Android Infotainment System Development For Cars

CASE STUDY SNAPSHOT

Customer : Automotive Tier 2 servicing primarily in the East Asia Market
Size : 200-1000
Project vertical : Automotive
Challenge : Design and develop a cutting-edge Pure Android Head Unit
Solution : Android Infotainment system for cars based on NXP iMx6Q powered by Android KitKat
Services Availed :  Turnkey Product Engineering, Embedded OS
Tools and Technologies :
  • MPU : NXP iMx6Q
  • Frameworks : Android KitKat
  • Programming Language : C, Java
  • Compiler : GCC
  • Tools : Ninja, Makefiles etc.

INTRODUCTION

One of the leading Tier 2 suppliers wanted to do a turnkey development of an Android infotainment system and harden it to meet stringent automotive requirements.

CHALLENGE

In the early 2010’s, Android was just gaining acceptance in the automotive field, and it needed a lot of customization and validation before being deployed in the vehicle. This calls for a specialized skills set both on the hardware and software front, which Embien was able to provide.

SOLUTION

Apart from its originally intended smartphone segment, Android is being widely used across different applications including industrial HMIs, customized consumer devices like note-taking tablets, medical devices, etc. One such popular usage for Android is for the Auto-infotainment system. Here the conventional audio/video player system is replaced with an Android-based touch system that doubles as an entertainment device as well as a monitor to the internal status of the car. Our customer wanted to create such an Android Infotainment system.

Infotainment system for Cars – Hardware Design

Embien successfully enabled such a complex automotive infotainment system based on the iMx6 Quad core processor. After a detailed analysis, considering the number of interfaces required, the NXP iMx6 was selected.

The In-car infotainment system that Embien designed and developed had large collection functionality as depicted below.

android infotainment systems

Android Infotainment System

At the heart of the system was an automotive-grade multi-core NXP iMx6Q processor running Android KitKat version. The board also housed DDR and eMMC/NAND memory for storage. Power was managed by a dedicated PMIC chip.

Regarding multimedia capability, multiple Line in and Line Out options were provided. FM/AM receiver was available onboard for playing radio channels. With the option of both LVDS and HDMI based display screens, it had a capacitive touch screen interface. And a USB Host socket was also provided to play from memory sticks. The reverse camera was connected over analog CVBS interface.

On the connectivity part, the Wi-Fi was used for faster communication and Bluetooth for short-range low data transfer. GPS receiver provides the current GPS co-ordinate of the car seamlessly and was integrated with the Android Location Manager Service.

The Infotainment system for cars also housed a Tyre Pressure Management module that received instant pressure information from the tires. Mood LEDs were connected over PWM channels giving an attractive interior coloring. The Driving mode can be controlled with this system using a proprietary protocol via Android Custom Service. CAN connectivity was provided for in-vehicle-network connectivity.

Software design of the Pure Android head unit

Embien ported the Android KitKat OS to the target, developed device driver for Android and services, and made sure all the components work seamlessly. A Smart Home App was developed to enable the user to quickly navigate between various available functionalities and kept as the home application. The overall app design was kept visually stunning and highly informative without needing the user to focus for a long time to understand the screen information.

TPMS information screen showed the current pressure from all the wheels in a graphical format. Threshold values can be set to configure the minimum and maximum values to indicate to the driver on crossing the extremes.

GPS support was provided to the pure Android head unit enabling navigation with Google Maps and other third-party navigation applications. As soon as the reverse gear was engaged, the capture from the Rearview camera was shown on the screen enabling the driver to navigate the car efficiently.

Multicolor LEDs can be configured to the required color and brightness using a dedicated screen available based on the mood of the driver. The driver can choose between different driver modes like economy, Sporty and Responsive with a single touch of the screen.

Customized player application was developed to handle the multimedia in the system as well as the Radio. Miracast is supported for screen mirroring over Wi-Fi Direct. AVRCP +A2DP Bluetooth profiles are enabled to navigate the songs in the system and manage the playlist. Options for supporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto services were made available in the system.

Embien also customized the Android Infotainment system on many levels including home screens, logos, themes, custom Android boot animations etc. to give a different brand-centric look and feel from a smartphone/Stock Android. The boot time is also significantly optimized, and power consumption is optimized for longer battery life.

Embien thoroughly tested the Android infotainment system with a large set of test cases and qualified it for use as a product. Further CTS is also run to ensure ease of certification from Google when required by the vendor.

BENEFITS

Embien successfully designed and developed the complete Android Infotainment system for cars as a part of its turnkey product engineering services offering. Some unique aspects of our involvement are:

  • Compact formfactor design with all interfaces that seamlessly fit behind a 9” display
  • Rich Multimedia connectivity on Android including Radio
  • Complete hardening of the Android KitKat OS
  • Full customization of the OS UI in accordance with the end customer brand
  • USB based firmware update support for the Pure Android head unit

CONCLUSION

Thus, with our rich expertise backed by industrial HMI systems and in-depth working experience in Android, we hardened the Android OS and created a reliable Android Infotainment system. This case study clearly explains the features present in the system and role of Embien in creating the same.

If you are looking to develop Android Infotainment System for cars, look no further.
Leverage our turnkey product engineering expertise in automotive development now to realise your pure Android head unit