New Mentor Solution Lowers Cost, Speeds Development of Automotive Cockpit Systems

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Mentor, a Siemens business, introduced the VCO2S™ solution (Vehicle Cockpit Consolidation Solutions) – an innovative offering that helps automotive OEMs and their suppliers design and develop next-generation cockpit systems on a single high-compute electronic control unit (ECU) system. With VCO2S, automotive engineering teams can reduce cost, speed time to market and enhance user experience, all while meeting the automotive industry’s stringent cybersecurity and functional safety requirements.

VCO2S helps enable customers to integrate instrument cluster and In-Vehicle-Infotainment (IVI) systems on the same ECU, which saves space and cost. The fusion of instrument cluster and IVI functionalities running separate operating systems within a single ECU eliminates latencies associated with data sharing between distributed ECUs, while supporting multiple safety domain levels (ASIL and QM) and offering features such as graphics, video and audio sharing.

“Automotive engineers often deploy instrument cluster and IVI systems on separate ECUs to isolate domains and boost functional safety. Moreover, in traditional supply chains, teams often focus on distinct feature sets with minimal interaction between groups,” said Michael Ziganek, general manager of Mentor’s Automotive Business Unit. “Today engineering teams can seamlessly collaborate in real time across the globe. Meanwhile, the rich features and extreme performance of today’s highly integrated systems-on-chip (SoCs) support multiple safety integrity level domains on the same device. As a result, integrating instrument cluster and IVI systems on the same ECU is not only possible, but in fact, a critical architectural advantage as engineering teams consolidate more systems into fewer onboard ECUs.”

To help customers jump-start their consolidated cockpit system designs, Mentor’s new VCO2S solution is available in three separate options:

• VCO2S Base, which delivers basic features including software IP and services for a consolidated cockpit design. VCO2S Base is delivered as a reference design which can be ported to the customer’s target hardware.
• VCO2S Flex, which delivers a flexible solution -- up to a fully customized cockpit consolidation system – and features IP, systems, software and hardware engineering services, all optimized to run on the customer’s target hardware.
• VCO2S Unique, which extends the VCO2S Flex offering with technical management and integration services between SoC vendors and tier-one hardware suppliers, with Mentor serving as a tier-one software supplier. The VCO2S Unique option is intended for automotive OEM customers.

All three versions of the VCOS2 solution include safety libraries (ASIL-B), safety features and architectures for shared graphics, as well as video and audio between ASIL and QM domains. All versions also incorporate CAN and Ethernet connectivity to the vehicle, as well as support for Bluetooth, WiFi, FM/DAB radio, 4x cameras, and automotive audio. QM to ASIL-B domain communication is implemented by the Mentor™ Communication Framework including safety certification processes. Additional features can be added to the VCO2S Flex and VCO2S Unique solutions upon customer request.