Freescale lassos Ethernet cables around car, calls it 'Internet of Things'

Dev kit for the auto sector

Freescale is showing off in-car Ethernet infotainment technology inexplicably pitched as an “Internet of Things” solution.

SABRE for AI – Smart Application Blueprint for Rapid Engineering, for Auto Infotainment – is a combo hardware/software development environment using Ethernet to connect infotainment, instrument, cameras, telematics, and rear-seat entertainment systems.

The company is pitching the solution as a standard replacement for proprietary connectivity in cars, in particular accelerating Ethernet Audio Video Bridging (AVB) deployment. The solution is based on Freescale's i.MX 6 series of application processors, and SABRE for AI includes an Ethernet AVB software stack accompanying the development system hardware.

Showing the company's mastery of integrating a straightforward platform into a dizzying rhapsody of buzz, Freescale MCU auto business development manager, the aptly-named Dan Loop, says: “In the Internet of Things era, infotainment’s primary role is to intelligently connect the car and all of its subsystems to the driver and passengers’ world – enriching the driving experience and enhancing the safety of the vehicle. Freescale’s new SABRE for Auto Infotainment system helps automotive OEMs and their Tier One suppliers rapidly create and deploy automotive multimedia systems for this new paradigm.”

We couldn't possibly argue with that, could we?

The components of the development system include CPU cards with i.MX 6Quad and i.MX 6DualLite application processors, and a choice of Ethernet header supporting Atheros Gbps, Broadcom 10/100 BroadR-Reach, and Broadcom 10/100 four-port BroadR-Reach as the physical layer connection. The accompanying AVB software is optimised for the i.MX 6 processors, the company says. ®