Award season

Patryk Fournier

The first two months of the calendar year are often referred to as award season by the entertainment industry. Although we don’t compete with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, we still feel honored with the recent accolades and awards being bestowed upon us.

In the category of Best Backhaul Software or Development Platform for Automakers, the winner is… QNX Software Systems.

Thank you so much to Auto Connected Car News and all the people and companies who voted for us in the Tech CARS Awards. We pride ourselves on offering flexible development platforms that enable automakers to deliver unique, branded experiences. Working with leading-edge automakers and Tier 1 suppliers drives us (pardon the pun) to continue upping our game in advanced platforms for infotainment, digital instrument clusters, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and acoustics — including, of course, the recently announced QNX Platform for ADAS and QNX Acoustics Management Platform.

We would also like to congratulate our fellow award winners, Ford and Harman. Ford won for Overall Best Car Infotainment Software by Automaker for their QNX-powered SYNC 3 connectivity system.

And speaking of Ford, the GSMA Global Mobile Awards recently announced their shortlist of finalists. And we just happen to be a finalist in the category of Best Mobile Innovation for Automotive for our work in Ford SYNC 3.

QNX-powered Ford SYNC 3: Shortlisted for a 2016 Glomo Award. Source: Ford

The Global Mobile Awards, newly rebranded as the Glomo Awards, will take place on February 23 at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, Spain.

“I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring”

Patryk Fournier

The quote is from the now late but great David Bowie and is extremely prophetic when you apply it to autonomous driving. Autonomous driving is very much still uncharted territory. Investments in roadway infrastructures are being made, consumer acceptance is trending positive, and, judging by the news and excitement from CES 2016, the future if anything will not be boring.

CES 2016 stretched into the weekend this year and ICYMI there was a lot of compelling media coverage of QNX and BlackBerry. Here’s a roundup of the most interesting coverage from the weekend:

ARS Technica: QNX demos new acoustic and ADAS technologies
The crew from ARSTechnica filmed a terrific demonstration of the QNX Acoustics Management Platform and the QNX Platform for ADAS. The demonstration highlights the power and versatility of the acoustics platform, including the QNX In-Car Communication module, which allows the driver to effortlessly speak to passengers in the back of the vehicle, over the roar of an engine revving at high speed. The demonstration also showcases how the QNX OS can support augmented reality and heads-up displays:

Huffington Post: CES 2016 Proves The Future Of Driverless Cars Is Promising
Huffington Post highlighted BlackBerry and QNX as key newsmakers for advancements in driverless cars. The article notes QNX’s automotive leadership: “The software is actually installed in 50 per cent of the world’s automotive infotainment systems including Audi, Volkswagen, Ford, GM and Chrysler.”

Crackberry: Inside the QNX Toyota Highlander at CES 2016
The folks at CrackBerry filmed a demonstration of our latest technology concept vehicle, based on a Toyota Highlander. The demo focuses on the QNX In-Car Communication acoustics module, which forms part of the recently launched QNX Acoustics Management Platform:



HERE 360: QNX and HERE bring to life a multi-screen experience in vehicles
A blog post from our ecosystem partner mentions HERE navigation and its use in the Toyota Highlander and Jeep Wrangler technology concept vehicles.

Video: Paving the way to an autonomous future

Lynn Gayowski

CES 2016 is now underway, and our kickoff to the year wouldn’t be complete without a behind-the-scenes look at the making of our new technology concept vehicle and updated reference vehicle.

The video below follows the journey of building our vehicles for CES 2016 and highlights the technologies we’re using to speed progress towards automated driving — and the list of tech that QNX covers is impressive! It includes advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), V2X, and augmented reality, not to mention digital instrument clusters, in-car communication, and infotainment:



QNX Software Systems continues to innovate in automotive, with a vision for the evolution of automated driving and a trusted foundation for building reliable, adaptable systems. At risk of giving away the big finale, I think John Wall, head of QNX, sums up perfectly what QNX is on target for in the automotive industry: “We will dominate the cockpit of the car.” It’s a bold statement but we’re already amassing some imposing stats that back this up:

QNX announces new platforms for automated driving systems and in-car acoustics

Paul Leroux

Every year, at CES, QNX Software Systems showcases its immense range of solutions for infotainment systems, digital instrument clusters, telematics systems, advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS), and in-car acoustics. This year is no different. Well, actually… let me take that back. Because this year, we are also announcing two new and very important software platforms: one that can speed the development of automated driving systems, and one that can transform how acoustics applications are implemented in the car.

