Vehicle + UNS: Enabling Comprehensive Data Interoperability Throughout the SDV Lifecycle
Jaylin
Table of Contents
- Introduction: Navigating the Challenges in the Software-Defined Vehicle Evolution
- UNS with Vehicle: The Role of UNS in Modern Automotive Innovation
- UNS in Vehicle: A Unified Communication Bus for Heterogeneous Data Convergence
- UNS across Vehicle: Data-Driven Innovation
- UNS above Vehicle: Open Collaboration Beyond Technology
Introduction: Navigating the Challenges in the Software-Defined Vehicle Evolution
The automotive industry’s revolution has evolved from focusing on electrification to embracing intelligence. At the heart of this transformation is the Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV), which has shifted the industry’s focus away from internal combustion engines and mechanical engineering. The integration of advancements from computer science and information technology into the automotive sector has given rise to features like SmartDrive and Digital Cockpit. These innovations ensure that a vehicle’s driving experience and functionalities are not fixed at the point of manufacture but can be dynamically enhanced to meet user needs through ongoing software updates during the vehicle’s lifespan.
The rise of the data-driven paradigm and connected vehicles has positioned software as a pivotal component in this industry traditionally governed by mechanics. However, establishing the SDV architecture and a new value system is challenging. A software-centric approach introduces product flexibility but also presents novel obstacles:
Software Complexity: Software now constitutes a larger share of vehicle development compared to hardware. Its intricate nature necessitates continual maintenance and updates, introducing a level of uncertainty for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) that diverges from the predictability of the hardware-centric past. Moreover, integrating disparate capabilities from numerous vendors into a cohesive vehicle program incurs significant communication and coordination costs, often leading to project delays.
Data Management: The complexity of in-vehicle communication networks is increasing, as is the volume of data produced daily (ranging from 700Mb to 1Gb). This surge presents heightened challenges for data governance and synchronization between the vehicle and the cloud. Additionally, systems like Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) require cross-domain information exchange, which must be achieved with high throughput and low latency without compromising security.
Interoperability Standards: The shift towards a multi-domain centralized architecture introduces a complex network topology. The coexistence of various communication media (e.g., Ethernet, CAN, LIN) and protocols (e.g., SOME-IP/DDS) necessitates an industry-wide interoperability standard, like the evolving AutoSAR AP, to facilitate seamless integration of products from different vendors.
A similar paradigm shift is occurring in the industrial manufacturing sector, where the integration of Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) has unified previously isolated systems, such as MES, ERP, and PLM, into a single dataspace. This unification promotes interoperability, scalability, and simplified data integration. The Unified Namespace (UNS) has emerged as a response to this trend, establishing a foundation for smart manufacturing.
Learn more: Unified Namespace (UNS): Introduction and Its Applications in IIoT
UNS has proven its efficacy in industrial manufacturing by enabling interoperability. Both software-defined vehicles and Industry 4.0 confront a common challenge: constructing a data-driven intelligent framework that spans the entire organization efficiently and cost-effectively. As a leading proponent of UNS, EMQ is dedicated to equipping customers and partners with the data infrastructure necessary for UNS implementation. To address the challenges posed by the SDV trend, EMQ advocates for the application of UNS within the automotive realm to ensure data interoperability throughout the SDV lifecycle.
In the following sections, we will explore the practicality and potential of integrating UNS within the automotive industry.
UNS with Vehicle: The Role of UNS in Modern Automotive Innovation
Software has been a cornerstone of automotive innovation since the 1970s, initially enhancing safety with features like anti-lock braking systems (ABS) and airbags, and later advancing to cruise control and active safety systems. Alongside these developments, cybersecurity and communication systems gained prominence to support the increasing number of software-controlled functions.
The distinction between vehicles with software functions and those defined by software lies in data-driven capability. Historically, vehicle functions were managed by single-purpose embedded software control units, with firmware updates limited to addressing design flaws or recalls. In contrast, data reuse enables ongoing updates and iterations. Walker Reynold, the pioneer of the UNS concept, illustrates this with a personal anecdote: owning both a Ford F250 diesel pickup and a Tesla, he highlights the Tesla’s ability to self-diagnose and update over Wi-Fi, whereas the Ford requires manual data transfer and diagnostics at a dealership.
In the era of software-defined vehicles, automotive software transcends embedded ECU firmware, becoming the vehicle’s central intelligence and innovation driver. The fusion of software with vehicle-cloud platforms has spawned a vibrant mobile application ecosystem, linking customers with OEMs and third-party developers. Modern automakers prioritize user-centric design, drawing insights from consumer data to enhance product design and establish competitive advantages.
The essence of transitioning to a data-driven business model is the post-purchase enhancement of the product, forming the digital supply chain. A UNS, bridging the cloud-edge and vehicle-cloud synergy, is vital for data collection and flow, serving as the digital supply chain’s backbone. It empowers connected applications, such as AI/BI, to access new data sources and provide real-time feedback, supporting hardware in data realization and influencing every facet of the new automotive value chain.
