Automotive
iBeetle: Everything you never wanted in an infotainment system
April 22, 2013 2:59 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Blogs | CommentsWe’ve talked A LOT about safety and innovation when it comes to infotainment systems in cars. We've talking more regulation, less regulation, new systems and crazy ideas. The discussion revolves primarily around how to integrate electronics
Varistors ideal for commercial, industrial, and automotive apps
April 18, 2013 4:31 pm | Avx Corporation | Product Releases | CommentsAVX Corporation has added several new varistors to its trusted TransGuard and TransGuard Automotive Series. Based on AVX’s reliable zinc-oxide varistor technology, the extended TransGuard series provide customers with a much broader range of voltage and energy rating options....
Intelligent network interface controller features a USB 2.0 high-speed device port and an integrated coax transceiver
April 18, 2013 3:10 pm | Microchip Technology Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsMicrochip Technology announced the OS81118, the first MOST150 Intelligent Network Interface Controller (INIC) with a USB 2.0 high-speed device port and an integrated coax transceiver. The MOST150 technology was successfully deployed in the first car models in 2012.
Why the government should ban cellphones while driving
April 16, 2013 10:28 am | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor | Blogs | CommentsThis term “nanny state” is an interesting one. It’s a term people throw out when they feel the government is infringing on their right to do something stupid. Frankly, if people could be trusted to police themselves, we wouldn’t have any laws at all.
UCLA engineers craft new material for high-performing 'supercapacitors'
April 16, 2013 9:33 am | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsTaking a significant step toward improving the power delivery of systems ranging from urban electrical grids to regenerative braking in hybrid vehicles, researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have synthesized a material that shows high capability for both the rapid storage and release of energy.
ORNL leading study focused on afterlife of electric vehicle batteries
April 16, 2013 9:25 am | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsOnce they've finished powering electric vehicles for hundreds of thousands of miles, it may not be the end of the road for automotive batteries, which researchers believe can provide continued benefits for consumers, automakers and the environment.
The nanny state should loosen its grip on cell phones
April 11, 2013 3:24 pm | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsWe’ve written a lot on ECN about automotive safety and its intersection with cutting-edge technology. Texting, Facebooking, and web surfing pose an existential concern for distracted drivers (not to mention pilots, train conductors, and boat captains), but the nanny state has really overreached on this one: A California court recently found a motorist guilty of distracted driving for checking a map on his iPhone.
Race to build driverless cars is in full throttle
April 8, 2013 10:41 am | by Rick Montgomery, The Kansas City Star | News | CommentsTo call Tim Sylvester a road builder misses the point. The streets he intends to build are embedded with electronic sensors that may keep cars of the future from speeding, veering and crashing. Doctoral candidate Amol Khedkar is toiling on his own prototype for a software system that would let cars talk to one other....
An engineer's wishlist for car infotainment systems
April 5, 2013 2:51 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor | Blogs | CommentsWith Google's self-driving car hitting the road and all sorts of driver-assistance features hitting the showroom, it's a crazy time for drivers and designers alike. Cars are practically overflowing with (good and bad) attempts to integrate outside technology (smartphones, weather apps, virtual assistants) into vehicles interfaces.
LEDs achieve brighter and longer-lasting light for buses and trains
March 28, 2013 3:58 pm | Osram Opto Semiconductors | Product Releases | CommentsThe new generation of the Mini Topled and Topled LEDs from Osram Opto Semiconductors produce a uniquely pleasant white light in varying tones that is ideal for the interior illumination of buses, trains, airplanes and cars. The successful standard packages for these LEDs have been retained....
Sixteen-bit MCUs tout advanced analog integration, 5-V operation
March 27, 2013 4:57 pm | Microchip Technology Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsMicrochip added the PIC24F “KM” family to its 16-bit PIC microcontroller (MCU) portfolio. This family offers up to 16 KB Flash, 2 KB RAM and 512B EEPROM, along with advanced analog integration, in low pin-count options for cost-sensitive automotive, consumer, medical and industrial applications.
RF chip capacitors intended for automotive applications
March 26, 2013 4:30 pm | Avx Corporation | Product Releases | CommentsAVX Corporation has introduced a new series of AEC-Q200-qualified RF chip capacitors for automotive applications. Available in 0402 and 0603 case sizes, the new C0G (NP0) dielectric Automotive “U” Series capacitors exhibit ultra-low ESR, high Q, and lot-to-lot uniformity....
Automotive Systems-on-Chip capable of delivering more than 25,000 DMIPS
March 26, 2013 10:20 am | Renesas | Product Releases | CommentsRenesas Electronics Corporation and Renesas Mobile Corporation announced the availability of a new member of the R-Car Series of automotive Systems-on-Chip (SoCs). Capable of delivering more than 25,000 DMIPS, the R-Car H2 provides high performance and state-of-the-art 3D graphics capabilities for high-end multimedia and navigation automotive systems.
