The just-concluded Automotive World Expo 2021 in Tokyo was characterized by hardware/software-integrated solutions to create connected, autonomous, shared/service and electric (CASE) vehicles, showing the trend of digital transformation for the car industry.
Japan-based Rohm showcased a variety of automotive components, including SiC power semiconductor devices with high voltage tolerance and low power consumption, power management ICs supporting ADAS and LiDARs, driver ICs used in LED automotive lighting.
Rohm's subsidiary LAPIS Technology showcased image controller ICs used in electronic rear-view mirrors and correcting images projected on windshields from head-up displays.
Rohm plans to invest JPY60 billion (US$579 million) to expand production capacity for SiC power semiconductor devices over the next five years, aiming to hike its corresponding global market share from 20% at present to 30%.
Xilinx exhibited Zynq UltraScale+, an in-house-developed multi-processor SoC that has been adopted for EyeSight, an ADAS installed on Subaru Levorg car model, with the SoC providing safety functions of adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, collision warning and active brake. The SoC is an FPGA that can be updated to match Subaru's upgrading autonomous software via OTA (over-the-air programming).
Japan-based taxi app JapanTaxi showcased an autonomous taxicab with LiDARs installed on the top, automotive cameras on sides and an autonomous control device in the trunk. With autonomous software provided by Japan-based self-driving software developer Tier IV, the cab is under trial run in Tokyo and Aichi Prefecture, central Japan.
Coping with the coronavirus pandemic, Japan-based MaaS (mobility as a service) operator Mobility Plus exhibited a cold-chain logistics vehicle equipped with freezing storage under minus 120 degrees Celsius - much lower than those for general cold-chain transportation cars - for delivering COVID-19 vaccines.
Honda Motor showcased Honda Fleet Management, a cloud-based logistics management system for fleets of motorcycles used in last-mile deliveries of goods.
Japan-based JVCKenwood exhibited STZ-DR00, a SDK for logistics operators and insurance companies to develop software for analyzing real-time data collected by car movement recorders. The SDK enables processing of far-transmitted AIoT messages in short time and at low cost and its function library can provide additional functions such as ADAS, VoIP and DMS (driver monitoring system).