In their relentless battle to achieve market differentiation, automakers have equipped their vehicles with every innovation that's imaginable, from anti-lock brakes to all-wheel steering to keyless entry systems. It is this same need to «out-innovate" the competition that is now driving carmakers and suppliers to build a new and highly sophisticated generation of telematics and infotainment units. Already, these companies are introducing systems that offer dynamic navigation, real-time traffic reports, DVD playback, digital radio, voice-controlled operation, 3-D interfaces, automated emergency dialing, pay-as-you-go services, remote diagnostics, music storage, connectivity with portable MP3 players, and a great amount of other capabilities. In order to function, these devices require an incredible number of software components, most of which are highly complex to develop and maintain. The list includes everything from speech-recognition applications to Web browsers, navigation software, Bluetooth and 802.11 protocol stacks, Java virtual machines, multimedia CODECs, embedded databases, music-management software, 2- and 3-D graphics libraries, drivers for CAN and MOST buses, not to mention the real-time operating system (RTOS) on which all these components will run. The tier one auto suppliers that design and build in-car devices may license these components from a dozen or more software vendors. Yet, the components must all integrate seamlessly without performance or reliability problems. Given the large amount of debugging and testing that such integration can involve, there is a strong need for software vendors who can provide pre-integrated components «off the shelf". By licensing such components, auto suppliers can significantly reduce development time and, more importantly, focus their efforts on the prime objective: creating distinctive, value-added features for their customers.
Absolute synchronisation
Nonetheless, achieving such integration poses an immense challenge for software vendors. In the auto business, deadlines are met, or else - if any software component for an in-car device is late by a single day, the entire device may not ship until another model year, if ever. Consequently, software vendors must closely harmonise their efforts on all levels to ensure that their products work together in a timely manner. Like the members of a Formula 1 pit crew, they must work with exceptional agility and absolute synchronisation. This is particularly true for the RTOS vendor, for the simple reason that the RTOS is the one software element that must work directly with every other component. It must also ensure that no component corrupts the memory or impedes the performance of other components. The RTOS is, quite simply, the prime integration point for all software on the device. To ensure this integration occurs as smoothly as possible, the RTOS vendor must have a well-focused business model and offer technology that inherently simplifies the task of integrating many disparate software applications and services. On the business side, the RTOS vendor must develop a highly targeted strategy to ensure its customers can access the very software technologies they need. QNX Software Systems, for instance, has focused on four key market segments - telematics, navigation, infotainment, and radio - and has carefully nurtured dozens of technology partnerships to provide pre-integrated solutions tailor-made for each segment. To succeed in such an endeavour, the RTOS vendor must have the flexibility to work with a large variety of corporate cultures. And, because product-development cycles for automotive systems are measured in years, the RTOS vendor must maintain this tight-knit collaboration with its software partners month after month, year after year. Achieving this goal requires both a strong commitment to the automotive market and a highly sustainable business model. QNX,X, for example, has been in the embedded business for over 25 years.
Component-based architecture
On the technical side, the RTOS must provide a component-based architecture that allows third-party software programmes to be plugged in or out easily, much like Lego bricks. The QNX Neutrino RTOS, for example, provides a microkernel architecture that allows third-party applications, device drivers, protocol stacks, and file systems to exist as separate, memory-protected components that run outside of the OS kernel. The inherent modularity of this architecture not only simplifies the debugging and testing of individual components, but also offers greater fault tolerance and allows automakers to create scalable telematics platforms that can address multiple end markets, from economy cars to luxury sedans. In addition, the RTOS must provide robust support for industry standards, such as POSIX and OpenGL ES. That way, other software vendors can port their applications to the RTOS quickly and reliably, with a minimum of recoding. Moreover, POSIX support allows auto suppliers to leverage the legions of developers who have Unix or Linux experience. Nonetheless, the RTOS must provide a «clean" implementation of POSIX that isn't affected by the General Public License (GPL) that governs the use of most Linux code. Automakers and tier one auto suppliers are extremely concerned about the potential intellectual-property (IP) issues associated with the GPL and greatly prefer an RTOS whose software licensing allows them to retain possession of the IP they work so hard to develop.
Conclusion
For automakers, the ability to offer telematics and infotainment systems with truly distinctive features is paramount. Achieving this distinctiveness can be difficult, however, if the companies building these systems must spend unnecessary cycles on integrating large numbers of software components from multiple software vendors. An RTOS with a component-based architecture, backed by a vendor with a proven commitment to building a comprehensive ecosystem of pre-integrated software, can be used for a long time to help automakers achieve their goal.
