About the Customer:
Our customer is a US-based electric motorcycle manufacturer developing high-end connected two-wheelers. The revolutionary designs and technology in their motorcycles are enhanced by the company’s promise of sustainability through the utilisation of high-performance, recyclable materials.
Business Challenge:
The customer was seeking a reliable automotive product development company for the design and development of the hardware that powers their electric motorcycle dashboard. They partnered with us since we have worked on multiple automotive projects in the past, where we designed and developed the end-to-end hardware system.
The customer’s motorcycle product line was equipped with leading-edge technology and connectivity options. For instance, the driver can receive crucial vehicle data on his/her mobile phone app, as smart connectivity has been implemented in the vehicle.
Our scope of work in this project was limited to the hardware solution implementation and performance evaluation. The development of the dashboard software and mobile application was done by the client themselves.
Embitel Solution:
We designed and developed a hardware carrier board and a secondary board for the motorcycle dashboard. These boards were interconnected and the communication with mobile, GPS, CAN transmission, 4G, etc. were established.
The project consisted of 2 spins. In each spin, the following activities were performed:
- Selection of components and hardware design with Schematics
- Board layout and Gerber generation
- Proto board manufacturing
- Board bring up
- Validation of electrical design
- Integration of the software and elaborate testing
At the end of spin 2, we also provided support to the customer for Pre-compliance and Field testing.
Architecture diagram
Toradex Ixora Carrier Board Interfaces:
Bike Interface Unit – High Level Block Diagram:
Key modules of our solution
Toradex IMX 6 series SOM processor was used for the carrier board. The secondary board does not have a processor, as it is an add-on board with limited features. The complete circuit is entirely on the main board (carrier board).
The carrier board is placed at the top of the stack for optimum heat dissipation. It connects with the secondary board using automotive grade fasteners. The SOM module takes care of interfaces such as Memory, GPIO, CAN, I2C and USB bus, HDMI, Ethernet, RS232, etc.
Some of the components included on the carrier board:
- System on Module Apalis iMX6
- Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Combo Module
- RS232 Transceiver
- CAN Transceiver
- LTE Module
- Ethernet
- CAN Controller
Some of the components included on the secondary board:
- I2C to GPIO Expander
- I2C to ADC Expander
- Relays
- Temperature and Humidity Sensor
- Current Limit Switch
An elaborate power management module was also included in the solution.
Performance evaluation
Performance evaluation of the solution was done after the software was integrated with the hardware. Performance testing was carried out with the maximum limits of boundary values.
Simulations were also carried out for all the applicable circuits and the simulated results were cross verified with the test results.
Security considerations
While selecting the hardware components, we took care of incorporating the security aspects. We have only opted for automotive grade components for the boards.
Embitel Impact:
The hardware boards we developed for the motorcycle digital instrument cluster were in conformance to the client’s requirements. The performance of the system was evaluated, and we supported the customer in all pre-compliance and field tests. The customer is now in the process of manufacturing hundreds of these boards for their high-end motorcycle product line.
Tools and Technologies:
- Cadence Orcad v 17.4 – For hardware design
- PM Tool – For task management, effort logging, etc.
