Wind River OS for racing, telematics

Magnetti Marelli telemetry systems powered by Wind River's VxWorks operating system are currently used by Ferrari, as well as Renault, Toyota, and Minardi Formula One racing teams.

Formula One racing teams are demanding more data, faster logging, and higher transmission rates for telemetry, so they require a powerful system that can manage information from a variety of sources, store the data, and transmit it reliably and continuously for long periods of time. In addition, data logging is an extremely important part of racing electronics because it is the best method for determining what happens on board the vehicle and to test software strategies.

Wind River Systems, Inc. has developed software to satisfy the demands of racing teams. Its VxWorks embedded real-time operating system (RTOS) has been officially approved by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) for use in the Formula One World Championship. This is the first time a commercially available off-the-shelf operating system has been approved for any type of motorsport, according to Wind River, though its tools are already widely used in the development of software by many Formula One teams.

The FIA conducts one of the most rigorous inspections of engine system software in the world to ensure safety and a level playing field among Formula One racing teams. It allows the use of programmable electronics, or embedded systems, to aid the Formula One driver, subject to exact traceability of the source code. And for the 2002 season, two-way telemetry is allowed between the car and pit, enabling the electronics setup of the car to be modified during a race.

VxWorks' built-in networking connectivity can be via a wired connection between car subsystems, a radio link between the car and pits, or via satellite from the garage to the design group at the factory. Click to enlarge

A Formula One car contains dozens of microprocessors or embedded computers. Until now, teams had to develop their own operating system and application software for each of these microprocessors and submit each system to FIA scrutiny. Now that Wind River's VxWorks operating system has been approved, teams will be able to focus solely on the development of applications to improve the performance of the car.

Magneti Marelli Motorsport, the supplier of engine and vehicle management systems to some of the leading Formula One teams, collaborated with Wind River to assist the FIA in reviewing the VxWorks source code. "Magneti Marelli telemetry systems, powered by the VxWorks operating system, are currently used by the Ferrari, Renault, Toyota, and Minardi Formula One racing teams," said Giancarlo DeAngelis, Director, Magneti Marelli Motorsport. "Our development teams chose Wind River's technology because of its proven functionality, reliability, and value." Magneti Marelli software developers estimate that using a commercial operating system saved them an entire year in development time over writing their own in-house code. VxWorks' portability enables development teams to rapidly change hardware while maintaining the same software—a key benefit since more powerful silicon is constantly being introduced to the market.

VxWorks' built-in networking connectivity enables systems monitoring and control of different subsystems in the Formula One car, making data automatically available to the race engineers in real-time through the standard and open TCP/IP protocol, according to DeAngelis. This connectivity may be via a wired connection between on-car subsystems, a radio link between the car and race engineers in the pits, and/or via satellite from the garage to the design group at the team headquarters.

Magnetti Marelli also used Wind River's VxWorks embedded operating system to develop the in-car telematics unit in Alfa Romeo's 147.

Embedded software technology is increasingly important in production vehicles as well, and it will ultimately lead to faster adoption of new electronic technologies by automotive manufacturers. "In the automotive arena, innovative new features and rapid development cycles for our new car infotainment and telematics products mean the difference between being designed into a product line of millions of cars or simply standing on the sideline," said Giuseppe Cotignoli, Director of Engineering, Magneti Marelli Electronic Systems. "We looked to Wind River's VxWorks embedded operating system to keep us ahead of the competition, enabling us to develop systems such as the in-car telematics unit found in the Alfa Romeo 147."

- Kevin Jost

Clarion to use Philips software radio DSP

Clarion Co., Ltd. will design-in Royal Philips Electronics' recently developed software radio digital signal processor (DSP) solution for enhanced digital car entertainment components. The technology will enable Clarion, which produces about 20 kinds of entertainment systems for OEMs, to standardize radio designs and optimize cost and performance. It will be implemented from 2004 and will result in a total of 5-6 million sets in the mainstream market. Clarion President Tatsuhiko Izumu said the system will allow his company to add new product-differentiating functionalities with a short time-to-market.

The software radio DSP solution is said to include excellent multipath and antenna diversity performance, resulting in superb radio reception quality. Enhanced audio features such as adaptive ultrabass II and music elevation are examples of possible DSP functions. It also enables standardization to a common radio platform, which can be adapted via software to all regions around the world.

Philips says that, with its SAF7730 DSP chip, user-specific functions can be configured to match the software platform required for the car radio manufacturers' system, providing a high level of product differentiation. The semiconductor solution will enable car radio manufacturers to add new product-differentiating functionality at reduced time-to-market, as only the software needs to be upgraded rather than a completely new hardware design. By integrating the radio and audio software functions onto one chip, the software radio requires fewer external components, which further reduces costs. The software radio also includes an iDAB interface, enabling digital radio.

Philips intends to launch a family of semiconductor solutions for the automotive software radio market, with engineering samples available this year.

- Kevin Jost