At CES 2020, Samsung Electronics unveiled Digital Cockpit 2020, which utilizes 5G to link features inside and outside the vehicle and provide connected experiences for drivers and passengers alike.

Digital Cockpit 2020 is the third co-development between Samsung Electronics and HARMAN International, and combines Samsung’s telecommunications technologies, semiconductors and displays with HARMAN’s automotive expertise. The solution enables seamless two-way connections between the home, the office and all the other spaces that users may visit while providing personalized experiences and in-car infotainment. What’s more, smart features enabled through Bixby actively support the driver, further reinforcing safe driving.

Digital Cockpit 2020 incorporates eight displays inside the vehicle, as well as eight cameras. The solution utilizes Samsung Exynos Auto V9 SoC (System on Chip), a semiconductor for vehicle electronics, and Android 10, which allow for several features to be run at the same time.

Tailored Infotainment Delivery

Once the driver logs in using either facial recognition or a smartphone fingerprint reader, the Center Information Display can be used to show the driver’s schedule and a range of other information.

The Digital Cockpit’s Front Display provides visual navigation information and is positioned to ensure that the driver keeps their eyes on the road. It is equipped with QLED Local Dimming¹ technology and split-screen mode to allow passengers to make use of the display without distracting the driver.

The Dashboard Display, which is seamlessly incorporated into the vehicle’s interior design, is positioned under the Front Display and delivers visual notices and alerts.

When the driver activates Samsung’s Bixby voice recognition service, this display shows a Bixby animation that listens to the driver’s commands.

The Console Display is located under the Center Information Display. It can be set up to control various features and the functions of other displays, as well as the vehicle itself.

Passengers sitting in the back seats can connect their personal tablets to the Digital Cockpit and use them to control things like air conditioning, ambient lighting and vehicle speakers. They will also be able to enjoy multimedia content and other services provided by the system on their devices once they are connected.

When the driver or passengers connect their mobile devices to Samsung DeX² for vehicles, they will be able to read and work on documents from their PCs on the car’s Center Information Display. The display also has a feature that allows users to connect multiple mobile devices at the same time. Unlike the 2019 Digital Cockpit, the 2020 solution allows for these connections to be made wirelessly.

The Digital Cockpit 2020 also features multi-zone audio, which allows each passenger to listen to their own music via speakers embedded in the headrests of their seats.

Enhancing Safety According to Individual Needs

On the back of the vehicle, micro LEDs on the external tail lamps are used to form the 53.7-inch Tail Display. With V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication technology and the Tail Display, the vehicle can share messages and communicate the driver’s status to parties outside the vehicle when required. For example, the display might show messages such as “roadworks ahead” and “pedestrians approaching”, among others.

Inside the vehicle, two 7-inch displays – one on the left and one on the right – serve as displays for the Camera Monitoring System, which replace the conventional side mirrors in the Digital Cockpit 2020. The system monitors possible risks on the rear lateral sides of the vehicle while the user is driving or parking. In addition, the driver can adjust the areas that the cameras monitor according to their preferences.

Meanwhile, the Cabin Talk feature allows the driver to conveniently talk to the passengers in the back seats without needing to turn their head.

Smarter “Bixby in the car” Actively Communicates with Drivers

Digital Cockpit 2020 operates based on the Android platform for cars. This allows Samsung’s integrated IoT platform SmartThings to work in tandem with the revamped “Bixby in the car” to enhance connectivity by allowing the vehicle to actively communicate with the driver. For example, when someone visits your house, Bixby in the car detects the visitor via SmartThings and notifies you of the visit. Not only that, but Bixby can also make suggestions regarding turning lights and home appliances on at your house while you’re on the way home.

What’s more, Bixby in the car also monitors the driver’s status via the Driver Monitoring System, and tailors its suggestions to the driver’s perceived needs. For example, when you are growing drowsy during a long-distance drive, the system may suggest turning on some music, or taking other precautions to combat drowsiness.

Smarter Bixby in the car establishes an environment that is carefully tailored to suit the driver’s needs and circumstances. What’s more, the system actively monitors the status of the vehicle (things such as engine oil levels), and Bixby alerts the driver when a visit to a maintenance shop is needed.

¹ Samsung’s QLED Local Dimming technology allows for the brightness in the screen to be selectively adjusted according to what is being displayed at the time

² Samsung DeX is a service that allows mobile devices to connect to and realize an environment similar to a PC anywhere, anytime

Pioneering Automotive Solutions

Samsung’s automotive solution offering has been one of the highlights of this year’s CES, and at the Encore Hotel showcase, key components and technologies for in-vehicle infotainment, telematics and the advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) were on display to invited customers and partners.

Exynos Auto V9 is Samsung’s first dedicated automotive system-on chip for next-generation IVI (In-Vehicle Infotainment) systems. The Exynos Auto V9 can support up to six high resolution displays through powerful processing from eight core CPUs and a tri-cluster GPU, an advanced GPU arranged in three separated sets of GPU cores able to seamlessly support multiple systems simultaneously. The Exynos Auto V9 is also equipped with a neural processing unit (NPU) that processes visual and audio data to accurately recognize face, speech and gesture patterns for intelligent driving experiences. The showcase demo presented diverse concurrent driving assistant and entertainment experiences – for example, the running of navigation in the central information display (CID) at the same time as a movie plays in rear-seat displays.

Exynos Auto T is a telematics solution that empowers safe driving experiences through the integrated use of telecommunications and informatics technologies. The industry’s first cellular modem to support multi-mode from 2G to 5G NR, the Exynos Modem 5100, was also showcased.