QNX Platform for ADAS
The automotive industry is at an inflection point, with autonomous and semiautonomous vehicles moving from theory to reality. The new QNX Platform for ADAS is designed to help drive this industry transformation. Based on our deep automotive experience and 30-year history in safety-critical systems, the platform can help automotive companies reduce the time and effort of building a full range of ADAS and automated driving applications:

• from informational ADAS systems that provide a multi-camera, 360° surround view of the vehicle…
• to sensor fusion systems that combine data from multiple sources such as cameras and radar…
• to advanced high-performance systems that make control decisions in fully autonomous vehicles

Highlights of the platform include:

• The QNX OS for Safety, a highly reliable OS pre-certified at all of the automotive safety integrity levels needed for automated driving systems.
• An OS architecture that can simplify the integration of new sensor technologies and purpose-built ADAS processors.
• Frameworks and reference implementations to speed the development of multi-camera vision systems and V2X applications (vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications).
• Pre-integrated partner technologies, including systems-on-chip (SoCs), vision algorithms, and V2X modules, to enable faster time-to-market for customers.

This week, at CES 2016, QNX will present several ADAS and V2X demonstrations, including:

• Demos that show how QNX-based ADAS systems can perform realtime analysis of complex traffic scenarios to enhance driver awareness or enable various levels of automated driving.
• QNX-based V2X technology that allows cars to “talk” to each other and to traffic infrastructure (e.g. traffic lights) to prevent collisions and improve traffic flow.

To learn more, check out the ADAS platform press release, as well as the press release that provides a full overview of our many CES demos — including, of course, the latest QNX technology concept vehicle!

QNX Acoustics Management Platform
It’s a lesser-known fact, but QNX is a leader in automotive acoustics — its software for handsfree voice communications has shipped in over 40 million automotive systems worldwide. This week, QNX is demonstrating once again why it is a leader in this space, with a new, holistic approach to managing acoustics in the car, the QNX Acoustics Management Platform (AMP):

• Enables automakers to enhance the audio and acoustic experience for drivers and passengers, while reducing system costs and complexity.
• Replaces the traditional piecemeal approach to in-car acoustics with a unified model: automakers can now manage all aspects of in-car acoustics efficiently and holistically, for easier integration and tuning, and for faster time-to-production.
• Reduces hardware costs with a new, low-latency audio architecture that eliminates the need for dedicated digital signal processors or specialized external hardware.
• Integrates a full suite of acoustics modules, including QNX Acoustics for Voice (for handsfree systems), QNX Acoustics for Engine Sound Enhancement, and the brand new QNX In-Car Communication (ICC).

For anyone who has struggled to hold a conversation in a car at highway speeds, QNX ICC enhances the voice of the driver and relays it to loudspeakers in the back of the vehicle. Instead of shouting or having to turn around to be heard, the driver can talk normally while keeping his or her eyes on the road. QNX will demonstrate ICC this week at CES, in its latest technology concept car, based on a Toyota Highlander.

Read the press release to learn more about QNX AMP.

TWICE applauds QNX OS-powered OnStar 4G LTE with VIP Award

Megan Alink

Our customers are all VIPs, and we love nothing more than seeing them shine with industry recognition. Recently, TWICE named the OnStar 4G LTE powered by the QNX Neutrino OS to its list of Very Important Product (VIP) Award winners in the in-dash navigation multimedia receivers category.

The product builds a Wi-Fi hotspot into the vehicle so customers can stay online easily while they’re on the go. Up to seven devices, including computers, smartphones, video game consoles and tablets, can be paired to the hotspot for use any time the car is on. OnStar 4G LTE also gives customers access to the same features that OnStar is known for, including emergency assistance, security, navigation and vehicle diagnostics.

Congratulations to our customer OnStar and the rest of the TWICE VIPs! You can view the full list of categories and winners on the TWICE website.

What do Taylor Swift’s legs and QNX Acoustics have in common?

By Megan Alink, Marketing Communications Director for Automotive

OK, so at first blush, nothing. Let me explain.

It starts with a number. A really big number. Think “40 million” — because I recently learned that that’s how many units of our QNX Acoustics for Voice product have shipped to date. Wow!

QNX Acoustics for Voice is a complete signal processing software solution for automotive voice communications, based on production-proven acoustics technology. It’s designed specifically to meet the acoustics challenges unique to the in-car environment, sets a new benchmark in hands-free quality, and, very importantly, supports the rigorous requirements of smartphone connectivity. Check out the product page for more information.

Obviously 40 million is a number worth talking about, so what’s the first thing that any marketing writer worth her salt does? She looks for an analogy to help put this impressive number into context. Number of steps it takes to go around the world? Population of California? Google comes in handy in such situations and eventually, it delivered the perfect informational nugget: Taylor Swift’s legs are reportedly insured for $40 million. What does this have to do with automotive acoustics? Well, clearly Ms. Swift’s legs are critical to her success as an entertainer, and, as anyone in the business of sound and noise knows, our acoustics engineers couldn’t make their magic — and achieve 40 million units sold — without their finely honed hearing. The conclusion is obvious. We must insure their ears for $40 million as well. All in favour?

Congratulations to everyone who has played a role in putting this ground breaking technology into the hands (and ears) of our customers, and many thanks to those customers for helping QNX achieve this amazing milestone.

With thanks to Phil Hetherington and Len Layton for the idea…

Volkswagen and LG Gear up with QNX

Design wins put QNX technology in a wide range of infotainment systems, instrument clusters, and ADAS solutions.

