Automotive
Software Solutions for In-Vehicle Infotainment
Delivering In-Vehicle Infotainment Solutions for Today and Tomorrow
Luxoft’s Automotive Practice provides innovative software product platforms, customized software solutions, and professional services to automakers and Tier-1 and -2 automotive suppliers. Luxoft is an award-winning provider of software development services in the field of automotive infotainment and connectivity. We are proud to serve such automotive leaders as Ford, Harman, and many more. We also actively participate in the GENIVI Alliance that helps shape the future of automotive infotainment. With a solid foundation of technical excellence and proven success in innovative automotive solutions, Luxoft is in a distinctive position to decrease development costs and increase the speed to market.
Building a profitable position in the marketplace requires innovation, but for innovation to have value, it must serve both current and future market demands. In the automotive marketplace, the head unit software, connectivity to smartphones, and vehicle telematics are becoming critical differentiators. Luxoft has achieved a stellar record in the development of such systems from taking head unit functionality beyond mere entertainment to creating seamless connectivity to the world outside.
In-Vehicle Infotainment Software Engineering
In-vehicle infotainment has come a long way from the car radios of the past. With most cars now equipped to play content from portable devices and smartphones, no one has to be disconnected from the world when behind the wheel of a car. But smartphones are not designed to be used while driving and a Human-Machine Interface (HMI) designed specifically for in-car use is crucial to minimize driver distraction and to maintain strict safety standards. Software is the heart of the HMI, head unit, rear-seat entertainment systems, and the mobile devices that connect to them. Luxoft has years of in-depth experience in all aspects of in-vehicle infotainment software engineering, with a focus on the following four main areas:
- Head Units and Rear-Seat Entertainment
Luxoft engineers are experts in developing in-vehicle infotainment technologies, including multimedia, road assistance, head unit and Rear Seat Entertainment (RSE) software, and in-car apps integration. We work with advanced technologies such as Bluetooth, ZigBee, WiFi, DLNA, MirrorLink, MOST (media-oriented systems transport), CAN (controller area network), VoIP, and OTA (over-the-air) software. To reduce costs and boost performance, Luxoft works with Intel, FreeScale, ARM, and Atmel platforms and develops high-performance FPGA-based solutions. - Human-Machine Interface (HMI)
Luxoft has an R&D center dedicated to HMI (human-machine interface) development in Filderstadt, Germany. Great HMI designs optimize the machine factor by making safety, clarity of information, and ease of use for the driver and passengers its primary objectives. Luxoft’s HMI core competencies include design and human factors, and the implementation of HMI architecture and car software.
- Navigation
Luxoft develops dependable and consistent GPS and GLONASS navigation solutions, including on-board or external device integration, data processing and NMEA-level manipulations. We provide services for digital map conversion, production and qualification. By integrating cutting-edge solutions such as online or learning navigation, Luxoft can add value to older, traditional technologies.
- Mobile Device Connectivity
Consumers spend a lot of time behind the wheel of their cars and they want the same information and car connectivity as they have on their mobile devices. Luxoft provides services for car connectivity, including telephony (Bluetooth and VoIP), hands-free audio and video services, multimedia voice-controlled HMI, full-scaled social networking, and wireless connections.
R&D and Product Engineering
Luxoft has been performing R&D and product engineering services for leading automotive OEMS and suppliers for over seven years. Our engineers have an in-depth expertise in car multimedia and entertainment, HMI, in-car connectivity, navigation and ADAS, vehicle diagnostics and monitoring tools, and emergency call and road assistance systems. Luxoft can help design and support a wide variety of in-vehicle systems such as head units, rear-seat entertainment systems, telematic control units, and more.
