Murata: Automotive intelligence and electrification require safer automotive sensors

On July 3, the 2020 Munich Shanghai Electronics Show opened grandly. As the only live video partner of the Munich Show, Electronics Fans Network interviewed many companies in the fields of Internet of Things, 5G , artificial intelligence, etc. through live broadcasts during the exhibition, and conducted extensive exchanges on related industries, technologies, markets, and products. As a world-leading manufacturer of electronic components ,
 
Murata has deeply related products in the fields of consumer electronics, automobiles, energy, and medical. So in the face of the trend of smart travel, what products and technologies has Murata come up with to deal with it? Electronics Fans exclusively interviewed Murata product engineer Shen Kai, who will explain to us Murata's efforts in this regard.
 

Murata product engineer Shen Kai

 
What new products and technologies did Murata bring to the Munich Shanghai Electronics Show?
 
Shen Kai: We exhibited 15 products that can be used in the automotive industry. There are small crystal resonators for automobiles , silicon capacitors and silicon integrated devices, third-generation combined sensors , 6-axis inertial sensors, etc.
 

Electronics Enthusiast Editor Zhou Kaiyang (left) Murata Product Engineer Shen Kai (right)

 
It is understood that the 6-axis inertial sensor is a new product launched by Murata for the automotive field. What are the main innovations and applications of this product?
 
Shen Kai: Due to the high-precision requirements of the automotive industry for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) in recent years, in order to cope with some scenes that cannot be positioned by the global satellite navigation system (GNSS) alone, such as tunnels and under bridges, Murata has developed a 6-axis integrated inertial force sensor with an accuracy of tens of centimeters .
 
The main features of this product are: 1. Comply with ASIL-B functional safety level and AEC-Q100 automotive grade certification. 2. Patented self-diagnosis function of the internal working status of the device. 3. Exclusive 3D MEMS structure, achieving excellent bias stability, low noise, and high vibration resistance.
 
What solutions does Murata provide for smart travel? Can you share a few typical cases?
 
Shen Kai: In addition to the 6-axis inertial sensor introduced earlier, Murata is also committed to the development of ultrasonic sensors for automatic parking systems, including low-speed automatic driving systems. As we all know, various sensors are used in automatic driving and fusion algorithms are used to monitor the surrounding environment of the vehicle. , such as millimeter-wave radar, laser radar , camera, ultrasonic sensor, etc. By integrating various sensors, the detection range can be expanded or the blind spot can be shortened, which helps to improve the safety of autonomous driving. Among them, ultrasonic sensors are expected to play a monitoring role within a few meters of the vehicle.
 
Waymo, a foreign company, launched an experience event in cooperation with taxi operators earlier. Recently, Didi Chuxing launched an autonomous driving test ride event. It seems that autonomous driving is one step closer to us. What do you think of this development situation?
 
Shen Kai: If we look back at the history of automobile development, we can have a clearer answer to this question. The
 
world's first car was born in Germany in the 1880s. More than 60 years later, in 1951, electronic functional products such as radio and airbags came into being. Around 1980, ABS, electric seats, and car navigation began to appear on cars. Then 10 years later in 1990, reversing images began to be adopted.
 
Then came the era of the explosion of automotive electronics, reversing radar , body stability control system (ESC, ESP), hill assist, etc. Then to today's ACC adaptive cruise control and lane keeping, which have also been widely mass-produced and applied. The development of automobiles has been moving towards a more comfortable, safer and more convenient direction. Autonomous driving just conforms to this development trend, and the technology development iteration will be faster and faster. Although there are various voices and opinions about autonomous driving now, I think the general trend is very clear. The era of autonomous driving will always come. Those who are pessimistic about it now will definitely say "Well, it's really good" in the future.
 
The decline in global automobile sales is an indisputable fact, but of course the overall development trend is still very optimistic. How do you think semiconductor manufacturers can better promote the development of intelligent and electrified automobiles during this period?
 
Shen Kai: Murata attaches great importance to business innovation in the automotive industry. Our partners include large enterprises, innovative enterprises, university research institutes, etc., and are committed to solving customer pain points and creating more value for customers. According to the CASE of the automotive market, we are also launching wireless connection modules that meet the trends and changes in demand in the automotive market. Murata's module technology and products have been adopted by more than 30 OEMs and  Tier1 . Murata is currently developing Cellular-V2X modules with its partners to meet the needs of the Chinese autonomous driving market and customers. We want to help our customers drive the development of intelligent and electrified vehicles through leading hardware and RF design capabilities, software & certification knowledge & support, high-quality component technology, and a strong Chinese technical team.