Infotainment

For consumers, the onboard infotainment system has become a primary factor in overall desirability of automobiles. Music systems, movie players, and connections to the internet are becoming as ubiquitous in the car as they are in the living room, and Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, HDMI, USB and NFC are the key transports used to deliver this media.

Even the best infotainment systems are subject to unreliable voice recognition, poor or inconsistent wireless audio quality, poor or inconsistent interoperability, slow or unreliable tough screen interaction, and deficient or overly complex interfaces. These issues can cause user frustration and undue distraction, and weigh high in consumer reviews. Today, the quality and reliability of these systems are a major component of the automotive purchasing decision.

Case Study

Audio streaming between a smart phone and a Bluetooth-enabled car stereo was compromised by pauses and “hiccups.” The Frontline Sodera Bluetooth Analyzer was employed to capture an audio test reference file transmitted by the source device. The capture was then analyzed by the Bluetooth Audio Expert System, a software module of the Frontline analysis software.

While the high-level review of the data frames revealed only a “bad frame,” the Bluetooth Audio Expert System indicated that an audio packet type had been misidentified, resulting in the wrong codec being being employed to decode the data.

This allowed the manufacturer to investigate how the wrong packet type ended up in the stream and why it was not decoded by the correct codec, which prevented these errors from being distributed to (and recalled from) the consumer market.

The Teledyne LeCroy Solution

Teledyne LeCroy offers diagnostic tools to help make every component of the diverse and complex modern infotainment system work. Bluetooth analysis can solve interoperability issues between Bluetooth-enabled devices like phones and car kits, and Wi-Fi analysis can diagnose problems with in-car 802.11 connectivity. And since Bluetooth and Wi-Fi operate in the same 2.4 GHz band, it becomes important to examine communications from both transports simultaneously for conflicts, together on the same timeline. Teledyne LeCroy was the first to bring synchronized Bluetooth and Wi-Fi coexistence data views to developers.

Our tools let you test audio, video and protocols of any type of digital video service for a best-quality and seamless in-car theater experience, and help ensure that data storage, transfer and wired connectivity are as reliable and efficient as your customer has come to expect.

Components of the Infotainment System:

  • Infotainment head units / DCU (data cache unit) motherboards support PCI Express®, USB, SATA, UFS, Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi, HDMI and DisplayPort
  • Onboard entertainment systems utilize Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and HDMI to enable audio and video systems
  • Communications systems rely on wireless transports like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
  • Connectivity uses Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, but also utilizes USB, HDMI, NFC and PCIExpress
  • On-board storage systems are facilitated by DDR, SAS/SATA, USB and UFS connectivity.

Automotive Technology Center

The Teledyne LeCroy Automotive Technology Center is the premier Bluetooth device testing and services partner, with an enormous device library comprising 3000+ devices including coverage for every major car model.

Teledyne LeCroy Automotive Technology Center
27007 Hills Tech Court
Farmington Hills, Michigan 48331

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