Infotainment Goes Two-Wheeling

With the rise of scalable compute platforms and networked displays, the automotive industry is in the midst of a massive tech-driven transformation, and fully connected cars are becoming the norm. Fueled by the latest innovations in display, infotainment and telematics technologies, the two-wheeler industry is following suit, and smart, connected two-wheel vehicles are paving the way.

A Growing Market for Smart, Connected Two-Wheel Vehicles

The two-wheeler market includes motorcycles of all classes and sizes, from large touring machines, to commuter bikes, to smaller, entry-level motorcycles and motorized scooters. Most motorcycles and scooters are powered by traditional internal combustion engines (ICE). Electric vehicle (EV) models also are becoming increasingly popular due in part to rising fuel prices and the higher cost and complexity of maintaining ICE-powered vehicles. The EV segment continues to launch compelling two-wheel models across a broad range of prices, many with excellent performance and longer range for commuters.

Two-wheel vehicles are easy to ride and maneuver on congested roads while offering the benefits of higher fuel efficiency, lower carbon emissions and a fun, economical mode of transportation. Given these benefits, the two-wheeler market continues to expand globally, with tremendous growth potential in the years ahead. In 2021, the two-wheeler market saw growth in most world regions, especially in Asia. According to research from the Imarc Group, the Indian two-wheeler market reached a 15.2 million unit volume in 2021 and is forecast to exceed 42 million units by 2027. China’s rapidly growing two-wheeler industry is now the world’s largest, with more than 200 companies manufacturing motorcycles in addition to joint ventures with leading brands such as Honda, Suzuki and BMW.

Similar to the automotive market, motorcycle and scooter manufacturers introduce faster, safer, more advanced models each year, laden with new tech-driven features that enhance the rider experience. A prime example: the advent of thin-film transistor (TFT) displays, replacing the old-school speedometer/tachometer cluster and other digital and analog instruments.

We’re all familiar with TFT displays on our smartphones, handheld video games, PC monitors and automotive infotainment systems. The latest TFT displays for two-wheelers integrate and present an array of vital rider information at a glance: road speed, engine RPMs, fuel level and efficiency, engine and ambient temperature, gear-shift indicator, tire pressure, traction control and navigation.

Rider safety, convenience and comfort are key concerns when it comes to designing TFT displays for two-wheelers. The underlying interface, processing, communications and telematics technologies are similar to automotive infotainment system designs.

As one of the leaders¹ in system-on-chip (SoC) solutions for automotive infotainment, NXP offers a broad portfolio of applications processors, microcontrollers (MCUs), software and tools to help developers create the next generation of TFT displays for the two-wheeler market.

Two-Wheelers Get Rolling with a Leading Infotainment Processing Platform

The application of NXP's i.MX RT series of crossover MCUs in two-wheelers is on the rise, enabling new rider information, comfort and safety features, similar to car infotainment displays. Two-wheeler handlebar controls don't have the space to accommodate multiple displays, so the primary TFT display must showcase and communicate all information and navigation features in a simple, uncluttered way.

NXP’s i.MX RT crossover MCUs enable two-wheeler TFT displays to take center stage for communication between the rider and vehicle’s drivetrain, safety and telematics systems. Consider the possibilities:

• A two-wheeler display screen with built-in navigation makes city route-finding more convenient and accessible than from an attached smartphone.
• Remote vehicle diagnostics and telematics features enable over-the-air (OTA) updates to be pushed directly to the motorcycle or scooter rather than requiring the rider to bring the vehicle to a garage for a manual update.
• Sensors linked by a CAN bus relay real-time vehicle operating conditions at a glance, from tire pressure to fuel level.
• Smartphone connectivity over Bluetooth enables on-screen call notification, giving the rider the option to stop, park and answer or reject the call.
• Smart helmet connectivity over Bluetooth can also provide audio navigation capabilities to the rider and accept voice commands. While not a core feature, these audio/video playback capabilities are an added benefit in two-wheeler display designs.
• Today’s infotainment systems integrate telematics, navigation and wireless communications in the most seamless ways possible. Through vehicle-to-everything communications (C-V2X), cars and two-wheelers alike can share real-time information with other vehicles and traffic management systems and coordinate safety-critical actions and maneuvers to avoid road hazards.