Platforms and Solutions
Over the past seven years, Luxoft has acquired a thorough and exhaustive understanding of in-car systems. We are now at the stage where we can accelerate the development of products and reduce the time to market for automakers and suppliers. Our automotive software platforms eliminate the costly need to start from scratch and are easy to customize to the client’s requirements, ensuring that a new product can be built faster and much more cost-efficiently. Luxoft is proud to offer the following automotive software platforms:
- iviLink: In-Car Connectivity Platform
iviLink is the connectivity platform that enables seamless two-way integration between in-vehicle infotainment systems, such as head units, car radios and rear-seat entertainment, with Android, Linux and Apple iOS-based consumer devices. iviLink provides automotive OEMs with the ability to create and adapt mobile applications for in-car use quickly and cost-effectively. - SWIFT: Automotive HMI Platform
SWIFT is a software platform for developing scalable, appealing, and swift-to-market car HMI implementations. It comes with a perfectly aligned tool chain, including tailor-made applications with interfaces to standard platforms, such as Adobe Photoshop or Flash, to transfer simple graphics into interactive objects in the most efficient way. The multi-rendering approach enables a seamless integration of mixed 2D, 3D, and Adobe Flash content in one platform to match our customers’ requirements perfectly. SWIFT has already been ported to Windows, QNX, and Linux. - DashCore: Head Unit Software Platform
TheDashCore product platform empowers OEMs to accelerate the development of Linux-powered head units, virtual instrument clusters, rear-seat entertainment systems, and personal navigation devices. - DroidBUZZ: Rear-Seat Entertainment Software Platform
DroidBUZZ is an Android-based software platform specifically designed and developed for rear-seat entertainment systems. This new social media-oriented, In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) software platform features rich functionality and is easily customized to fit any particular product requirements.
GLONASS Solutions
To help combat the startlingly high number of traffic accidents in Russia, all domestic vehicles will soon be equipped with a telematic control unit that communicates with GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System). GLONASS provides worldwide satellite coverage, making it a key strategic and commercial asset. Luxoft specialists cooperated with national navigation services provider NIS GLONASS in developing client software for the ERA-GLONASS (Emergency Road Assistance GLONASS) system.
Testing and Verification
Software testing for automotive applications can account for up to 50% of the development cost, making it a substantial expense in both time and money. Luxoft’s independent quality assurance team continuously works on automotive product verification, validation, and technological process management activities from preliminary research and requirements gathering to in-vehicle testing to post-production maintenance. This specialization gives our clients the benefits of shorter, more efficient testing cycles and a significant reduction in development costs. Our testing services include (but are not limited to):
- Manual and automated system testing
- Test drives
- HIL (hardware-in-the-loop) simulation and test automation
- Integration testing
Product Maintenance and Support
Luxoft provides long-term maintenance and support services for a wide range of infotainment and telematics systems, including both software and hardware components. Luxoft expertise includes (but is not limited to):
- Hardware drivers and boards support
- Software boot-up
- Non-volatile data storage and file systems
- Automotive peripherals communication
- Chipset and custom FPGA solutions support
- Hardware interconnection (SPI, I2C, I2S, CAN, UART, GPIO, and more)
- GPS/GLONASS hardware support
In-Car Standards and Technologies
Multimedia and Entertainment
- Real-time audio transfer
- Streaming audio playback
- Audio arbitration
- “On the fly” audio processing
- Intelligent audio processing (smart volume control)
- GStreamer, QNX MME
- DLNA support
- Car HMI
- ActionScript/Flash
- QT/QML
- Browser-based/HTML5
- OpenGL, Vector graphics
- Asian Spellers/support
- ODI, KBP
Connectivity
- Bluetooth-based voice and data transfer
- CE device connectivity over Bluetooth
- iPOD connectivity
- CE device interoperability test framework
- Bluetooth drivers
- TCP/IP over GSM/GPRS
- eCall, GSM/GPRS/EDGE modem, TCB support
- NGTM, ACM, PIM,
- Software downloads and updates
- IP telephony
- ERA-GLONASS
- TerminalMode and VNC support
Navigation
- Routing and guidance
- Maps conversion and verification, viewers and tools
- Geospatial Databases: GDF, RDF, MXF, NDS, OpenStreetMap, ArcGIS Shapefiles, etc.
- NDS compilation (configuration, compiler blocks, verification, production)
- MapViewer
- Dynamic POIs
In-car internet access
- Embedded Browser customization (Webkit/Chromium)
- HTML5 support
- Electronic User Guide/Interactive manuals
- Google/Social networks Integration
Diagnostic Tools and Protocols
- HIL (hardware-in-the-loop)
- Message flow simulation and testing
- Test sequence editors
- HMI test frameworks and tooling
- MOST/CAN bus debugging and simulation (Optolizer, CANoe, PeakCAN, EDIABUS)
- ODB, TP2.0, KWP2000, ODIS
- Variant coding
- Performance measurements
- automated emergency call systems
- eCall
- ERA-GLONASS