Earlier today, QNX Software Systems announced that infotainment systems powered by the QNX Neutrino OS are now shipping in several 2015 Volkswagen vehicle models, including the Touareg, Passat, Polo, Golf, and Golf GTI.

The systems include the RNS 850 GPS navigation system in the Volkswagen Touareg, which recently introduced support for 3D Google Earth maps and Google Street View. The system also offers realtime traffic information, points-of-interest search, reverse camera display, voice control, Bluetooth connectivity, rich multimedia support, four-zone climate control, a high-resolution 8-inch color touchscreen, and other advanced features.

Bird's eye view: the RNS 850 GPS navigation system for the Volkswagen Touareg SUV. Source: VW

“At Volkswagen, we believe deeply in delivering the highest quality driving experience, regardless of the cost, size, and features of the vehicle,” commented Alf Pollex, Head of Connected Car and Infotainment at Volkswagen AG. “The scalable architecture of the QNX platform is well-suited to our approach, enabling us to offer a full range of infotainment systems, from premium level to mass volume, using a single, proven software base for our Modular Infotainment Modules (MIB) and the RNS 850 system.”

QNX and LG: a proven partnership
QNX also announced that LG Electronics’ Vehicle Components (VC) Company will use a range of QNX solutions to build infotainment systems, digital instrument clusters, and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) for the global automotive market.

The new initiative builds on a long history of collaboration between LG and QNX Software Systems, who have worked together on successful, large-volume telematics production programs. For the new systems, QNX will provide LG with the QNX CAR Platform for Infotainment, the QNX Neutrino OS, the QNX OS for Automotive Safety, and QNX Acoustics for Voice.

“QNX Software Systems has been our trusted supplier
for more than a decade... helping LG deliver millions
of high-quality systems to the world’s automakers”
— Won-Yong Hwang, LG's VC Company
“QNX Software Systems has been our trusted supplier for more than a decade, providing flexible software solutions that have helped LG deliver millions of high-quality systems to the world’s automakers,” commented Won-Yong Hwang, Director and Head of AVN development department, LG Electronics’ VC Company. “This same flexibility allows us to leverage our existing QNX expertise in new and growing markets such as ADAS, where the proven reliability of QNX Software Systems’ technology can play a critical role in addressing automotive safety requirements.”

Visit the QNX website to learn more about the Volkswagen and LG announcements.

Beyond the dashboard: discover how QNX touches your everyday life

QNX technology is in cars — lots of them. But it’s also in everything from planes and trains to smart phones, smart buildings, and smart vacuum cleaners. If you're interested, I happen to have an infographic handy...

I was a lost and lonely soul. Friends would cut phone calls short, strangers would move away from me on the bus, and acquaintances at cocktail parties would excuse themselves, promising to come right back — they never came back. I was in denial for a long time, but slowly and painfully, I came to the realization that I had to take ownership of this problem. Because it was my fault.

To by specific, it was my motor mouth. Whenever someone asked what I did for a living, I’d say I worked for QNX. That, of course, wasn’t a problem. But when they asked what QNX did, I would hold forth on microkernel OS architectures, user-space device drivers, resource manager frameworks, and graphical composition managers, not to mention asynchronous messaging, priority inheritance, and time partitioning. After all, who doesn't want to learn more about time partitioning?

Well, as I subsequently learned, there’s a time and place for everything. And while my passion about QNX technology was well-placed, my timing was lousy. People weren’t asking for a deep dive; they just wanted to understand QNX’s role in the scheme of things.

As it turns out, QNX plays a huge role, and in very many things. I’ve been working at QNX Software Systems for 25 years, and I am still gobsmacked by the sheer variety of uses that QNX technology is put to. I'm especially impressed by the crossover effect. For instance, what we learn in nuclear plants helps us offer a better OS for safety systems in cars. And what we learn in smartphones makes us a better platform supplier for companies building infotainment systems.

All of which to say, the next time someone asks me what QNX does, I will avoid the deep dive and show them this infographic instead. Of course, if they subsequently ask *how* QNX does all this, I will have a well-practiced answer. :-)

Did I mention? You can download a high-res JPEG of this infographic from our Flickr account and a PDF version from the QNX website.



Stay tuned for 2015 CES, where we will introduce even more ways QNX can make a difference, especially in how people design and drive cars.

And lest I forget, special thanks to my colleague Varghese at BlackBerry India for conceiving this infographic, and for the QNX employees who provided their invaluable input.

Building (sound) character into cars

Tina Jeffrey

Modern engines are overachievers when it comes to fuel efficiency — but they often score a C minus in the sound department. Introducing a solution that can make a subtle but effective difference.

Car engines don’t sound like they used to. Correction: They don’t sound as good as they used to. And for that, you can blame modern fuel-saving techniques, such as the practice of deactivating cylinders when engine load is light. Still, if you’re an automaker, delivering an optimal engine sound is critical to ensuring a satisfying user experience. To address this need, we’ve released QNX Acoustics for Engine Sound Enhancement (ESE), a complementary technology to our solution for active noise control.

