After sharing bicycles across the country, sharing the charging treasure, sharing cars, sharing umbrellas, and sharing basketball have made the sharing model a topic that everyone talks about. Among them, the multi-luxury car has become a shared car, which has enabled many consumers to open a "luxury car" while enjoying the convenience brought by the sharing mode, and the resulting shared car boom continues. Just as the sharing of Mobike bicycles requires smart locks, the implementation of car sharing requires T-Box (Telematics Box) as an important support. Then, how can T-Box car networking bring convenience and ensure the safety of car networking? To promote the popularity of the Internet of Vehicles, what role will T-Box play?

T-Box plays a key role behind the sharing of hot cars

For the shared car (timeshare rental) scenario, the driver uses the mobile phone APP to realize the reservation of the vehicle, find the vehicle, open the door wirelessly, start the vehicle, return the car, etc., Huang Yingsheng, the chairman of Hangzhou Hengling Technology Co., Ltd., said that these operations require mobile APP, The cloud platform and the vehicle realize information exchange. As a key device for intercommunication between vehicles and cloud platforms, T-Box can not only transmit collected vehicle data (such as drive motor data, vehicle data, battery data, status data, etc. of new energy vehicles) to the cloud platform. The control commands sent from the cloud platform can be forwarded to the vehicle. T-Box can also establish a transmission channel with Bluetooth mobile phone APP to realize the control of opening the door, locking the door and starting.

Liu Guoqiong, Marketing Director of Shenzhen Thread  Technology Co., Ltd. further explained: "We can think that T-Box is a smart lock in the Mobike bicycle, but its complexity is much higher. The various time-sharing terminals in the market (T -Box), all need to adapt and be compatible with the car CAN bus network protocol. The backward way of collecting car data by using the traditional GPS external wiring harness has not adapted to the application scenario of the existing new energy car in the time-sharing field. T-Box is Connecting the car's pipes is also the beginning of the user experience."

Mr. Jiang Rongzhan, Commercial Manager of General Mobile Technology (GMobi), said in an interview with Huaqiang Electronics magazine: “It is important to emphasize that the connotation of T-Box itself is still in a state to be defined. T in the narrow sense. -Box only connects the external network to the car, and allows the various electronic components inside the car to connect to the network, and can develop the corresponding application. However, due to various factors, most of the most common parts are only connected to the central control. Other electronic components rarely see networked applications. With the booming of the Internet of Vehicles, the connotation of T-Box has become more abundant. With the main pipeline of in-vehicle communication, Unicom of the traditional CAN bus can make more electronics. Parts are networked, and as a result, more applications can be developed. At the same time, the interaction between electronic components makes the practice of functions more diverse. The shared car applications we discuss, including positioning and APP unlocking, actually Both involve external network connectivity and mutual communication of electronic components."

Networking is a double-edged sword. T-Box needs to be soft and hard to improve vehicle network security.

Since T-Box is a key part of car networking, security naturally becomes the most concerned issue. According to incomplete statistics, 10 attacks on cars by hackers since 2005 have led to the recall of 1.4 million cars. In this regard, Huang Yingsheng said: "The network security of the Internet of Vehicles has caused the OEM to attach great importance. In the past, the car screens were generally physically connected to the vehicle CAN bus. The owner can view the status of the vehicle, control the air conditioner, doors and windows, etc. through the car screen. The screen has the function of Internet access, and it is possible for a hacker to implant a Trojan horse program on the car screen through the network and remotely control the vehicle through the car screen. Therefore, to improve the security of the vehicle network, it is first necessary to change the design of the vehicle network architecture. The security architecture is The physical connection between the car screen and the vehicle CAN bus is cancelled, and the car screen is only connected to the T-Box. The T-Box can function as a firewall. In addition, the communication between the T-Box and the cloud platform must use internationally recognized encryption. Mechanisms such as RSA asymmetric key encryption or AES key encryption, or RSA+AES double encryption, and the AES keys of each T-Box must be different and automatically modified periodically."

The solutions of different manufacturers will naturally be different. Liu Guoqiong said: "Car safety has always been a link in the car networking needs to be replenished. Whether as a company or as a platform or even a high-level data center, this topic cannot be avoided. From the perspective of hardware terminal design, readable and writable erasable brings us convenience, but also put forward higher requirements. Thread to improve T-Box security specific practices are: First, the use of data acquisition and control The MCUs are separated, the data comes and goes strictly, mutual matching and authentication, ensuring the privacy, controllability and security of their own data; Second, instead of adopting the public data transmission protocol, and adopting their own proprietary protocols, through the cloud, upgrade Multiple authentication mechanisms such as platform protect data security. Third, in terms of data transmission, we performed data length verification, DNF encryption, data format and dynamic command, ID check code, device SN number and chip SN number. For a binding, the security of the terminal is guaranteed. Most of the clouds are now cloud servers, such as Alibaba Cloud."

