Micron Automotive Blog

2007 Best In The Desert Series, Vegas to Reno (V2R) in the H3

2007-09-26T12:46:33-07:00

Rod Hall looked cool and collected that Friday morning as he and his navigator, Jake Povey, pulled the HUMMER H3 up to the start line. You would have thought he was getting ready to go on a Sunday drive. I guess that after 40 years of desert racing, it takes a lot to get Rod worked up. It was the start of the notoriously difficult, 565 mile long Tube Specialties Company (TSCO) Vegas to Reno race and Rod hoped to win it.

Rod's cool driving and Jake's dead reckoning helped the powerful H3 maintain a solid pace throughout the first half of the race, but hours of pounding, bouncing, and jumping began to take a toll on the H3’s suspension, forcing the HUMMER pit crew to rally to keep the team on the course.

As night fell, co-driver, Mike Winkel, took over, piloting the H3 through sand, silt, brush, and rock, and, all the while, Micron, a leading semiconductor solutions company, was along for the ride.

Micron had worked with HUMMER and the Rod Hall Racing Team to equip the H3 with a series of “Micron cams.” Positioned on the H3’s bummer, light rack, and interior, the “Micron cams” provided much of the video you can watch below. These rugged cameras feature Micron’s leading NAND Flash solid-state memory and Micron’s best-in-class CMOS image sensors.

In the video, you'll see Rod, who joined the pit crew when Mike took the wheel, up on the hood of the truck cleaning the light covers in one of the pits. Once the suspension issues were worked through, broken down trucks and buggies, dust, rocks and flat tires did what they could do to slow down the H3, but in spite of these challenges, the H3 finished at 6:31:00 a.m. Saturday morning, 18 hours and 48 minutes after the start and good enough for second place in the 3100 class.

Please feel free to watch the video, or visit Micron.com for more information about our NAND Flash and CMOS Image Sensor solutions. Also, stay tuned to see the Rod Hall Racing Team HUMMERs in the 40th Annual Tecate Score Baja 1000 in November. This will be Rod Hall's 40th Baja 1000.

Jason Jacopian, Video Production Manager

Download the Micron, HUMMER, Rod Hall Racing V2R H3 Video

2007 Best In The Desert Series, Vegas to Reno (V2R) in the H2

2007-09-26T12:37:20-07:00

The Tube Specialties Company (TSCO) Vegas to Reno off-road race crosses a treacherous stretch of the Nevada desert, a place of heat, rock, and deceptive silt which leaves many drivers and vehicles stranded or worse.

When Josh Hall (driver) and Thad Stump (navigator) of the Rod Hall Racing Team drove away from the starting line at 11:35:30 a.m. Friday morning, they knew they would have to strike a delicate balance with their high performance HUMMER H2. Josh would have to keep up a grueling pace in order to win, but the truck’s speed must be tempered with caution, or like so many other vehicles, the H2 could roll, break down, or just get lost in endless sand or a brush-covered dry lake bed.

Micron, one of the world’s leading suppliers of CMOS image sensors and NAND Flash Memory, used its rugged imaging technology and solid-state NAND Flash-based recorders to capture “Micron cam” footage of the H2’s cross Nevada trek. Look closely at the footage and you will see other trucks stuck on sand dunes and even flipping over right in front of the image sensor. In fact, the course was so challenging that the H2’s grill vibrated off. The grill bounced around for awhile in front of the "Micron cam" then parted ways with the truck all together. The camera itself was not damaged but the clear-film that keeps the lens free of dirt and debris was busted off. I was able to make it to the next pit stop switch to another camera feed, and clean things up while Josh, Thad, and the H2 refueled.

Camera repaired and fuel tank full, Josh and Thad kept driving through the night. As the sun set and the temperatures cooled dust began to hang in the air, cutting visibility to near zero. And to make matters worse, Thad and Josh took a dirt bath, following one of the rookie drivers in another class. Eventually, the H2 was able to get around the rookie’s truck and make up some time, but not before Josh and Thad had been thoroughly coated in what seemed like a ¼ inch thick layer of Nevada dirt. Team HUMMER H2 crossed the finish line at 12:49:30 a.m. Saturday morning for a first place finish in the 4100 class. Check out this sample of the “Micron cam” footage from Josh and Thad’s H2, or visit Micron.com for more information about solid-state NAND Flash and automotive CMOS image sensors.