The why

We first demonstrated our ESE technology at 2014 CES
in the QNX technology concept car for acoustics.

Many people assume, erroneously, that ESE is about giving cars an outsized sonic personality — such as making a Smart ForTwo snarl like an SRT Hellcat. While that is certainly possible, most automakers will use ESE to augment engine sounds in subtle but effective ways that bolster the emotional connection between car and driver — just like engine sounds did in the past. It boils down to creating a compelling acoustic experience for drivers and passengers alike.

ESE isn’t new. Traditionally, automakers have used mechanical solutions that modify the design of the exhaust system or intake pipes to differentiate the sound of their vehicles. Today, automakers are shifting to software-based ESE, which costs less and does a better job at augmenting engine sounds that have been degraded by new, efficient engine designs. With QNX Acoustics for Engine Sound Enhancement, automakers can accurately preserve an existing engine sound for use in a new model, craft a unique sound to market a new brand, or offer distinct sounds associated with different transmission modes, such as sport or economy.

The how
QNX Acoustics for Engine Sound Enhancement is entirely software based. It comprises a runtime library that augments naturally transmitted engine sounds as well as a design tool that provides several advanced features for defining and tuning engine-sound profiles. The library runs on the infotainment system or on the audio system DSP and plays synthesized sound synchronized to the engine’s real-time data: RPM, speed, throttle position, transmission mode, etc.




The ESE designer tool enables sound designers to create, refashion, and audition sounds directly on their desktops by graphically defining the mapping between a synthesized engine-sound profile and real-time engine parameters. The tool supports both granular and additive synthesis, along with a variety of digital signal processing techniques to configure the audio path, including gain, filter, and static equalization control.



The value
QNX Acoustics for Engine Sound Enhancement offers automakers numerous benefits in the design of sound experiences that best reflect their brand:

• Ability to design consistent powertrain sounds across the full engine operating range
   
• Small footprint runtime library that can be ported to virtually any DSP or CPU running Linux or the QNX OS, making it easy to customize all vehicle models and to leverage work done in existing models
   
• Tight integration with other QNX acoustics middleware libraries, including QNX Acoustics for Active Noise Control, enabling automakers to holistically shape their interior vehicle soundscape
   
• Dedicated acoustic engineers that can support development and pre-production activities, including porting to customer-specific hardware, system audio path verification, and platform and vehicle acoustic tuning
   

If you’re with an automaker or Tier One and would like to discuss how QNX Acoustics for ESE can address your project requirements, I invite you to contact us at anc@qnx.com.

In the meantime, learn more about this solution on the QNX website.

Attending SAE Convergence? Here’s why you should visit booth 513

Cars and beer don’t mix. But discussing cars while having a beer? Now you’re talking. If you’re attending SAE Convergence next week, you owe it to yourself to register for our “Spirits And Eats” event at 7:00 pm Tuesday. It’s the perfect occasion to kick back and enjoy the company of people who, like yourself, are passionate about cars and car electronics. And it isn’t a bad networking opportunity either — you’ll meet folks from a variety of automakers, Tier 1s, and technology suppliers in a relaxed, convivial atmosphere.

But you know what? It isn’t just about the beer. Or the company. It’s also about the Benz. Our digitally modded Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG, to be exact. It’s the latest QNX technology concept car, and it’s the perfect vehicle (pun fully intended) for demonstrating how QNX technology can enable next-generation infotainment systems. Highlights include:

• A multi-modal user experience that blends touch, voice, and physical controls
• A secure application environment for Android, HTML5, and OpenGL ES
• Smartphone connectivity options for projecting smartphone apps onto the head unit
• A dynamically reconfigurable digital instrument cluster that displays turn-by-turn directions, notifications of incoming phone calls, and video from front and rear cameras
• Multimedia framework for playback of content from USB sticks, DLNA devices, etc.
• Full-band stereo calling — think phone calls with CD quality audio
• Engine sound enhancement that synchronizes synthesized engine sounds with engine RPM

Here, for example, is the digital cluster:



And here is a closeup of the head unit:



And here’s a shot of the cluster and head unit together:



As for the engine sound enhancement and high-quality hands-free audio, I can’t reproduce these here — you’ll have come see the car and experience them first hand. (Yup, that's an invite.)

If you like what you see, and are interested in what you can hear, visit us at booth #513. And if you'd like to schedule a demo or reserve some time with a QNX representative in advance, we can accommodate that, too. Just send us an email.

A question of concurrency

The first of a new series on the QNX CAR Platform for Infotainment. In this installment, I tackle the a priori question: why does the auto industry need this platform, anyway?

Define your terms, counseled Voltaire, and in keeping with his advice, allow me to begin with the following:

Con•cur•ren•cy \kən-kûr'-ən-sē\ n (1597) Cooperation, as of agents, circumstances, or events; agreement or union in action.

