Automotive Digital Instrument Cluster
Delivering unique driving experiences through streamlined and timely information display
The connected digital instrument cluster is a technical breakthrough that has fueled massive transformation in automotive dashboards. It provides clear and concise display of vehicle parameters, to the driver, at the right time, to avoid driver distraction and elevate the driving experience altogether.
A digital instrument cluster surpasses the functionalities of its analog counterpart and differentiates automotive product lines in the competitive marketplace.
Embitel partners with global OEMs and Tier 1 Suppliers to design and develop cutting-edge digital instrument clusters for modern connected vehicles.
Key Features of Our Custom-Designed Digital
Instrument Cluster
Collaborate with us to develop connected cluster solutions that are:
Dynamic
Dynamically change
the information
displayed based on
vehicle or driving
conditions
Sophisticated
Display only the most
relevant information
in the least intrusive manner to avoid
driver distraction.
Scalable
Easily add more functionality to the digital instrument cluster by upgrading software
Personalized
Implement custom design considerations to incorporate your unique business ideas and brand voice
Digital Instrument Cluster HMI – Selected Project Achievement Story
Connected Cluster Design and Development Services
Development of Complete Digital Cockpit Solution
- A fully connected and secure system that combines multiple experiences on a single platform
- Device virtualization technology to separate the operating system (OS) of the digital instrument cluster from the infotainment system OS
- ISO 26262 compliant solution development for failure safety
- Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)
- Integration of Driver monitoring app for driver behavior assessment, voice assistance and other AI capabilities
- Vehicle Infotainment system development
- Integration of Over the Air (OTA) update module
- Heads Up Display (HUD) unit development
- Integration of Telematics module
- Product development considering holistic IoT security principles
Digital Instrument Cluster Hardware Design
- Evaluation of business requirements and selection of microcontroller platform
- Design of hardware schematics
- Hardware testing in compliance to automotive standards and business use cases
- Inclusion of features to facilitate future expansion and upgrades
Vehicle Instrument Cluster Software Design and Development
- Assistance for implementing features such as phone and cloud connectivity, navigation, FOTA update module, alerts and warning, etc.
- Development of BSP and middleware software modules
- Development of software components and device drivers
- HMI/UI design and development to suit a wide range of budgets and use cases
Digital Gauge Display Development
- Design and develop a customised HMI module for your digital instrument cluster
- Expertise in user-centric 3D HMI development
- Touch and gesture control features
- Localisation and multilingual support features
Ready-to-Deploy FOTA Micro Stack for
Connected Cluster
- FOTA Gateway
- Download Engine
- Update Engine
- The connection with FOTA server is lost
- Discrepancy in firmware version is detected
- There is a download failure
- There is an installation failure
Ready-to-Deploy Bluetooth Micro Stack for Smart Clusters
- Hands-free Calling – This is implemented using the Bluetooth profiles – PBAP (Phone Book Access Profile) and HFP (Hands Free Profile). Alerts for incoming calls and messages are displayed on the smart cluster screen. The user is also able to make outgoing calls from the HMI, and these are routed through the mobile phone. Hardkeys enable the user to make quick calls to important or frequently-used phone numbers.
- Bluetooth Audio – This feature is implemented using A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) and AVRCP (Audio/Video remote Control Profile). As soon as Bluetooth pairing is completed, music files from the phone can be displayed on the dashboard screen. Audio playback and pause control is available on the screen.
Smart Cluster Architecture with FOTA and Bluetooth Micro Stacks
The FOTA and Bluetooth micro stacks are available to customers on a one-time licensing fee model. As per this model, the customer jointly owns the IP rights of the software and source code of the stack. They can also deploy the stack across multiple projects.
The FOTA and Bluetooth stacks can be integrated with a smart cluster as shown in this architecture diagram.
Connected Instrument Cluster Development - Customer Success Stories
Android 9 Porting for IVI System of Electric SUVs
Business Challenge:
A US-based EV manufacturing company, was looking for a product engineering services partner to develop a futuristic Android 9 based infotainment system. Our experience of 14+ years in automotive firmware development encouraged them to partner with us.
