About the Customer:
This solution is a part of Embitel’s offerings for automotive OEMs or Tier 1 suppliers looking to develop in-vehicle infotainment systems and digital cockpit solutions.
Modernize on-road connectivity and entertainment with Embitel’s exclusive innovation.
Business Challenges:
Toradex Verdin SOM based on the iMX8Q Plus processor (from NXP) is an easy-to-use, commercial off-the-shelf embedded product supported by the Yocto Linux operating system (OS). However, Toradex is not supporting Android Automotive OS on these SoM boards as they don’t have Android expertise.
With Android being a popular OS for mobile phones and on-road vehicles, this porting project with Android Automotive OS v11 was a game-changer in the development of in-vehicle infotainment systems.
Embitel’s Solution:
The essence of a porting solution lies in:
- Assessing and understanding the hardware and software platforms at play
- Analysing and modifying codes
- Testing and validating the modified codes
Embitel’s in-house IoT experts successfully ported the AAOS-11 on Toradex Verdin SOM based on the iMX8M Plus processor using the above porting principles. This led to:
- Boot up at the Linux kernel level, followed by the Android Car Build OS boot up on Toradex Verdin iMX8M Plus Processor led to successful Android Bring-Up.
- Upon boot-up, access the main screen with options to access maps, music, phone, menu bar, notifications, and Voice Commands.
- Several apps inherent to the hardware build were tested for their UI compatibilities.
The system was stacked with the following features:
- The system allows essential audio features such as change of ringtone and volume level, essential for notifications.
- Camera module is enabled with Audio, Picture, and Video Capture at 1080 P.
- Accessing captured audio, pictures, and video for playback using an inbuilt media player.
- CAN data transmission and receiving for user-to-ECU communication via VHAL Porting.
Testing and validation of modules that supported the features:
- Camera Module – Tested for capturing video and audio content. The module acts as an in-vehicle security feature and enables futuristic technologies such as Facial Recognition
- Audio Module – The system was checked to play the tones of notifications, audio playback, ringtones, etc. The module helps drivers and users to receive and send messages hands-free.
- Graphics Processing Unit – Tested for rendering graphics and visual content. This module is crucial for delivering high-quality visual experiences in applications.
- Ethernet - Tested for transmitting and receiving data packets over a network connection. This module facilitates communication between the ported system and external servers, devices, or the internet.
- CAN Module – Tested for sending and receiving data over a network.
Embitel Impact:
This porting project helped enable Android 11 on the Toradex SOM for two different use cases i.e., Android Normal Build (for common Android use cases – phones, tablets, etc) and Android Car Build (for vehicles – Android Automotive OS).
Android Automotive is an Android operating system capable of powering futuristic automotive IVI systems and digital cockpits. It can run pre-installed infotainment applications (Android based) and several third-party applications.
Every project is a learning experience, and our experts now have an enhanced knowledge base to complete any AAOS porting project in just two months, either on variety of Toradex SOM boards or any custom board developed for specific customer requirements.
Tools and Technologies:
- U-Boot porting
- Kernel Porting
- Vehicle HAL – CAN Driver and CAN Communication
- Vehicle HAL – Audio Playback and Recording
- Other Peripherals - SPI, I2C, EEPROM, Ethernet, ADC, Display, Audio, CAN, USB and Camera
- Toradex Verdin SOM based on NXP iMX8QXP Processor.
