Freescale next-generation system basis chips provide energy efficiency and safety for in-vehicle networks

embedded world Conference 2010, NUREMBURG, GERMANY: As electronic content in cars continues to increase, energy management, safety and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) robustness have become critical requirements for in-vehicle networks.

Freescale Semiconductor announced its next generation of system basis chips (SBCs) to address these issues. The SBC devices integrate an energy management module to power microcontrollers (MCUs), transceiver interfaces to connect with in-vehicle networks and low-power modes to conserve battery life.

“Our latest SBC product family is designed to offer automakers a scalable solution to enhance system reliability and robustness, and reduce power consumption in automotive networks.”

The advanced MC33904/5S/5D SBCs are built on Freescale SmartMOS technology and are designed to optimize the performance, power consumption and cost of electronic control units for a broad range of automotive applications. The devices are ideal for high-performance body applications such as body control modules, lighting modules, door/seat modules, seatbelt pretensioners, fuel/water pumps, glow plugs and low-end engine management systems. They also are suited for applications including safety and powertrain.

EMC and electrostatic discharge (ESD) are a serious concern in harsh automotive environments due to the close proximity of a wide range of networked electronic systems and devices. These CAN/LIN-certified devices offer programmable fail-safe features to assist with system functional safety, while providing a high level of ESD protection and excellent EMC performance to address stringent automotive requirements.

The SBCs are AEC-Q100 automotive qualified and are highly immune to EMC and ESD stresses without the need for external components, simplifying the bill of materials. Innovative wave-shaping technology helps enable ultra-low electronic emissions.

“Freescale has more than 20 years of experience developing sophisticated power management solutions for the automotive market,” said Scott Ward, vice president and general manager of Freescale’s Analog, Mixed-Signal and Power Division. “Our latest SBC product family is designed to offer automakers a scalable solution to enhance system reliability and robustness, and reduce power consumption in automotive networks.”

The pin-compatible family of SBC devices are ideal companion chips to Freescale 16-bit and entry-level 32-bit automotive MCUs. The devices contain a combination of low drop out (LDO) voltage regulator(s), high-side switches and physical layer transceivers (CAN, LIN). The SBC devices are controlled by an MCU through a serial peripheral interface. They also possess various power-saving modes such as standby, sleep and stop and other features including wakeup and watchdog timer.

The new family of SBCs includes:
* MC33904 – SBC with high-speed CAN transceiver.
* MC33905S – SBC with high-speed CAN and 1LIN transceiver.
* MC33905D – SBC with high-speed CAN and 2 LIN transceivers.