Category Archives: HMI/UI & Infotainment

BLDC Hub Motor Control Platform for E-Cycle Application

About the Customer

This is a part of Embitel solution offerings perfectly suited for potential tier-1 customers looking for a customizable e-cycles or e-bikes.

Business Challenges

In our pursuit of crafting an innovative electric cycle, we aim to blend engineering excellence with a keen understanding of customer requirements.

Leveraging Embitel’s 17+ years of industry experience, we approached the development stages with careful consideration. However, navigating the intricacies of this dynamic landscape reveals several challenges-

• Integration Challenges: Achieving a compact and integrated propulsion solution can pose integration challenges. Ensuring that all components work seamlessly together may require significant engineering efforts and testing.
• Verification and Validation Complexity: The emphasis on ease of verification and validation throughout the development stages can be challenging. Rigorous testing and validation processes are essential, but they can be time-consuming and resource intensive.
• Adaptation to Different Environments: Creating a system that works seamlessly across various environments may be challenging. Factors such as different terrains, weather conditions, and user behaviors could impact the electric cycle’s performance and reliability.
• Compatibility with Existing Systems: Aligning the development approach with the customer’s existing system may require adapting to diverse technological ecosystems. Ensuring compatibility and integration with existing infrastructure can be a complex task.
• User Experience Optimization: Balancing the engineering requirements with an optimal user experience poses a challenge. The design must not only be technically sound but also user-friendly and intuitive for a broad range of users.
• Cost Management: Developing an efficient electric cycle while managing costs is a constant challenge. Balancing performance, features, and affordability requires careful consideration throughout the development process.

Embitel’s Solution

Since our team was tasked with developing the BLDC Hub Motor Control Platform for E-bicycle Application, we first performed a thorough study of the BLDC hub motor characteristics. We assessed the different components of the application software and identified the following approach for the development of the required motor control platform for our e-cycle project.

Our solution provides a BLDC Hub Motor Control Platform Solution range from (250W-3kW) for E-Cycle Application with the following Control strategy and integrated features.

Control Algorithm for E-bicycle application –

Field Oriented Control (FOC)

Features Included in the Display –

• Battery SOC Indicator
• Odotmeter/ trip meter
• Speed
• Pedal Assist Modes
• Manual and Auto Mode

Model Based Development (MBD) –

• Development of BLDC motor control algorithm and features in MATLAB/Simulink
• Model in the loop simulation testing
• Code generation and integration
• Software in the loop testing
• Integration and testing

The scope of the project includes Motor Control application for Electric Cycles, with the following features of BLDC Hub Motor –

• Brushless Operation: BLDC hub motors don’t use brushes to function, as the name implies. By doing away with the requirement for physical interactions, this design lowers wear and friction while increasing overall efficiency. It also lasts longer and requires less maintenance when there are no brushes.
• Integrated Design: BLDC hub motors have a compact and streamlined design since they are frequently built into the wheel or wheel hub. By this integration, the exterior transmission systems’ complexity is decreased, and the vehicle’s overall structure is made simpler.
• High Efficiency: The remarkable efficiency with which BLDC hub motors transform electrical energy into mechanical energy is well recognized. By precisely controlling the motor, the electronic commutation system maximizes power supply and reduces energy losses.
• Quiet Operation: BLDC hub motors operate quietly in part because of the electronic commutation mechanism and the lack of brushes. This functionality is especially helpful for devices like electric bicycles, bikes, and scooters where noise reduction is a top priority.
• Precise Speed Control: Accurate speed control is made possible using BLDC hub motors, enabling seamless acceleration and deceleration. For applications where precise speed regulation is required, such as electric vehicles and robotics, this functionality is vital.
• Compact and Lightweight: Because of their generally lightweight and compact form, BLDC hub motors are appropriate for situations where weight and space are crucial considerations. For electric bicycles, bikes, and scooters, where weight reduction is crucial for efficiency and maneuverability, this feature is of utmost priority.
• Low Maintenance: BLDC hub motors require less maintenance than brushed motors because of their brushless nature. These motors have longer lifespans and require less regular repair because there are no brushes to wear out.
• High Torque to Weight Ratio: With a high torque-to-weight ratio, BLDC hub motors can deliver a lot of power in a comparatively tiny and light package. Applications where efficiency and acceleration are critical will benefit from this feature.

Embitel’s Impact

The BLDC Hub Motor Control Platform made the existing system easily configurable and maintainable to support future changes.

