Android Infotainment Solution Development

Q. Your infotainment reference design is built on Android OS. Does Android offer any specific advantages over other Operating Systems?

A. Our Automotive Team undertook an intensive research and analysis of the capabilities offered by Android OS for infotainment application. We also analyzed the features of Android OS w.r.t the customer requirements and their pain-points Android emerged as an ideal Operating System for an In-vehicle Infotainment solution. Following are some of the compelling reasons for the same:

• Android software stack comes integrated with necessary connectivity modules like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and more and low-level device drivers and software layers.
• The UI can be easily custom-designed, with the help of platforms like QT.
• As an infotainment developer, one can focus on the customization and development of the Application Layer, without worrying about the underlying software layers
• Third party libraries are not required to be integrated, as Android brings the complete software package on the table.
• As part of the future growth strategy, Automotive Industry is a core focus area for Google. This will ensure that Google continues to provide robust support for the automotive applications and release more feature-rich versions of Android Automotive.
• Being an open source platform, the source code is available and it is easy to personalize the OS as per the specific needs of the customer.
• App deployment ecosystem of Android offers a lot of advantages that reduce time-to-market for In-Vehicle Infotainment products

Q. Which Navigation engine have you integrated with your infotainment solution? Any specific reasons for the same?

A. We have integrated Sygic navigation and Co-pilot Maps with our In-Vehicle Infotainment reference design. Sygic and Copilot Maps are easy to integrate and require no additional certification.

Q. What are the pre-requisites for integrating Google Maps with the in-vehicle infotainment system?

A. The primary pre-requisite is the Google Play service certification. It is a background service and API package that is required by every Android device, if its wishes to use Google’s services such as Maps.

Q. Does Open Source nature of Android lead to any security concerns?

A. The open source nature of Android is one of the reasons for its popularity and wide-spread adoption. However, it does pose some security concerns. But if proper security measures are put in place, Android is as secure as any of its competitors. At Embitel, we take care of all the potential security issues that can crop up and make sure the car infotainment software is completely secured. One of them is to get your Android infotainment system certified by Google which can solve some of the security issues.

Q. What are the software/hardware components of your reference design that can be reused for prototype development?

A. We have a very robust and comprehensive reference design for car infotainment system and many of its components can be reused. This reduces the development time required for POC, prototype and production-grade solution development. The reusability of many of the components also lowers the development cost. Components that can be reused for prototype development
• Hardware/ Software components for Instrument Cluster
• Automotive connectivity and diagnostics Stacks like J1939, UDS,OBD2,CAN, CAN FD, and more
• Software Libraries and APIs
• Hardware Platform and peripheral components (depends on requirement and BOM)
• Music, Camera and phone apps
• Gesture control module
• Voice control module
• UI components

Q. What is the turnaround time for POC realization and prototype development?

A. We can develop the Proof of Concept in 3-5 months’ time. However, the prototype development turnaround time would depend on the customization required.

Q. Is Google certification for IVI (in-vehicle infotainment) device mandatory? What is the procedure to get certified by Google?

A. Google certification is not mandatory for in-vehicle infotainment devices as of now. However, if you wish to use some of the services provided by Google, you need to be certified. In order to get your software certified, we need to run Compatibility Test Suite which is available for download from Android’s website. After the test is completed, we need to contact an authorized third party vendor to get the certification. Embitel can assist you in running the compatibility test on custom hardware.

Q. What technology services does Embitel provide for in-vehicle infotainment solution development?

A. Embitel offers a suite of services for car infotainment solution that covers solution ideation to production-ready system. Here is a complete list of technology services:
• Proof of concept development
• Support in choosing the H/W and S/W components
• Custom prototype development
• Production-Ready design
• Connectivity Stack Integration (CAN, J1939 etc.)
• Support for verification and certification from Google and other third party authorities

Q. Do you provide support for product validation and certification?

A. Yes, we provide complete support for the validation and certification of the hardware components. We also help our customers in choosing the right components that exactly fit their requirements.

Q. Do you provide Functional Safety consulting and support for developing an ISO 26262 complaint car infotainment solution?

A. Yes. We take functional safety aspect of infotainment systems very seriously and implement ISO 26262 framework in letter and spirit. We have a clearly defined safety, quality and technical safety management and all processes (design to deployment) based on ISO 26262 best practices We perform end-to-end safety analysis at Concept System Software Hardware level.

Q. Can you help us build a multi-display infotainment system?

A. Yes. We have been closely following the evolution of in-vehicle infotainment into a multi-display system. Our expertise is well aligned with this new concept and our team is equipped with all the technical know-how to build a multi-display infotainment system or an integrated car infotainment system