Fujitsu Microelectronics America has introduced a new FlexRay controller and a new family of 16-bit microcontrollers for automotive applications.
Automotive networking products include the MB91F465XA FlexRay controller for driver-assistance applications; the 16FX family of high-integration, low-power 16-bit microcontrollers, and the MB91F467B, a new member of the 32-bit F2MC family designed in close cooperation with automotive suppliers.
Fujitsu also plans to introduce a MotorKit-91F267-MC platform that simplifies development of three-phase motor-control solutions for automotive and industrial motor-control applications.
The 16FX series includes four devices based on a new central processor said to increase internal bus bandwidth significantly compared with Fujitsu’s 16LX microcontroller series, with which they are pin- and software-compatible.
The new devices provide five times the computing power of their predecessors, increase on-chip functionality, and can execute programs approximately three times faster at the same clock frequency. For example, at 24 MHz, the 16FX series achieves more than 11 real MIPS (Dhrystone 2.1). New technology and an improved design allow CPU frequencies up to 56MHz, enabling processing performance equivalent to 32-bit processors.
The 16FX series reduces power consumption by 80% thanks to 0.18 mn CMOS process technology, a lower internal CPU voltage of 1.8 V, a peripheral clock speed that is selectable independently from the CPU speed, and a reduced number of clocks per instruction (CPI).
"Low power consumption is crucial for battery-operated applications, including many automotive control units that remain active when a vehicle engine is switched off. Reduced power consumption can save on system costs, since potential battery capacities, voltage regulators or buffer capacities can be configured in a smaller format," said Akio Nezu, senior manager of the Embedded Solutions Business Group at Fujitsu Microelectronics America. "Cooling measures can be eliminated and electromagnetic radiation is reduced, so potentially expensive measures such as shielding can also be eliminated or substantially reduced."
On-chip oscillators enable 16FX devices to be operated at speeds of either 100 KHz or 2 MHz without external resonators. Applications that require a precise clock supply and an external resonator benefit from the fast (less than 1ms) and safe start-up (guaranteed even if the external resonator strikes). The MCUs can use the on-chip oscillator to monitor the external clock source.
The devices have an extended supply voltage range of 3 V to 5.5 V. If the supply voltage drops below 3 V, the on-chip low-voltage detection reset ensures that the 16FX application will not hang up. Optional alarm comparators also are available for monitoring analog parameters without disturbing the CPU. If the on-board voltage leaves a defined range, an interrupt is generated, allowing the CPU to take counter-measures, such as deactivating low prioritized loads.
Fujitsu’s MB91F465XA FlexRay controller, a member of the MB91460 series, is built around a 32-bit Fujitsu FR 70 CPU with an internal clock speed of 100 MHz and voltage range of 3 V to 5.5 V. Based on the E-Ray core licensed from Robert Bosch GmbH, the device uses VHDL code certified by TUV Nord, supports 2-channel and FIFO operations, and supports 218 different identifiers by providing more than 8 kB of message buffer memory.
The controller enables implementation of the FlexRay protocol without the need for companion devices. FlexRay provides approximately 10 times the throughput of the controller area network (CAN) bus, which it is eventually expected to replace as the automotive industry adopts x-by-wire solutions. The controller provides a two-channel FlexRay bus interface, one I2C, two CAN and three LIN-USART interfaces.
The device operates from a single supply ranging from 3 V to 5.5 V. Internal frequencies of up to 100 MHz are generated via the on-chip PLL using external 4 MHz quartz crystals as the clock input. A total of 544 KB of flash memory with read-out protection and 32 KB of RAM is available, making the MB91F465XA meet AUTOSAR (AUTomotive Open System ARchitecture) requirements. Other features include hardware watchdog, 17-channel 10-bit ADC, reload timer, stopwatch function, and an RTC module that can operate on external 4 MHz or 32 KHz quartz crystals.