This challenging, motor control development project was completed within the desired time-lines and costs. This ensured reduce time-to-market and development costs for our client.

An EV friendly BLDC Hub Motor Control Platform has become a necessary requirement present day EVs 2 wheelers. Hence, the success of this project surely makes us dream big, of a long-term positive impact on the various business engagements of our customers.
 

Tools and Technology

Software

• MATLAB
• MBD
• Model in loop simulation,
• Software in loop simulation

Base software

• Handwritten c code by automotive team

Hardware

• DSpic microchip controller
• TI controller

Hardware Development for Electric Motorcycle Dashboard

About the Customer

Our customer is a US-based electric motorcycle manufacturer developing high-end connected two-wheelers. The revolutionary designs and technology in their motorcycles are enhanced by the company’s promise of sustainability through the utilisation of high-performance, recyclable materials.

Business Challenge

The customer was seeking a reliable automotive product development company for the design and development of the hardware that powers their electric motorcycle dashboard. They partnered with us since we have worked on multiple automotive projects in the past, where we designed and developed the end-to-end hardware system.

The customer’s motorcycle product line was equipped with leading-edge technology and connectivity options. For instance, the driver can receive crucial vehicle data on his/her mobile phone app, as smart connectivity has been implemented in the vehicle.

Our scope of work in this project was limited to the hardware solution implementation and performance evaluation. The development of the dashboard software and mobile application was done by the client themselves.
 

Embitel Solution

We designed and developed a hardware carrier board and a secondary board for the motorcycle dashboard. These boards were interconnected and the communication with mobile, GPS, CAN transmission, 4G, etc. were established.

The project consisted of 2 spins. In each spin, the following activities were performed:

• Selection of components and hardware design with Schematics
• Board layout and Gerber generation
• Proto board manufacturing
• Board bring up
• Validation of electrical design
• Integration of the software and elaborate testing

At the end of spin 2, we also provided support to the customer for Pre-compliance and Field testing.

Architecture diagram

Toradex Ixora Carrier Board Interfaces:

Bike Interface Unit – High Level Block Diagram:

Key modules of our solution

Toradex IMX 6 series SOM processor was used for the carrier board. The secondary board does not have a processor, as it is an add-on board with limited features. The complete circuit is entirely on the main board (carrier board).

The carrier board is placed at the top of the stack for optimum heat dissipation. It connects with the secondary board using automotive grade fasteners. The SOM module takes care of interfaces such as Memory, GPIO, CAN, I2C and USB bus, HDMI, Ethernet, RS232, etc.

Some of the components included on the carrier board:

• System on Module Apalis iMX6
• Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Combo Module
• RS232 Transceiver
• CAN Transceiver
• LTE Module
• Ethernet
• CAN Controller

Some of the components included on the secondary board:

• I2C to GPIO Expander
• I2C to ADC Expander
• Relays
• Temperature and Humidity Sensor
• Current Limit Switch

An elaborate power management module was also included in the solution.

Performance evaluation

Performance evaluation of the solution was done after the software was integrated with the hardware. Performance testing was carried out with the maximum limits of boundary values.

Simulations were also carried out for all the applicable circuits and the simulated results were cross verified with the test results.

Security considerations

While selecting the hardware components, we took care of incorporating the security aspects. We have only opted for automotive grade components for the boards.
 

Embitel Impact

The hardware boards we developed for the motorcycle digital instrument cluster were in conformance to the client’s requirements. The performance of the system was evaluated, and we supported the customer in all pre-compliance and field tests. The customer is now in the process of manufacturing hundreds of these boards for their high-end motorcycle product line.

Tools and Technology

• Cadence Orcad v 17.4 – For hardware design
• PM Tool – For task management, effort logging, etc.

HMI Development for Two-Wheeler Digital Instrument Cluster

About the Customer

Our customer is a leading supplier of automotive components such as instrument clusters, fuel level sensors and dashboard equipment for OEMs around the world.

Business Challenge

The customer desired to develop a cost-effective digital instrument cluster solution for ICE-powered motorcycles. They were seeking a technology partner to assist in software design and development of a module in the instrument cluster HMI.

The customer was aware that our automotive engineering team has previously worked on developing production-ready HMI solutions for motorcycles. Additionally, they were impressed by the IPs our team has developed recently. This affirmed our proficiency in designing complete digital instrument cluster solutions, and hence, they decided to partner with us for this project.

