Autonomous systems software company Real-Time Innovations Inc. today announced a new production-grade connectivity framework for software-defined vehicles.

RTI Connext Drive 2.0 is designed to enable developers to leverage data-centric connectivity with familiar ecosystem architectures. In doing so, the new framework offers a faster start to building on existing platforms and eliminates the need for custom programming.

Connext Drive 2.0 minimizes overall system complexity and cost while offering a future-proof, evolving system that doesn’t compromise performance, RTI says, and also offers an accelerated path to deliver high-performance compute capabilities via safety-certification components and teleoperation plug-ins.

Connext Drive 2.0 is based on the Data Distribution Service standard which has also been adopted by AUTOSAR and ROS. Support for the DDS standard means that original equipment manufacturers can rapidly design multiple vehicle architectures by allowing the selection of optimal features and functions for any specific use case.

Features in the new release include the Connext Integration Toolkit for AUTOSAR Classic. The toolkit includes tools bridging AUTOSAR Classic ECU modeling and configuration workflows with RTI Connext Drive 2.0 for rapid and scalable communication of embedded, real-time and secure systems.

The Connext ROS 2 Toolkit includes a library of tools that eases ROS 2 and Connext Drive ecosystem integration, providing ROS 2 developers with a bridge to production-grade systems. With the integration, the company claims developers can slash latency in their ROS 2 systems through a custom ROS Middleware Wrapper developed by RTI.

Connext Drive Launcher helps users design a vehicle according to a specific use case, including Next Generation E/E/ADAS, Teleoperations, Simulation or High-Performance Compute. Developers can select the optimal features for a particular use case to achieve increased productivity and accelerated time to market.

“Connext Drive 2.0 reinforces the market commitment from RTI by initiating a use-case driven product,” Pedro Lopez Estepa, market development director, automotive at RTI, said in a statement. “At RTI, we’re dedicated to helping our customers overcome the current architectural limitations in automotive with a product that secures several annual releases, including a long-term safety-certified modular solution to enable Autonomous and Electric Vehicle innovation.”

Photo: RTI