NXP Semiconductors, which was founded by Philips in 2005, on Friday unveiled its range of applications at its research and development facility here for the automotive industry.
Showcasing the applications to customers from the auto industry, Ashok Chandak, Senior Director, Global Sales and Marketing, said NXP aimed to become ‘a true leader' in the high performance mixed signal (HPMS) solutions space by 2012. “We want to establish a market share that is at least two or three times that of our nearest competitor by 2012,” he remarked.
Mr. Chandak said HPMS solutions, which embrace a mix of analog and digital circuitry to address a range of problems in the automobile space, were NXP's ‘key strength'. Issues such as improved fuel efficiency, better entertainment systems, including receivers that are capable of processing radio signals in fast-moving automobiles, were being addressed by using HPMS technologies, Mr. Chandak said.
Key role of electronics
“The increasing use of electronics in automobiles has spawned a range of new technologies,” Mr. Chandak said. Applications aimed at improving fuel efficiency, improved safety and security, in-car entertainment, and their connection with mobile networks posed several challenges, he said.
Solutions using techniques such as telematics were also on display at the event. Mr. Chandak referred NXP's development of a safety solution that enables rescuers to communicate directly with a vehicle's microprocessors after a car crash, using a mobile phone network and a GPS system in the car. “Regulatory systems need to evolve to deal with these technologies,” Mr. Chandak remarked. Also on display were equipment that enable remote diagnostics using telematics technologies.
Among other solutions on the anvil are those that would enable microprocessor controlled engine shut-offs in stop-and-go traffic in congested urban environments, dual clutch mechanisms, and solutions that enable drivers to not only make a ‘keyless entry' into the vehicle but also have greater control by using automotive technologies in conjunction with mobile phone technologies. “It should soon be possible for you to prepare the car by switching on the air conditioner before you actually enter it,” he said.
Philips now holds a 20 per cent stake in NXP, which is based in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The company registered net sales of $3.8 billion in 2009, of which nearly one-third was in China.
