根據(jù)業(yè)界消息，汽車制造商雖然十分渴望無線技術(shù)，但并未打算在短時間內(nèi)采用 Wi-Fi / 藍牙(Bluetooth) 組合芯片。有鑒于汽車產(chǎn)品的開發(fā)周期以及產(chǎn)品本身生命周期都比手機長得許多，無線技術(shù)進軍汽車市場的腳步也是漸進式的。 根 據(jù)市場研究機構(gòu)IHS的最新統(tǒng)計，車用無線市場預(yù)期在2018年至2012年之間成長40%以上；當無線技術(shù)已經(jīng)廣泛滲透已開發(fā)國家的家用市場，汽車市場自然成為無線技術(shù)供貨商們下一個兵家必爭之地──為何那些保守的車廠開始擁護包括藍牙、Wi-Fi等車內(nèi)無線技術(shù)？當然也與人們帶到車內(nèi)的自用無線設(shè)備有關(guān)。 USB、 Aux等連接埠以及一些專屬連結(jié)方案已經(jīng)進駐汽車，因此人們可以將自己的手持式設(shè)備插在車子里；不過IHS資深分析師Luca DeAmbroggi表示，一旦消費者開始尋求將資料──透過網(wǎng)際網(wǎng)絡(luò)下載到手機或平板設(shè)備的──傳輸?shù)胶笞@示器或是車內(nèi)其它設(shè)備，車廠也正在試圖以藍牙(已經(jīng)裝備在車內(nèi))或是Wi-Fi來執(zhí)行這類內(nèi)容傳輸任務(wù)。 DeAmbroggi特別澄清，他并不認為無線技術(shù)將取代現(xiàn)有的車內(nèi)有線連結(jié)方案，例如車用資通訊娛樂設(shè)備的USB，以及CAN、FlexRay或是車用以太網(wǎng)絡(luò)，以及針對行車安全、先進駕駛輔助系統(tǒng)(ADAS)等設(shè)備運用之車內(nèi)攝影機所裝設(shè)的嵌入式連結(jié)。不過他也指出，整體車內(nèi)無線技術(shù)的應(yīng)用正在起飛。

全球車用無線市場營收預(yù)測 (單位：十億美元；IHS，2013年7月)arUesmc

舉例來說，在汽車市場，USB衍伸的有線連結(jié)解決方案正：“面臨車內(nèi)無線機制的挑戰(zhàn)，包括針對固網(wǎng)與移動設(shè)備之間短距離數(shù)據(jù)傳輸?shù)乃{牙，以及針對雙向無線資通訊娛樂設(shè)備聯(lián)機的嵌入式蜂巢式技術(shù)?！盌eAmbroggi表示。 車內(nèi)藍牙我們當然知道，不過問題在于，當世界其它應(yīng)用領(lǐng)域正迅速轉(zhuǎn)向采用速度更快的下一代Wi-Fi或功耗更低的藍牙時，汽車廠商將采用哪種版本的無線技術(shù)？ 對此DeAmbroggi指出，汽車廠商正在考慮采用藍牙4.0版(以藍牙低功耗技術(shù)為基礎(chǔ))以及802.11ab；他解釋，藍牙4.0可藉由HS (high-speed)選項將提供更高的傳輸速度，同時確保電子設(shè)備維持更長時間的配對狀態(tài)、所消耗的功率則較低。 不過當然，無論是藍牙4.0或是802.11ab，都具備傳輸大型資料──例如車載攝影機所拍攝的視頻，高畫質(zhì)且無壓縮──的能力。再加上，當消費者希望將智能手機上的HD視頻串流至后座顯示器，這兩種無線技術(shù)都能支持。 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 本文下一頁：為何車廠不能用Wi-Fi/藍牙組合芯片呢？

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{pagination} 日本大廠Panasonic在去年從發(fā)表過一款采用WiGig技術(shù)的汽車后裝市場無線產(chǎn)品，支持透過60GHz頻段、達到7Gbps的數(shù)據(jù)傳輸速率；在發(fā)表會時，該公司示范了一位汽車乘客將平板設(shè)備上的多媒體內(nèi)容傳送到后座的顯示器上播放，此外車上計算機的信息內(nèi)容也能傳送到平板設(shè)備上，讓乘客檢查例如胎壓、 電池電量等汽車信息。

Panasonic示范車用WiGig技術(shù)arUesmc

雖然Panasonic的示范看來很吸引人，但DeAmbroggi 并不認為該技術(shù)已經(jīng)進入商業(yè)市場。而盡管目前有各種不同的車用無線技術(shù)仍被考慮中，有一件事情是可以肯定的：只要消費者的行動設(shè)備被用來當作上網(wǎng)的橋梁并下載更多內(nèi)容，他們就會一直需要流量更大、速度更快的無線技術(shù)，他們的胃口是難以被滿足的。 DeAmbroggi表示，關(guān)于車用無線技術(shù)的難題，最低限度是要確保車內(nèi)會有Wi-Fi，如此才能透過藍牙切換至Wi-Fi，讓滿溢的資料流被轉(zhuǎn)移出去；不過他也不確定汽車廠商是否會 偏好將藍牙與Wi-Fi兩種技術(shù)分開考慮，或者是選擇組合方案以最佳化成本并降低設(shè)計復(fù)雜度。 而目前幾乎所有的智能手機都采用Wi-Fi/藍牙組合芯片，為何車廠不能用呢？DeAmbroggi對此表示：“首先，那些手機用的組合芯片并非車規(guī)?！逼浯危骸拔业目剂渴桥c成本有關(guān)，就算無線技術(shù)的廣泛擴散顯示未來將會使用整合式組合芯片，至少在短期之內(nèi)，獨立式芯片是比較可能的方案?！? 這是因為汽車應(yīng)用對Wi-Fi技術(shù)的影響力有限：“Wi-Fi的整合方案仍僅限于高階車款的應(yīng)用。”DeAmbroggi指出，汽車廠商正在權(quán)衡成本、使用者情境(針對平板設(shè)備與智能手機在車內(nèi)的應(yīng)用)，以及使用者對頻寬的需求。 此外就算無線技術(shù)會被應(yīng)用于汽車內(nèi)，DeAmbroggi表示有一些議題是需要在技術(shù)安裝之前被考量的，包括因為不同無線頻段、區(qū)域差異以及規(guī)格帶來的信號接收、電磁干擾、系統(tǒng)復(fù)雜度增加等等問題，這些變量都將會影響無線系統(tǒng)與內(nèi)部零組件的成本。 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 編譯：Judith Cheng 參考英文原文：In-Car Wireless Rises, but Don't Hold Your Breath，by Junko Yoshida