Visual design tool supports PIC MCU-based GUI creation on Windows, Linux or Mac computers
March 22, 2013 4:21 pm | Microchip Technology Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsMicrochip Technology Inc. announced the release of Graphics Display Designer X (GDD X), an enhanced visual design tool that provides a quick and easy way of creating Graphical User Interface (GUI) screens for applications using Microchip’s 16-or 32-bit PIC MCUs. With GDD X, developers may
Industry’s first reconfigurable DC arc detect reference solution enables designers to safeguard high-power DC systems
March 22, 2013 3:08 pm | Texas Instruments | Product Releases | CommentsTexas Instruments introduces the industry’s first fully programmable DC arc detect reference solution. The RD-195 makes it faster and easier for designers to address a growing need to safeguard high-power DC systems, such as automobile and aircraft battery management systems....
Polymer tantalum capacitors ideal for 48 volt automotive power supplies
March 20, 2013 9:51 am | Kemet Electronics Corporation | Product Releases | CommentsKEMET Corporation announced the expansion of its KEMET Organic Capacitor (KO-CAP) family with the release of 63 volt product extensions for the T521 High Voltage Polymer Series, as well as first-to-market extensions for the T540 and T541 Hi-Rel Polymer Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) Series and T543 Polymer Tantalum COTS Series.
Obama wants research to wean vehicles off oil
March 15, 2013 1:21 pm | by Matthew Daly and Nedra Pickler, Associated Press | News | CommentsPresident Barack Obama is pushing the U.S. Congress to authorize $2 billion over 10 years for federally funded research into clean energy technologies that can wean automobiles off oil. Obama proposed the idea of an energy security trust last month in his State of the Union address....
Practicalities of owning and driving an electric vehicle
March 14, 2013 9:12 am | Videos | CommentsThe IET interviews Andrew Bissell an owner and driver of a Tesla, filmed at the University of Newcastle, UK, 3 May, 2012. This interview covers range anxiety, charging the car, why people should buy an electric vehicle and an owner's perspective on the drivers needed for mass adoption.
Stereotyping prime obstacle to women in commercial science
March 13, 2013 9:14 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsFemale professors are almost 50 percent less likely than their male counterparts to be invited to join corporate scientific advisory boards (SABs) and start new companies mainly because of gender stereotyping, says University of Maryland researcher Waverly Ding, an assistant professor of management at the Robert H. Smith School of Business.
March 2013: Automotive
March 11, 2013 4:25 pm | Digital Editions | CommentsThis issue delves into automotive electronics. Associate Editor Kasey Panetta discusses advanced driver assistance systems, M. Simon goes into sensors in humid conditions, and Executive Editor Chris Warner opines about the possibility of large-scale free WiFi.
Solving the counterfeit crisis, engineers weigh in
March 11, 2013 9:57 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Blogs | CommentsHow would you stop counterfeiting? One of the hottest topics in electronic components--and basically every other industry-- is how to deal with the issue of counterfeiting. So we put it to the readers to come up with the best solutions for the counterfeiting crisis.
University of Washington EcoCAR 2 Team midpoint update
February 28, 2013 10:40 am | by Communications Manager, UW EcoCAR 2 Team | Blogs | CommentsWe’re now at the midpoint of Y2 of the 3 year EcoCAR 2 competition. In the last few months, the 2013 Chevy Malibu was disassembled– almost to the point of body-in-white. Further, much of the rear sub-frame was
Varistor series provides excellent ESD protection for automotive applications
February 27, 2013 10:58 am | Avx Corporation | Product Releases | CommentsAVX Corporation has introduced a new series of automotive sub pF varistors. Based on reliable zinc-oxide varistor technology, AVX’s new AEC-Q200-qualified Automotive Sub pF AG Series varistors provide ultra-low capacitance, bi-directional ESD protection in the sub 1pF range for automotive circuits sensitive to capacitance.
Digital, 1.8-V humidity sensor touts compact size
February 27, 2013 10:23 am | Measurement Specialties | Product Releases | CommentsMeasurement Specialties announced the HTU21D, an ultra-compact, low power digital humidity/temperature sensor. The self-contained sensor interfaces directly with a microcontroller, ensuring a better signal path as well as
Broadening horizons in the alternative fuel vehicle market
February 26, 2013 11:38 am | by Anu Cherian, Energy & Environment senior industry analyst, Frost & Sullivan, www.frost.com | Articles | CommentsThe automotive sector continues to research ways of saving on traditional fuel and expanding alternatives. However, this change has not really moved forward due to the cost-prohibitive nature of new technology. Some of the most commonly discussed alternatives are battery-powered cars, namely electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles.