Embitel Solution

We designed and developed the software for a Human Machine Interface (HMI) with Thin Film Transistor (TFT) display that was part of the customer’s digital instrument cluster product. Since TFT technology offers exceptional resolution amongst all flat-panel technologies while also being cost-effective, this was most suited for this project.

The primary MCU is on a different module of the digital instrument cluster. This module has been developed by the customer themselves. The MCU of our HMI unit, i.e., the Bluetooth (BT) module, will make a connection with the primary MCU through UART and read the fault codes, speed, odometer info, fuel level details, etc. This information is also sent to the mobile application of the driver.

Architecture:

Software Architecture of Bluetooth (BT) Module:

 
Key Features of the Solution:

• Bluetooth Connectivity – Our solution connects via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to the mobile phone of the driver and sends data to a mobile application. Whenever Bluetooth is enabled, the corresponding icon will be displayed on the TFT screen.
• Calls and Messages – The HMI screen shows all incoming calls, missed calls, SMS notifications, etc.
• Safety Features – Various types of alerts and warnings are also displayed on the HMI screen.
• Turn-By-Turn (TBT) Navigation – Bluetooth connectivity facilitates the navigation data to be transmitted to the digital instrument cluster display screen seamlessly. TBT navigation symbols are displayed at the center of the TFT display when the driver is travelling to the destination. Apart from the directions, the distance to the next turn and remaining distance to destination will also be shown.
• Cloud Connectivity – The digital instrument cluster connects to the cloud and transmits vehicle data. This information is processed in the cloud to derive intelligent insights.
• FOTA Update – We have configured a robust FOTA update feature so that the HMI firmware can be upgraded without any complications.

Optimization for Quick Start-up:

One of the project requirements was that the HMI had to initialize within a short duration, at the time of vehicle start-up. So, we worked on enabling quick start-up of the system and immediate display of the tell tales. Details of the optimization activities:

• Quick Start-up time: The customer required that the start-up is completed within 5 seconds, but we achieved it within 2 seconds.
• Image Update time: As per the requirements, the image update time had to be within 100 milliseconds, but we configured this to be completed within 10 milliseconds.

Overall, TBT images (Read image buffer from flash memory and display them on the screen) was accomplished within 10 milliseconds and Tell-Tales images were displayed within 2 milliseconds.
 

Embitel Impact

• Our team successfully delivered a cost-effective HMI module and integrated it with the customer’s digital instrument cluster and mobile application.
• The timelines for the completion of this project were very challenging. But due to our prior experience in this type of HMI development projects, we were able to deliver the solution a month ahead of the expected delivery date with undeterred quality.

Tools and Technologies

• Eclipse based IDE – Modus Toolbox

POC Development for Android Infotainment System of Electric Trucks

About the Customer

Our customer is a US-based EV company with focus on medium- and heavy-duty powertrain solutions.

Business Challenge

The customer was looking to develop a POC for a high-end Android-based Infotainment System for their Electric Trucks. Since Embitel has great track record in end-to-end IVI System development for futuristic automotive projects, they decided to approach us for the POC development.

Phase 1 of the project only included integration of features to display the data derived from the vehicle’s CAN bus. This is an account of Phase 1 of the POC development.

Embitel Solution

The Android Infotainment System POC we developed as part of this project included the following key features:

• Tell-tales – These are optical signals that alight when there is defective functioning of a vehicle part.
• Rich User Interface – Within 2 GB RAM, the team was able to integrate a large touch-enabled HDMI display with D2P and P2D animation.
• Charging screens – The screen displays EV charging status in the event of V2V charging or AC/DC charging at stations.
• Navigation functionality – This was enabled with basic features for the POC.
• Vehicle Telematics – The telematics module enables tracking of the vehicle’s location, idling time, driving conditions, fuel consumption, etc. It also facilitates remote diagnostics of various engine parameters.
• Data Logging – If the truck is passing through a remote area with no internet connection, the vehicle data will be collected and stored on a local file. This information is then uploaded to the cloud server when the internet connectivity is back. This way, there is no loss of critical vehicle data.
• Integration of a Service screen – In case there are any faults within the vehicle, this information is displayed on a “Service screen” and the vehicle servicing personnel can take the necessary measures to rectify these issues.