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{pagination} In-Car Wireless Rises, but Don't Hold Your Breath Junko Yoshida MADISON, Wis. -- News flash. Automakers are going wireless big time. But they are not likely to use WiFi/Bluetooth combo chips anytime soon. The automotive wireless market is projected to expand by more than 40 percent from 2012 to 2018, according to the market research firm IHS's latest Automotive Infotainment Market tracker Report. When the wireless technology has penetrated far and wide the home market in developed countries, it's only logical that cars have become the next frontier for wireless technology suppliers. Given that the automotive product development cycle and the life cycle of cars themselves are much longer than those of mobile handsets, the wireless technologies are gradually moving into cars. Why go wireless? What, then, is driving the conservative carmakers to embrace the wireless (Bluetooth, WiFi included) inside the car? It's the mobile devices people are bringing into their own cars, of course. Sure, USB, Aux, and proprietary connectivity solutions are already inside cars so that people can plug their handheld devices into their cars. But once consumers start looking to send data -- downloaded from the Internet onto their handsets or tablets -- to backseat displays or any other devices inside the car, carmakers are now resorting to Bluetooth (already inside a car) or WiFi for executing such content transfer tasks, said Luca DeAmbroggi, senior analyst for automotive infotainment at IHS. Just to be clear, DeAmbroggi isn't suggesting that wireless technologies are replacing existing in-car wired solutions, such as USBs for infotainment; CAN, FlexRay, or Ethernet for in-car networks; or embedded links used by in-car cameras designed for safety, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), and others. But the overall use of wireless inside a car is picking up, DeAmbroggi said. (Source: IHS, July 2013) In the automotive market, for example, the USB legacy wired connectivity solution is "being challenged by wireless mechanisms in cars such as Bluetooth for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances, as well as embedded cellular for two-way wireless telematics connectivity," the analyst explained. Bluetooth in cars, we understand. The question is, which versions of those wireless technologies are being embraced by automotive companies, as the rest of the world is quickly moving onto the next-generations of faster WiFi and lower-power Bluetooth? DeAmbroggi noted that automakers are now looking at Bluetooth 4.0 (based on Bluetooth Low Energy) and 802.11ab, for example. The Bluetooth 4.0 will offer higher transfer speeds with the high-speed (HS) option, while ensuring that gadgets stay paired longer and take up less power, he explained. But of course, neither Bluetooth 4.0 nor 802.11ab is capable of transferring big data -- such as video captured by in-car camera, which needs to be high-resolution with no compression allowed. Further, when consumers want to stream HD video from their smartphone to backseat display, neither wireless technology will cut it. WiGig in cars Panasonic, for one, announced last year an after-market wireless product based on the new WiGig technology, supporting data transmission rates up to 7 Giga bit per second by using 60GHz frequency band. In the demonstration, the Japanese company showed a passenger transferring media from the tablet to a display mounted in the passenger seat. An exchange of content also takes place from the car's computer over to the tablet; the passenger checks out auto information such as readings on tire pressure and battery capacity. While Panasonic's video demo has gotten a lot of attention, DeAmbroggi doesn't believe it has reached the commercial market yet. Wireless conundrum Regardless of different wireless technologies currently under consideration for in-car usages, one thing is for sure: Consumers will always crave for bigger and faster wireless solutions, as long as their own mobile devices are bridged to the Internet and they download more content. Nothing can stop consumers' insatiable appetite. At minimum (without even going to WiGig), though, one way to address the wireless conundrum in cars is to make sure that there will be WiFi in a car so that any overflow of data can be transferred by switching the technology from Bluetooth to WiFi, the IHS analyst said. However, DeAmbroggi said that he isn't sure if automotive OEMs will prefer a decoupled solution for Bluetooth and WiFi in cars, or if they will opt instead for a combo approach that optimizes cost and reduces the design workload. Almost all of the smartphones these days use WiFi/Bluetooth combo chips. Why wouldn't carmakers use them? DeAmbroggi reminded, "First, those combo chips used in mobile devices are not automotive qualified parts." Second, he said, "My concern is the cost issue. Even though the broader diffusion of wireless technologies points to integrated combo solutions being used in the future, a separate chip approach is more likely -- at least in the short term." That's due to the still limited pull of WiFi in automotive, he explained. "The integration of WiFi is still limited to premium cars." Automotive OEMs are weighing the cost, use-case scenarios (for tablets and mobile phones inside a car) and bandwidth requirements, he added. Regardless of the wireless technology to be used in cars, DeAmbroggi cautioned that there are a number of issues and concerns that "must be taken into consideration prior to implementation." They include "signal reception, electromagnetic interference, increasing system complexity because of varying wireless frequency spectrums, and regional differences and specifications," he explained. Such variables, in turn, will affect the cost of the wireless system and components to be included.