Freescale for Auto Electornics

Freescale progressed as the supplier for automotive electornics:

(The original article from John Day's Auto Electronics Blog )

"Freescale at Convergence 2008 Strategy Analytics’ report,”Automotive Microcontrollers: Market Demand and Product Directions,” predicts that 32-bit devices will account for 58% of the $7.6 billion automotive MCU market by 2015 and that high-end MCUs will be key enablers of future emissions-controlling powertrain technology, advanced safety and driver assistance systems, and multimedia entertainment products. So that’s what Freescale focused on at Convergence 2008:Freescale FlexRay and BMW

Freescale’s FlexRay controller technology was first implemented last year in the BMW X5 Sports Activity Vehicle, which was the first standard-production vehicle to use the FlexRay protocol. The Integrated Chassis Management (ICM) system in the BMW X6 Sports Activity Coupe, which manages the vehicle’s drivetrain and suspension functions, uses two 32-bit Freescale Power Architecture MCUs. As with the X5, Freescale FlexRay controller technology is used in BMW’s optional Adaptive Drive, which allows drivers to select a sporting or a more comfortable ride with the press of a button. Sensors in the vehicle continuously monitor vehicle speed, steering-wheel position, and the pitch and yaw forces acting on the BMW chassis. The FlexRay network carries that sensor data to the chassis control system, which automatically adjusts the vehicle’s stabilizers and dampers, changing their settings to counteract forces that might cause the body to roll or sway.Mobile web connectivity – and DSRC

Freescale and software developer G4 Apps unveiled a jointly developed, production-ready automotive platform for safety and telematics applications with mobile Web connectivity options including cellular, Wi-Fi, and DSRC (dedicated short-range communications), the protocol and radio interface used in the United States Department of Transportation’s VII (vehicle infrastructure integration) program for vehicle safety. The platform, based on Freescale’s MPC5121e multicore microprocessor, supports the mobility applications in the U.S. DOT’s SAFE TRIP 21 initiative and similar initiatives elsewhere. Freescale said it provides a reference design that OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers can use to develop higher volume products. i.MX35 multimedia

Richard Robinson, principal automotive electronics analyst for iSuppli Corp., predicts that the infotainment application processor market will more than double over the next six years, reaching $1.2 billion in 2014, up from $580 Million in 2007.Freescale said its new i.MX35 family of infotainment application processors, based on the ARM1136JF-S core, will enable OEMs to offer navigation capabilities and hands-free control of in-car audio as affordable options on all vehicles - not just on luxury models. The i.MX35 builds on the i.MX31, which powers Ford’s SYNC. Consumers can choose songs, retrieve text messages and get directions, all with simple voice commands.There are three pin-compatible devices in the i.MX35 family. The i.MX351 is for audio connectivity platforms, the i.MX355 for “cost-effective display-based systems,” and the i.MX356, which integrates an OpenVG 1.1-compliant graphics processing unit, for navigation services and other applications that call for higher levels of graphics content. The i.MX356’s OpenVG technology also supports applications like personal navigation devices, which require connectivity as well as high performance graphics.Connectivity options include two CAN modules, a Media Local Bus (MLB) to connect to MOST INIC transceivers, Ethernet, two MMC/SD/SDIO ports, a CE-ATA/SDIO port for external wireless modules, two integrated USB PHYs, and a 3.3V general purpose I/O interface. Freescale said the processors support lower cost memories like DDR2 and multi-level cell NAND.The i.MX35 family supports the Microsoft Auto platform and works with QNX Software’s Aviage family of middleware products and its Neutrino OS. An i.MX35 product development kit (PDK) is available as are board support packages for Windows Embedded CE and Linux operating systems, plus optimized audio and video codecs and digital rights management libraries. Samples are available now to tier one customers. Others will have to wait until Q1 2009. Volume production is planned for Q3 2009. Suggested resale prices for 2010 in 100K quantities range from $10 to $13.MPC5674F for “green” engine design

For engine control in mainstream, high-volume automobiles, Freescale’s 32-bit MPC5674F powertrain MCU, built on 90 nm Power Architecture technology, offers 264 MHz clock speed and more than 600 million Dhrystone instructions per second (DMIPS) performance, which the firm claims is about 10 times better than conventional engine controllers. The chip includes on-chip digital signal processing, four A/D converters, 4 MB of on-chip flash, 256K data RAM, 64 and 32-channel DMA controllers, and a variety of interfaces, including four that support FlexCAN. Target applications include common rail diesel injection systems, gasoline direct injection engines, homogenous charge compression ignition (HCCI) systems, and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs).Kevin Klein, global manager of automotive MCUs at Freescale, said the MPC5674F went from concept to sampling in just 12 months, and that on-chip integration and virtual sensing capabilities reduce the need for external components, helping to reduce system cost by nearly 30% over conventional systems. Klein noted that precise fuel control in common rail diesel injection systems requires complex calculations to determine fuel injection timing, air volume and pressure, engine temperature and battery voltage. The MPC5674F offers 64-channel dual enhanced timing units with 30K dedicated RAM to handle complex engine timing events. Tuning gasoline engines for maximum fuel efficiency requires precise control of spark and fuel, using advanced calculations to govern spray timing, air volume and temperature. Running engines leaner – with less fuel and more air – can help improve mileage but also can generate more knocking, especially when the engine is not producing torque. Knock detection techniques include in-cylinder pressure sensing, vibration sensors, and spark plug ionization, all of which require extensive digital filtering and calculations. Klein said pressure sensing, in particular, requires multiple A/Ds and large RAM and flash arrays to handle large quantities of data and complex algorithms.Klein said the MPC5674F’s high level of integration enables engine designers to implement virtual sensors and avoid using separate knock detection ASICs, further reducing system cost. Government standards and regulations, such as the Euro IV, V and VI emissions standards, require cleaner burning engines that curb greenhouse gas emissions. Higher-precision tuning calls for a higher number of calibration tables and diagnostic information, which results in a need for larger memory.

Klein said 4 MB of on-chip flash provides sufficient non-volatile memory to support computationally intensive modeling environments and auto code generation, eliminating the need for off-chip memory.The MPC5674F is packaged in a 416-pin PBGA. Pricing wasn’t available.Chrysler adopts Freescale VA tool suite

Chrysler is using VA-Harness and VA-Complexity Management, the first two commercialized components of Freescale’s Virtual Architect (VA) tool suite. Chrysler and Freescale will work together on other components of the suite expected to be released over the next 12 months from Freescale’s Virtual Garage program www.freescale.com/virtualgarage.
Freescale said the VA tools help to ensure synchronization of design data and product planning data to reduce complexity, reduce errors, improve accuracy of service diagnostics, and lower warranty costs. VA-Harness and VA-Complexity Management (VA-CM) enable a complexity driven wire harness design process to help ensure that every orderable vehicle has the required set of wire harnesses. Freescale senior VP Henri Richard noted that in the typical design environment, each domain – sensors, wiring harnesses, communications busses, electronic control units, actuators, etc. – operates semi-autonomously, thus a change in the architectural design of a component in one domain typically requires time-consuming manual coordination between engineers of different domains.As car companies add more electronic features for differentiation, they face not only system complexity but also product complexity, according to Richard. “This transition has put automobile manufacturers increasingly in the role of system integrator,” and the tool suite enables smoother systems integration.The VA tool suite lets system engineers specify vehicle level EE performance requirements, communicate and collaborate with other EE engineering design domains, and conduct performance requirement validations. “This helps to ensure synchronization of design specifications (harness, network and ECU) for the vehicle, reducing the likelihood of costly errors,” Richard said."