The digital double helix

Mark Fletcher looks at When Watson and Crick discovered the structure of DNA they revolutionised the world of genetics. Motorola believes it can do the same for automotive industry with its DigitalDNA philosophy. The electronic infrastructure that DigitalDNA allows promises to create the next generation of automotive electronic systems. Indeed, a few major OEMs have already put it into practice with outstanding results – the most impressive being the new Volvo S80. DigitalDNA is not in essence a new technology but more a philosophy based around core embedded technologies, including DSPs, microprocessors and Power PC components. Due to the fact that the company sells fewer standard components, it now takes on the role as a development partner to help companies integrate advanced electronics into their products. The collaboration with Volvo is one example of where Motorola has lent its expertise to the design of electronic systems. It is already being used in fingerprint identification systems, the 3COM Palm Pilot and various Motorola communication products which include radios and cellular phones (sharp-eyed readers may have seen some of them in the latest James Bond film). DigitalDNA aims to help users integrate high level electronic systems into what are now just everyday products. Future communication networks will also be a major beneficiary. Shozo Komaki, head of the Komaki Laboratory at Japan's Osaka University, says one component of the network of the future will be broadband radio highway networks, with microcellular networks connected to a central station by fibre optics. Japan, Korea and the UK are already testing such networks. This smart technology would enable travelers to not only make phone calls, but take advantage of mobile multimedia computing. A project at the Georgia Institute of Technology hopes to produce the technology for a gigabyte-per-second network for mobile Internet appliances within three years. The institute is also working on a fabric-based wearable computer. Professor Nikil Jayant of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering says: "The prototype uses 'chip fibre' that is woven into a fabric. When combined with a wireless modem, the wearable computer has applications in telemedicine." The Volvo application actually appeared before DigitalDNA. Volvo wanted to produce the 'next generation' of electronic systems based around a modified CAN Bus. It had a special requirement, which did not demand the full functionality of a CAN bus system. So, with Motorola help, it developed a standard that has since been picked up by other automotive OEMs. It allows a multiplexing capability that will allow more electronic devices and systems to be integrated and controlled over a streamlined wiring network. One of the major advantages of this move to an integrated system is the reduction in wiring. It will allow a reduction of wiring content of up to 50 per cent, which is equivalent to 15kg. This type of reduction will have implications on the environmental performance of the car as there will be less to recycle and the reduction in weight will have an effect on the performance and fuel economy of the vehicle. With this infrastructure the car effectively becomes ‘plug and play’, a buzzword bounced around the computer industry for some time. This means that the car can be upgraded or added to with minimal fuss. In some cases the hardware may already exist but not be activated for certain markets. Cruise control may be standard in the US but not in Europe but all cars will be built with the necessary hardware such as an electronic throttle system. Adding components to the car will be as simple as adding a printer or CD drive to a computer. The user simply attaches the hardware and instructs the central computer, through a set-up routine, that the hardware has been added. In the case of a trailer, the unit can be hitched up and the car 'informed' of the addition, it will then know that it has to configure its lights in a certain different way and modify its braking profile to match with the additional weight of the trailer. Car manufacture is also simplified – the lack of a massive wiring loom is one obvious advantage. Others include the way the car can be customised. All the cars will carry the same electrical infrastructure but they are all programmed individually at the end of the line depending upon their model designation or equipment level. Sitting on the back of DigitalDNA is a new mechatronics concept, which allows a significant part of the control to be taken away from central units and instead located locally in applications such as motors for window, aerials and sunroofs. It does this with the use of smart connectors which combine a motor control unit with field-effect transducers. The control unit contains all the necessary analogue service and control elements and is connected via a CAN bus with two power and two signal leads. The design allows integration into the platfrom at OEM or tier one level with the minimum of fuss. It provides all the necessary interfaces for direct connection to the vehicle’s wiring harness. This has been used to great effect in the S80 and is set to appear in future BMW and DaimlerChrysler platforms. With up to 30-40 motors on a mid-range car this approach will have a big impact on the future use of traditional hydraulic systems and other mechanical operations. Driving information Since DigitalDNA's launch last year, Motorola has gone a step further with the launch of Mobile GT, an open java-centric application that will allow manufacturers to design and develop driver information systems more cost effectively. Its flexible modular computing platform is scalable across a wide range of products – which is essential to the modern manufacturer who produces mini cars up to big 4x4s. It addresses a number of modern automotive USPs, which will soon become as common place as electric windows are now. These include: GPS and other navigation systems; internet access; voice recognition, built-in phones; next generation audio systems and new virtual displays to name but a few. "Our objective is to enable a comprehensive business solution that meets the specific needs of the automotive industry," says Paul Grimme, vice president of Motorola’s Transportation Systems Group. "Motorola is delivering an optimised software and hardware platform that incorporates the best-in-breed technology partners. MobileGT will be a catalyst for the emerging automotive systems industry."