A 32bit V850 CPU core recently unveiled by Renesas Electronics is claimed to offer both real-time control and signal processing performance on a par with digital signal processors (DSPs). Its aim is to boost processing performance in embedded systems, such as factory automation (FA) equipment and automotive control units for engine control.
A key feature of the V850E2H core is an integrated coprocessor with single-instruction multiple-data (SIMD) support that allows processing of four units of data to be executed by a single instruction. This enhances signal-processing performance without the need for an external DSP. There’s also a high-speed branch predictor for rapid execution of loop instructions, so that programs composed of basic instructions without signal processing will run approximately 10% faster. Both features make it easier for system designers to incorporate MCUs with built-in V850E2H CPU cores into their systems.
In recent years, the field of real-time control systems requiring high-speed signal processing has seen a rapid shift to electronics, pushing the demand for faster signal processing. Today’s high-end embedded systems typically include a DSP for signal processing in addition to a CPU.
However, since the CPU must communicate with externally connected devices, such as DSPs via low-speed memory devices, it’s been extremely difficult to maintain the high interrupt responsiveness essential in these fields when changing the processing details in response to interrupts.
In addition, such high-end embedded systems require a substantial investment of development man-hours. This comes from the need to create a control program to run on the CPU and a separate signal-processing program to run on the DSP. Subsequently, they must be designed and tested using separate development environments and then tested and verified to ensure interoperation between the CPU and DSP.
The V850E2v4 architecture combines the control performance of existing CPU cores, such as the V850E2M, with superior signal-processing performance. The architecture boosts both control performance and signal-processing performance, surpassing that of the earlier architecture. In addition, it offers enhanced basic functions and SIMD extensions for signal processing.