Bringing rich multimedia experiences to mass-market two-wheelers

NXP Semiconductors has revealed a combined digital instrument cluster and connectivity reference platform for mass-market two-wheelers, including motorcycles, electric scooters, commuter bikes, and more. The platform incorporates the high-performance i.MX RT1170 crossover MCU with the highly integrated AW611 single-chip Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth/BLE Audio connectivity solution and the KW45 secure wireless access MCU to supply a highly cost-effective system created to enhance the user experience of two-wheel mobility. The platform allows high-performance graphics and rich connectivity use cases such as hands-free calling, wireless pairing for smartphone projection, Bluetooth audio, OTA updates, cloud connectivity, fleet management, secure vehicle access and vehicle location.

The company's digital instrument cluster and connectivity reference platform is designed to allow OEMs to deliver essential capabilities while also allowing a wide variety of different connectivity use cases developed to improve the user experience. This includes three-way Bluetooth pairing between the phone, scooter's digital cluster, and headphones; rider and pillion music sharing; or even location capabilities such as 'find my bike' in a parking lot.

"Whether it's their daily commute or a leisure trip, drivers look for a cluster that delivers the connectivity features that make their ride more enjoyable and safer," said Sivakumar Yeddanapudi, global senior director – Cockpit Domain Controller Product Line at Visteon Corporation. "From cluster safety telltales, gauges, phone pairing and music sharing to navigation and electric vehicle charging statistics, NXP's cluster and connectivity reference platform with Vector Graphics enables us to deliver a high-end user experience at a price our OEM customers appreciate."

"Not only does the digital instrument cluster inform the driver of the state of their vehicle, it also represents the main way a driver can customise their vehicle to their preferences," said Dan Loop, vice president and general manager, Automotive Edge, NXP. "NXP's digital instrument cluster and connectivity platform enables consistent updates and customisations to support the latest safety, security and connectivity features, all in a platform that balances performance and wireless connectivity capabilities with cost considerations."

The new cluster and connectivity reference platform employs the company's high performance i.MX RT1170 crossover MCU with AEC-Q100 Grade 3 qualification. This aids in reducing system costs due to the highly integrated nature of the MCU, which does not need expensive external memory or power management subsystems. The platform comes with NXP Wi-Fi and Bluetooth device drivers pre-integrated into the MCUXpresso SDK, along with display, GNSS, and more, making it straightforward for developers to create their own two-wheeler connected cluster. The dual-core crossover MCU supplies a wide range of interfaces for connecting peripherals, such as WLAN, Bluetooth, GPS, audio, displays, camera sensors, and a vector graphics accelerator. The MCU's rich graphics capabilities are supported by the company's wide ecosystem of partners, including Altia, The QT Company, Embedded Wizard by TARA Solutions, and Crank.

The reference platform also features the AW611, a highly integrated dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth/BLE 5.2 single-chip solution with AEC-Q100 Grade 2 qualification. This high degree of integration allows efficient coexistence between internal radios and external radios while helping to reduce system costs.

The platform also includes the KW45 BLE wireless MCU to supply secure vehicle access and location services. KW45's three-core architecture integrates a 96MHz Arm Cortex-M33 application core, a dedicated Cortex-M3 radio core and an isolated EdgeLock secure enclave. It also incorporates a BLE 5.3-compliant radio that supports up to 24 simultaneous secure connections.