Jason Jacopian, Video Production Manager

Download The Micron, HUMMER, Rod Hall Racing V2R H2 Video.wmv

Micron at the AES Automotive Tradeshow in Shanghai

2007-07-16T10:56:47-07:00

Micron Automotive at AES 2007
See the Web site:
International Automotive Electronics Products & Technologies Show & International Conference on advanced automotive electronics technology

First Day in Shanghai
Monday, 4/23
Beautiful day here. The rain has lifted the smog that was covering the city for the past weekend. I worked from the Shanghai office this morning. It’s a beautiful site (37 stories) and from here, I can see the Bund. It was great to finally meet my colleagues in China. What a place to work!

The booth was still under construction, so we couldn’t set it up. We decided to go to the Shanghai automotive tradeshow to see the latest OEM concept car models. On average, at least 3 image sensors were used per vehicle! Some local Chinese automotive makers using Micron-built image sensors for backup cameras.

Booth Setup Day
Tuesday, 4/24
This has got to be the most grueling of all days. The demos arrived on time, but as we began putting them together, we realized we had burned out the power fuses for our transformers. As we connected the power for the high-temperature demo, we saw a small puff of the smoke coming out from the side panel. Chinese electricity is 220V supply.

Needless to say, my afternoon was spent in Shanghai looking for power transformers and fuses for the global shutter demo. With some overseas help from our U.S. engineering team, we were able to recalibrate the global shutter effect (vertical blanking, shutter width, anti-aliasing) and make this demo work again.

The Tradeshow Begins!
Wednesday, 5/25–Friday, 5/27
Because the Shanghai auto show was still running, AES booth traffic wasn’t as busy as we would have liked, but we had several meaningful customer visits with local OEMs and camera manufactures. It really was a good opportunity for our automotive team to better understand the Chinese market. We found new opportunities and we picked up new customers. Overall, it was a great show, and a great time to be in this market.

Global Shutter Demo
Whenever the camera’s exposure time is not aligned precisely with the movement of the object, the image blurs. The edges of a blurred image are nearly impossible to detect, rendering certain image processing algorithms unusable.

To ensure crisp, accurate image capture, even of fast-moving subjects, Micron has developed TrueSNAP™ technology—an electronic shutter imager architecture for CMOS image sensors that is capable of providing freeze-frame images. This architecture, sometimes referred to as global shutter, offers precise control over an image sensor’s exposure time, which enables the camera to freeze the image and minimize blur.

Micron’s MT9V022 image sensor, shown here, is able to capture a blur-free image—even of toy cars spinning at a fast speed (200 rpm).

Low Light Demo
This low-light demo shows the comparison of a CCD imager to Micron’s MT9V125 CMOS imager.

Wire Car Demo
Here are pictures of Micron’s aluminum wire demo car. On this car, 11 LED lights and 3 embedded cameras show the various vision-based sensor applications used in the vehicle today, including parking assist, adaptive cruise, object recognition, backup and side view mirror, backseat viewing, and surround view.

2007 Tecate Score Baja 500

2007-06-29T14:50:56-07:00

Baja 500 Pre-Race

Micron did a lot of work with SamCo Fabrication and the guys at GM's Desert Proving Grounds to get cameras and recorders installed in both the H2 and the H3. Upon arriving in Ensenada, we headed out to the course for some pre-running. After the pre-run testing, it was back into town for final preparations on the Hummers. The crowd at Contingency was huge, but getting the vehicles through the technical inspection went relatively quick. With the technical inspection out of the way, it was time for a team meeting and final preparations for all the chase vehicles that would be supporting the Hummers along the way.

Thanks go to drivers Rod, Josh, and Chad Hall with Rod Hall Racing; co-drivers Sam Cothrun and Jake Povey with SamCo Fabrication; and the guys at GM Desert Proving grounds, including Thad Stump, Doug Moore, and Matt Laramie. This team made our job of getting the cameras and recorders installed in the Hummers a lot easier.

View the Baja 500 pre-race prep video.

