Automotive Grade Crystals: Powering Advanced Automotive Technologies

The automotive industry is undergoing a significant transformation with the rapid rise of electric vehicles (EVs), advancements in autonomous driving, and the development of Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) connectivity. In 2023, almost 14 million new electric cars were registered globally, bringing the total number on the roads to 40 million. This marks a 35% year-on-year increase, with electric cars now accounting for 18% of all cars sold, up from just 2% in 2018. Autonomous driving technologies, leveraging sophisticated algorithms and sensor integrations, are set to enhance safety and convenience on the roads. V2X connectivity facilitates real-time traffic data transmission, significantly improving road safety and efficiency.

As these technologies advance, the demand for reliable and precise components becomes critical. Automotive-grade crystals provide essential network synchronization and system timing for safety-critical applications like Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and telematics. These crystals must operate dependably in harsh conditions to maintain vehicle system integrity and performance. High-quality automotive-grade crystals are vital for supporting the sophisticated electronics in modern vehicles, ensuring system reliability, and enhancing overall functionality.

EV Market Evolution

Growth of the EV Market

Worldwide EV sales rose to 1.23 million units, reflecting the increased complexity of automotive systems, automotive-grade crystals are critical in ensuring precision across various vehicle technologies. They synchronize data and functionality in in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems and smart cockpits, enhancing user experience and system integration. These crystals are also vital in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and other sensor-based technologies, providing the timing accuracy necessary for real-time data processing and decision-making. As the demand for sophisticated and reliable vehicle systems grows, the importance of these crystals in maintaining vehicle performance and safety continues to rise.

Software-Defined Vehicle is Here Today

Today's electric vehicles are increasingly software-driven, featuring millions of lines of code—more than in a typical passenger aircraft. This extensive coding powers a range of innovations, including automotive AI assistants, virtual concierge services, in-car gaming, and other connected services that elevate the driving experience. As cars become more intelligent and connected, software will play a crucial role in their design and evolution.

Software advancements enable vehicles to learn and adapt, offering personalized experiences to drivers and passengers. Automotive AI assistants can manage everything from navigation to entertainment, while virtual concierge services provide real-time support and updates. In-car gaming and other connected services enhance passenger entertainment, making long journeys more enjoyable.

Additionally, software-driven vehicles can receive over-the-air updates, ensuring they stay up-to-date with the latest features and improvements without needing physical modifications. This continuous evolution enhances vehicle performance, safety, and user experience, making software a cornerstone in the future of automotive design and innovation.

At the core of these sophisticated software-intensive features is precision timing, essential for synchronizing and managing the multitude of electronic control units within modern vehicles. Automotive-grade crystals play a critical role in this regard, providing the stability needed to ensure seamless operation and prevent system failures. With the number of precision timing devices in cars increasing—now up to 70 and still rising—these components are fundamental to supporting advanced functionalities like autonomous driving and adaptive cruise control. High-reliability crystals ensure that signal transmission within vehicle networks meets stringent timing requirements, crucial for maintaining the reliability and security of electric vehicles. Automotive high-reliability crystals guarantee that signal transmission in-vehicle networks fulfills timing criteria for EV reliability and security.

Autonomous Driving Technologies

Development of Autonomous Driving and Precision Timing's Role

Precision timing synchronizes vehicle sensors and computing units and has accelerated autonomous driving. High-precision timing clocks and synchronizes radar, LiDAR, camera, and GPS data. It enables vehicle control systems to draw coherent and dependable decisions. Autonomous vehicle sensor fusion may require synchronization precision within tens of nanoseconds to avoid data conflicts and maintain vehicle operation. Precision timing lowers reaction times and promotes autonomous vehicle safety and economy while coordinating actuation systems, including steering and braking, which use information from these sensors.

Automotive-Grade Crystals in Sensor Fusion and Real-Time Data Processing

Autonomous vehicle sensor fusion and real-time data processing benefit from automotive-grade crystals. They stabilize and accurately control microprocessors and GPS oscillators. It provides precise location and timing for real-time data interpretation. Maintaining data accuracy from various sensors in changing environmental conditions requires automotive-grade crystals with precise frequency stability (±10 ppm or greater). These crystals are durable enough to survive high temperatures and vibrations in automotive situations. Automotive-grade crystals are crucial for autonomous driving technologies because complicated algorithms that integrate sensor data to make immediate driving judgments demand such accuracy.

V2X Communication

Overview of V2X Communication in Intelligent Transportation

Intelligent transportation solutions increase road safety, traffic efficiency, and autonomous driving using vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. Using DSRC and cellular networks, the technology allows real-time data interchange between cars, road infrastructure, other vehicles (V2V), pedestrians (V2P), infrastructure (V2I), and network systems (V2N). In safety applications, V2V+V2I may decrease collisions by 80%. V2X communication systems analyze vehicle speed, direction, and road conditions using complex calculations for adaptive traffic signal management and route guidance. Fast, precise information transmission is key to the system's efficiency. Thus, strong technology is needed to handle high data throughput and ultra-reliable low-latency communications.

Support of Automotive Grade Crystals for Reliable V2X Communications

Automotive-grade crystals provide V2X connection confidence. They synchronize V2X data transfers with precise timing. Using these crystals with ±10 ppm frequency stability helps minimize time deviation errors in high-speed communication. The crystals meet AEC-Q200 specifications and operate from -50°C to +150°C for outdoor automotive components that face changing weather. Their low power consumption expands the operating life of onboard communication modules in electric and hybrid cars that prioritize energy conservation. So, using automotive-grade crystals in V2X communication systems boosts capacity and satisfies contemporary intelligent transportation network security and quality criteria.

Integration Challenges and Solutions

Challenges in Automotive Crystal Application

Integrating automotive-grade crystals into vehicle electronics is challenging due to temperature fluctuations and mechanical vibrations. These crystals, particularly crystal oscillators, can deviate in frequency when exposed to temperature extremes. This deviation impacts the timing precision required for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and GPS navigation. Moreover, maintaining signal integrity is crucial for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications and precise sensor functionality. Crystal oscillators experience thermal hysteresis, a natural response to ambient temperature changes, preventing the oscillator’s frequency from being exactly replicated throughout a temperature cycle. This variability, caused by the quartz crystal’s orientation and structural stress, could potentially affect sensitive electronic components.

Solutions and Advancements for Reliability in Stern Environments

To enhance the stability and reliability of automotive crystals in demanding conditions, the automotive-grade crystals are tested under rigorous automotive standards, including the AEC-Q200, which is a critical benchmark in the automotive industry for ensuring the robustness of passive components. This standard covers various reliability tests, such as thermal stability, mechanical strength, and moisture resistance, ensuring that the crystals can withstand extreme conditions. For more detailed insights into AEC-Q200 standards and their importance in automotive applications, explore our comprehensive guide.

Siward's Crystal Products

Siward provides automotive-grade crystal components for precise timing in EVs, autonomous driving systems, and V2X communications. From MHz crystal, and 32.768 kHz tuning forks, to TCXO, our crystal units and oscillators fulfill AEC-Q200 and IATF16949 specifications for high environmental reliability. High accuracy and stability, are mandatory for synchronous data transmission and real-time communication. This assures safety and efficiency in ADAS and V2X technologies. Click here to learn more.