Level 2+ and Level 3 automated driving for 2024 car production

Renesas has announced what hardware it thinks will be needed for Level 2+ and Level 3 automated driving – intended for cars (automobiles) sold in 2024 and onwards.

“We expect to see ADAS adopted in all vehicle types, from mid-range to entry-level,” said company automotive v-p Naoki Yoshida.”

In its Level 2+ and Level 3 SoC, branded R-Car V4H, it has included:

Four 1.8Ghz Arm Cortex-A76 (= 49kDMips) general compute for automated driving
Three 1.4Ghz lock-step Cortex-R52 (= 9kDMips) for ASIL D real-time processing
600MHz AXM-8-256 GPU (>150GFlops)
Deep learning and computer vision acceleration (34Tops)
An image signal processor (with parallel processing) for machine vision
An image renderer for fisheye distortion correction (and other maths)
CAN, Ethernet AVB, TSN and FlexRay automotive interfaces
Gen4 PCIe interfaces

“Deep learning up to 34Tops enables high-speed image recognition and processing of surrounding objects by automotive cameras, radar, and lidar,” said the company. Across the whole IC “these control units may support driving systems appropriate for automated driving Levels 2+ and Level 3, including full NCAP 2025 features. R-Car V4H also supports surround view and automatic parking functions with 3D visualisation effects such as realistic rendering.”

For ISO 26262 functional safety, ASIL D is the aim for all “safety relevant IP”, according to Renesas, and the signal processing hardware is expected to achieve “ASIL B and D metrics for the real time domain”.

The desire for ASIL D compliance for systematic and random hardware faults means that the IC and its associated memories get a dedicated two-part power supply: a boost-buck pre-regulator (RAA271041 ) for the nominal 12V vehicle rail, followed by an 11 output switching+linear regulator (RAA271005). Both chips are AEC-Q100 grade 1 qualified.

A software development kit (SDK) including deep learning has been created. Simulation models are available, and the software is operating system agnostic. “In case of development from scratch, Fixstars’ Genesis platform enables engineers to evaluate R-Car from anywhere via their cloud solution,” said Renesas.