CAN transceiver and system chip boost vehicle efficiency

Governments around the world are mandating reductions in CO2 emissions from vehicles, and auto manufacturers are responding by producing more "green" vehicles. As one example, car makers are now pushing for CAN Partial Networking — a major innovation in power efficiency — to become an industry standard through ISO and AUTOSAR. Chip manufacturer NXP Semiconductors N.V. announces what is reportedly the first NWP ISO 11898-6 and AUTOSAR R3.2.1 compliant solution supporting CAN Partial Networking.

The standalone TJA1145 CAN transceiver and integrated system basis chip UJA1168 give design engineers precise control over a vehicle’s bus communication network. By deactivating the Electronic Control Units (ECUs) that are currently not needed, engineers are able to significantly reduce vehicle fuel consumption and CO2 emissions without sacrificing performance.

In traditional in-vehicle networking architectures, all ECUs are always active and consuming power when the vehicle is in use. This is true even if the applications they control aren’t continuously required, such as seat positioning, sun roof operation, and window adjustments. CAN Partial Networking changes this model by activating only those ECUs that are functionally required, while the other ECUs remain in a low-power mode until needed. This results in significant savings in power consumption, reducing costs, wiring, and CO2 emissions. CAN Partial Networking is also beneficial for electric and hybrid vehicles, as it helps extend their operating range and optimize charging time.

Audi and Volkswagen corporations will be introducing Partial Networking into the next generation of car models. Audi estimates a mid-term reduction potential on CO2 emissions of about 2.6 g/km and fuel savings of 0.11 litres/100 km, when using CAN Partial Networking.

TJA1145 and UJA1168 are next-generation networking solutions, which combine both analog circuitry and high digital density circuits. TJA1145 is a high-speed CAN transceiver, while UJA1168 is a CAN system basis chip with 5 V/100 mA microcontroller supply. Both support CAN Partial Networking by enabling “Selective wake-up” and “Selective sleep” functionality. Both chips come with a small footprint based on the HVSON14 package. For backwards compatibility reasons, the TJA1145 is also available in the SO14 package.

Engineering samples for TJA1145 and UJA1168 are currently available with volume shipping in 2012.

For more information, contact NXP Semiconductors, 1130 Ringwood, M/S SJ 28, San Jose, CA 95131. Phone: (408) 474-8769.