Applying UNS in the automotive sector demands heightened information and functional security. Vehicles, as high-energy mobile mechanical entities with complex components, have stringent security requirements. Even minor software glitches can lead to significant consequences.
UNS in Vehicle: A Unified Communication Bus for Heterogeneous Data Convergence
Tesla’s capacity to continually refine and update its vehicles post-purchase is underpinned by its in-vehicle UNS: a comprehensive digital model that aggregates, stores, and transmits data from various sensors and controllers in real time. This system is crucial for remote diagnostics and enhancing the user experience. Moreover, the integration of diverse data sources is essential for emerging functionalities like the digital cockpit and intelligent assisted driving, necessitating the transfer of substantial data volumes across different vehicle domains. The UNS acts as a universal communication bus, interfacing with varied data protocols to facilitate component interactions.
The automotive industry is witnessing a shift towards centralized computing functions and a decoupling of hardware from software. This trend is leading to a decrease in low-power ECUs and a rise in SoC/MPUs. With more centralized computing architectures and network topologies, there’s a growing need for flexible interoperability, efficient data buses for source reuse, and streaming engines that prioritize computation over frequent data transfers.
UNS across Vehicle: Data-Driven Innovation
The smart cockpit has become a key arena for OEMs to showcase their intelligence capabilities. To offer a more immersive driving experience, manufacturers are developing interactive features both within and outside the vehicle, such as dynamic driving modes, expansive digital displays, multimedia entertainment, and integrated home controls. The introduction of IoT communication technologies like WiFi and BLE is significant, but the true differentiator and competitive edge will be software functionality. This marks a transition from a closed, hardware-centric design process to an open ecosystem welcoming third-party contributions and centered on software services. This expansion of the mobility experience leverages a broader, more open software ecosystem through digital marketplaces and connections with third-party offerings. As the automotive ecosystem evolves, the frequency of interactions between the vehicle and the cloud, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), and the vehicle with various aftermarket devices is set to increase dramatically. The establishment of an in-vehicle UNS is pivotal for cross-domain data collection and storage, paving the way for seamless integration of Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) applications. With a comprehensive UNS framework, the application of in-vehicle data across diverse V2X scenarios becomes not only feasible but streamlined, enabling a myriad of functionalities from traffic management to enhanced driver experiences.
Linking pre-production manufacturing with post-production digital modeling is another critical aspect of UNS. By merging component installation and lifecycle data from the production line with user data and feedback, manufacturers can swiftly cater to customer preferences with personalized services and accurately identify specific vehicle batches for recalls if necessary.
The shift to a data-driven business model is now a given. Beyond providing data insights and enriched services, UNS plays a pivotal role in efficiently addressing customer issues and facilitating the iterative enhancement of machine-learning models for ADAS and autonomous driving capabilities. Techniques like shadow mode and online annotation enable intelligent data matching at the vehicle end, ensuring the collection of high-quality, long-tail data. This establishes a cost-effective cloud-based scene library, which then informs model training, simulation, and validation, ultimately enhancing the vehicle’s decision-making processes. This industry-wide embrace of the data closed-loop concept—leveraging vehicle-cloud collaboration to identify valuable data amidst vast datasets—promises to deliver a transformative competitive edge in the rapidly evolving field of mobile mobility.
UNS above Vehicle: Open Collaboration Beyond Technology
When we delve into the concept of UNS, we’re not merely revisiting an old concept in a new guise. Instead, we’re exploring a transformative approach to digital evolution characterized by shared data flows, dismantled information silos, a software-centric and network-oriented mindset, a commitment to resource efficiency and data-driven decision-making, and a dedication to unified standards, collaborative growth, and shared success. These principles are particularly vital in the contemporary automotive landscape.
The rivalry among major OEMs is intensifying, with price wars inflicting lasting harm on the industry’s sustainable growth. The escalating complexity of software within these organizations poses significant challenges in managing vehicle development cycles and delivery, leading to soaring Time-to-Market costs. This situation is exacerbated by traditional scene-based thinking and waterfall project management, which squander resources. The prevalence of bespoke software, limited use of standard middleware for protocol bridging, and vendor-imposed data barriers have collectively heightened the barriers to widespread adoption and sophistication of software-defined vehicles.
The ethos of open source and data sharing inherent in UNS offers a potent remedy. The vast repositories of open-source software represent a wellspring of resources that, with adequate attention to data security and compliance, can significantly streamline the development process for SDV projects. Furthermore, embracing technical standards endorsed by the open-source community enhances project transparency and supplier trust, delineating clear responsibilities. UNS’s role in unifying the data space and minimizing proprietary protocols is pivotal for SDV advancement. By leveraging open-source intellectual property, OEMs can avoid the pitfalls of vendor lock-in.
While the automotive sector undergoes profound transformation, EMQ aspires to be the conduit linking the industry with the open source realm. Honoring established practices while striving for a stable and secure data foundation, EMQ aims to support traditional industry partners in harnessing open-source software. This article has illuminated the significance of a unified data namespace for software-defined vehicles, and we hope to foster dialogue and collaboration, uniting efforts to cultivate a connected, intelligent, and innovative automotive ecosystem.