Baja 500 Hummer H2 Race

Driver Josh Hall and co-driver Sam Cothrun are quite a team. I'm not sure how fast they were going through the wash in Ensenada, but the crowd loved the Hummer H2. Once out of the wash, it was right into the dust and silt. Stuck cars everywhere on the course made driving an even bigger challenge than the landscape itself, not to mention all those VW bugs. Somewhere between the rocks, the silt, and the drivers not yielding to horn honking, the H2 ended up with a badly damaged front end and had to drop out of the race shortly after the 200 mile mark. Still some great racing action and great racing action video footage! See you guys in the "Vegas to Reno" race.

View the Baja 500 Hummer H2 race video.

Baja 500 Hummer H3 Race

Rod Hall started out driving the race with co-driver Jake Povey. These guys didn't wait around to make some moves. They took their Hummer H3 and passed a VW bug in the first part of the wash. This is Rod Hall's 40th year of racing in the Baja, but when he gets into the silt, his hands move just as fast on that steering wheel as the next guy's, and he gets that H3 to the other side, leaving others behind wallowing in the powder.

There seemed to be a lot of water crossings this year. We put microphones up under the chassis of both Hummers to get the engine sound so that when they cross the streams, you can the hear sound from under the water. Chad Hall took over driving and piloted the H3 into the evening and through the night. There was no letting up either. There was more silt, rocks, and lots of dead or dying race vehicles to avoid. Chad and Jake brought the H3 across the finish line early morning around 5 a.m. Not only did they win in their class, but they were the only vehicle in their class to finish.

View the Baja 500 Hummer H3 race video.

Reinventing the Automobile

2007-06-26T06:19:13-07:00

Speaking before the start of the 44th annual Design and Automation Conference in San Diego, Larry Burns, vice president of R&D and strategic initiatives for General Motors, said it's time to reinvent the automobile.

There are two ways GM is going to tackle this: environmentally and technologically. Since Micron® is a semiconductor company and we make image sensors and memory chips that go into cars, let's focus on the technology aspect. In the EETimes article, Burns notes that in the future, cars will talk with each other, creating a safer driving experience.

As more technically advanced automobiles continue to hit the roadways, imaging technology is a key feature that provides drivers with an intuitive look at the drive ahead or the view behind. Micron has a portfolio of image sensors designed specifically for the automotive industry, enabling manufacturers to design-in camera functionality for side view mirror replacement and assistance or to provide a reversing camera so the driver can clearly see what's happening next to the car or behind it. The sensors also capture information about environmental conditions and send information to the vehicle's data systems to provide input for potential actions, such as safer deployment of a vehicle's airbag.

Curtis Stith; Director of Marketing, Emerging Markets; Micron Technology, Inc.

Micron AES Wireframe Car is a work of art and an effective demonstration

2007-05-11T15:30:00-07:00

When Micron was planning to attend the 3rd China International Automotive
Electronics Products and Technologies Show & Auto + IT Summit (AES 2007) in Shanghai, China, we knew that we would need a beautiful, artful way to demonstrate Micron’s commitment to the automotive industry and show the many automotive systems that Micron’s products enable.

So Micron acquired the services of Tony Applegate, a Boise-based artist, motorcycle builder, and entrepreneur who heads up the Air Designs Paint & Fabrication Studio in Boise, Idaho.

Tony made a series of drawings and worked with Micron’s automotive marketing teams and applications teams to develop a plan for this demonstration art, which we lovingly call the “Wireframe Car.”

The plans for the car took a lot of work, but it was well worth it. China, where the car is debuting this week, could be an important market for Micron, particularly for our CMOS image sensors for scene viewing and scene processing applications. According to the AES organizers, by 2007, China's automobile chips market is expected to take 10 percent of the world's market share, reaching 1.45 billion dollars. Micron is already one of the world’s leading suppliers of CMOS image sensors to the automotive industry, with sensors on board production vehicles in all of the major vehicle-producing regions in the world.

The photos below show the setup for the AES show. Check back on this blog in a few days for a dynamic video that illustrates how image sensors can be used on future cars.

