Snapdragon processor enters automotive
LAS VEGAS – While several major chip manufacturers displayed the latest in connected car technology at CES 2015, San Diego-based Qualcomm turned heads with its polished in-vehicle concept set up in a state-of-the-art Cadillac XTS.
Nakul Duggal, VP of product management for automotive and M2M, took RCR Wireless News on a tour of the Qualcomm-powered Cadillac, which uses a Snapdragon processor, a Gobi 3G/4G LTE modem, VIVE Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, IZAT GPS and a Qualcomm software framework and media platform.
“The goal of kind of pulling together this concept was to be able to showcase what is possible given the portfolio that we have of our technologies,” Duggal said.
The connected car dash includes a top-of-the-line head unit next to mounting brackets for two handheld devices, one for the driver and one for the passenger.
The devices carry user preferences – music, seat adjustment, mirror settings, trunk screen and more – which are seamlessly integrated through the head unit by way of Qualcomm’s AllJoyn protocol and in-car Wi-Fi.
“The idea here is to be able to basically show how you can actually build personalization of the user’s phone,” Duggal said.
The digital dash display is equipped with adjustable views including navigation overlayed with advanced lane detection.
The vehicle also features rear and surround view, which takes video feed from four different cameras and stitches together a cohesive image. The image is available in real time as the vehicle moves.
Duggal also demoed Qualcomm’s robust audio/visual entertainment platform controlled from a beautiful user interface on the head unit.
Equipped with LTE Broadcast functionality, the concept car can integrate multiple sources, including handsets, through the head unit; from there, content can be shared to screens in the backseat.