ADAS is leading the way in in-drive visual perception capabilities. The demonstration showcased how the ADAS system can recognize and detecting all manner of objects such as cars, pedestrians and traffic signs. Furthermore, the DRVLINE, an open, modular and scalable platform for building ADAS with a faster time to market, was introduced at the showcase.

ISOCELL Auto image sensor is an advanced new solution capable of bringing about a wholly new driving experience thanks to its high performance in detecting objects in a variety of lighting conditions. The ISOCELL Auto image sensor technology provides unrivalled object recognition in a diverse range of driving environments, as the sensor’s high resolution and fast frame rate enables the accurate detection of any moving objects, while its high light sensitivity assists in object recognition even in dark lighting conditions. Furthermore, a wide dynamic range permits the sensor to respond quickly and effectively to sudden changes in brightness, as one might experience when driving in or out of dimly-lit tunnels.

Innovative Pixel Solution for Smart ADB(Adaptive Driving Beam) is the next-generation one-chip LED solution for headlamps that helps prevent glare affecting preceding and oncoming vehicles or pedestrians by automatically controlling the light distribution of a headlamp. Samsung presented this highly-specialized LED solution by demonstrating different driving situations including when a driver starts the engine, needs high or low beam, and faces preceding or oncoming vehicle.

Next-Generation Semiconductor Technologies

This year, five of Samsung’s latest semiconductor products have received recognition from the coveted CES 2019 Best of Innovation Awards – the Samsung 256GB 3DS DDR4 RDIMM, 512GB Universal Flash Storage, 3.84TB NVMe Z-SSD SZ1733, LM302S and the SSM-U Series.

Samsung 256GB 3DS DDR4 RDIMM is the industry’s fastest DDR4 and highest density memory module for next-generation enterprise server platforms, providing the finest high-density, high-performance consumer infrastructure solutions with extremely low-power consumption (15 watts at 1.2V).

Samsung 512GB Universal Flash Storage is the industry’s first 512-gigabyte embedded Universal Flash Storage (eUFS) for automotive A/V systems and next-gen flagship mobile devices, using Samsung’s new 64-layer 512-gigabit V-NAND chips. The 512GB eUFS package transfers a 5GB-equivalent full HD video clip to an SSD in about six seconds, over 8 times faster than a typical microSD card.

Samsung 3.84TB NVMe Z-SSD SZ1733 offers a new level of storage for supercomputing targeted for AI analysis, big data and IoT applications, using Samsung’s new Z-NAND chips which provide 10 times higher cell read performance than 3-bit V-NAND chips.

Samsung LM302S is the most user-oriented next-generation lighting platform to date, designed to improve work efficiency by helping users achieve a better circadian rhythm and healthier sleep. Its human-centric LED solution can improve a person’s concentration level for greater work efficiency by as much as 10% and improve sleep quality by repressing melatonin during the day.

Samsung SSM-U Series is a new type of smart module made up of tiny radar-based sensors with higher detecting sensitivity than conventional sensors. The SSM-U series features invisible and intelligent motion detection-based transmission for greater flexibility and reactivity in smart residential lighting.

Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today announced that its first automotive-branded processor, Exynos Auto V9, has been selected to power Audi’s next-generation in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system, which is expected to make its debut by 2021.

Exynos Auto V9 is a powerful automotive processor designed for advanced IVI systems that display content on multiple displays, providing information that assists drivers and passengers for a safer and more enjoyable in-vehicle experience. Based on cutting-edge 8-nanometer (nm) process technology, the V9 packs ARM’s latest Cortex-A76 CPU cores, ARM Mali G76 GPU, premium HiFi 4 audio digital signal processor (DSP), intelligent neural processing unit (NPU), and a safety island core that supports Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL)-B standards. The processor also supports fast and power-efficient LPDDR4 and LPDDR5 DRAM.

“Audi thrives to bring the most exciting, yet the safest automobiles when we vision the drive of tomorrow,” said Alfons Pfaller, head of Architecture & Platform Development E/E at Audi. “Samsung has been a valued technology partner over the past few years and we are extremely pleased to have the Exynos Auto V9 power our next-generation platform that will shape the future in-vehicle infotainment experiences.”

“Samsung is fully committed to bringing top-of-the-line automotive processors for safer and more pleasant driving experiences,” said Kenny Han, vice president of Device Solutions Division at Samsung Electronics. “We are thrilled to introduce the new Exynos Auto line of products, starting with the Exynos Auto V9, which brings powerful processing performance to the next generation of automotive in-vehicle infotainment systems while meeting the industry’s strict reliability requirements.”

To deliver highly immersive driving experiences, Exynos Auto V9 supports up to six displays and twelve camera connections for various sub-system content in premium IVI systems. The V9 is powered by eight Cortex-A76 cores at speeds up to 2.1 gigahertz (GHz). The GPU is arranged in three separate dedicated sets of Mali G76 GPU cores that are able to seamlessly support multiple systems such as the cluster display, central information display (CID) and rear-seat entertainment (RSE) simultaneously. For premium audio quality, the chip comes with four HiFi 4 audio processors that provide captivating audio experiences with vivid and realistic sounds.

Functional safety is especially critical when it comes to automotive components. Exynos Auto V9’s embedded safety island allows real-time protection for system operations, facilitating ASIL-B requirements.

In addition, the V9 is equipped with an NPU for a digital concierge service that can intelligently manage a safe and personalized driving environment. With incredibly fast operations, the NPU can process visual and audio data for features such as face, speech or gesture recognition.

For more information about Samsung’s Exynos products, please visit http://www.samsung.com/exynos.