BAE Systems and Celoxica Unveil Real-Time Adaptive Systems Technology for the Automotive Market.ABINGDON, England -- Sensor Technology Integrated With Adaptive Real-Time Parallel Processing parallel processing, the concurrent or simultaneous execution of two or more parts of a single computer program, at speeds far exceeding those of a conventional computer. Delivers Optimal Performance and Dramatic Cost Reduction For Next-Generation Automotive Systems See ITS, embedded system, drive-by-wire, adaptive cruise control, collision avoidance system, autonomous vehicle, heads-up display, DSRC, lane departure system, CAN bus, FlexRay and SYNC. BAE Systems BAE Systems British manufacturer of aircraft, missiles, avionics, naval vessels, and other aerospace and defense products. BAE Systems was formed (1999) from the merger of British Aerospace (BAe) with Marconi Electronic Systems. , Celoxica Ltd and Medius Inc. today announced a novel software approach to sensor integration that allows for optimized performance and dramatic cost reduction for cruise control See adaptive cruise control. , collision avoidance See collision avoidance system. and other automotive safety systems. Aimed at automotive-electronics system designers, the technology is delivered through the successful completion of release 2.0 in the companies' 'sensor fusion' technology demonstrator series. Release 2.0 showcases the combined efforts of the three companies in the form of a 'self-aligning intelligent sensor' that can automatically line up with the frame of reference of the vehicle it is attached to (example sensors include; radar, lidar and cameras). This translates to a system that minimizes factory alignment issues, avoiding the need for complex, expensive and time consuming manual tasks when the system is first installed. Furthermore, the system stays accurate for its lifetime, since disturbances under normal operating conditions that may misalign the sensor are automatically detected and intelligently corrected. Automotive sensor systems are increasing in complexity as functionality becomes more demanding; radar, lidar, ultrasound and video components are typically used to provide the vehicle with a view of what is happening around it. This 'situational awareness' picture needs to be both comprehensive and accurate - take adaptive cruise control An automotive cruise control system that automatically slows down the car if it is moving too close to the vehicle in front of it. A radar or laser unit located behind the grille determines the speed and distance of the vehicle in front. (ACC See adaptive cruise control. ) as an example. Forward looking ranging sensors must look ahead up to 200m in order to anticipate the actions of the vehicles in front. At this range, even very small alignment errors can correlate to errors greater than the width of the lane - enough to cause massive confusion as the device may mis-read street furniture, bridges or oncoming traffic as valid signals. What is needed is a solution that will allow sensors to align and lock-on to the axes of the vehicle, and maintain lock under software control. This powerful feature allows new levels of trust and confidence in safety systems like collision avoidance and pre-crash. All three organizations have come together and contributed complementary skills. BAE Systems brought extensive background in avionics development, where sensor fusion Sensor fusion is the combining of sensory data or data derived from sensory data from disparate sources such that the resulting information is in some sense better than would be possible when these sources were used individually. techniques have been validated and deployed to great effect over many years. Medius brought specific IPR IPR Intellectual Property Rights IPR Inprocess/Inprogress Review IPR Industrial Property Rights IPR Institute for Policy Research (Northwestern University and University of Cincinnati) IPR Institute of Public Relations and integration skills in the translation of such techniques into the automotive context. Celoxica provided the rapid prototyping Building a part one layer at a time using a method of additive fabrication such as 3D printing. Such parts are used for concept modeling to determine if the product design meets the customer's expectations. and production design environment through their DK Design Suite of system design tools. The system was built, tested and installed in a vehicle within 90 days, and now provides a readily reconfigurable engine that can be used by Tier 1s and OEMs. This demonstration validates the proposition that solutions developed for aerospace can solve problems that the automotive industry The automotive industry is the industry involved in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, and sale of motor vehicles. In 2006, more than 69 million motor vehicles, including cars and commercial vehicles were produced worldwide. is just starting to experience," commented Bob Flint, director of ventures at BAE Systems. "These software techniques are well-established and proven in avionics. They offer a resilient and cost-effective way of fixing the complexity and cost issues in emergent car sensor systems. I'm really excited about the potential here." "A key aspect of this successful partnership is Medius' role as a bridge from aerospace technologies to automotive applications," said Dan Preston, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Medius. "The automotive industry is not interested in long term research projects per se, what they desire are rapid implementations for evaluation and this product underscores that understanding." "This application demonstrates the power of software-compiled system design for the rapid prototyping and production of complex systems," said Bernard Morgan, CFO See Chief Financial Officer. of Celoxica, Ltd. "As the level of design complexity in automotive systems increases, our third-generation design technology delivers the must-have productivity and efficiency that designers need. Combine this with increasingly low-cost reconfigurable hardware and you can accelerate product innovation and mass deployment." About BAE Systems: BAE Systems is an international company engaged in the development, delivery, and support of advanced defence and aerospace systems in the air, on land, at sea, and in space. The company designs, manufactures, and supports military aircraft, surface ships, submarines, radar, avionics, communications, electronics, and guided weapon systems. It is a pioneer in technology with a heritage stretching back hundreds of years. It is at the forefront of innovation, working to develop the next generation of intelligent defence systems. BAE Systems has major operations across five continents and customers in some 130 countries. The company employs more than 90,000 people and generates annual sales of more than $20 billion through its wholly owned and joint-venture operations. BAE Systems, innovating for a safer world. For more information, visit: www.baesystems.com/ventures About MEDIUS Inc: Medius, Inc. is a US based firm headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with a support office in Detroit, Michigan. Medius has developed proprietary technology solutions and numerous patents covering sensor fusion applications for the automobile industry. Medius' technology team includes experts in the areas of sensor fusion, navigation, image recognition, communications and automotive systems. In addition to the core team, Medius has assembled a world class Advisory Board that range from top defense members to Senior Executives from Fortune 100 companies. For more information: www.medius1.comContact: Roger Collis, Vice President of Corporate Development, Medius, +1 206 224 9934. About Celoxica An innovator in system-level electronic design automation (EDA (1) (Electronic Design Automation) Using the computer to design, lay out, verify and simulate the performance of electronic circuits on a chip or printed circuit board. ), Celoxica supplies the design technology, IP and services that define Software-Compiled System Design, a methodology that exploits higher levels of design abstraction to dramatically improve silicon design productivity. Celoxica's products address hardware/software partitioning, co-verification and C-based synthesis to reconfigurable hardware. Established in 1996, Celoxica offers a proven route from complex software algorithms to hardware, and provides an ideal design environment for System FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) A type of gate array that is programmed in the field rather than in a semiconductor fab. Containing up to hundreds of thousands of gates, there are a variety of FPGA architectures on the market. with significant productivity advantages for digital signal processing See DSP. Digital Signal Processing - (DSP) Computer manipulation of analog signals (commonly sound or image) which have been converted to digital form (sampled). applications such as imaging, electronic security and communications. For more information, visit: www.celoxica.com. Celoxica and the Celoxica logo are trademarks of Celoxica, Ltd. All other brand names and product names are the property of their respective owners. |
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