In addition to hardware-level protection, it is equally important that T-Box is protected by software updates. Jiang Rongzhan said: "The connection to the Internet is a double-edged sword. The traditional car is a closed structure, just like a Taiwanese function machine. In principle, there will be no hacker's doubts, but it also limits its own development. In the future, through the T-Box networked era of Internet of Vehicles, we must make better use of the characteristics of free network connectivity. After the hacker launches an attack, the manufacturer must quickly send software and firmware update packages to the network in a timely manner. On the outside car, let the car owners upgrade the air through the network to avoid a wider range of damage. GMobi has been focusing on assisting the online update service of firmware software for consumer electronics brands around the world (FOTA, Firmware over-the- Air), the number of connected devices has reached 200 million. In addition to such as Huawei, Motorola, Asus,Xiaomi and other customers who have cooperated for many years, we also have close cooperation with STMicroelectronics, Gemalto, MediaTek, Desaixiwei, Huayang, Hengrun and other manufacturers in the field of car networking. In addition, some security mechanisms for identity authentication, etc., are also key technologies for T-Box to ensure the security of car networking. ”

  Data is an important part of the development of car networking. Pre-installed T-Box is the key to improving user experience.

“T-Box collects a large amount of data and analyzes it from the car data, including automotive system neural network data such as engine system, body system, chassis safety, steering assist, infotainment, and comfort system. The large amount of data collected can be used for us. In the front and rear loading market, it provides a wealth of applications and functions. Take ADAS as an example. If you want to be perfect, you need information such as speed, turn signal, steering angle, etc. Visual reversing needs information such as reverse gear position signal, steering angle, and speed. Path offset; the speed, speed, tire pressure, air pressure and other information of the commercial freight car can remind the driver to prepare for travel; collect the vehicle VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) and total mileage in the auto finance, plus GPS location information, combined with NB- IoT technology provides a good capital management and control for the large amount of excess inventory management. The front-loading T-Box controls the engine idle speed data to solve the risk of large-scale engineering machinery anti-theft. “Liu Guoqiong gives an example of the importance of data information for the Internet of Vehicles. And role.

In order to collect data on the car, the installation method of the car networking hardware is divided into front and rear loading. The front mounting is mainly based on TCU (Telematics Control Unit) technology, and most of the rear loading is through OBD (On-Board Diagnostic, on-board diagnostic system). The way the interface is connected to the derived device. Comparing the two methods, because the car company's private agreement replacement is frequent and the cost of cracking is high, the underlying information such as gearbox and brake system will not be placed on the CAN bus. Therefore, the car network system based on OBD equipment is inherently insufficient. It is the biggest difference in the body information obtained by T-Box and OBD. This difference directly leads to a big difference in the body information data. Therefore, in order to obtain more data and enhance the experience of T-Box and the Internet of Vehicles, it is an important challenge for T-Box manufacturers to enter the front-loading market.

  In this regard, Huang Yingsheng said: "T-Box manufacturers want to become the supplier of the OEM, first requires a strong technical team, can quickly respond to the customization needs of the OEM, in addition to the basic functions, product performance and performance indicators In addition to the solid network security means, it is necessary to design high-reliability for component selection, product structure, embedded software architecture, etc. for the vehicle environment; secondly, the enterprise must have a quality management system that meets the requirements of the OEM (for example) IOS16949, etc., and implement it conscientiously and effectively; in addition, rapid technical support, comprehensive and thoughtful pre-sales and after-sales service are also very important; finally, reasonable price is also an important factor. The market positioning of the model by the OEM and the different application scenarios of the vehicle The requirements for T-Box will be different, such as T-Box Internet access, Wi-Fi hotspot, e-call, b-call, remote diagnosis, remote refresh, driving habit analysis, etc.

Liu Guoqiong also said: "At present, the pre-installation market like GM, BMW, Volkswagen, Toyota and other enterprises have long been laid out, and domestic car companies still have opportunities. Entering the pre-installation catalogue has strict requirements on products and services, a whole lot Qualification and corporate certification will take a lot of time and effort. In order to obtain stronger business continuity, it will inevitably bring qualitative changes and benefits to the car companies. Otherwise, the trial and error costs will become very high! New energy In the field of electric vehicles, the opportunities are still very large, and the opportunities for intelligent network connections in the future are also great."

From a software perspective, Jiang Rongzhan said that most T-Box manufacturers are good at hardware itself, but if they want to enter the pre-installation catalog to seize the car networking market, it is inevitable to consider the software. T-Box manufacturers may be unable to achieve information connection with other electronic components in the car, but this will be the key to connecting more electronic components in the car to the Internet. At present, only Tesla can achieve the whole vehicle OTA, and build Autopilot function on this basis. The OTA is the infrastructure of cloud platform value beyond the hardware configuration of the car, and is also the key work of the development foundation of the car networking era. The key work in this piece can be realized through cooperation with GMobi.

