Altera demos automotive embedded system solutions that increase design productivity at SAE Convergence 2014

SAN JOSE & DETROIT, USA: Altera Corp. announced it is demonstrating new field-programmable gate array (FPGA) solutions enabling systems designers to rapidly add features and functionality to their automotive systems designs at SAE Convergence in Detroit, Michigan from October 21 to 22 in Booth #313.

The demonstrations include a variety of new solutions for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and infotainment applications on Cyclone FPGAs.

Altera offers solutions that accelerate design times and improve design productivity by eliminating the need to write code in traditional RTL. Designers can target Cyclone V SoCs using the Altera SDK for OpenCL, an industry-standard software-based design flow that reduces development time from months to days by allowing designers to use a familiar software programming language such as C instead of the traditional VHDL or Verilog.

Similarly, engineers can leverage Altera’s DSP Builder tool to develop algorithms in MATLAB/Simulink, and port them to an FPGA without the need to write RTL code.

Altera takes a holistic approach to functional safety. By targeting ISO 26262 certification for Altera’s Quartus II design tools, FPGAs and associated safety diagnostics IP, Altera offers designers 12 to 18 months of development time savings compared to non-certified offerings.

Additional Cyclone V SoC features such as 16- and 32-bit DDR memory interfaces with hardened error correction code (ECC) provide the lowest latency and highest reliability memory interfaces critical to embedded vision and video processing applications.

To complement our functional safety offering, Altera is introducing the first ever automotive open-system architecture (AUTOSAR) version 4.0.3 microcontroller abstraction layer (MCAL) solution for programmable logic, a solution available for Cyclone V SoC FPGAs.

AUTOSAR helps improve automotive design productivity by abstracting the application software code from the underlying hardware. Altera’s ready-built MCAL was developed with an ISO 26262 ASIL B compliant safety-level methodology, to provide a streamlined foundation for our customers to rapidly innovate and differentiate their safety-critical applications.