Renesas takes 3D graphics SoCs to entry-level cars
The SoC includes a high-performance 3D graphics core that enables a high-quality 3D display and lower system costs, equivalent to the bill of materials (BOM) costs of developing with 2D graphics instrument clusters (2D clusters). Developers can re-use their 3D graphics development assets, including software and graphics designs from high-end vehicles that adopt high-performance R-Car H3 or R-Car M3 SoCs, to entry-level cars. This scalability enables development of easy-to-use and high visibility entry cluster 3D graphics at approximately the same level cost as the existing 2D clusters. Renesas collaborates with partners in the instrument cluster field to further reduce development steps and costs.
Renesas offers endorsements from Seiki, BlackBerry QNX. Green Hills Software, Altia and Thundersoft;
“Full graphics cluster systems equipped with a large TFTs panel are expected to become mainstream for future vehicles, which will require high-definition 3D graphics display at a high speed to accurately convey information to the driver.” [Nippon Seiki]
“The combination of the R-Car D3 SoC and BlackBerry’s ISO 26262 ASIL B-certified QNX Platform for Instrument Clusters will enable… safety-certified digital clusters.”
“We see this third-generation R-Car D3 as a valuable addition to the R-Car Family of SoCs, enabling customers to easily migrate and reuse existing R-Car and INTEGRITY software assets for … next-generation integrated cockpit designs.”
“Altia is using our DeepScreen code generator, which optimizes the HMI code, for the Renesas R-Car with the goal to deliver the highest-performance embedded HMIs to the market.”
“As one of the leading provider of UI/UE and OS technology, we at Thundersoft provide both software system integration and our HMI tool “Kanzi” for the R-Car including the new R-Car D3.”
Currently (Renesas adds) entry-class vehicles feature mostly 7- to 10-inch liquid crystal displays (LCDs) that support mainly 2D graphics. In the future, advancements in automotive LCDs size, resolution, and prices will support an anticipated explosive demand in 3D clusters to meet the growing need for clearer and highly visible designs on a large screen, particularly in the Chinese market.
In the meantime, system developers working with automotive instrument clusters must manage an increasing number of development steps and costs, as 3D clusters for entry-class cars are required to meet both the strict cost and high-performance as existing 2D clusters but with 3D graphics drawing requirements.
Renesas developed the R-Car D3 with these functions and performance capabilities in mind, offering developers a reliable, robust 3D clusters solution that is scalable from entry-level to high-end vehicles.
The new SoC includes a 3D graphics core that enables high-performance human-machine interface (HMI) and realizes significantly reduced system development cost equivalent to those of existing 2D cluster systems. Using a graphics core from Imagination Technologies, the Power VR Series 8XE, the R-Car D3 achieves approximately six times improved drawing performance compared to the existing 3D graphics R-Car D1 SoC. This allows system developers to reuse content created for high-end cars in entry class cars, system designers who had previously been concerned about hardware graphics performance limitations, can now create graphics content without concern or limitations.
Costs are further controlled by BGA packaging, for 4-layer PCB layouts, and with low power dissipation requiring simpler power provision. R-Car D3 uses open GL ES 3.1 for 3D graphics drawing, which enables scalability with third-generation R-Car devices. The SoC supports the ISO 26262 (ASIL-B) automotive functional safety standard, and provides a functional safety support program for implementing safe driving support systems, contributing to the realization of a safe driving experience.
Samples of the R-Car D3 are available now, with mass production scheduled to begin in September 2019
Renesas Electronics Europe; www.renesas.com
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