Cloud platform, mobile APP, and communication technology are equally important for the development of vehicle networking

Earlier we have already understood the importance of T-Box for the development of the Internet of Vehicles and the problems that manufacturers need to solve, but the front-mounted car networking system consists of four parts: the mainframe, the car T-Box, the mobile APP and the back-end system. Huang Yingsheng said: "The cloud platform is also the key to realize the entire business process of shared cars (such as time-sharing). The platform should include vehicle management module, customer management module, expense management module, APP module, big data analysis module, etc. In addition to the good platform architecture, business process and APP design also need to work hard.” Jiang Rongzhan also said: “Now people use mobile phones when they use mobile phones, so when we buy mobile phones, we have A certain level of functional configuration ensures that the functions that are commonly used can be implemented smoothly. In the future, we will probably not care about the configuration of the car itself, but will also care about the configuration of those apps. In other words, the cloud platform The value may be more important than the hardware configuration of the car itself."

Communication technology will also become an important factor affecting the Internet of Vehicles. Huang Yingsheng said: "From 2G, 3G, 4G to 5G, the communication bandwidth of T-Box has been expanded, making the large-screen Internet access and Wi-Fi hotspots become hot-matching, greatly increasing The passenger ride fun of the rider increases the viscosity of the passengers on the car network. In addition, the replacement of the car bus technology, the upgrade of the CPU, etc. will promote the progress of T-Box. "Liu Guoqiong also said: "From 2G to 5G The network has broken the myth that wired is faster than wireless. Looking at the potential of automotive smart development, Tesla's online upgrade has released more power, which is the development of the car and the advancement of technology."

The future of car networking technology and policy are indispensable

Market research institutes predict that 98% of vehicles with networking capabilities in new cars will reach 98% in 2020, and all new cars will be connected in 2025. At the same time, the total proportion of cars that use the in-vehicle system to achieve networking functions is also rising, from 18.18% in 2015 to 63.64% in 2025. In addition, the penetration rate of pre-installed car networking equipment in 2015 is about 10%, and it is expected to reach 30% in 2020. Based on the above facts and assumptions, China's T-Box only has a terminal market space of 7.4 billion yuan in 2020, and the T-Box-based car networking platform and the aftermarket are expected to contain trillions of value.

For the application and popularization of the Internet of Vehicles, Huang Yingsheng said: "Sharing a car is only one of the industry applications of the car. The design, production, sales, use, maintenance, insurance and other aspects of the car have the application requirements of the car network, different industries of the vehicle Applications (such as taxis, government vehicles, freight, public transport, sanitation, tourist buses, etc.) also have different requirements for the Internet of Vehicles. The national policy guarantees the stable and long-term development of T-Box products. With the T-Box function The increasing number of T-Box-based car networking provides car owners with an intimate user experience and provides efficient management tools for car companies and operating companies. Car networking will become more and more popular and penetrate into various fields. ”

Liu Guoqiong believes: "The development of technology is the key and the foundation of national entrepreneurial innovation. Only when technology reaches a certain level, experts can solve some problems, and the national policy will immediately come down and cultivate the corresponding technical fields. Support, in our country, this is an eternal law. In the domestic automotive industry, technology and policy are indispensable. In addition to the development of communication technology, the policy dividends and concessions in the development of dual-generation and new energy vehicles can be known. The development of technology and policies have created a space for epoch-making significance. As one of the all-networking hardware terminals of the vehicle, T-Box is also an important carrier of data, and the inevitable pipeline of interaction is bound to be like a duck. I think T- The final form of Box is an artificial intelligence-based computing platform.” Jiang Rongzhan said from another angle: “T-Box is bound to occupy a critical position for the popularity of the Internet of Vehicles, but whether T-Box can really play its value lies in It's about software functionality, not hardware. Before implementing a richer imagination in the future, this software feature for OTA needs to be Foundation construction performed to implement. "

Finally, we also need to see that even though the car networking market is large and growing rapidly with the support of technology and policy, T-Box will play an important role in the popularity of the Internet of Vehicles.

However, Liu Guoqiong also said: "For the 2020-year-old car network market of 200 billion, each family is crossing the river by feeling the stones, but after many years of touching, it still has not passed the river. The car is now more and more differentiated. The market, the crowd, the age, the function, etc. have made different distinctions. The cars under the multi-brands are mixed, which affects the objects and products of our services and cannot be standardized. It is impossible to achieve massive users and massive data. It’s in front of us that we think that the Internet of Vehicles is not up, and we can’t get up.”