Two-wheeler TFT displays can support new and innovative applications such as receiving real-time vehicle information, locating the nearest public parking spaces and gas or EV recharge stations, sharing service updates and alerts, locking and unlocking motorbikes remotely, enabling hands-free smartphone access, tracking/recovering stolen vehicles and much more.

In today’s on-demand digital world, vehicles need a stylish yet simple way to convey complex information to drivers. Knobs, buttons and analog gauges are giving way to intelligent touch screens and 2D/3D high-resolution color displays with realistic visual renderings. NXP's i.MX crossover MCU portfolio provides cost-effective processing and control solutions for a wide range of display applications, scaling from entry level to high-end hybrid displays.

i.MX RT Crossover MCUs Bring Advanced Technology to Two-Wheelers

While NXP's i.MX 6 and i.MX 8 series of applications processors have been widely adopted in the automotive market for years, most recently, NXP's i.MX RT crossover MCUs are gaining traction in displays, instrument clusters and telematics systems for low-end cars and two-wheelers. i.MX RT crossover MCUs offer the best of both worlds for vehicle displays: the high performance and integration of a microprocessor with the lower cost, ease-of-use and real-time functionality of an MCU.

NXP has leveraged years of experience in the automotive market to develop crossover MCUs with compelling capabilities:

• High-performance real-time processing based on power-efficient Arm^® Cortex^®-M CPU cores
• Feature-rich human-machine interface (HMI) and connectivity options with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (AI/ML) capabilities
• Cost-effective memory expansion and a highly integrated design enabling an optimized BOM
• AEC-Q100 qualification for automotive designs and product longevity
• Software, AUTOSAR® MCAL services, tools and comprehensive ecosystem for ease of use
• Compliance with the automotive safety integrity level (ASIL) hazard classification scheme, defined by the ISO 26262 functional safety standard for road vehicles

i.MX RT1170

• 800MHz CM7 + 400MHz CM4
• 2MB SRAM
• MIPI CSI/DSI & GPU2D
• 1Gb ENET w/TSN + 1Gb ENET w/AVB
• FuSA Capable (QM)
• AUTOSAR MCAL

i.MX RT1180

• 800MHz CM7 + 240MHz CM33
• 1.5MB SRAM
• (4+1) x 1Gb port TSN switch
• FuSA Capable (QM)
• AUTOSAR MCAL

As a core competency, NXP values functional safety, especially for the automotive market. The i.MX RT1170 and i.MX RT1180 crossover MCUs are quality managed (QM) rated devices, offering the ability to support ASIL B solutions using additional hardware.

From easy-to-use software tools to ecosystem partnerships, design enablement is one of the most critical aspects for selecting a processing platform and developing a solution. NXP and its ecosystem partners provide comprehensive enablement that enables developers to get started quickly and to transition rapidly into full product development—all the way to mass production. The MCUXpresso suite of software and tools provides a unified experience across the NXP general-purpose and crossover MCU product portfolios.

The i.MX RT1170 crossover MCU is the first auto-qualified i.MX RT product with a temperature range from -40 to +125 °C. This feature-rich MCU has two high-performance core platforms and best-in-class multimedia features. The i.MX RT1170 SoC has a 2D GPU that supports vector graphics and the OpenVG library. In addition to the RGB display and parallel CMOS sensor camera interface, the i.MX RT1170 crossover MCU supports MIPI CSI and DSI, giving the developer more options to select the proper display and camera solution. Currently in pre-production, the i.MX RT1180 crossover MCU will cater to low-end telematics with its five 1 Gb port time-sensitive network (TSN) switch.

Designing Two-Wheeler TFT Displays for the 21^st Century

All-in-one TFT screens began debuting in selected motorcycle and scooter models as recently as 2020, and now these advanced rider displays are a must-have feature for today’s latest two-wheelers. Discover how NXP’s broad portfolio of crossover MCUs and enablement solutions can help accelerate your next two-wheeler TFT design. For more information, visit i.MX RT1170 and i.MX RT1180.

1. 2021 AUTO Semi Market Shares from Strategy Analytics