The MIPI Alliance released the next version of its automotive serializer-deserializer (SerDes) physical-layer interface for mobile and mobile-influenced applications.
MIPI A-PHY v1.1 doubles the maximum available downlink data rate from 16 Gbps to 32 Gbps and includes other enhancements to help automotive OEMs and their suppliers implement high-performance image sensors and displays in next-generation vehicles. The higher performance is enabled by Star Quad (STQ) cables that provide dual differential pairs of conductors within a single shielded jacket. This enables two A-PHY ports over a single cable, saving cost, weight and complexity compared with using two separate coaxial or shielded twisted pair cables.
A-PHY offers a reach of up to 15 meters, unprecedented reliability with an ultra-low packet error rate of 10-19 over a vehicle's lifetime, high noise immunity and ultra-low latency. It also forms the foundation of MIPI's Automotive SerDes Solutions (MASS), an end-to-end framework for connecting cameras, sensors and displays with built-in functional safety, security and data protection.
Version 1.1 also adds optional PAM4 encoding for A-PHY downlink gears G1 and G2, with data rates of 2 Gbps and 4 Gbps, respectively. PAM4 encoding features lower modulation bandwidth for sub-1 GHz operation, allowing manufacturers to migrate to A-PHY while using either legacy cables on current platforms or lower-cost cables on new platforms.
The new version also adds a faster uplink gear with an available data rate of up to 200 Mbps, twice the rate of the existing uplink gear, providing more bandwidth for command and control of automotive peripherals. A-PHY v1.1 is fully interoperable with A-PHY v1.0, and devices using both specifications can coexist on the same network.
The MIPI alliance said these enhancements enable automotive manufacturers to design next-generation applications that use the latest camera and display technologies, including higher-performance instrument clusters and infotainment displays, interior driver and passenger monitoring systems, virtual side mirrors and other ADAS, IVI and ADS applications.
"The MIPI Alliance's adoption of A-PHY v1.1 unleashes unprecedented bandwidth and increased implementation flexibility to enable the development of safer, more connected and autonomous vehicles," said Joel Huloux, chairman of MIPI Alliance. "A-PHY continues to evolve to meet the automotive industry's ever-increasing need for high-performance, end-to-end connectivity solutions with high reliability, resiliency and interoperability."
- MIPI A-PHY, originally released in September 2020, is the first industry-standard, long-reach, asymmetric SerDes interface to provide high-performance links between automotive image sensors and displays and their associated electronic control units (ECUs). It was developed to simplify the integration of greater numbers of onboard sensors and displays for applications such as advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), digital cockpits, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) and autonomous driving systems (ADS).
https://www.mipi.org/MIPI-A-PHY-v1-1-doubles-maximum-data-rate-and-adds-new-implementation-options