A good definition, as far as it goes. But it doesn’t go far enough for the purposes of this discussion. Wikipedia comes closer to the mark:

“In computer science, concurrency is a property of systems in which several computations execute simultaneously, and potentially interact with each other.”

That’s better, but it still falls short. However, the Wikipedia entry also states that:

“the base goals of concurrent programming include correctness, performance and robustness. Concurrent systems… are generally designed to operate indefinitely, including automatic recovery from failure, and not terminate unexpectedly.”

Now that’s more like it. Concurrency in computer systems isn’t simply a matter of doing several things all at once; it’s also a matter of delivering a solid user experience. The system must always be available and it must always be responsive: no “surprises” allowed.

This definition seems tailored-made for in-car infotainment systems. Here, for example, are some of the tasks that an infotainment system may perform:

• Run a variety of user applications, from 3D navigation to Internet radio, based on a mix of technologies, including Qt, HTML5, Android, and OpenGL ES
• Manage multiple forms of input: voice, touch, physical buttons, etc. 
• Support multiple smartphone connectivity protocols such as MirrorLink and Apple CarPlay 
• Perform services that smartphones cannot support, including:
  
  • HVAC control
  • discovery and playback of multimedia from USB sticks, DLNA devices, MTP devices, and other sources
  • retrieval and display of fuel levels, tire pressure, and other vehicle information
  • connectivity to Bluetooth devices
• Process voice signals to ensure the best possible quality of phone-based hands-free systems — this in itself can involve many tasks, including echo and noise removal, dynamic noise shaping, speech enhancement, etc. 
• Perform active noise control to eliminate unwanted engine “boom” noise 
• Offer extremely fast bootup times; a backup camera, for example, must come up within a second or two to be useful
   

Jugging multiple concurrent tasks

The primary user of an infotainment system is the driver. So, despite juggling all these activities, an infotainment system must never show the strain. It must always respond quickly to user input and critical events, even when many activities compete for system resources. Otherwise, the driver will become annoyed or, worse, distracted. The passengers won’t be happy, either.

Still, that isn’t enough. Automakers also need to differentiate themselves, and infotainment serves as a key tool for achieving differentiation. So the infotainment system must not simply perform well; it must also allow the vehicle, or line of vehicles, to project the unique values, features, and brand identity of the automaker.

And even that isn’t enough. Most automakers offer multiple vehicle lines, each encompassing a variety of configurations and trim levels. So an infotainment design must also be scalable; that way, the work and investment made at the high end can be leveraged in mid-range and economy models. Because ROI.

Projecting a unique identity

But you know what? That still isn’t enough. An infotainment system design must also be flexible. It must, for example, support new functionality through software updates, whether such updates are installed through a storage device or over the air. And it must have the ability to accommodate quickly evolving connectivity protocols, app environments, and hardware platforms. All with the least possible fuss.

The nitty and the gritty
Concurrency, performance, reliability, differentiation, scalability, flexibility — a tall order. But it’s exactly the order that the QNX CAR Platform for Infotainment was designed to fill.

Take, for example, product differentiation. If you look at the QNX-powered infotainment systems that automakers are shipping today, one thing becomes obvious: they aren’t cookie-cutter systems. Rather, they each project the unique values, features, and brand identity of each automaker — even though they are all built on the same, standards-based platform.

So how does the QNX CAR Platform enable all this? That’s exactly what my colleagues and I will explore over the coming weeks and months. We’ll get into the nitty and sometimes the gritty of how the platform works and why it offers so much value to companies that develop infotainment systems in various shapes, forms, and price points.

Stay tuned.

POSTSCRIPT: Read the next installment of the QNX CAR Platform series, A question of architecture.

QNX Acoustics for Voice — a new name and a new benchmark in acoustic processing

Tina Jeffrey

Earlier this month, QNX Software Systems officially released QNX Acoustics for Voice 3.0 — the company’s latest generation of acoustic processing software for automotive hands-free voice communications. The solution sets a new benchmark in hands-free quality and supports the rigorous requirements of smartphone connectivity specifications.

Designed as a complete software solution, the product includes both the QNX Acoustics for Voice signal-processing library and the QWALive tool for tuning and configuration.

The signal-processing library manages the flow of audio during a hands-free voice call. It defines two paths: the send path, which handles audio flowing from the microphones to the far end of the call, and the receive path, which handles audio flowing from the far end to the loudspeakers in the car:





QWALive, used throughout development and pre-production phases, gives developers realtime control over all library parameters to accelerate tuning and diagnosis of audio issues:



A look under the hood
QNX Acoustics for Voice 3.0 builds on QNX Software Systems’ best-in-class acoustic echo cancellation and noise reduction algorithms, road-proven in tens of millions of cars, and offers breakthrough advancements over existing solutions.

Let me run through some of the innovative features that are already making waves (sorry, couldn’t resist) among automotive developers.

