DETROIT, Convergence 2004 Automotive Electronics Conference, October 18, 2004 - Thanks to breakthrough technology from QNX Software Systems, designers of navigation systems, infotainment units, and other in-car devices will be able to deliver extremely fast boot and response times without having to rely on dedicated and expensive communications processors. Using QNX's new solution, an in-car device can respond to power-up messages and other time-critical events in less than 40 milliseconds - even if the device is in a cold power state. The solution is based on innovative "mini-driver" technology, in which small, highly efficient device drivers start executing before the operating system kernel is initialized. Defined in the system's boot loader, these drivers provide timely responses to critical bus messages and ensure no data is lost while the operating system boots up.
"The feature-rich platforms now used for telematics can take hundreds of milliseconds, or even seconds, to boot - that's far in excess of the 40-millisecond response times required by the CAN or MOST bus," said Andrew Poliak, automotive business manager at QNX Software Systems. "For the first time, designers can address these timing requirements, without using an auxiliary communications processor or external power module. When you consider that a telematics system can ship in the hundreds of thousands of units, cost savings can easily exceed a million dollars."
One of the lead customers for the new mini-driver technology is LG Electronics. LG is using the QNX® Neutrino® RTOS and mini-driver solution in the design of a next-generation telematics system for General Motors in North America.
The QNX mini-driver technology is compatible with the QNX Momentics® development suite Professional Edition v6.3, and supports processor architectures such as ARM, PowerPC, and SH-4. Commercial availability is expected early in 2005.
About QNX Software Systems
With millions of installations worldwide, QNX Software Systems is the global leader in realtime, microkernel operating system technology. Companies like Cisco, DaimlerChrysler, Harris, Siemens, and General Electric rely on QNX technology to build ultra-reliable systems for the networking, automotive, medical, military, and industrial automation markets. Founded in 1980, QNX Software Systems maintains offices throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Visit http://www.qnx.com.
Editorial Contacts
Paul Leroux
QNX Software Systems
+1 613 591-0931
paull@qnx.com