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Finland. L4MS is focused on
providing inexpensive and
flexible logistics automation for SMEs,
which requires no infrastructure
change, no production downtime and
no special expertise. “The deployment
cost and time of mobile robots will
reduce by a factor of 10. It will give
never before seen flexibility and agility
to SMEs for small batch production and
will double their productivity”, says the
Coordinator of L4MS Ali Muhammad at VTT.
A double-sided platform for the logistics automation
L4MS will provide an IoT platform called OPIL (Open Platform
for Innovations in Logistics), integrated with a 3D simulator as
a cloud service for complete virtualization of factories. The OPIL
will contain the latest navigation, localization, mapping and traffic
management services for rapid and cost effective deployment of
logistics solutions. On one side, OPIL will support the automation
suppliers to develop and display the
optimum logistics solutions to SMEs.
And on the other side, virtual factories
will support the decision-making
process of manufacturing SMEs in
selecting the best solution. “This is a
unique opportunity for the SMEs to use
robotics and enter the world of artificial
intelligence as well as to network at
the European level,” says Kalle Kantola,
Vice President, Research at VTT.
L4MS is a one-stop-shop, where European manufacturing SMEs
will be able to acquire the complete service package including,
not only the latest technology (OPIL+3D simulator), but also
technical support, business mentoring, training for workers and
finance for the modernization of production. All these services are
provided locally on the doorstep of SMEs through a network of
regional Digital Innovation Hubs connected to the L4MS.
The length of the L4MS acceleration program is 3.5 years, with a
budget of EUR 8.8 million.
Audi relies on Infineon: World’s first series production car
with autonomous driving features
Infineon supplies key components for the
Audi A8, the world’s first series production car
featuring level 3 automated driving. The ability
of cars to self-drive is split into a number of
different levels: With level 3 (see explanation
below), drivers can temporarily take their hands
off the steering wheel under certain conditions.
For example, the A8 allows this when parking
and exiting, in slow-moving traffic or in traffic
congestion. Thanks to microelectronics from
Infineon Technologies AG, a car can take over in this kind of driving
situation. “Around 90 percent of innovations in the car are driven
by electronics and hence by semiconductors,” says Peter Schiefer,
President of the Automotive Division at Infineon. “We have been a
recognized semiconductor partner of Audi for many years. Motoring
is now safer, more convenient and more environmentally-friendly
with “Vorsprung durch Technik” (Progress through Technology) and
chips from Infineon. We are proud of our contribution toward the
mobility of the future.”
Key components for self-drive vehicles
Various chips from Infineon are to thank for safe automated driving
in the Audi A8: sensors, microcontrollers and power semiconductors.
Radar sensor chips from the RASIC™ family are installed in the front
and corner radar. They send and receive high-
frequency 77-GHz signals and forward these on
to the central driver assistance controller (zFAS).
A microcontroller from the AURIX™ family is a
key component of the zFAS for reliable automated
driving. AURIX enables to secure the connection
to the vehicle data bus. It assesses and prioritizes
data packets and initiates their processing in the
fastest possible time. For example, it initiates
emergency braking based on data from radar and other sensor
systems. The AURIX family of microcontrollers is especially ideal for
this purpose thanks to high processing power and extensive safety
features.
AURIX microcontrollers are used in several controllers in the Audi
A8: On the one hand, they control the functions for the engine.
On the other, they operate in the Audi AI active chassis and in the
electronic chassis platform, which controls the shock absorption.
The microcontrollers also support activation of the airbag.
In addition to the electronics for drive, driver assistance and chassis,
other semiconductor solutions from Infineon are installed in the
comfort and body electronics, such as for example LED drivers from
the LITIX™ Basic family in the tail lights as well as bridge drivers
from the Embedded Power family in the windscreen wipers.
New-Tech Magazine Europe l 19