why choose qt framework for in vehicle infotainment

WHY CHOOSE Qt FRAMEWORK FOR IN-VEHICLE INFOTAINMENT?

The automotive industry is moving towards complete automation and computerization of systems. Extensive use of microprocessors and embedded systems makes modern cars safer, more efficient, and entertaining. Nowadays, the average car uses 60 microprocessors, and this number will grow at an accelerating pace. Going forward, evolving industry dynamics offers significant opportunities in the “connected car” domain. The industry group IHS Automotive study forecasts the number of connected cars will rise from 26 million in 2013 to 152 million by 2020. With the obvious influence from the consumer electronics industry, connected infotainment services and applications have become one of the main drivers for the in-vehicle infotainment market.

What is In-Vehicle Infotainment?Pros and Cons of In-Vehicle InfotainmentRadioAudio PlayerRear Seat InfotainmentNavigationVoice RecognitionUsing Qt Framework for Automotive InfotainmentConclusion

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Professional Software Associates, Inc.

Why Choose Qt Framework for In-Vehicle Infotainment?

CONTENTS

In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) combines in-vehicle information systems with entertainment purposes. Starting with standard radio, audio and video players and ending with navigation, vehicle voice commands, mobile device connectivity – all these features make driving a car an enjoyable process. Used either alone or with mobile devices, the infotainment systems in cars provide users with the access to information, safety features and entertainment options for a more seamless interaction with the outside world.

In the beginning, cars were simply a means of transport. The only entertainment for drivers was the road itself or at best, a talkative passenger. Today’s cars are equipped with a huge number of modern devices and high-speed internet access – such cars are called “connected” cars. Connectivity means automotive, consumer, and computing technologies put together. The connected car is already the third fastest growing technological device after phones and tablets, according to Intel. IHS believes that in developed regions, every car manufacturer will offer some connected services in their model line-up by 2015. Connectivity of cars will soon become an important buying criterion. 20% of value of new vehicles will come from connectivity by 2020, Machina Research believes. It is therefore no surprise that connected cars and infotainment systems could soon become a mainstream, rather than a luxury.

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What is In-Vehicle

Infotainment?


Like everything in the world, infotainment systems have positive and negative sides. As mentioned above, automotive infotainment is one of the fastest growing technologies in the industry and its increasing popularity can be explained by its key advantages:

• increased driver efficiency • improved routing• reduced operating costs

Nevertheless, some people are wary of the new infotainment technologies. The main point of criticism is that infotainment systems distract drivers from looking ahead of the vehicle and increase the probability of all traffic, road and car accidents. The road safety concerns have a solid basis - the National Safety Council says around a quarter of all traffic crashes in the US are caused by mobile phone use in some way. In the US, several states have developed laws to limit the content that drivers can view on in car entertainment systems. Leading automotive companies also endeavor to resolve this problem. For instance, Ford and Audi contend that they have tested and revised their latest systems in order to reduce the amount of time that drivers spend looking away from the road.


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Pros and Cons of In-Vehicle Infotainment

For decades, car infotainment meant just a radio. The first car radio was invented by Paul Gavin in 1929 and has changed a lot since then. Today’s cars are equipped with satellite radio systems. Satellite radio, also called digital radio, links up to thousands of radio stations transmitted through a satellite, which turns to the comparative advantage over traditional AM/FM radio. First, it is broadcast over clear, static-free digital signals from orbiting satellites. Second, signals are broadcast from more than 22,000 miles (35,000 kilometers) away without ever losing a station by going out of range, so on long trips you no longer need to change radio stations every time the signals fade in and out. And the last thing, satellite providers offer a wide selection of channels for varied tastes - sports, news, traffic, weather, comedy and other radio programming. The only disadvantage of satellite radio is paying a monthly fee for it.

Examples: Sirius XM Radio, 1worldspace.

Another innovative method of listening to radio while driving a car is to stream Internet radio stations through a smart phone. Most new cars come equipped with an auxiliary jack, USB and Bluetooth which enable users to connect smartphones to the car stereo and listen to favourite tunes. Internet radio is often free, but can suffer from annoying echoes and stutters in reception.

