Renesas expands RL78 family of MCUs with industry’s highest segment count LCD controller

JAPAN: Renesas Electronics Corp. has announced the RL78/L13 Group of low-power microcontrollers (MCUs) with on-chip LCD controller offering up-to 376 segment drive capability in an 80-pin package.

These new MCUs are optimal for consumer, health and industrial equipment that are equipped with an LCD panel. LCD panels are widely used in both consumer and industrial equipment, including home appliances such as washing machines, stoves and microwave ovens, health equipment such as blood pressure monitors and blood glucose monitors, and portable test equipment and meters. Renesas has already released the RL78/L12 low-power MCUs that reduce power consumption by about 30 percent compared to earlier Renesas products as on-chip LCD driver MCUs.

There is now, however, strong demand for an increase in the number of segments in on-chip LCD driver MCUs to support the large increases of information shown on
LCD panels due to needs to display information such as power saving status ecological information and the additional information associated with advanced functionality.

At the same time, the Induction Heating (IH) method is beginning to be widely used in IH cooking equipment, and industrial equipment as well. In this IH heating equipment, high-functionality timers are required to control the IH inverter circuit. Renesas is now releasing the RL78/L13 Group of MCUs to respond to these needs.