WILMINGTON, Mass. and MUNICH, March 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — BMW Group has announced a collaboration with Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI ), a company that designs and manufactures high-performance analog, mixed-signal, and digital integrated circuits (ICs), to utilize 10MB Ethernet connection specifically designed for automobiles. This technology enables software-defined vehicles, allowing for more advanced and efficient control and communication within the vehicle. The BMW Group plans to implement the technology, leveraging ADI’s E²B for their ambient lighting system design in the vehicles of the BMW Group in the future.
E²B simplifies things by enabling a direct Ethernet connection. This allows the software to be moved to a central processing unit (CPU) instead of being on individual components.
Since 2018, ADI has been working closely with the BMW Group on a new concept to simplify bringing Ethernet to the Edge. At the same time, the IEEE802.3cg Group was defining a new 10Mbps Ethernet standard called 10BASE-T1S. Moreover, ADI and the BMW Group, along with other companies, both actively participated. Utilizing ADI’s 10BASE-T1S E²B technology, the BMW Group eliminates microcontrollers, transferring software from edge nodes to central processing units. This enables an all-hardware edge node while reducing software development and qualification tasks.
“While working alongside ADI on 10BASE-T1S E²B, we joined efforts on a number of key considerations. These ranged from simplifying implementation, to cost analysis and design support. The relationship with ADI has enabled us to move more quickly to market. We have developed a solution of a zonal architecture for software-defined vehicles,” the BMW Group stated.
“We continue to deeply engage with the BMW Group to understand their next-generation needs. Moreover, we also bring further optimized products to aid next-generation architectures and continue cooperation on standardization,” said Yasmine King, Vice President, Automotive Cabin Experience at ADI. “10BASE-T1S E²B is a great new addition to our automotive connectivity and networking portfolio. The innovation empowers success in various scenarios, offering flexibility and scalability for zonal, domain, and hybrid architectural support.”
In-cabin experience continues to be a critical focus for automakers, with driver and passenger expectations becoming more refined. This is especially true of the ambient lighting within the vehicle.
Many of today’s lighting solutions are complex to implement. They use legacy technologies and are difficult to scale and update as the number of supported LEDs increases. OEMs can enhance customer experience and synchronize vehicle lighting with other applications by leveraging 10BASE-T1S with E²B technology. Fully enabling a software-defined lighting system provides improved flexibility, ease of upgrade, and ease of use.
“This approach to edge connectivity is so sought-after that the automotive industry inside the Open Alliance (opensig.org) is now aiming to standardize a similar solution. ADI, along with the BMW Group and other companies, are actively working with the industry to create an Open Standard implementation,” said Yasmine King.
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