Mentor, a Siemens business, introduced the VCO2S solution (Vehicle Cockpit Consolidation Solutions). Per the company, the offering helps automotive OEMs and their suppliers design and develop next-generation cockpit systems on a single high-compute electronic control unit (ECU) system. Also, per the company, with the VCO2S, automotive engineering teams can reduce cost, speed time to market, and enhance user experience, while meeting automotive cybersecurity and functional safety requirements.

VCO2S is designed to help enable customers to integrate instrument cluster and In-Vehicle-Infotainment (IVI) systems on the same ECU. Per the company, the fusion of instrument cluster and IVI functionalities running separate operating systems within a single ECU eliminates latencies associated with data sharing between distributed ECUs, while supporting multiple safety domain levels (ASIL and QM) and offering features such as graphics, video, and audio sharing.

To help customers jump-start their consolidated cockpit system designs, Mentor’s new VCO2S solution is available in three separate options:

• VCO2S Base, which delivers basic features including software IP and services for a consolidated cockpit design. VCO2S Base is delivered as a reference design which can be ported to the customer’s target hardware.
• VCO2S Flex, which delivers a flexible solution -- up to a fully customized cockpit consolidation system – and features IP, systems, software and hardware engineering services, all optimized to run on the customer’s target hardware.
• VCO2S Unique, which extends the VCO2S Flex offering with technical management and integration services between SoC vendors and tier-one hardware suppliers, with Mentor serving as a tier-one software supplier. The VCO2S Unique option is intended for automotive OEM customers.

All three versions of the VCOS2 solution include safety libraries (ASIL-B), safety features, and architectures for shared graphics, as well as video and audio between ASIL and QM domains.

All versions also incorporate CAN and Ethernet connectivity to the vehicle, as well as support for Bluetooth, WiFi, FM/DAB radio, 4x cameras, and automotive audio. QM to ASIL-B domain communication is implemented by the Mentor Communication Framework including safety certification processes. Additional features can be added to the VCO2S Flex and VCO2S Unique solutions upon customer request.

The VCO2S Base version is available now for proof-of-concept (POC) and start-of-production (SOP) engagements. Mentor is also now available to initiate VCO2S Flex and VCO2S Unique customer engagements.

For more information, visit: https://www.mentor.com/