New technologies are challenging automotive radio vendors to improve radio reception while meeting different sets of requirements and cost targets. Let’s consider some of these challenges and how new integrated circuit (IC) devices can help radio vendors tackle them.
Issues/challenges facing automotive radio vendors
Modern car radios look quite different from radios deployed in cars even ten years ago. Changes in antennas, displays, in-vehicle networks and new digital radio standards have made car radios much more versatile, but have also given rise to a suite of new challenges for car radio vendors. Here are some of the technological trends of modern radio systems in new vehicles.
Location of the radio system
The entire radio system in legacy designs used to be in the center console by the driver, with dedicated cables running from the antenna to the radio and from the radio to the speakers’ amplifiers (below, right). In contrast, many modern designs use the center console as a control center (as shown in Figure 1), which communicates with the radio system placed elsewhere, such as in the vehicle trunk, often in a location that is closer to the car’s antennas. Closer location to radio antennas reduces cabling costs and the vehicle’s weight, which consequently can help improve the vehicle’s mileage.