Perhaps the most significant innovation is our high efficiency technology. Why? Well, simply put, it saves up to 30% both in CPU load and in memory requirements for wideband (16 kHz sample rate for HD Voice) and Wideband Plus (24 kHz sample rate). This translates into the ability to do more processing on existing hardware, and with less memory. For instance, automakers can enable new smartphone connectivity capabilities on current hardware, without compromising performance:



Another feature that premieres with this release is intelligent voice optimization technology, designed to accelerate and increase the robustness of send-path tuning. This technology implements an automated frequency response correction model that dynamically adjusts the frequency response of the send path to compensate for variations in the acoustic path and vehicle cabin conditions.

Dynamic noise shaping, which is exclusive to QNX Acoustics for Voice, also debuts in this release. It enhances speech quality in the send path by reducing broadband noise from fans, defrost vents, and HVAC systems — a welcome feature, as broadband noise can be particularly difficult for hands-free systems to contend with.

Flexibility and portability — check and check
Like its predecessor (QNX Aviage Acoustic Processing 2.0), QNX Acoustics for Voice 3.0 continues to offer maximum flexibility to automakers. The modular software library comes with a comprehensive API, easing integration efforts into infotainment, telematics, and audio amplifier modules. Developers can choose from fixed- and floating-point versions that can be ported to a variety of operating systems and deployed on a wide range of processors or DSPs.

We’re excited about this release as it’s the most sophisticated acoustic voice processing solution available to date, and it allows automakers to build and hone systems for a variety of speech requirements, across all their vehicle platforms.

Check out the QNX Acoustics for Voice product page to learn more.

QNX Acoustics for Active Noise Control wins a Silver Stevie

Lynn Gayowski

The winners of the 11th annual International Business Awards have been announced and I'm happy to share that QNX Acoustics for Active Noise Control (ANC) has won a Silver Stevie Award in the software category, for Best New Product or Service of the Year! The awards program honours the achievements of organizations and working professionals worldwide, and received more than 3,500 nominations this year from dozens of countries. It feels great to be chosen as a winner among so many entries.
If you're unfamiliar with QNX Acoustics for ANC, it's a software solution that can dramatically reduce unwanted engine harmonic noise inside the cabin of a vehicle. The software's algorithms for noise cancellation can run on an existing CPU or DSP in the infotainment system, eliminating the need for dedicated hardware controller modules. The end result is significant savings for automakers and a quieter ride for drivers and passengers.
This is the second award for QNX Acoustics for ANC, after a win in February at the Embedded World conference's embedded AWARDs. If you want to learn more about the solution, read our white paper titled A Software-Based Approach to Active Noise Control in Automobiles. Congratulations QNX!

The summer road trip of 2017 – Part II

Lynn Gayowski

Our series looking at how in-car technologies will transform your summer road trip continues with part II. 2017 is around the corner, and between now and then, automakers will introduce a bevy of new features that will make for a safer and more enjoyable summer road trip. In our first part, we looked at your road trip soundtrack, navigation, and mobile device connectivity. This week, we look at safety, acoustics, and autonomous cars as we cruise to the last exit for this blog series.

Staying safe
By 2017, we likely won’t have developed the technology to shrink your mechanic down to a size that allows you to perch one on your dashboard like a bobble-head, but many cars will have a “virtual mechanic.” This application will let you check lights, fluids, tire pressure and other system vitals, all through your center stack, digital instrument cluster, or phone – as seen below. The idea of a safety speedometer is hardly new in concept (see the Plymouth safety speedometer from 1939), but its modern implementation in the cars of 2017 in the form of vision systems performing road sign detection might just mean fewer speeding tickets on your road trip, especially as you cruise through unfamiliar areas. 

Staying in touch
Sometimes you want to take a road trip to get away from the world, but sometimes you still want (or need) to stay connected. Whether it’s phone calls, texts, or emails, all of this information will continue to be seamlessly integrated into your car in 2017. Less fumbling, fewer distractions.

And low-quality, stilted speakerphone calls will be a thing of the past with the emerging crop of acoustic technologies. Driving alone on a stretch of road and miss having your loved ones close by? Advanced duplex technology will make it seem as though the person on the other end of your phone conversation is sitting right beside you in the passenger’s seat.  

Another cool development? You won’t have to struggle to use voice recognition technologies because of your noisy in-car cabin (that’s right, serenely quiet cabins will no longer be exclusive to luxury cars). Vehicles will continue to evolve to meet the strictest CAFÉ and emissions standards, while the negative acoustic side-effects from less damping materials will be countered using software to remove unwanted engine sound. And your engine in 2017 might really sound like purring (or growling, if that’s your preference), as signature sounds are enabled by engine sound enhancement software. So not only will you not feel crazy for talking to your car, you’ll also be less frustrated as you do so cruising down the interstate. 

Beyond 2017: Look ma, no hands!
While it won’t happen quite as soon as 2017, autonomous cars will hit the roads in the relatively near future, forever changing the dynamic of the road trip. Will road trips be more accessible for the elderly and others who can’t physically drive long distances? Will the new meaning of "cruise control" make the road trip more or less enjoyable? All of these considerations are up for discussion. One thing is certain: many of the advanced safety systems of today and 2017 are precursors to cars that could drive themselves. One such example of what the future of autonomous driving will look like is the University of Parma’s DEEVA autonomous car project being developed by the Artificial Vision and Intelligent Systems Laboratory (VisLab).  