Additional parameters that are displayed on the Infotainment screen are:

• Date, time and temperature
• Safety and security manual for the driver
• Vehicle Fault/Error codes
• Energy Consumption details (battery-to-wheel or wheel-to-battery)
• Trip information and last charging details

During the development of the POC, the team focused on ensuring that the low-priority messages are displayed on 30% of the screen to avoid unnecessary driver distraction. Critical messages such as the vehicle charging status, navigation details, etc. are displayed on the remaining part of the screen.

One of the most interesting features of the POC was the module that enables the driver to configure the extent to which the vehicle needs to be charged. So, for instance, if the driver wants to charge the vehicle only up to 80%, he/she can update it in the settings. Subsequently, when the vehicle is charged to 80%, the plug will be automatically disconnected to stop the charging.

The driver is also able to regulate the speed of charging by updating the settings on the Infotainment unit display.

Software Modules Reused for Accelerated POC Development

The team utilized several reusable software modules to complete the POC development within a short time span. The modules that were reused include:

• Navigation
• Data logger
• Embitel’s proprietary OBD2 software stack – with some customizations
• Telematics

Embitel Impact

All the development activities and change requests were successfully completed and delivered to the client within a time period of just 3 months! We are now providing warranty period support for the deliverables.
 

Tools and Technology

• Android Studio
• PCAN View
• Busmaster

FOTA Update Integration and Re-engineering of Telematics Control Unit for Heavy Vehicles

🔊 Hear the "Success Story"

About the Customer:

Our customer is a US-based products and services provider with operations in more than 40 countries. Some of their focus industries are transportation, geospatial, telecommunications and agriculture. They are also a leading supplier of telematics and diagnostics technologies for the automotive domain.
 

Business Challenge:

• Our client was interested in reengineering their Telematics Control Unit (TCU) to suit next-generation heavy vehicles used in construction, excavation, mining, etc.
• There was a need to add new peripherals and features to the existing TCU to adhere to the latest trends. This involved extensive hardware and firmware development and testing efforts that were spread across multiple project phases.

Embitel Solution:

Upon receiving the business requirements from the customer, the hardware development team started work on the project. This was followed by the firmware development phase.

Subsequently, there were multiple development phases in which additional features were integrated into the telematics platform. This required the dedicated focus of the hardware, software and testing teams.

Hardware Project:

• The original telematics platform of the customer had components that were nearing their end-of-life. Those circuits were redesigned.
• The hardware team also integrated additional features into the telematics platform.
• Since the product was designed for a global market, compliance to standards prevalent in different countries was a critical requirement to be met.

Firmware Project:

The firmware project was executed in the following phases:

• Device driver and HAL porting – This phase included key processes like board bring-up and development of device drivers for Bluetooth module, GSM, GPS, along with complex peripherals like USB, etc.
• Boot loader and Firmware-Over-the-Air (FOTA) modules – The team performed version comparison, Golden Firmware Backup activities, integration of HTTPS, flash storage, etc.
• FreeRTOS porting – Amazon FreeRTOS was used in this project. The team has worked with AWS library based OTA and custom bootloader. This project phase consisted of activities related to memory allocation, task priority definition, kernel interrupt configuration and much more.
• Diagnosis – Failure detection of CAN, GPS, Memory read/write and DI/AI was performed in this phase, apart from various other evaluations. Support for this phase included the evaluation of failure conditions and current working conditions of the peripherals. The team also integrated our ready-to-deploy J1939 stack with the product.

* Golden Firmware Backup – The development team implemented Golden Firmware Backup for this project. Golden firmware helps in starting the device with minimal expected functionality. The backup can also be used as a rollback option if the new firmware being updated is corrupted.

An advanced MCU with bootloader and additional flash memory is required to preserve both the golden firmware and the new firmware before update.

Testing:

• The testing team developed test cases based on the project requirements. These test cases covered functional, integration, and performance testing.
• The team validated all the components, verified normal OTA update and Golden Firmware backup scenario, performed diagnosis testing, generated test reports and also shared the related documentation with the customer.
• The client was also engaged in application development for this project. These activities were performed in parallel with the work done by the Embitel team. Hence, the firmware we developed was regularly integrated with the application hardware and subsequently tested.

Embitel Impact:

• The team overcame challenges related to remote working conditions due to the pandemic lockdown. They collaborated effectively to complete the testing on time and ensured that there was no adverse impact to the quality.
• The client was delighted with the quality of our deliverables and adherence to timelines.