Tracey Mason, Marketing Communications Manager

Lac Rose Dakar Finale

2007-01-25T08:44:00-08:00

The final sprint stage of the rally is a short 16km sprint at the beach community of Lac Rose, just outside Dakar. This stage is spectator friendly and a side-by-side duel along the beach. The ominous black Monster Hummer, our machine’s nickname, blasts through this stage to capture a 3rd place finish behind a couple of the VWs.

Robby is not pleased with the results of this stage, but the team is very happy to have finished the rally. After a while, we realize that the team is the first American team to finish the Dakar in an American car. On the podium, the American flag is proudly held up by Robby and Andy and is a really great sight. Lots of fans along the beach are cheering for Robby, the Hummer, and us as an American team.

Dwight Woodbridge, Hummer

Last Long Run of the Rally

2007-01-25T08:42:38-08:00

Stage 14 runs from Tambacounda to the town of Dakar and is the last long stage of the rally. The terrain is more open than the previous stage and we started out in a better spot than yesterday. We were rewarded with a 5th place finish, with the top five very close in time.

The VW group has a big advantage in the latter half of the rally, with one car set for a good finish and the two lead cars of Carlos Sainz and DeVilliers set out to run as rabbits to try to win stages and salvage another disappointing rally for them. We have to be a bit conservative and make sure we can finish as Robby is the lone bullet in our arsenal.

The Hummer H3 finishes the stage running great—no issues with the car. As we leave the Bivouac from stage 14 and drive to Dakar, the team realizes that a hotel room is in our future for the first time in a couple of weeks and a warm shower will await us. The rally does manage to throw in another curve as the road from Tambacounda to Dakar is almost impassable. If we can navigate the course through the land mines in Mauritania just to get to another bivouac, we can certainly make it to our hotel for a shower!

Dwight Woodbridge, Hummer

Navigating the Dust

2007-01-25T08:41:00-08:00

The end of the rally is starting to loom as the Hummer H3 runs stage 13. The terrain is very tight and lined with trees—not very helpful at all for our situation. We need to pass several cars to claim a top finishing spot. An 11th place finish is what we ended up for this stage, but the real problem was the amazing amount of dust on the trail. Robby and Andy could not see in front of them, so they were operating at less than full pace for the entire distance. Looking over the data we download every night confirmed Robby’s frustration—lots of part-throttle running. Not only did the dust create a problem, but the tightness of the trees made it difficult to pass other vehicles while running this stage.

The good news is that the H3 only needs basic maintenance for the next stage so at least we can get a little sleep before the entire camp packs and moves to the next Bivouac. Aside from basic maintenance, we need to make sure all the side loads from the twisty course didn’t wear out the trailing arm bearings.

The Rally Raid concept includes chasing crews and keeping them running hard on the trail and working on the car. It’s a real physical and mental challenge for all the teams racing here. It really adds an interesting and difficult element to the race, certainly making it an incredible challenge. The basic lack of creature comforts adds to the challenge—no decent shower, bathroom, dining room, or even place to sit and eat dinner. Dinner always includes a nice dose of Sahara sand that coats the food and some non-refrigerated beverage options.

Dwight Woodbridge, Hummer

Jumping Through Rocks

2007-01-25T08:39:54-08:00

Another race day and the Hummer H3 and its LS7 powerplant were flying through the African desert from Ayoub, Mauritania to Kayes, Mali.

Robby and Andy had the lead Volkswagen within 6 seconds at the first two checkpoints but the route to the finish proved difficult. A dust trail from previous leader DeVilliers and a GPS heading that matched the dust trail lulled the guys into a rock garden that cost them 20 minutes to negotiate. Andy had to jump out and guide Robby over the huge rocks. They even had to jump a few rocks to navigate through. Ultimately, they ended the stage in 13th place, keeping the Hummer up in 8th overall, finishing well ahead of DeVilliers, who was also derailed for a while and ended up 22nd.

The nature of this rally changed significantly after the Rest Day as the leading VWs fell back and the Mitsubishis moved to the front. We should see another good competitive stage tomorrow as the teams all make the final push towards Dakar for the final sprint stage on Sunday. Team orders are starting to take effect for the leading teams—Mitusbishi to consolidate the lead and VW to try to sprint to some victories and throw the leaders off their game.

Dwight Woodbridge, Hummer