(iTers News) - Freescale Semiconductor adds three more new MCUs to its Qorivva and S12 MaginiV vehicle body networking controller IC families, including Qorivva MPC5748G and S12 MagniV S12ZVL/S12ZVC MCUs.

The roll-out of the new MCUs caps Freescale’s effort to address the automotive industry’s compelling market demand for higher bandwidth networks, improved data security, and higher safety features and cutbacks in overall energy consumption

The new Qorivva MPC5748G and S12 MagniV S12ZVL/S12ZVC MCUs are complementary technologies, as the Qorivva central controller act as the networking gatekeeper featuring centralized data security, intelligent power management and ASIL support for functional safety.

"The Qoriva MCu is designe for central body controller and gateway. This chip has powerful communications and performance as well as a safety feature. The other MCU is S12 MagniV, which is designed for CAN and LIN nodes , which has integrated regulator and CAN receiver to simplify customers' design," said kevin Lim, automotive marketing manager with Freescale Semiconductor Korea.       

The S12 MagniV satellite nodes have integrated power supplies and communications transceivers embedded onto smart mixed-signal MCUs. The level of hyper-integration these devices can help simplify vehicle network design, yielding reduced weight, increased manufacturing efficiency and reduced board sizes up to 30%.

“Vehicles are transforming into smart consumer devices where all connections lead to the outside world,” said Ray Cornyn, vice president of Automotive Microcontroller Products at Freescale.

“By bringing increased intelligence to the central communications controller in the vehicle, Freescale understands the importance of not only securing in-vehicle networks, but also reducing electrical and mechanical energy consumption. Our latest MCU offerings will enable OEMs to reduce up to 20 pounds of copper wiring and board components, reducing vehicle weight and in turn further improving fuel efficiency,” added he.

True enough, as the number of electronic control units in a vehicle grows, so does the amount of connectivity devices.

To network those devices, the average vehicle includes several miles of copper wire – weighing up to 150 lbs. or more – for in-vehicle networking.

Embedding more functionality within the vehicle’s main ECUs and increasing the intelligence of its satellite nodes like modules in doors or electric motors can help reduce the number of ECUs and the amount of associated wiring required. This integration will scale down weight in the vehicle wiring harness and help improve vehicle fuel economy.

Along with the demand for greener cars, there is a major push for compliance with the ISO26262 functional safety standard for automotive body modules, given the critical nature of the functions they enable such as exterior lighting and wind shield wipers. And as wireless communication to and from the vehicle becomes more prevalent, there is a growing need for security measures within automotive microcontrollers – to safeguard the intellectual property they contain and also prevent unauthorized and potentially dangerous access to the vehicle network.

Qorivva MPC5748G MCU

The Qorivva MPC5748G MCU is a single-chip solution for next-generation central body control and gateway applications. It combines an exceptional level of integration with innovative low-power management modes, support for functional safety and robust security features.

The MPC5748G MCU provides one of the most diverse sets of networking communications peripherals on the market, with support for Ethernet with Audio Video Bridging (AVB), FlexRay, Media Local Bus (MLB), USB, CAN FD (Flexible Data Rate) and up to 18 LIN controllers.

High performance through a multicore architecture and memory options up to 6 MB of flash and 768 KB of RAM help ensure efficient transfer of data and eliminate communication bottlenecks.

Central body control modules spend significant portions of time in a low-power monitoring state. The MPC5748G features a low-power unit (LPU) mode that allows for increased functionality in a lower-power state, cutting peak current consumption for cyclic wakeup use cases by nearly 30%, compared to previous-generation devices.

In addition, the integration of analog comparators, which operate out of standby mode and pretended networking, helps support next-generation power budget requirements.   

The MPC5748G is a Freescale SafeAssure functional safety solution, which is defined and developed from the ground up to address the ISO 26262 standard.

Built-in safety functions such as self testing and end-to-end error correction coding (ECC), comprehensive auto safety software including AUTOSAR OS and MCAL drivers and extensive safety documentation help target the use of the device for ASIL B.

The MPC5748G offers a hardware security module (HSM) for data protection and ensures secure communication and flash updates through AES cryptographic algorithms, secure memory and secure boot capabilities.

S12 MagniV S12ZVL/S12ZVC MCUs

Increasing the intelligence of CAN termination nodes or LIN nodes using the highly integrated S12 MagniV S12ZVL/S12ZVC MCUs will help automotive OEMs optimize their total body networking systems.

The S12ZVL/S12ZVC devices allow designers to achieve the smallest possible CAN termination nodes (using S12ZVC) or LIN nodes (using S12ZVL) and help reduce printed circuit board sizes by as much as 30%.

Car systems can connect high-voltage signals and power supplies directly to the S12 MagniV MCU, helping save additional discrete components, increasing system quality and reducing system design and manufacturing complexity.

The S12 MagniV portfolio enables body electronics platform design scalability across multiple applications, with CAN and LIN connectivity options, flash memory from 8 KB to 192 KB and a range of package options between 32 and 64 pins.

The S12 MagniV S12ZVL/S12ZVC MCUs are the first devices from the Freescale 16-bit automotive MCU portfolio included in Freescale’s SafeAssure functional safety program. They have been defined and developed from the ground up to address the ISO 26262 standard.

Samples of the Qorivva MPC5748G and the S12 MagniV S12ZVL are expected to be available in the second quarter, while the S12 MagniV S12ZVC are expected to be sampled out in the third quarter of this year.  Mass market versions of the three new MCUs are scheduled to roll off the line sometime in the second half of 2014.

(Photos and Videos by JH Bae  )