Tools and Technology:

• STM Cube MX tool – Was used for device driver development. Using this tool, it was possible to bring up the driver at an expedited rate
• TestLink tool – Was used for execution of test cases
• PM tool – Internal tool used in the organization
• Amazon FreeRTOS – Open source OS for microcontroller
• IAR – IDE and compiler

Base Software Module (BSW) and Application Development for a Telematics Project

About Customer

Our customer is a leading manufacture of connected car devices and telematics solution. We have entered into technology partnership for multiple projects in the past as well.

What makes us the perfect partner is the shared passion and belief in the power of innovation. With our expertise in the automotive domain and the customer’s crystal clear vision of the product, we had a winner in hands.

Business Challenge

An OBD II adaptor platform is what the customer intended to build. This telematics dongle reads the diagnostics data from the vehicle and sends it to the cloud. The device is intended to be configurable for both OBD and SAE J1939, as per the use-case.

As clear from the introduction above, the device has two modules- one that interfaces with the vehicle and the other that interfaces with the cloud.

The design and development team of our customer is adept at handling the cloud interface part but is limited in its expertise in the vehicle interface module.

Integration of OBD II, CAN BUS and SAE J1939 stack requires extensive expertise in the automotive embedded domain. And our customer approached us for this very aspect of the project. Moreover, developing the automotive protocol software required  considerable amount of time.

In a nutshell, our technology assistance was required to mitigate the following challenges:

• Configuration and integration of automotive stacks like OBD II, J1939, CAN, etc.
• Application development for the vehicle interface part of the Telematics solution
• Low-level device drivers for the telematics device to interface with the vehicle

Embitel Solution

We had two teams working on the project- Automotive Stacks team, responsible for configuration and integration of protocol software and base software module and Development team building the required applications.

1. ECU Communication and Vehicle Diagnostics Software Integration

As the Telematics Device was expected to monitor vehicle diagnostics data, the following protocol stacks were integrated:

SAE J1939: Used mostly for diagnostics and ECU communication in commercial vehicles.

OBD II: On-board diagnostics of the vehicle; we configured OBD II for both CAN and K-Line physical medium. As per the requirement, we also configured the required PIDs to get the vehicle parameters- such as RPM, Engine speed and more. The customer provided the CAN Matrix/DBC file and we generated the configuration files using them.

2. Development of the Base Software Module
• Configuration of CAN IF and CAN NM
• Integration of CAN Stack as per the CAN DBC files provided by the customer
• Configuration and Integration of ISO 9141 to access the K-Line
• Configuration of Low-level drivers as per the schematics
• UART configuration
3. Application Layer Support
• Development of External Battery Monitoring application
• Internal Battery Management over I2C
• Ignition Detection Algorithm based on customer’s design
• Diagnostics Reports through UART- to know whether the MCU is working fine
• Wake up and sleep handler as per the customer’s design
• Secure Communication (Encryption and Decryption algorithm)
4. Testing and Validation Support
• Integration and Functional Testing reports of the automotive stacks and the applications
• MISRA C compliance reports
• High-level design document

Embitel Impact

The customer could save approximately 6 months of man hours courtesy our library of ready-to-deploy automotive protocol software.

Separate teams working on the project reduced the time-to-market and the cost further. As our automotive stacks are offered on a one-time license fee model, the customer can use them in multiple series production of automotive components.

The stack software are reconfigurable too, so using these for different use-cases will not be a problem. The customer can choose to configure it themselves or get in touch with us.
 

Tools and Technologies

• NXP Microcontroller: NXP family of MCU was used for the application
• PE Micro Debugger- Used for development and debugging purpose
• S32 Design Studio IDE- The integrated development environment used to develop device drivers for the microcontroller
• FreeRTOS- It is a free Real Time Operating system used widely in automotive application development
• PCAN– Used for Functional Testing of the automotive stacks

Development of Telematics Control Unit for Automotive Tier-I Supplier

About the Customer

Our customer is a leading Tier-I Supplier of Infotainment Systems, Head-up Display (HUD) Solutions, Digital Instrument Clusters and Battery Management Systems (BMS) for Electric Vehicles.
 

Business Challenge

• The customer desired to integrate Telematics features in their Digital Instrument Cluster product.
• This Instrument Cluster solution has been designed for passenger vehicles (four-wheelers, two-wheelers, auto rickshaws and electric vehicles).
• In order to launch this product along with the integrated Telematics Features, the support of Subject Matter Experts (SME) was required in areas of Cloud, Firmware, Device Drivers, and end-to end IoT Technology Stack.
• The customer decided that their in-house teams should focus on the core product development activities and the telematics feature integration activity should be outsourced.
• This made the role of the Product Engineering Services partner very critical.