Examples: Pandora Internet Radio, Livio Internet Radio.



Radio

AudioPlayer

Rear Seat Infotainment

Navigation

VoiceRecognition

Radio

These days, car CD players head toward extinction. According to Alex Bellus, an Automotive Analyst with IHS Automotive, CD player sales in cars are expected to fall by 80 percent in the US by 2021 and worldwide by fifty percent over the same timeframe. More and more people listen to music in their cars via smartphones or MP3 players, connected to the stereo system with USB or Bluetooth. The greatest advantage of Bluetooth audio is the opportunity to enjoy familiar playlists without having to plug anything in or transfer songs to a different device or medium. Furthermore, Bluetooth connection allows choosing music, controlling volume by voice as well as voice dialing and hand-free talking.

Display Audio is another subject of much discussion within the automotive world. No doubt, graphic and multimedia elements make audio systems more attractive - users can tap to "like" songs, view album artwork directly from the touchscreen and the like. The core disputes are over modern touch-sensitive controls. While the idea of integrating touch-screens in cars sounds great, the reality is that drivers can't feel the button and have to take eyes away from the road to actually see where to touch it with finger. As a result, the number of accidents may increase.


Radio

AudioPlayer


Navigation

VoiceRecognition


Audio Player

While concerning about car drivers’ comfort, automobile manufacturers do not forget about convenience for passengers. Rear seat infotainment systems are developed for passengers to deliver travelling comfort, particularly during long trips. These systems allow rear seat passengers to access content on their smart phones and tablets via two screens situated in the front seats headrests. Kids will be delighted with the opportunity to listen to music, watch TV and movies, play games. Adults will certainly appreciate the opportunity to surf the Web, check e-mail, and run business apps on rear screens.

Yet infotainment systems manufacturers may face difficulties to compete with easily portable devices like an iPad. The problem is that handheld devices are usually cheaper and more comfortable to use. Rear screens can win the battle only if they offer something more: more choices, more connectivity, and more convenience. This is what automotive companies are actively targeting and what they promise to implement by 2015.

Examples of rear seat infotainment: FlexConnect, RSEi-500.


Radio

AudioPlayer


Navigation

VoiceRecognition



An automotive navigation system is a satellite navigation system (SatNav). It means that the system receives signals from satellites and identifies the vehicle’s position and direction by combining that data with the information obtained from onboard sensors. A driver just needs to feed a final destination into a built-in or a hand-held navigation system, and to receive verbal and/or visual instructions to get to the place. In addition to planning the route, the navigation system calculates the distance, analyses real-time traffic and suggests alternatives. Not only this, but new car navigation systems can give information on nearby points of interest, such as restaurants, ATMs and fuel stations.

Middle class cars are usually equipped with 2D navigation, while many premium cars have 3D navigation. The innovative 3D view offers more realistic picture of the surrounding buildings and landmarks with smooth map movement. 3D navigation may be extremely helpful when driving through a mountainous region: the system analyses the incline or gradient of the road and displays it on the screen, so the driver is aware of possible dangers and drives more carefully.

Examples of navigation systems: NDrive, Garmin, Wayfinder Navigator.



Radio

AudioPlayer


Navigation

VoiceRecognition

Navigation

About 55% of all new automobiles in 2019 will integrate voice recognition, according to IMS Research, as car manufacturers strive to ensure safety on the road. Voice recognition allows drivers to operate infotainment and other vehicle controls without taking their eyes off the road or their hands off the wheel. By means of voice drivers can perform such activities as:

• dial phone numbers• choose track from a playlist• control audio volumes• carry out basic navigation operations• send/receive text messages and emails• update social media pages

Admittedly, the current voice recognition in infotainment systems is pretty poor due to road noise, engine noise and passenger conversations. Voice recognition systems are not optimal, because they are limited by the car’s computing power. To solve the problem, automakers should focus on more powerful processors in the car that will be supported by higher speed wireless links to a cloud component.

Examples: Ford Sync, Chrysler UConnect, GM IntelliLink.