How is in-car technology playing a role in your current summer road trip? How do you want it to improve your future road trips? Stay tuned to our QNX_Auto Twitter account and Facebook page for weekly discussions throughout the rest of the summer about 2017 has in store for your road trip.

Acoustics, ADAS, and autonomous cars, oh my!

Lynn Gayowski

Trying to make sense of where automotive technology is headed can be as tricky as finding your way through a poppy field while avoiding flying monkeys. Well strap on your shiny, red, video-watching shoes because Derek Kuhn can help. Derek, VP marketing and sales for QNX, was interviewed at Telematics Detroit and did an excellent job of summing up the latest on automotive acoustics, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and autonomous cars.

QNX announced the new QNX OS for Automotive Safety at Telematics Detroit, so safety was clearly top of mind during the interview. One question posed was whether automakers have the potential to use safety options as revenue generators. There's a quote here I love: "Safety shouldn't be about premium." OEMs need to find cost-effective ways to bring next-generation safety to the mass market, not just luxury vehicles.

The section of the video I find most interesting is when Derek discusses how acoustics in a car play a big role in creating "the emotion and experience of driving." Noise reduction technology and engine sound enhancement both have a significant impact on a driver's affinity for a vehicle, and OEMs are taking note.

Check out the video for yourself here, my pretties:

Just add jelly

I like toast. I also like peanut butter. But you know what I really like? The two of them together. Not only does the combination taste great, but making it is easy: all I need is a knife, a toaster, and a plate. Heck, sometimes, I even skip the plate!

Why am I mentioning this? Well, when designing an embedded system, you often need to source third-party hardware or software components. And when doing so, you should always make sure they follow the toast-and-peanut-butter rule: work together out of the box, with little or no fuss. That way, you can focus on adding your own special jelly and transform your peanut-butter toast into a one-of-a-kind PB&J that customers can't get enough of. (Man, I should never write when I'm hungry!)

Evan-Amos, Wikimedia Commons

Seriously, there is no better way to jump-start an embedded project than to choose components that already work in concert. Which is the idea behind today's announcement between Cadence and QNX Software Systems. In a nutshell, they have announced that QNX Acoustics for Active Noise Control (ANC) has been ported to the Cadence Tensilica HiFi Audio/Voice DSP core.

If you're unfamiliar with QNX Acoustics for ANC, it's a software solution for reducing unwanted engine "boom" inside passenger vehicles. Compact and efficient, it can run on a processor or DSP core in the vehicle's infotainment system or audio amplifier, eliminating the dedicated hardware of conventional ANC solutions.

According to Peter McCarthy of QNX, “modern fuel-saving techniques, such as deactivating cylinders when engine load is light, can cause irritating boom noise that distracts the driver. QNX Acoustics for ANC generates targeted anti-noise over the car’s audio system to cancel out this boom for a more enjoyable ride. By combining QNX Acoustics for ANC with the widely deployed Cadence Tensilica HiFi Audio/Voice DSP core, system designers can reduce engine noise while also eliminating the costs associated with designing and prototyping a custom hardware controller module.”

For more information, read the press release and check out previous posts on QNX Acoustics for ANC.

A cool (and connected) cluster

"The more we get connected,
Connected, connected,
The more we get connected,
The happier we’ll be."

Okay, I'll admit it, that's a little over the top. But even if connectivity can't make you happy, it can still breathe a great deal of enjoyment and productivity into your life. And when you build connectivity into devices that have previously stood alone, you open the door to all kinds of exciting possibilities. Case in point: the new digital instrument cluster for the QNX technology concept car.

Here's the cluster at a glance — click to see a bigger version:



Admit it: you'd love to wrap your hands around that steering wheel. I know I would. The Mercedes CLA45 is a sweet ride, and it inspired the QNX concept team to pull out all the stops when designing the new cluster with our partner Rightware, a specialist in UI tools for cars.

Four-point check
Okay, let's hop in and take a closer look. But before we put the car in gear, did your driving instructor ever tell you to do a four-point check? You know, where you make sure your lights, brakes, and other systems are working properly? You do remember to do that, don't you? The cluster makes the task a little easier by checking lights, tire pressures, fluids, and the HVAC system automatically:



Ease off the pedal, buddy
Time to put the car in gear. But before we do, let me tell you about the Plymouth safety speedometer. Designed to curb speeding, it alerted the driver whenever he or she leaned too hard on the gas. In theory, it was a great idea. In practice, it wasn't. You see, the year was 1939. And given the limitations of 1939 technology, the Plymouth safety speedometer couldn't take driving conditions or the local speed limit into account. So the speedometer always displayed warnings at the same speeds, no matter what the speed limit.