Embitel Solution

Our more than a decade long expertise in the Automotive domain along with proven production grade Cloud-Telematics reference designs encouraged the customer to partner with us for this project.

We leveraged our expertise in IoT Sensor Network design and Cloud Interface development, in order to enable the collection of data like speed, GPS location and more.

This was facilitated with the help of MQTT protocol based communication interface.

Our expertise in the automotive domain ensured that we achieve compliance with all the necessary standards while selecting components for hardware design. Additionally, we have leveraged our expertise in firmware, SPI, I2C and CAN protocols.

• We designed and developed a telematics control unit (TCU) within the vehicle, that collects and transmits data through cloud connectivity (GSM) and Bluetooth communication.
• We developed an interface between the telematics control unit and a mobile application.
  • Data can be transmitted through Bluetooth when the app is in close proximity to the vehicle. This includes activities such as locking the vehicle or configuring a speed limit to be monitored.
  • Cloud connectivity (GSM) is used for data transfer from the automotive telematics control unit when the app is at a remote location. This includes data regarding the vehicle’s speed, location, incidence of an accident, etc.
• In addition to providing information about the vehicle and the engine status in a digital readout format, our solution also included maps and navigation capabilities.

Features

• The automotive telematics control unit captures the following data:
  • GPS location of the vehicle
  • GSM signal strength at a location
  • Inclination of the device
  • Details on temperature and weather
• Some of the alerts triggered by the product include:
  • Accident alert / SOS alert – In the event of an accident an alert is sent to the cloud, and subsequently routed to a predetermined destination (mobile application).
  • Location tracking – The location of the vehicle can be monitored from the mobile app.
  • Geofencing capabilities – An alert can be sent to the mobile app when the vehicle enters/exits a specific territory.
  • Speed limit alert – It is possible to create profiles for which specific speed limits are assigned. When the vehicle crosses the speed limit, an alert is triggered and sent to the cloud. This alert is then routed to the mobile application for the attention of the user.
• The instrument cluster has been integrated with Maps to facilitate navigation capability.

Embitel Impact

We were able to successfully deliver a robust telematics solution within the desired timeframe.

• The customer was able to deliver the proof of concept (PoC) within 6 months.
• This helped them initiate demos with the OEMs and Suppliers earlier than expected.

Tools and Technologies

• The Renesas microcontroller unit (MCU) that is part of the hardware was developed using e² studio.
• CAN Analyser Tool was also used for development.
• Mosquitto MQTT server was used for the transmission and reception of messages through the cloud.
• AT Commands were used for GSM connectivity.
• Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 4.0 was used for establishing Bluetooth connectivity.

Check out this video to learn how a vehicle telematics solution works. It clearly explains how the telematics control unit communicates with the cloud server where the data is stored. This information is then available through telematics applications to the end users.

Integration of FOTA (Firmware-Over-The-Air) Module with Solar Energy Harvesting Platform

🔊 Hear the "Success Story"

About the Customer:

Our customer is a Subsidiary of one of the World’s largest Independent Power Producer (IPP) (of Clean and Renewable Energy).

They were actively seeking a robust solution to enhance the efficiency of their field deployed Solar Tracking Systems.
 

Business Challenge:

During the evaluation and PoC stage, a need to remotely update the Field Gateway Device (  Master Controller) software  was realized.

This remote management of the software of the Gateway device was necessary to facilitate the following:

• Regular Security Patch updates.
• Update the devices with new version of the software (with latest bug-fixes and feature enhancements).

During software updates of the system, the customer  also wanted to ensure the following:

• Minimal to Zero system downtime.
• No impact on the normal operations of the solar harvesting deployments.

In order to meet these requirements, it was decided to integrate FOTA  (Firmware Over-The-Air) update feature with the IoT-powered Solar Energy harvesting System.
 

Embitel Solution:

Once the scope of the project scope was defined, our team started the ground work for FOTA (Firmware update Over The Air) implementation.

The Technology roadmap for FOTA Solution Development roadmap comprised of the following:

1. Development of Bootloader for firmware reprogramming of the application device (Field Gateway Device/master controller).
2. Design and Development of the cloud based FOTA image hosting server, which includes:
   • A web server,
   • The application server and,
   • The database server.

