Vehicle gateway for next-generation automobiles,
Role in data transfer between ADAS applications
TCU, networking the vehicle and the outside world


Automotive architecture is now moving towards fully autonomous vehicles rather than semi-autonomous vehicles.

Automakers are introducing a range of features such as smart access, car sharing, predictive maintenance, vehicle tracking, enterprise fleet management and over-the-air (OTA) updates. This connectivity and in-vehicle communication continues to improve.

The aforementioned functions must be processed by high-performance processors. They generate a large amount of data, as they must be safely transmitted across high-speed networks such as CAN, LIN, and even Ethernet.

As a result, automakers must reevaluate their vehicle gateway and telematics control unit (TCU) systems.


Vehicle Gateway
A vehicle gateway is a system with the core function of safely transmitting data within a vehicle. There may be several types of gateways within a vehicle. A centralized gateway and multiple domain gateways.

A centralized gateway securely transfers data between multiple domains, including the TCU, powertrain, body, infotainment system, digital cockpit, and ADAS applications.

A domain gateway, or domain controller, has similar functionality, but typically routes data between ECUs within that domain.

A centralized gateway typically requires more processing power, interfaces, and higher bandwidth networking protocols than a domain gateway. Figure 1 shows how two types of gateways can be implemented in a vehicle.


Telematics Control Unit
TCU is an in-vehicle ECU that connects to the Internet and the cloud. Automakers are equipping cars with options like Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, and cellular data to connect to the Internet and the cloud, creating a ubiquitous environment where cars can be accessed anytime, anywhere.

These connectivity improvements, along with OTA software updates for digital content in the car, will allow you to make emergency calls (eCall) and access entertainment and other content while on the move.

New trends such as car sharing, mobile phone access replacing keys, corporate fleet management and tracking, insurers monitoring driving habits remotely, and auto dealers remotely monitoring vehicle health to schedule preventive maintenance like oil changes all require internet and cloud connectivity.

Another trend toward full autonomy is the ability of vehicles to communicate with infrastructure, such as traffic lights, or with entities, such as people. This is called vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), and vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P). Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) or C-V2X connectivity typically facilitates these communications.

Simply put, telematics connects your car to the outside world. [Figure 2] is a pictorial representation of telematics.


Application processors required for vehicle gateways and TCUs
Automotive gateway processors have traditionally been 32-bit MCUs with embedded flash and supported gateway interfaces such as lower-speed interfaces such as CAN (Controller Area Network), LIN (Local Interconnect Network), and FlexRay™.

However, as ADAS and connectivity capabilities increase in automobiles, vehicles are required to process and communicate increasing amounts of data securely across multiple domains with very low latency.

Interfaces such as CAN-FD (Flexible Data Rate) and LIN are not designed to handle high amounts of data with low latency, so automakers are migrating to Ethernet TCP/IP-based protocols to handle higher bandwidth data movement.

TCP/IP is attractive because it is a well-established communications protocol in the consumer realm and is therefore considered less risky than unproven protocols.

Because MCUs themselves may not meet the processing requirements of future gateways, high-performance application processors are replacing or augmenting specific MCU functions to process and route future gateway data.

Additionally, as in-vehicle networks change to Ethernet-based networks, vehicle gateways supported by application processors can quickly and efficiently process and route data between various domains.

You'll need to connect to OTA updates to get new updates on entertainment content and other services like car/ride sharing apps and remote vehicle access.

The TCU has a cellular or Wi-Fi connection that provides connectivity.There is a Fi modem and an application processor that processes the data received from the modem. Processing includes decrypting the data, validating the data, and routing the data to a gateway or other domain ECU.

In current architectures, the modem and processor are integrated into a single semiconductor device. However, as modem standards continue to evolve, automakers are moving to architectures that separate the modem and processor.

Additionally, vehicle gateways and TCUs are shifting to Ethernet-based networks driven by application processors with high computing power to process and route data across different domains and support high-speed connectivity peripherals such as PCIe.

Separating the processor and modem has the advantage that ECUs can be quickly modified to new modem standards by replacing only the modem, preserving the processor and all associated software running on it.

As cars become increasingly connected and autonomous, safety and security are also becoming more important in vehicle gateways and TCUs.

A dedicated embedded security processor or subsystem protects access to vehicle security keys, enhances communication channel security, and prevents trusted software updates from being used as part of cyberattacks.

Safety features are typically implemented in individual MCUs that have been certified as safe. However, SoCs that integrate both the application processor and safety MCU can help automotive OEMs reduce BOM costs.


Development Cost
As previously explained, gateway and TCU systems are becoming increasingly complex in terms of functionality, resulting in increased development costs for automakers. Ideally, this cost would not need to be incurred for every class/model of vehicle.

OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers can streamline development costs by leveraging the Jacinto™ DRAx family of automotive processors, which provides a scalable, software-compatible platform to address the needs of next-generation gateway and TCU systems.

The Jacinto DRA8x automotive processor supports a variety of high-speed I/Os such as PCIe, USB3.x, and Gigabit Ethernet, as well as traditional automotive peripherals such as CAN-FD and LIN, enhancing connectivity throughout the vehicle.

These processors are also tailored for use in automotive gateways and include an on-chip MCU subsystem to meet the real-time processing demands and performance required by TCUs, application processors, and automotive gateways.

TI's 'Jacinto 7' Processor Supports ADAS with Deep Learning

TI's scalable hardware and software compatible DRA8x SOC family addresses the needs of new gateway and TCU architectures, reducing system BOM cost and development costs of automotive gateways.



This article is a summary of an article titled “Evolving automotive gateways for nextgeneration vehicles” by Subbu Venkat, business development manager at TI.