Embitel Solution:
The infotainment system we developed for the customer's electric SUV included features like navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, HVAC, passenger seat temperature control & much more!
Embitel Impact:
The software was first deployed on a reference platform while the production hardware was being built. The software was then integrated with the production hardware and tested thoroughly. This strategy reduced time to market considerably!
Automotive Infotainment Solution for Commercial Vehicles
Business Challenge:
An automotive Tier-1 Supplier, wanted to develop a cutting- edge Android Infotainment System for their commercial vehicles with quick time to market.
Embitel Solution:
- Our In-Vehicle Infotainment team helped in the design & development of touch-screen user interface elements to display vehicle CU parameters on the Android Infotainment Head Unit.
- The designed In-Vehicle Infotainment system (IVI system ) is now under production for deployment.
Embitel Impact:
- We integrated our ready-to-deploy J1939 stack. Also, PGN configuration was done only at the application layer. This provided an added time and cost advantage
- Our cross-functional teams delivered a quality product within an expedited timeframe.
Production-Grade Android Infotainment System for an Electric Scooter Start-Up
Business Challenge:
A Europe-based Electric Scooter start-up required an
infotainment system & automotive HUD for their new product
line, with limited time to market.
The SOM chosen by the customer supported only Linux. They
required Android OS to be ported to the hardware, and FOTA
update feature.
Embitel Solution:
- Our Android Infotainment System development team helped in the design of a solution with Audio & phone apps, navigation engine & custom UI.
- The team also integrated connectivity modules - Bluetooth, GSM, BLE, WiFi, etc.
Embitel Impact:
Our ready-to-deploy software components & scalable cloud- based FOTA system helped to develop the infotainment system at an expedited rate.
Middleware Software Development for Android Infotainment Head Unit
Business Challenege:
Our customer desired to integrate real-time data into their Android infotainment system. The data was to be fetched through vehicle CAN and camera sensors via three crucial automotive ECUs.
Embitel Solution:
- Our In-Vehicle Infotainment team helped in the design & development of touch-screen user interface elements to display vehicle ECU parameters on the Android Infotainment Head Unit.
- We integrated our J1939 stack & CAN stack with Android OS. Various software libraries and APIs were designed & compiled, along with a middleware software module.
Embitel Impact:
Our ready-to-deploy J1939 stack proved to be a real advantage (time & cost) in this project.
Dual Display Android Infotainment System for EV Start-Up
Business Challenege:
Our customer, a US-based electric car start-up required a
quick POC of a dual-display infotainment system.
Some of the challenges they encountered were designing a
custom UI for a 15-inch screen, security aspects of the car
network & ECUs, and challenging timelines for POC
development.
Embitel Solution:
- Key features of our solution - Phone connectivity, GSM, GPS, WiFi, navigation engine, Bluetooth, HVAC controls, custom-designed UI, etc.
- We also developed the complete Production Grade Infotainment System post the POC development
Embitel Impact:
Our Agile development teams were able to create the POC within 3 months, and the Production-grade infotainment system at an expedited rate.
Android OS Porting on Toradex SOM for Electric Scooter
Business Challenege:
Our customer's smart electric scooter had an In-Vehicle Infotainment system running on Linux OS. They decided to partner with us to port Android OS on this IVI system without affecting the performance of the system.
Embitel Solution:
- Our Android Infotainment development experts helped the customer in porting Android 6 to the Toradex SOM.
- We also integrated modules such as GSM, GPS, IMU, LVDS based display, Bluetooth and more.
Embitel Impact:
Our customer made a smooth transition from Linux to Android OS without any impact on the performance of the Infotainment system.
[Video] Why is Digital Instrument Cluster an Ideal Solution for Electric Scooters?
FAQs on Digital Instrument Cluster Development
On the other hand, a good audio system will enhance the dashboard of a car or a truck. While designing the instrument cluster for such vehicles, priority managers are required. The role of the priority manager is to ensure that a specific audio track takes priority over the other when both are scheduled to play at the same time. For example, phone vs music, phone vs navigation guidance, Voice Recognition (VR) vs navigation, etc.
