR Demo with PikeOS on Renesas R-Car H3

In the joint solution offered by Apex.AI, SYSGO, and Renesas, the Apex.AI LiDAR demo is seamlessly integrated with PikeOS on the Renesas R-Car H3 platform. The LiDAR sensors capture the surroundings as three-dimensional point clouds, which are then processed by Apex.OS nodes with different responsibilities. The processed data is distributed via Apex.Middleware to different nodes in the network, enabling tasks like data filtering, transformation, and object detection. The joint solution provides a secure and efficient environment for processing LiDAR data and extracting valuable insights for various automotive applications. The integration of the Apex.AI LiDAR demo with PikeOS demonstrates the power and versatility of the joint solution.

Key Features of the Renesas R-Car V4H SoC

The Renesas R-Car V4H is a powerful System-on-Chip (SoC) designed to address the needs of the automotive industry. It offers AI capabilities with 34 tops performance and 90% efficiency, making it ideal for ADAS and autonomous driving applications. The V4H is based on the latest 7nm automotive-qualified technology, ensuring low power consumption and high performance. It is fully developed according to the ASIL D process, with an ASIL D for the real-time domain and ASIL B for the application Core and AI. The V4H is part of the Renesas R-Car roadmap, which covers a wide range of market requirements from entry-level ADAS to fully autonomous driving.

Key Takeaways

In conclusion, the joint solution offered by Apex.AI, SYSGO, and Renesas provides a comprehensive software platform for developing safe and secure automotive applications. The solution leverages the power of ROS, PikeOS, and Renesas R-Car devices to enable rapid development of vehicle functions. Highlights of the joint solution include the use of base software like ROS for rapid prototyping, the support for cloud-native DevOps practices, the Apex.AI solution for automotive safety, the capabilities of PikeOS as a unified software platform, and the features of the Renesas R-Car V4H SoC. With this joint solution, automakers can accelerate their development processes, ensure safety and certification, and stay ahead in the competitive automotive industry.

Highlights:

• The joint solution offered by Apex.AI, SYSGO, and Renesas combines expertise in automotive software and hardware.
• The automotive E/E architecture is shifting towards centralized and zonal architectures, with virtualized software replacing discrete physical components.
• Base software plays a crucial role in enabling rapid development of vehicle functions, with ROS being extensively used in the automotive industry.
• Cloud-native DevOps practices bring the benefits of cloud computing to the automotive industry, enabling faster and more efficient software development.
• The Apex.AI solution provides a software-first approach for automotive safety, ensuring development independence and efficient hardware utilization.
• PikeOS is a unified software platform that includes a hypervisor and an RTOS, supporting mixed criticality and providing strict partitioning between units.
• Renesas R-Car devices offer a wide portfolio of automotive devices with AI capabilities, designed to address various market requirements.
• The Envision joint solution provides a comprehensive software platform for developing safe and secure automotive applications.
• The integration of the Apex.AI LiDAR demo with PikeOS on Renesas R-Car H3 demonstrates the capabilities of the joint solution.
• The Renesas R-Car V4H SoC offers AI capabilities, low power consumption, and ASIL D certification, making it suitable for ADAS and autonomous driving.

FAQs: Q: What is the role of base software in automotive development? A: Base software provides a foundation for developing applications by providing essential functionalities and interfaces. It abstracts the complexity of underlying hardware and software components, making it easier for developers to focus on application logic.

Q: What is ROS? A: ROS stands for Robot Operating System, which is a flexible open-source platform for developing and prototyping applications. It is widely used in the automotive industry for ADAS and autonomy prototyping.

Q: What is cloud-native DevOps? A: Cloud-native DevOps brings the benefits of cloud computing and software development practices to the automotive industry. It enables faster and more efficient software development processes by providing cloud-based environments for development, build, test, and deployment.

Q: What is the Apex.AI solution for automotive safety? A: The Apex.AI solution offers a software-first approach to automotive safety, enabling OEMs to develop functions independent of the hardware while maximizing software assets. It provides a robust and certified software platform for developing safe and efficient automotive applications.

Q: What is PikeOS? A: PikeOS is a unified software platform developed by SYSGO, offering both a hypervisor and an RTOS. It provides strict partitioning for mixed criticality between units and supports a wide range of guest OS, including POSIX, Linux, and AUTOSAR.

Q: What are the key features of the Renesas R-Car V4H SoC? A: The Renesas R-Car V4H offers AI capabilities, low power consumption, and ASIL D certification. It is based on the latest automotive-qualified technology and is designed to address various market requirements, from entry-level ADAS to fully autonomous driving.