A runner settles into the starting blocks, ready for the race to begin. When the sound from the starter horn reaches the runner’s ears, the brain tells the legs to push hard against the ground to propel the body forward. But the runner is thinking about speed and focus, about distance and pacing, and maybe about advice from her trainer. She is not thinking about which neurons to fire to make her muscles contract in the correct sequence, and she is not thinking about how to maintain balance as she rounds the final turn toward the finish line.
The cerebrum handles the higher-level thinking, while the cerebellum (the “little brain”) coordinates the muscles to carry out the actions ordered by the cerebrum.
This analogy is particularly apt as we move toward software-defined vehicles. There is a need for a layer in between the brain and nervous system of a vehicle: a “little brain” that bridges the digital world with the analog, translating the decisions made by the brain into actions carried out by the nervous system of the vehicle quickly and efficiently.
This is the central vehicle controller, or CVC. As OEMs build the brain and nervous system that Aptiv’s Smart Vehicle Architecture™ comprises, they should not underestimate the crucial role of the CVC — the little brain that not only enables higher functions of software-defined vehicles but also quietly keeps everything moving smoothly.
Read our white paper to find out more about the CVC and all that it can do for tomorrow’s vehicles.