VR is the most important feature in cars, but this is not required in two wheelers. Similarly, HVAC and Rear View Camera (RVC) are other features that need to be incorporated in digital instrument clusters of cars and heavy vehicles.
Ans: It can be different for different System on Chip (SoC). When you select NXP SoC from i.MX 8 family, you will require 1.5 GB RAM for two-wheelers and 2 -2.5 GB RAM for four-wheelers and trucks.
Ans: Yes, this is possible. There are different ways to achieve the digital e-cockpit solution with a single SoC. Please get in touch with our team to understand how this can be done.
Ans: No, it is not mandatory to have a secure OS.
Ans: Android Automotive OS, Linux, AGL – Automotive Grade Linux.
- Qt & QML
- Kanzi Studio
- Altia
- Unity
Ans: SVN – Stolen Vehicle Notification
The user can remotely enable this feature from mobile/web, once the stolen vehicle comes online. Once the SVN is received, it is possible to disable few functionalities such as touch and acceleration.
VPN – Vehicle Position Notification
Through this notification, the user will know about the vehicle’s position. Geo fencing can also be used to define VPN.
Ans: No, it is not recommended to update the Android OS over Bluetooth because of footprint.
Ans: Yes, we have recently worked on a project in which we integrated a Bluetooth connectivity module with a two-wheeler digital instrument cluster. The primary MCU was on a different module of the cluster. The MCU of our Bluetooth module makes a connection with the primary MCU through UART and reads the fault codes, speed, odometer info, fuel level details, etc. This information is also sent to the mobile application of the rider.
Additionally, the cluster connects to the cloud and transmits vehicle data. This information is processed in the cloud to derive intelligent insights.
Reach out to our team at sales@embitel.com to learn more about this project.
Ans: Analog instrument clusters have screens with needles that display data by pointing to corresponding numbers on a scale. The movement of the needles directly correspond to the engine fuel variations, vehicle speed changes, etc. These gauges are completely mechanical and are made of small moving parts and gears. Such needles are also susceptible to mechanical vibrations and can wear out quite often.
On the other hand, digital instrument clusters display vehicle data in numbers on a digital screen. Such clusters can perform well under mechanical vibration. They also have good backlighting and the data is easier to read, unlike analog gauges where there can be parallax errors. Digital gauges are powered by high-end microprocessors and software and hence, they provide accurate readings.
Digital gauges are more expensive than analog gauges. However, they do not have to undergo regular calibration and replacement due to wear and tear like analog gauges. Hence, in the long run, they are a more cost-effective and reliable option. This is why auto OEMs are adopting digital gauge clusters in their modern vehicles.
Ans: The instrument cluster is commonly referred to as the dash or dashboard. This is actually a misnomer, as the dash and dashboard are what the driver sees in front of them just behind the steering wheel, while driving. The instrument cluster is a part of the dashboard that contains gauges depicting vehicle and driving conditions.
Ans:
The modern digital instrument clusters have several sophisticated features that enhance driver experience in the vehicle. Listed below are some of these features:
- Customisable displays – High-end digital instrument clusters can allow the driver to personalise the layout and appearance of the displayed information. The driver can configure the style of the gauges, adjust the colour schemes, and also choose what data should be displayed.
- Advanced navigation – Digital gauge clusters have sophisticated navigation systems that accurately provide turn-by-turn (TBT) navigation assistance. They also display real-time traffic updates and points of interest in the locality.
- Augmented Reality (AR) based Head-Up Displays (HUDs) – Some vehicles have HUDs that project important information onto the windshield in an AR display. Crucial information such as driving speed, navigation instructions and safety warnings are directly visible on the windshield. Since the data is displayed in the driver’s line of sight, it minimises driver distraction and facilitates quick action.
- Smartphone connectivity – Most digital instrument clusters allow the user to connect their smartphones via Bluetooth to the cluster. Smartphone integration platforms like Android Auto enables the driver to use phone apps and make/receive phone calls directly from the cluster screen.
- Adaptive information display – The cluster display can change based on the driving mode chosen. For example, if the vehicle is in off-road driving mode at a remote location, the display can show a map of the surroundings to guide the driver.