Radio

AudioPlayer


Navigation

VoiceRecognition

VoiceRecognition

Qt is an open source application framework that can be used to write advanced applications and UIs. It is developed by the Qt Company (initially Trolltech) and written in the C++ programming language. Being originally a toolkit for creating graphical user interfaces, Qt gradually developed into a cross-platform framework providing extensive development opportunities. Qt framework is currently widely used in various spheres, the automotive industry being among them.



Using Qt Framework for

In-Vehicle Infotainment

Cross-platform:

Qt framework works on multiple computer platforms, which makes it attractive for those who adhere to “write once, compile anywhere” philosophy. With Qt, one can write application once, and deploy it across desktop, mobile and embedded operating systems without rewriting the source code, saving time and development cost. In the automotive world, a variety of operating systems is used - Linux, WinCE, QNX, VxWorks; and Qt runs on all of these.

Open source:

Qt is available with both proprietary and open source GPL and LGPL licenses. Open source software solutions offer significant benefits when compared to typical commercial products - the ease of integration of a wide range of technology variants, lower operating costs and a reduced dependency on software vendors.

Excellent documentation:

The quality of Qt documentation offers significant advantages: its articles abound with examples, the source code of the library is well formatted, complete, easy to read and comprehend.



Cross-platform

Open Source

ExcellentDocumentation

Wide DevelopmentCommunity

RichFramework

Functionality

QML

Advantages

Wide development community:

The Qt community is called home by many developers, be it a beginner or an experienced C++ specialist. Qt Project offers great community support while Qt Partners offers commercial support at any level.

Rich framework functionality:

The Qt framework is comparable to .NET framework in the richness of development opportunities offered. QT includes a large set of tools simplifying the process of developing applications, such as QT Designer, a facility for visual creation of a graphic application interface, QTSQL, an instrument of creating platform-independent applications for working with databases, etc.

QML:

Qt Modeling Language or QML, a JavaScript-based declarative language, merits particular attention. It is a part of Qt Quick, which provides a way of building dynamic UIs with fluid transitions and effects. It is a highly readable, declarative, and easy to support language.


Cross-platform

Open Source

ExcellentDocumentation

Wide DevelopmentCommunity

RichFramework

Functionality

QML


As an example of the use of Qt in developing in-vehicle infotainment systems, consider Visteon Infotainment and Internet Platform, a scalable solution with audio, consumer device connectivity and rear seat entertainment. It´s based on an Intel Atom processor and a Linux operating system, enhanced with automotive standards connectivity using CAN (Controller Area Network) and MOST (Media Oriented Systems Transport). The system offers a range of functions, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Internet connectivity, remote HMI configuration, software and feature updates.

Using open source architecture and open source software makes it possible to maximize the robustness of such a complex system and reduce engineering costs. Via the Qt-based UI one can listen to AM/FM and Internet radio, watch video, browse the Internet, and much more. Further, the system has off-board connectivity, which allows to constantly update its features.



Without a doubt, the future of the automotive industry lies with connected cars and connected automotive infotainment solutions. In full recognition of this fact, every car manufacturer strives to surprise the public with high-technology in-vehicle infotainment systems, whether they are smartphone-based or fully embedded. While smartphone-based solutions allow offering affordable and rich infotainment services across all vehicles, the emergence of open source embedded platforms, security advantages, and the availability of shared data plans are now starting to bring embedded solution back to the foreground.

Qt framework is an excellent choice for organizations that are engaged in development and manufacturing of advanced in-vehicle infotainment systems. The major reason for them to consider Qt is that it is simple and easy to use and develop re-usable, extensible and configurable solutions that are essential for IVI. Working with a good Qt solutions provider who has substantive domain knowledge and the wealth of experience will make your software development projects a success. Professional Software Associates is just such a company with over two decades of experience in implementing Qt-based projects who ensures that the solution delivered is tailored precisely to the needs of your organization.


Conclusion

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About Professional Software Associates, Inc.

Professional Software Associates (PSA) is a leading software, hardware, and product engineering company that provides comprehensive development services. PSA specializes in developing innovative products and solutions for domestic and foreign customers, using quality process standards to ensure successful delivery of software, hardware, and turnkey products to our customers.