   
   Following is a representation of the FOTA cloud server architecture:

   

   
   

   • Development of Server Interface (GUI).
   • Integration of communication stacks ( MQTT, HTTPS) for  secure data exchange between server and devices.
3. Managing the scheduled release of FOTA (Firmware update-Over-The-Air).

   It was decided to schedule all the batch processes of the FOTA update after sunset evenings. Reason – this ensured uninterrupted generation of energy by the solar panels.

   This would also ensure that the FOTA updates are implemented without affecting the normal operations of the Solar Harvesting systems and lead to minimized system downtime.

4. Implementation of FOTA Event Tracking and reporting , to keep track of successful instances of firmware updates. This feature helped in tracking if the firmware image flashing has failed or download is incomplete.

The Impact:

Integration of such a well-defined and robust FOTA update mechanism helped us deliver the following business value-adds:

1. The Field Gateway Devices are always powered by the latest version of the firmware software. This ensures system security and also enables the devices to deliver a consistent, reliable/fail-safe performance.
2. The future scope of the enterprise IoT-based Solar harvesting system can be extended anytime to support new feature enhancements and functional improvements through a simple FOTA update.
3. Enabled a simplified, one-click resolution of critical bugs in the application software.
4. The controlled and scheduled FOTA release mechanism at non-peak hours helped in minimizing the loss in revenue and performance associated with system downtime.

Tools & Technologies:

• Python: Server Side scripting.
• Postgress SQL: The database server.
• Django: Server -side Web framework.
• Nginx: Web Server.
• Communication Protocol (Server and Devices):
• MQTT Protocol: For command exchanges between the cloud server and the field devices.
• HTTPS: Secure transmission of OTA updates from server to the application devices.

Development of Fault Handling Application for Media Hub, with MirrorLink and CarPlay Capabilities

About the customer

Our customer is a US based Supplier of the connectivity systems for Automotive. This customer has partnered with many global automotive OEMs and is a trusted brand in the automotive industry.
 

Business Challenge

Fault handling in a Media Hub is traditionally achieved with the help of a dedicated hardware. The customer wanted to replace this hardware component with software based fault handling.

This was needed in order to reduce the per unit cost of the Media Hub product.

The fault may occur due to several reasons of which temperature and voltage are primary. The challenge for the customer was to build software (firmware) that can process the data from the temperature and voltage sensors to take corresponding actions.

The customer’s development team also faced the following challenges:

• Very limited product re-engineering and development time.
• Configuration of several charging profiles
• Seamless communication between the hub and the microcontroller had to be handled.
• Achieve data control and charging for the connected mobile devices.

Embitel’s Solution

Customer’s Media Hub product has been developed on a widely popular STM – 8 Microcontroller Platform.

Media Hub, designed on Microchip Controller (STM 8), featured 2 USB Type C Ports. The mobile device could be connected to the hub via MirrorLink and CarPlay.

During this engagement, with the US – based Tier I Automotive Supplier, our product design team was tasked to equip the Media Hub with software driven fault handling capabilities.

• We developed the embedded software and ported it to the microcontroller to enable fault handling in the two Type-C USBs. It was also designed to control the media hub through the PCM (Port Control Module). We implemented I2C protocol to facilitate the communication between the Hub and the controller.
• The embedded system controller was designed to collect and process the data from the voltage monitoring sensors and temperature controller to assess the fault.
• On the detection of a fault, the hub was programmed to shut down for 2 seconds followed by a re-checking of the parameters.

Block Diagram for USB Media HUB Showing Connectivity with Different Modules

Following is the snap-shot of the design solution delivered by our embedded software development team:

• Configuration of drivers for USB Type-C
• Generic Device Driver Development- I2C, ADC, PWM and I2C Bit Bang.
• Design, development and integration of the Fault handling software algorithms
• Configuration of Microchip Hub for charging profile
• Custom Controller Programming

The Solution Supported Following Features

• Mirror Link: To Mirror any phone’s screen on to the In-vehicle Infotainment or Car Head-Up  display unit
• CarPlay- Lets the user connect Apple devices (iPhone, IPad etc.)
• Voltage Monitoring of the port
• HSD port protection for Type-C USB
• Dynamic Temperature Controller (Sensors)
• Supports Power devices

Tools and Technologies Used

• CANTATA- Unit Testing
• STVD- The IDE for development
• Logic Analyzer- Functional Testing
• STM Debugger