Nuvoton Releases 4th Generation of “Gerda,” the Automotive HMI Display IC Series in 3 Variants

Nuvoton Technology Corporation Japan (NTCJ) will start a series production of automotive

HMI display IC “Gerda”, 4th generation, which are 3 types (Gerda-4M/ Gerda-4L/ Gerda-4C).

This lineup features image processing technology, security, and display safety functions for the various HMI devices which are progressing under expectation to support the higher level of safety requirement. And it contributes to realizing the HMI solutions which enhance vehicle safety and comfort.

Achievements:

1. By producing the high visibility of interior display utilities such as electronic mirrors, AR-HUD, and cluster meters, “Gerda” assists comfort and fatigue-resistant safe driving by system.
2. By high-speed and large capacity memory built in “Gerda” allows customers to develop the high-functional HMI systems with advanced display capability without external memory at reasonable cost in system.
3. “Gerda” features OTA (Over-The-Air software updating) and secure boot functions, and contributes to the safe and comfort systems by mitigating the risks of on-vehicle cyber security and supporting the functional safety level ASIL-B.

Features:

1. Refined visibility and comfort of HMI equipment is realized with unique image processing engine.

Our video processing technology is ideal for electronic mirrors, AR-HUDs, and cluster meters, which are becoming widely spread due to digitization of equipment installed in cars, to create a safe and comfortable driving environment.

–　Features for electronic mirrors

The issue with conventional e-mirrors had issues with reduced visibility, especially in night time camera images, due to glare caused by headlight light and white blown out/blacked out due to big gap in brightness.

With Gerda-4M, it is possible to improve the visibility by adjusting the picture contrast locally, in response to the brightness distribution by area (“local contrast” function), can be achieved with low-latency processing of 1 frame.

–　Features for AR-HUD

It is essential with AR-HUD that the display naturally kept shown in the driver’s eyesight by harmonizing the displayed contents to the windshield shape.

For this, displaying image needs to be projected in low latency, and flexible deformed to fit the windshield. Image warping engine allows free deformation to fit the screen at lower latency than 1 frame. And it supports “dual projection HUD” with single chip, which both 2 images are projected in near and far focuses.

  –　Features for cluster meters

It is essential with cluster-meter that multiple assisting information is conducted to drivers accurately and intuitively. And its design needs to flexibly match the interior. Nuvoton’s Gerda has 2.5D GFX engine which allows customers to design the screen with cubic effects like depth and shades added to the design by 2D objects. It provides the display with higher visibility and contributes to the accurate decision of drivers. And by combination with the image compression engine, displaying images at as high resolution as WXGA@60FPS which enables the higher-grade cockpit design.

2. Multi-functional HMI system is realized at reduced system cost with built-in high speed/ large size memory.

In general, construction of high-performance HMI systems requires external memories the system. Nuvoton’s lineup of Gen.4 is embedded with the memory of high speed and large capacity, which makes external memory unnecessary, and contributes to reduce the component counts and system cost. And Gerda-4L has built-in the dedicated image compression engine which enables the real-time processing at half memory usage than normal use, and it realizes high resolution image display as WXGA@60FPS only with the built-in memory.

3. Supporting Functional Safety ASIL-B, and contributing to the risk mitigation of vehicle cyber security

Gen.4 Gerda features the display safety functions as video signal monitoring, alert display monitoring etc., and contributes to realize the system of Functional Safety ASIL-B by supporting the functions as fail-safe, real-time monitoring. And the built-in HSM which supports EVITA-Full achieves the software update via network (OTA) and secure boot, which allows only trusted software to boot up. It helps to mitigate the risk of vehicle cyber security.

NTCJ developed the 3 types of 4th generation of HMI display IC “Gerda” series which is equipped with a wide range of image processing technologies and advanced security functions and has started its mass production.