Connectivity to the rescue! Some modern navigation systems include information on local speed limits. By connecting the digital instrumental cluster to the navigation system in the car's head unit, the concept team was able to pull this information and display it in real time on the cluster, creating a modern (and much more useful) equivalent of Plymouth's 1939 invention.

Look at the image below. You'll see the local speed limit surrounded by a thick red circle, alerting the driver that they are breaking the limit — the fulfillment of an idea that has been 75 years in the making. Mind you, this isn't the only information that the cluster pulls from the head unit. It can also display turn-by-turn directions, trip information, album art, and other content normally relegated to the center display:



Should you answer?
Oh, hold on, the cluster is alerting us to an incoming call. You can ignore it, or you can answer by pushing a button on the steering wheel. And because this is the QNX technology concept car, it's no ordinary phone call. The car is equipped with QNX Acoustics for Voice, which supports Wideband Plus speech to deliver almost four times the bandwidth of a standard narrowband call. Translation: The person on the far end of call sounds like they're sitting right next to you.



Looking back
Okay, it's been a great drive, but time to head home. And in this case, home is the QNX garage. The garage doors are pretty narrow, and you need to back in carefully, so it's great to know that the cluster also provides a convenient window for the car's rear-view camera:



Meanwhile, in the real world...
Don't make the mistake of thinking this is a Buck Rogers scenario. Because the same combination of QNX and Rightware technology is already powering innovative systems like the Audi virtual cockpit. If you haven't yet seen the Audi system in action, check it out:

Crisper, clearer in-car communication — Roger that

Tina Jeffrey

Over the years, Telematics Detroit has become a premier venue for showing off advancements in automotive infotainment, telematics, apps, cloud connectivity, silicon, and more. If the breadth of QNX technology being demonstrated at the show this week is any indication, the event won’t disappoint. Among the highlights is our next-generation acoustics processing middleware — QNX Acoustics for Voice 3.0 — which has been architected to deliver the highest-quality audio for hands-free and speech recognition systems, enabling the ultimate acoustics experience in the car.

What is QNX Acoustics for Voice?
QNX Acoustics for Voice 3.0 is the successor to the QNX Aviage Acoustics Processing Suite 2.0. The new product includes a set of libraries — standard and premium — that offer automakers ultimate flexibility for voice processing in the harsh audio environment of the car.

The standard library provides a full-featured solution for implementing narrowband and wideband hands-free communications, operating at 8 kHz and 16kHz sample rates, respectively. It also includes innovative new features for performing echo cancellation, noise reduction, adaptive equalization, and automatic gain control. Perhaps the most valuable feature, especially for systems constrained by limited CPU cycles, is the high efficiency mode, which can process wideband and higher-bandwidth speech with substantially less CPU load. The net result: more processing headroom for other tasks.

The premium library includes all the standard library functionality, plus support for Wideband Plus, which expands the frequency range of transmitted speech to 50 Hz - 11 kHz, at a 24kHz sample rate. The introduction of Wideband Plus fulfills the higher voice quality and low noise requirements demanded by the latest smartphone connectivity protocols for telephony, VoIP services, and speech recognition. Let me recap with a table:

Supported capabilities	Standard library	Premium library
Narrowband audio: 300 – 3400Hz (8kHz sample rate)	✔	✔
Wideband audio: 50-7000Hz (16kHz sample rate)	✔	✔
Wideband Plus audio: 50Hz – 11kHz (24kHz sample rate)		✔
High efficiency mode	✔  (Wideband only)	✔
VOIP requirements for new smartphone connectivity protocols		✔
Cloud-based speech recognition requirements for new smartphone connectivity protocols		✔

---

Why is high-quality speech important in the car?
Simply put, it improves the user experience and can benefit passenger safety. Also, new smartphone connectivity protocols require it. Let’s examine two use cases: hands-free voice calling, and speech recognition.

In a voice call, processing a larger bandwidth of speech and eliminating echo and noise from various sources, including wind, road, vents, fans, and tires, dramatically increases speech intelligibility — and the more intelligible the speech, the more natural the flow of conversation. Also, clearer speech has less impact on the driver’s cognitive load, enabling the driver to pay more attention to the task at hand: driving.

Speech recognition systems are becoming a primary way to manage apps and services in the car. Voice commands can initiate phone calls, select media for playback, search for points of interest (POI), and choose a destination.

Technological advancements in pre-processing voice input to remove noise and disturbances helps speech recognizers detect commands more reliably, thereby achieving higher recognition accuracy. Early speech recognition systems, by comparison, were unintuitive and performed poorly. Drivers became so frustrated that they stopped using these systems and resorted to picking up their smartphones, completely eliminating the safety benefits of speech recognition.

QNX Acoustics for Voice 3.0 is a comprehensive automotive voice solution that includes industry-leading echo cancellation, noise reduction, adaptive equalization and automatic gain control.

If you happen to be at Telematics Update in Novi Michigan this week, be sure to drop by our booth to sit in our latest concept car — a specially modified Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG — and experience our acoustics technologies first hand.